One’s in, one’s out

By Ben Turner
SWINBURNE-Kilsyth’s men’s and women’s basketball teams had mixed results on Friday night, as the Cobras secured the SEABL East Conference Minor Premiership, while the Lady Cobras were ousted from the finals.
The Cobras secured a home semi final next week with a 84-79 win over the Geelong Supercats on the road. It was Swinburne’s seventh straight win.
Fernandez Lockett had 25 points and seven rebounds in his best game of the season. He also drained five of nine from three point range, as the Cobras hit a total of 13 from 30 to secure the win.
With Tim Lang, Ryan Bathie, Matt O’Hea and Quincy Henderson all scoring in double figures, it was Swinburne’s balanced scoring that paved the way for their 19th win.
Leading 68-64 going into the final term, the Cobras stepped up their defensive efforts. In a low scoring quarter, Swinburne held the Supercats to just 15 points to secure the five point win.
The Cobras will now prepare for the first semi final against Bendigo on Saturday night.
Up for grabs will be a home conference final, something the Cobras have not secured since their last championship in 1999.
Meanwhile, the Lady Cobras bowed out of the finals with a 75-57 road loss to the Ballarat Lady Miners.
Swinburne finished with the same record as Ballarat, Bendigo and Knox, but for the second season in succession, were knocked out of the finals with a 2-4 record against those three opponents.
With their season on the line, Swinburne got the jump on Ballarat in the opening term. Alice Kunek had nine points and Deanna Smith six as the Lady Cobras built a 21-16 lead after the first quarter.
Rachel Jarry led the Ballarat fightback in the second term, with the Lady Miners also fighting to keep their season alive.
Despite back to back three’s from Gemma Kerr, Ballarat made all running in the third term, outscoring Swinburne 22 points to nine to build a 12-point lead at the final change.
The Lady Cobras fought hard in the final term, but were unable to get closer than nine points. Ballarat iced the game and their finals berth down the stretch, extending the final margin to 18 points.