Giants’ big men fail to soar over the Hawks
The Giants were schooled on their home court by a team ranked lower than them on the SBL ladder for the second time in as many weeks, shooting just 38 per cent from the field and being thoroughly dominated on the boards.
NBL veteran Peter Crawford led the Hawks with a game-high 35 points and 13 assists, but it was Perry Lakes’ inside game which proved the difference. The Giants were thrashed 52-40 on rebounds and outscored 54-26 for points in the paint – damning statistics for Creek’s big men John Vaudreuil, Michael Haney, Lordan Franich and Russell Hurst.
With only five regular season games remaining, a top-four spot is now in serious jeopardy for the Giants, whose win-loss record stands at 13-8 and only one win clear of Perth, Perry Lakes and Wanneroo.
“Our senior guys have to lift – it’s as simple as that, ” was Creek’s matter-of-fact summation post-game.
Vaudreuil and Giants captain Ryan Hulme, who converted three of six from three-point range, both scored 20 points for the Giants.
The home side started sluggishly to trail 36-25 at quarter-time and lost further ground in the second period, although Hulme produced a team-lifting passage of play just before the half-time break.
Hulme was sent to the foul line after making a lay-up, which he converted, but seconds later the 322-game veteran made an interception to set up Todd Earle for two points.
Despite these signs of life, the Giants still went into the main break 58-46 in arrears.
The closest they got for the rest of the journey was nine points with 9:55 remaining in the third period and then minutes later, at 60-72, Haney looked like providing the spark.
The 198cm forward went in hard for the lay-up, but was called for his fifth foul running back on defence and was subsequently relegated to the bench.
It underlined the Giants’ struggles to build momentum on a night Perry Lakes had an answer to every question, particularly Crawford who continually silenced the home crowd by making seven of 16 three-point attempts.
“We need to work harder. Other teams at this time of the season have picked up defensively and that’s where we were previously very, very good and now we’re starting to drop off, ” Creek said.
Perry Lakes, who led by as much as 22 points late in the game, had four players post 20 points or more compared to the Giants’ two.
Creek said the Giants need to recapture their intensity under the ring.
“They dominated the glass, everyone on their team was crashing the boards and we emphasised that, but it just didn’t happen, ” Creek said.
“If you look at the averages, we’re the fourth-best rebounding team in the league and they’re about the ninth and they’ve spanked us by 12.
“We’re going to have to work hard at training and regroup and realise what got us to this stage is the fact we’ve worked hard as a team and keep working from there.”
Goldfields’ shock 112-94 loss to Rockingham on June 12, followed by Saturday’s defeat, represents the first time since 2007 they have lost back-to-back games at home.
The Giants face another tough assignment next Saturday night at Kalgoorlie’s Neils Hansen Basketball Stadium when they host ladder leaders Geraldton.
Article by Jarrod Lucas (Kalgoorlie Miner)
Photo by Travis Anderson (Andmedia/SportsVision)
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