The Echuca Pirates have been eliminated from finals contention after suffering losses in back-to-back matches against Seymour and Wallan over the weekend.
Heading into their game against Seymour, the Pirates were 3-4 on the season and looking to get their percentage in the positive.
But the second-placed Blasters had other ideas.
Despite the Pirates getting on the board first through a pair of Dylan Hoare free throws, Seymour responded, and more, going on a 10-0 run through the middle of the first quarter.
The Pirates played catch-up through the rest of the first term, with Regan Smith firing off from deep and Lachlan Tenace having the last laugh, but it was the Blasters who held a 26-13 lead at the first break.
Seymour steadily extended its lead throughout the second quarter as tensions rose between the two sides, with a game-high 13 fouls awarded in the period.
While Callum Stojanovic and Patrick Green got busy on the attacking end for Seymour, they only scored four more points than Echuca in the quarter, which gave the Blasters a 17-point advantage at half-time.
The Blasters looked to bury the Pirates at the start of the third term, going on a 14-2 tear, including back-to-back triples from Patrick Green and William Stewart that forced Echuca to take a time out.
The Pirates would need to overcome a 31-point disparity in the fourth quarter if they wanted to claim victory.
Unfortunately for Echuca, Seymour’s knack for going on scoring runs at the beginning of quarters continued, the home side scoring 13 points in the first three minutes to the Pirates’ four.
Both Hoare and Dylan Payne worked tirelessly but the Pirates were outclassed by a Blasters side firing on all cylinders.
Seymour ultimately blew out the Pirates in a 45-point win, the final score being 104-59.
Green dominated for the home side with 29 points to his name, including three from beyond the arc, meanwhile, Payne top-scored for the Pirates with 13.
The Pirates looked to reverse their fortunes in their second game in as many days, against Wallan.
The contest against the table-topping Panthers was a much closer affair, with the Pirates’ dominant second quarter not enough to overcome Wallan’s early lead.
The Panthers came with their claws out in the first quarter, an unanswered 18-point barrage propelling the visitors to a strong lead inside five minutes.
It took Echuca half of the opening period to get on the board, but once the floodgates opened they climbed their way into contention, with a timely three by Will Poulton lifting the visitors.
Despite this, Wallan lead by 15 at quarter-time, 26-11.
Echuca looked stronger in the second period, managing 14 points and finding rhythm and consistent ball movement.
Wallan, however, went from strength to strength, piling on a game-high 27 points in the quarter to extend its substantial lead to 28 with a critical second half to play.
Whatever was said in the half-time break between Pirates coaches and players lit a spark under the home side, which dominated the third term.
Tenace got busy for Echuca early, putting on six points within the first few minutes of the period, with sharpshooter Poulton bombing away from deep.
Tenace’s 10 points in the quarter were welcome for the Pirates, who outscored the Panthers 23-12 to wrestle the momentum in their favour.
With the deficit now only 17, Echuca had willed itself back into the game and put Wallan on the back foot down the stretch.
The Panthers, refusing to relinquish its lead, got on top early in the final frame until Ben Dri and Joey Mizzi turned the tide back in the Pirates’ favour.
Mizzi in particular, was clutch in crunch time, tallying eight points for the quarter with Dri’s six points an important cameo for the home side.
Even with their second half rise, the Pirates weren’t able to get over the line against the competition leaders, falling 69-78.
The Pirates won’t be playing finals basketball this season — their final game of the year will be against Shepparton Gators on November 30.