PORTLAND has finished up 2022 in the Country Basketball League men’s division with a strong win over Terang in Terang, taking home the spoils 85-62.

A monstrous 25-11 second quarter proved to be the difference on this occasion, with the Coasters able to maintain a comfortable lead for most of the rest of the game.  

The Coasters got significant contributions from their key players, with Toby Jennings making his welcome return from the sidelines and top scoring with 16 points, while Hayden Annett (14 points), Jackson Dunlop (13 points) and Nathan Hardingham (11 points) all made their mark.

The only big blemish on the game was Hardingham going down with an ankle injury towards the back end of the game, with his side hopeful that the Christmas break will be enough time for him to get himself right for the pointy end of the season.

Portland coach Rebel Noter said after the game that while he was happy with the win, there remained work to be done.

“It was a good win, but there were still patches where we didn’t look our best,” Noter said.

“We showed that we could score when we needed to… but we did let them back in the game a little bit and probably should’ve won by a lot more.

“I think it came down to a bit of complacency… our communication was ok, but we lacked some intensity at times.”

He added that it was good to spread some minutes around for everyone, with Noter saying that he was happy with the all-around contributions of most of his players.

“I think our key players in Jackson, Hayden, Toby and Nathan stepped up… but everyone played their role and contributed in some way,” he said.

The group will now look forward to a bit of time off before they hit the courts again in 2023, and with just three matchups left before finals, every result from here on out is going to count.

The Coasters go into the break with a 7-3 record and sit third on the ladder, behind Mt Gambier Lakers and Ararat Redbacks.