THE inevitable has – surprisingly – happened, with the Portland Coasters’ unbeaten run ended dramatically by the Colac Kookas in Colac on Sunday, in a tough, low scoring game, 68-60.

The game was decided in the first quarter, at least statistically.

In that quarter, Colac outscored Portland 22-14, but the sides then went on to score exactly the same amount of points in each of the quarters after.

Such a close contest can leave Portland ruing the ‘what ifs’, with their shooting in particular proving to be their downfall.

That is not to say they played poorly, just that they were capable of playing better basketball.

Portland were moving the ball well, defending well and getting into good shooting spots, but they just couldn’t seem to convert on the scoreboard.

This started in the first quarter, and continued for the duration of the match, but when you play well but just can’t quite seem to get it right, the effects can be quite demoralising.

So it proved for Portland, who unfortunately could not close the gap on a Colac side that played excellently.

Toby Jennings played another good game, scoring 14 points, while David Denboer and Nathan Hardingham were consistent, as usual, scoring 11 and 12 points respectively.

Jackson Dunlop was unavailable to play, and his absence was keenly felt, as he is a regular part of the Coasters’ starting lineup.

He contributes at both ends of the court, and is capable of hitting shots consistently, as was proved in round one, when his buzzer beater sunk Mt Gambier in the final moments of the game.

Jake O’Flynn was damaging for the Kookas, hitting four 3-pointers to make up part of his 18 point total, while Josh Fiegert hit 14 and Conner Hultgren, 10.

The result leaves the Portland Coasters in second place on the South West Mens conference of the Country Basketball League, with Colac unbeaten in their four games in top spot.

It is a good position for the Coasters to be in, heading into the Christmas break, with most other teams playing next weekend.

Portland, however, have the bye, and their next game is on January 8, against the Warrnambool Seahawks, the first part of a double header which will be completed the following day against the Horsham Hornets.

“It was tough,” Coasters coach Rebel Noter said.

“It was a bit of a slow start for us, our shots weren’t dropping.

“Our ball movement and defence wasn’t bad, but our shots just weren’t going in.

“When you don’t hit your shots like that, it can demoralise your players.

“Colac’s first quarter was a lot better.

“Our shots were about the same (in number), but they were able to hit theirs.

“Our matchups weren’t too bad.

“We need to work on finishing, to be more composed.

“We can’t be complacent, we can’t get down on ourselves… it becomes a bit infectious.”