PORTLAND was unable to back up its Country Basketball League round one win, when they fell to Mount Gambier 77-100 at the Portland Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.

The game was close early, with the Lakers taking just a two-point lead into quarter-time, however they were able to build on that lead at every change to come away with a comfortable victory.

For Coasters coach Rebel Noter, the game was more a reflection of the strength of their opposition rather than his own side.

“We take nothing away from Mount Gambier, they shot the ball really well from outside and their ball movement was exceptional… there wasn’t really a weak point in their team,” Noter said.

“I was pleased with how we played overall… we had a few fill-ins who we had to fit in.

“We had to change from man-to-man to zone and back again to try and stem the bleeding… their ability to space the floor proved telling over the course of the game.”

Noter added that the result showed there is plenty of room for improvement in the squad, particularly on the defensive end.

“I think our defence let us down a bit… we were playing with our hands down and made it easy for them to shoot over us and that’s what they did,” he said.

“In saying that we were competitive on the rebounds, I thought Sam Peters did an exceptional job on the offensive boards and he was rewarded for that.

“I thought Kane (Johnson) showed his ability today as well, his first step and strength allowed him to get into the lane and also to stay in front of guys on defence.

“We don’t go that deep experience wise… some guys have been around and played for a while at this level, but the majority haven’t.”

He said that this could also be seen as a positive, as it gives the team plenty of room to grow over the course of the season and into the future.

“There’s most definitely room for growth, once I can get them running through drills and training, it’ll make the game a lot easier,” Noter said.

“We’ve had a lot of guys missing which has also meant players have been filling different roles to what they’re used to… Hayden (Annett) played a different role tonight… Nathan (Hardingham) has had to do more work on the ball when he’s used to being on the receiving end.”

Hardingham and Peters top scored for the Coasters with 19 points each, however defensively the home side had no answers for the firepower of Kane de Wit (29 points) and Ben Young (26 points).

Portland was supposed to follow up this match by travelling to Ararat to take on the Redbacks, however a lack of numbers due to injury and prior commitments meant the Coasters unfortunately had to forfeit.

Round two results

Horsham Hornets 74 defeated Warrnambool Seahawks 70.

Mt Gambier Lakers 100 defeated Portland Coasters 77.

Surfcoast Chargers 95 defeated Colac Kookas 85.

Ararat Redbacks 20 defeated Portland Coasters 0 (forfeit).