THE Hamilton Hurricanes were out to finish their return Country Basketball League (CBL) season on a winning note when they travelled to Ararat Fitness and Leisure Centre to take on the Redbacks on Saturday night.

The round 15 clash was a rematch of the earlier season clash when Hamilton collected its first and only win to date in the 2023-24 campaign.

The Hurricanes travelled north and started the game competitively, with the Redbacks forced to work hard in the opening term to find space and put up shots.

A 16-12 lead saw the home side take some extra confidence into the first break, but the visitors would have been confident they could reel in the deficit.

The second quarter saw the margin grow, with Hamilton losing the momentum, as Ararat piled on 22 points to the Hurricanes’ eight, to go into half time leading by 18 points.

The visitors took a young side into the game and regrouped at the break, looking to work back into the contest in the third term, which has traditionally been the team’s worst period of the game.

The Hurricanes added another eight points, while the Redbacks put up 17 points to ensure the result was beyond doubt with a quarter still to play.

Hamilton put together its best quarter of scoring to finish, putting up 18 points, but the Redbacks also increased their scoring output, finishing the final term with 27 points, recording a 82-46 victory to close out the season.

James Cleaver topped the Hurricanes’ scoring with 11 points, while Archie Porter and Josh Miller each added eight points in support.

It sums up Miller’s season, with the point guard finishing fifth in overall points for the South West conference, putting up 252 points for the campaign.

The Hurricanes finished the season in bottom spot with one win, four wins behind eighth-placed Colac Kookas, with the group learning and gaining plenty of experience ahead of an expected return to the court for the 2024-25 campaign in October.