The South Coast Blaze hope a week off will give them a much-needed refresh as they become increasingly desperate to return to the NSW Premier League winner's circle.
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The Blaze opens side has now dropped four games on the trot, the latest coming in heart-breaking fashion last Wednesday night, when they fell 59-56 to the Hawks.
It was always going to be a tough ask against their top-of-the-table opponents, but South Coast were competitive in the opening quarter (12-16) before surging ahead to lead 30-26 at halftime.
ERNA found their groove in the third term, taking a 45-41 lead at the final break, but the Blaze kept in touch in the last quarter before eventually falling by three goals.
After that encouraging performance, the Blaze have the bye, before returning to the court to face GWS Fury next week. With seven rounds remaining, it's the perfect opportunity for South Coast to refresh and re-focus.
"There was a lot of positives to take out of that (game). The most important thing I thought was that the team was really able to centralise themselves around things that we were really looking to improve on from last week to this week," Blaze coach Marji Parr said.
"Coming up against the Hawks, who are at the top of the ladder, we really like these big games. Yes, we lost by three, but the big-game challenge is something that we strive for and we've been able to successfully put together, which is something they should be proud of.
"This week, it's really about making sure we can get some good time on the boards under our legs and make sure the girls are feeling fresh. We'll get some ball in hand and get ourselves some new strategies, and see how we can build from here."
Meanwhile, the Blaze's under 23s side will also have a much-needed bye this week, as they also aim to shake off a losing streak.
South Coast have dropped their last six matches, with their last win coming back in April. Their latest defeat was a 54-47 loss to ERNA last Wednesday.
The Blaze held a slender 12-11 advantage at the first break before extending that lead to 26-22 at halftime.
The Hawks fought back in the third term but South Coast led 38-36 at the final break. However, ERNA proved far too strong in the last quarter, pushing on to win by seven goals.
"I was much happier with the effort this week, we stayed with the game and the large part of the game belonged to us," Blaze head coach Heather Smith said.
"We've just got to learn to string that to the finish line and in those big moments, when the decisions are on, it's about being calm and concise with what we do."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
