Lack of cohesion obstructs Snakes

IF A game can sum up the Cairns Taipans NBL season – it was yesterday at home to Melbourne United.

In a contest that had it all, the Snakes leading by 18 points before being ovverun in the final quarter and overtime, the Round 13 game was a reflection of their campaign that will yield them a wooden spoon.

In short: Melo Trimble is an offensive machine but a basketball club’s offence that relies almost solely on him to win games is going to finish down the bottom of the table.

Trimble’s individual offence is great and exciting but it does not lead to consistent basketball where the team is competitive, as their 3-16 record tells us.

He is an absolute offensive firebrand but too often when he is running the show, his teammates stand around and get cold, as was the case when they were called upon when Melbourne put the clamps on the import guard in the second half.

His 32 points on Friday night was huge, as was his 42 yesterday, but the Snakes only fell over the line against Perth and lost the unlosable yesterday afternoon.

The Snakes led by as much as 18 but United wrestled back the momentum in the final term, led by veterans David Barlow and Casper Ware.

United should have never been in the game, they were that poor in the first half, but with Cairns relying on just Trimble, the job was that much easier for Melbourne.

Former Snake Mitch McCarron did an excellent job on Trimble in the second half.

United went on a 21-0 run at one stage late to run over the top of the Snakes.

Snakes coach Mike Kelly will have sleepless nights about why he did not call a time-out after Chris Goulding reduced the margin to three inside the final minute of the fourth term.

The no time-out led to a poor offensive possession from Cairns and United went up the other end and veteran forward David Barlow drained the massive triple to send the game into overtime.

United scored the first 12 points of the extra period, with the experience of Josh Boone and Ware, landing a 99-89 come-from-behind victory.

Ware watched on as his opposite number dominated the first three quarters and came alive when it mattered most, in the fourth quarter and extra time.

“It was ugly, we weathered the storm and came back hard,” Ware said.

“Trimble is a very good player, we just kept the course, we did not drop our heads.

“At halftime, I knew we could come back and win it.”