Keilor almost pulled off one of the comebacks of the season in men’s Big V basketball on Saturday night before going down to Casey by seven points in overtime.
After a hard-fought first term, the Cavaliers kicked into gear and found their shooting range.
Casey put up 35 points in the second quarter, scoring at an impressive 63 per cent from the field and 57 per cent from beyond the three-point line to take a 14- point lead into half time.
And with the Thunder struggling to put the ball into the basket, Casey was able to further extend its lead when play resumed.
The Cavaliers made the most of some wayward shooting from Keilor and held a 19-point lead at the final change.
But the Thunder weren’t about to give up in front of their home fans and launched a spirited fightback.
Keilor shut Casey down defensively in the last quarter while also dominating at the attacking end, scoring 33 to push the game into overtime.
But the Cavaliers were able to regroup, scoring 17 points in the extended period to secure the 101-94 win.
Keilor coach Steve Toy was impressed with his players’ fighting spirit.
“I was very pleased with the character we showed to get back into the game,” he said.
“The start was a little disappointing. I think we were a bit nervous and a bit tense early on and I think that’s where we dropped away.
“It got to the point where it was like, ‘let’s have a crack’, and the guys did a great job to get back into it.
“We mixed the offence up a bit and we managed to be able to knock down some outside shots.
“We hit three three-pointers in a row, which sort of got the momentum going.”
Joel Smith was outstanding for Keilor and finished the match with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
He was well supported by Sam Loccisano’s 13 points.
“Joel has spent quite a bit of time injured early in the season and he is just starting to produce some of his better basketball,” Toy said.
“I thought that was one of his better games.
“He shared the ball around really well with the team.
“From my point of view that was really pleasing.”
Keilor now has a 10-7 record for the season and is fighting with Pakenham and Oakleigh for the fourth spot in the finals.
This weekend, Thunder takes on ninth-placed Mornington Breakers in a road game.
“I think if we can play like we did in the second half against Casey, we should be okay [against Mornington],” Toy said.
“They have some really good players we’ll need to keep an eye on, especially some younger guys.
“I think we really turned the corner yesterday.
“We have struggled to get 80 points on the board in the last month.
“It was good that we could rack up a decent score against a strong side.”
In women’s Big V results, the Thunder’s division 1 side went down 57-33 against Camberwell Dragons.
