Griffith Demons 75
Moss Vale Magic 60
DEMONS coach Andrew Cullen walked away satisfied with an easy fourth State League win against Moss Vale Magic at the "Demon Dome" on Saturday night.
A struggling Moss Vale side ran out of magic tricks at the end of the first quarter, being kept at arm's length by a strong Demons defence for the remaining three quarters.
Cullen said while he was happy with the 75-60 win, the game was nothing more than a ticked box ahead of next weekend's showdown against Queanbeyan.
"If we want to win our division, in my opinion, we have to win next week," Cullen said. "If we lose, it's not all said and done, but I think we need to take them if we want to take first spot."
A customary sluggish start from the Demons saw Moss Vale lead in the first quarter with a strong defence smothering Griffith's outside game.
"We weren't ready to roll out," Cullen said. "They had a good start and our defence was a bit lack- lustre. But we made a defensive change and brought a few subs in. That really made a difference and provided a bit of spark that really turned it around for us."
With a stronger defence now stifling the Magic's scoring game, the Demons changed up their offensive tactics bringing the game under the hoop to put away more easy baskets, levelling out the score at 17-all at the end of the first quarter.
The Demons kicked into top gear for the second quarter with their defensive pressure not giving Moss Vale any room to breathe, intercepting most of the Magic's passes before setting off for the fast-break to close out the first half 38-21.
Both teams went off the boil in the third quarter until coach Cullen stepped up to the mark to score back-to-back threes.
"We had a bit of a lack-lustre third," Cullen said. "We didn't score but neither did they. We were lucky I hit back-to-back threes which turned it around and made us gap out big and lift our game"
The fourth quarter saw both teams lift their scoring game, chasing a 15-point gap all the way to the buzzer.
But as the clock ran out the fouls racked up, with the Demons giving Moss Vale easy opportunities to close the gap.
"They certainly would have made it a much tighter competition if they had been able to make those free-throws," Cullen said.
"They had their chance, they were in the bonus every quarter.
"We played everyone tonight and every single person contributed. It was a fantastic team effort and that's the way we've got to roll."
Leon Rosborough top scored for Griffith with 19 points and was busy on the glass all night, with Nick Cullen (14 points), Andrew Cullen (13 points) and Mick Duncan (13 points) all cashing in on the Magic's defence.
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