Championship grade roster sweating on injury to on-court leader

Molly McKinnon missed the team's 75-72 Big V basketball championship grade loss to Pakenham Warriors at the Arc on Saturday, May 18 after hurting her knee playing for Hampden netball side Koroit earlier in the day.

Mermaids coach Louise Brown said scans would confirm the seriousness of the injury but there were concerns it could mean an extended stint on the sidelines.

"Molly McKinnon did her ACL in our Mermaids' final (in 2018) and it's her other knee and it feels exactly the same, is what she's saying," she said.

"We'll be awaiting scans to see what the outcome with her is but I'm not holding my breath."

The Mermaids are dealing with multiple injury concerns - in-form teenager Molly McLaren is sidelined with a wrist fracture and fellow teen Cigi Lual is battling an ongoing knee complaint.

"Cigi's knee is just not improving so I think she'll be back to a doctor or a specialist in the next couple of weeks just to get that revisited," Brown said.

The side brought in the experienced Jae Leddin, who scored seven points in 14 minutes, to help cover their absences with the likes of teenagers Poppy Myers and Eve Covey waiting in the wings.

"We are young off the bench and our rotations aren't as deep but when the girls get out there they make the most of their opportunity," Brown said.

"At the beginning of the season I thought it would be all about development and we got off to a really good start which was a big surprise to me but I was really happy with it and we're still thereabouts."

Brown said the Mermaids, who have won six of their nine games in 2024, were ruing costly lapses in games.

They were limited to just four points in a poor third term against the Warriors.

"It was probably a game of two halves," she said.

"We played really well in the first half and in the second half they sat in a zone and we really struggled with that, in particular in the third quarter.

"When they went to a zone, we struggled to hit a shot to stretch them out."

Dakota Crichton (20 points), Maelys Pineau (19) and Matilda Sewell (13) were the Mermaids' top-scorers.

Meanwhile, Warrnambool Seahawks fell to Coburg Giants roster team which "out-muscled" them, 92-75.

A 9-29 second term proved costly but they were "able to regain our composure".

Kester Ofoegbu and Riley Nicolson top-scored with 17 points each and teenager Josh Miller contributed 10 points from 20 minutes off the bench.

Seahawks coach Shane Smith said Miller and fellow young starter Harry McGorm (eight points) were starting to find their feet at Big V division one level.

"Josh is getting better each week. He's getting some defensive assignments that is allowing him to focus on one part of his game and is allowing his offence to develop after that," he said.

"His improvement over three months has been substantial, just playing in a higher level competition, playing under pressure, playing against some good athletes.

"Harry continues to kick on. He's starting to recognise he's got to play both ends of the floor and that's a marked improvement in his game as well."