In a split round four, the Pirates were made to walk the plank 72-60 at Wodonga Sports and Leisure Centre.
However, Echuca flipped the script in round five on Sunday, November 2 — blowing out Myrtleford Saints at home to record its most dominant performance of the season to date.
Despite dominating in the second half of the match to record a 31-point demolition, the Pirates started off rough — trailing by nine points at quarter time.
Young gun Mitchell Markby was the only Pirate able to generate much offence in the first stretch of play, tallying five points, with Isaac Jones and Dylan Payne chipping in with three each, with the Saints leading 25-16 at the first break.
From there, Echuca couldn’t be tied down.
The combination of Markby (8) and Jones (9) scored consistently and led to the Pirates outscoring Myrtleford 24-21 in the second period and cutting the deficit to six at the major break.
Feeling it in the first half, Markby took over the game in the third term, nailing 10 points in the quarter to keep Echuca rolling, as point guard Joey Mizzi (4) found some rhythm.
At this point, all the momentum was with the Pirates, who snatched a three-point lead away from the Saints heading into the final frame after outscoring the host 22-13.
Down the stretch, the Pirates exploded for 29 team points in the fourth quarter while locking down on defence, conceding a single point to Myrtleford.
Playing with freedom, numerous Echuca players chipped in, including Mizzi (8) and Jai Huston (5), and spearheaded by Markby (5) and Jones (6), who added even more buckets.
Overall, it was a convincing victory for the Pirates, cruising to a 91-60 finish on the back of dominant performances from Markby (28), Jones (17) and Mizzi (13).
Through five rounds, Mizzi and Markby sit third and 10th, respectively, on total points scored in the competition, as Echuca moves into fifth on the ladder with a record of 2-5.
The Pirates will return home on Sunday in round six after a lengthy road trip, looking to get revenge on Wodonga Wolves at Echuca Basketball Stadium.
