SOUTH East Australian Basketball League rivals beware – the Bendigo Braves and Lady Braves are coming hard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Braves and Lady Braves sounded an ominous warning to their SEABL play-off rivals with four wins between them from as many games over the weekend.
The men jumped into second place on the south conference ladder after defeating Kilsyth 79-76 in overtime on Saturday night before backing up with a gritty 69-57 victory over Hobart in Bendigo on Sunday.
The two wins lifted the Braves into second place on the men’s south conference table. They now require just two wins from their final three regular season matches to lock in the double chance for the play-offs.
“We set a goal to win five of our final six matches and we are 3-0 now,’’ Braves coach Ben Harvey said.
“We’re a lot closer now to getting that second spot on the ladder, so we’re very happy with how we played at the weekend.
“Kilsyth is never an easy team to beat at Kilsyth. We got home from Kilsyth at 1.30am and then had to back up on Sunday, so it was always going to be tough.
“To keep Hobart to 57 points today was very pleasing.”
The Braves won despite the continued absence of injured import Grant Johnson.
Forward Michael Vigor was the hero for the Braves. Vigor was a key contributor with 16 points and seven rebounds in Saturday night’s win, but his performance in Sunday’s victory over Hobart was his best in his two years with the club.
Vigor had 29 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks to lift his side over the line.
“Michael (Vigor) was outstanding,’’ Harvey said. “He really stepped up for us.”
The Lady Braves were even more impressive in defeating the top two teams on the south conference ladder. They held off Kilsyth by one point on Saturday night and proved too strong for Hobart 83-74 on Sunday.
On the back-up from the Opals’ three-match series against Japan, Elyse Penaluna was at her brilliant best for the Lady Braves. The centre had 18 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday night’s win and 29 points and 13 rebounds on Sunday.
She was ably assisted by fellow Opal Kelly Wilson. The guard had 14 points and nine rebounds on Saturday and 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds on Sunday.
The two wins keeps the Lady Braves locked in a tense battle with Launceston in the race for third spot and a home semi-final.