The Bendigo Braves are on the best winning streak in the SEABL and coach Ben Harvey expects his team to extend that run this weekend.
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No other team in the SEABL men’s division has won its past three games, with the Braves sitting on top of the east conference ladder ahead of their two games in Canberra this weekend.
The Braves face the Canberra Gunners on Saturday night, before tackling the young guns from the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence on Sunday afternoon.
“We can’t get complacent and there’s still areas we need to improve on,’’ Harvey said.
“We’ve made a good start to the season, but we need to keep building on that, starting with the double this weekend.”
The secret of the Braves’ recent success has been their defence.
They are one of the best defensive teams in the league, conceding on average just 73 points per game.
Import forward Damian Johnson has been outstanding at the defensive end for the Braves.
“I’m really proud of where our defence is at,’’ Harvey said.
“In the past few years our team defence hasn’t been great, so I’m really happy that we’ve worked hard on improving it.
“Last week we kept Albury to 55 points after they had been averaging 92 points per game.
“Getting those stops at the defensive end is helping our offence as well. We’re gelling at both ends of the floor.”
Offensively, Jeremy Kendle has been brilliant in his first season at SEABL level.
The shooting guard is averaging 25.6 points per game and is shooting at an impressive 47.1 per cent.
The Braves take on a Canberra Gunners side that started the season with three-straight losses. After the slow start they’ve recovered well by winning their past two matches.
“Canberra is better than what a lot of people think,’’ Harvey said.
“They’ve beaten quality teams their past two games and they have enough firepower to trouble every team.”
The COE squad has only played one SEABL game this season having just returned from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament where it played the best young players from Germany, Japan, Serbia and Argentina.
“These are the best under-18 kids in Australia,’’ Harvey said of the COE.
“Their best player Jack White has just signed with (prestigious US college) Duke and is a potential NBA player down the track.
“We’ve got to be ready and we won’t be taking these young guys lightly.”
Next weekend the Braves host the Andrew Gaze-coached Melbourne Tigers.
