Bendigo Spirit now sit in fourth place on the WNBL ladder after a bitter home court loss to the Dandenong Rangers followed by a sweet win over the Sydney Uni Flames during round six.
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However, it’s not something that concerns Spirit coach Simon Pritchard.
“It doesn’t affect me too much compared to who we win and lose to,” Pritchard said.
“Never happy losing to a team below us on the ladder (Rangers).”
Pritchard attributed an intensive week of training as a reason for the “lacklustre” performance against the Rangers.
On Friday night the Spirit were defeated by the Rangers 65-81 on the first leg of a double header weekend.
Spirit then travelled to NSW where they defeated the Flames 67-55.
One of Pritchard’s highlights during the match against the Flames was watching the team’s bench players excel on the court.
“In Sydney they scored 24 points which is a significant contribution to the game,” Pritchard said
“But that raises a question, why isn’t the starting group scoring more points.
“We need the starting group to have better starts to the game and not get behind, we can’t afford to give an eight point lead early in the first quarter and find ourselves having to climb out of a hole.”
With the halfway point of the regular WNBL season fast approaching, Pritchard believes it’s a crucial stage of the tournament.
“We don’t want our bench players to feel inexperienced or nervous and the only way to build their confidence is to put them out on the court,” he said.
One of the bench players who Pritchard said performed well was Cassidy McLean, a former Flames development player before she moved south to join the Spirit at the start of the 2018/19 WNBL season.
“We play a certain role when we come onto the court and we bring an energy which gives our starters a good rest,” McLean said.
“We try and bring as much intensity as we can.”
McLean said the game against the Flames was an opportunity for herself and the other bench players to gain experience.
Reflecting upon the team’s home court loss to the Rangers, McLean believed it was a “wake up call” for the team.
“It was our first loss at home and it’s motivation for our future games,” McLean said.
McLean’s performance against the Rangers earned her naming rights as Spirit’s Most Valuable Player of the match.
Bendigo Spirit’s (6-3) next game is against the Townsville Fire (3-5) at the Bendigo Stadium on Saturday afternoon, tip off at 3pm.
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