The grand final glory dreams of the Bendigo Lady Braves came to an end on Saturday night.
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After finishing at the top of the CBL North East Conference ladder at the conclusion of the regular season, championship glory looked to be on the cards.
However, the Braves fell four points short after they were defeated by the Wodonga Lady Wolves 75-79.
“We certainly didn’t perform to our best standard and Wodonga had their best performance of the season on the right day,” coach Cam Wilkosz said.
“The team prides itself on its defensive ability – offensively we were okay – but defensively we certainly didn’t bring ourselves to the level that we expected.”
The team’s Danielle O’Toole was recognised for her performance throughout the 2019 season.
O’Toole was named in the CBL North East Conference All Star 5, was the top scorer for the league with 22.5 points per game/293 overall, and the league’s MVP for the 2019 season.
Majority of the Braves’ team members who participated in the CBL league will continue to play for the team in the coming Big V Youth League.
“Essentially we will have 80 per cent of the same team for our Big V squad,” Wilkosz said.
“In terms of team chemistry, the more they play together the better they will become as a team.”
Two key additions to the team for Big V will include national basketball representative Piper Dunlop and state level player Meg McCarthy, both are Braves championship winning players.
“We’re all looking forward to Piper and Meg transitioning into our senior basketball program,” Wilkosz said.
Meanwhile, Bendigo Brave Tanner Rayner was named in the CBL North West Men’s Conference All Star 5, finishing the season with an average of 19.73 points per game.
The men were defeated by the Echuca Pirates 69-75 in the North West Conference semi final.
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