Braves seal CBL Championship with hard-fought win over Mildura Heat

Braves defended their home court against the Mildura Heat at Red Energy Arena to secure the North West conference championship, final scores 78-63.

However, the 2022 championship title wasn't achieved through a walk in the park - the Braves bounced back with a stunning 36-12 performance in the third quarter to get themselves back in the game.

"Mildura certainly got the jump on us from the start and came out the blocks hard - we were on the back foot straight away," Braves coach Nathan Batchelor said.

"We struggled to contain their dribble penetration and keep them out of the paint.

"We made adjustments at quarter-time which did slow them, but we still couldn't put our own points on the board."

The half-time buzzer couldn't come sooner for the Braves who found themselves behind on the scoreboard, but they were determined to get the job done in front of their home crowd.

The team went straight back to the drawing board to develop a new plan for the second half.

Once back on court, match MVP Caitlin Richardson dug deep and put her NBL1 experience on display with a stunning quarter which saw her team outscore the Heat 36-12 to get themselves back in contention.

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"Caitlin just took it to a whole new gear and level. Helped by Sharna Appleby (All-Star Five) and Meg McCarthy (Defensive Player of the Year) they all led by example," Batchelor said.

"All round it was a full-team effort by everyone."

Batchelor said the 2022 CBL North West title triumph was a fitting way for the players to cap off a busy year on the basketball court.

"After the game the vibe among the team and coaches was unreal but also there was a sense of relief," Batchelor said.

"It's been a busy year for a lot of our multi-squad players who've been in the Big-V, NBL1 and to now cap it off and head into the summer break with a CBL Championship ring is a great achievement."

The triumph was also a pleasing achievement for Batchelor who spent most of the year learning from NBL1 Braves women's coach Mark Alabakov as an assistant.

"I've been able to apply so much of Mark's teachings into my own teams," Batchelor said.

"His play-style, game plans and offensive structures and really own them."

Braves men's CBL team were knocked out in the semi-finals by the Melton Thoroughbreds, scores 95-68.

Lachlan O'Brien was named in the men's NW All Star Five.

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