Dillard reveals successful Tigers' motto

Feature image via:  Trent Moore

Melbourne Tigers’ Cierra Dillard is the definition of the Tigers' moto for the NBL1 South women’s 2024 season.

“You miss all the shots you don’t take,” Dillard told Chargers TV after their win over Hobart.

The American import shot a whopping 46 points in their 72-68 win on the road, and Dillard knew that with head coach Kaleb Sclater’s guidance, her shots would fall.

“That’s what our coach told us and we just had to continue to believe in that. We knew they were going to fall,” she said.

“I just try to look for the best possible play, I believe in my ability to get two feet into the paint as coach would say.

“I believe in my ability to step back and hit the three, I knew once I started getting my shot going that that would open up the game for my teammates.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NBL1 (@nbl1)

Dillard further explained the ‘no fear’ tactic when taking shots, all thanks to all the preparation under Sclater. 

“We’re a shooting team, we practice on shooting, we have a lot of shooting workouts so we believe in our shots,” she said.

Dillard was quick to praise her teammates for finding the spots that contributed to her 46 points, especially with Stephanie Blicavs unavailable due to an injury. But she wasn’t just scoring, as she finished with eight rebounds and five assists to get the Tigers their fifth win of the season. 

“We just had to pick up the intensity on defence. With us being small, we had to pick up the intensity with pressing and pushing forward, and we knew that they came out with a hot run,” she said.

Melbourne are back home in Round 7 and will host the Ballarat Miners on Saturday from 5:30pm AEST. The game will be live via NBL1.com.au and the NBL1 App.