Bendigo rises to key challenges

The Champions IGA Bendigo Braves Women faced two very different challenges on the weekend, and passed them both with flying colours to extend their NBL1 South undefeated run to 14.

What was expected to be the home-and-away game of the season against second-placed Waverley Falcons at Red Energy Arena on Saturday night was anything but, as Bendigo dominated from the tip-off.

An 8-2 start against the star-studded Falcons gave fans a taste of what was to come. At quarter time, Bendigo was up 24-15, but that was only the beginning.

A 19-2 run at the start of the second quarter almost sealed Waverley’s fate, with Bendigo seemingly scoring at will, and its much-improved defence strangling anything the Falcons could offer.

The Brave’s 52-27 half-time lead was extended by a further 10 in the third quarter, with Bendigo’s alliteration annihilators Amy Atwell (11 points) and Meg McKay (8) dominating inside and out.

The last quarter was a chance for both teams to give their youngsters some valuable court time, Bendigo winning the term 19-8 to run out winners 92-46.

Atwell top scored with 26 points and 13 rebounds. McKay recorded another double-double as well, with 25 and 12.

Kasey Burton did a perfect defensive job on Carley Ernst, and hit the stats sheet herself with 12 points. 

Bendigo won almost every stat line convincingly. Waverley’s shooting percentage for the night was 21.43, testament to the Braves’ stifling defence.

Bendigo followed up against bottom side Casey at home again on Sunday, and with a 15-3 start, fans were expecting another one-sided game.

Enter Taylah Giliam. The Casey guard hit four three-pointers in an astonishing 14-point first term, letting Bendigo know they were in for a fight, the Braves down 25-27 at the first break.

From there it was an arm wrestle. A four-point lead at half time and a six-point lead at three quarter time was all the Braves needed, winning 97-91 in a tough game.

Coach Mark Alabakov believes the weekend could prove a watershed moment for his team’s title hopes.

“We had been waiting to challenge ourselves against Waverley and see where we are at,” he said.

“They are a great side and we knew they would be a yardstick for us. We have also been focusing on our defence a lot this season, and we knew Waverley would test it out

“So, obviously we are really pleased with the result and know that all our hard work and focus is paying off.”   

Alabakov said Sunday’s game against Casey was a different kind of challenge, despite the disparity in ladder positions.

“Casey had nothing to lose and were playing freely. That’s really hard to play against at times,” he said.

“After allowing too many uncontested shots early, we had to grind it out, hold focus, and hold our resolve.

“It was a great opportunity for us to problem solve, win ugly, and understand that sometimes the ends justifies the means. They played really well and we didn’t panic.

“I have been talking since pre-season about executing, holding our nerve, and making key decisions without a single point of failure.

“We showed against Casey that when we are challenged, we can anchor ourselves to those concepts and win.”