Tue
Jun 6, 2023
Positives for Bendigo in split weekend
Anthony Radford

“The weekend was a little bit up and down, but it was good to have a win.”
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Bendigo Bank Braves Men coach Stephen Black was happy to split the weekend’s NBL1 South double header, as the club sweats on more injury news.
In red-hot form, Bendigo took on Waverley Falcons at Red Energy Arena on Saturday night, and started well.
Bendigo’s 46-41 half time lead came on the back of Lat Mayen – with an impressive 17 first-half points – and a vital 8-0 run.
But that momentum was lost in the third, with the Falcons scoring 10 unanswered points to lead by that margin at the last break.
The Braves couldn’t make up the ground in the last quarter, going down 80-97. Mayen (26 points), Bijan Johnson (15), Luke Rosendale (13), Billy Smythe (12), and Christiaan Jones (11) shared the scoring.
Bendigo backed up at home the next day against Casey and again shot out of the blocks, leading 22-14 at the first break, Rosendale already in double figures at quarter time.
From there it was an arm wrestle, both sides clamping down in defence and hitting key shots at key times.
Casey big Nathan Frost threatened to take the game away from Bendigo in the second quarter, with the absence again of Braves talls Adam Pechacek and Isaac Murphy.
But Billy Smythe stepped up, nullifying Frost’s influence and causing Casey problems at both ends of the court himself.
Bendigo’s lead eked out to 10 at half and three-quarter time, the Braves holding on to win 78-65.
Rosendale ended the game with 21 points and Smythe finished with a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Johnson (14) and Jones (10) were the other major scoring contributors.
Jones went down with a suspected knee injury on Sunday, something coach Stephen Black said he would keep a close eye on before Bendigo’s next game on June 18.
“We’ll wait to get it tested to see how it pans out over the next couple of weeks,” he said,
“The things Christiaan brings are really valuable to us, especially his rebounding and finishing.”
Black said it was a mixed weekend for his team, results aside.
“We didn’t come out with the defensive intensity against Waverley we did against Ringwood the week before,” he said.
“On Saturday our offensive stuck a little bit, but it was a stark comparison on Sunday.
“The weekend was a little bit up and down, but it was good to have a win.”
Black praised the performances of Smythe over the weekend, especially in Sunday’s win.
“He changed the game for us against Casey. Frost was getting on top and then Billy really owned the key way,” he said.
“At one stage, Casey was trapping and scrapping, and the usual response to that is to go small across the court. But Billy was doing such a good job we kept him on.
“His dominance of the key was really important.
“What Billy has been able to do is fantastic and a credit to the work he has been putting in, especially at the defensive end.
“To finish with a double-double was reflective of that growth.”
Photo - Craig Dilks Photography