ALBURY-Wodonga Lady Bandits playmaker Ashton Eaton is confident her inside knowledge of the Hobart Lady Chargers will prove to be particularly handy tomorrow night.
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After crossing from the Lady Chargers in the off-season, the Hobart native said she was “pretty fired up” at the prospect of beating her old team at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.
Eaton spent five seasons with Hobart and was a key cog in the Lady Chargers’ SEABL South conference title last year, proving to be a steadying hand from the point guard position.
“I’m really excited,” Eaton said.
“And really looking forward to seeing my old team-mates too.
“You always want to get that win (against your old team), I’m pretty fired up for this weekend’s game.
“I miss home a little bit, it’s always different wherever you go.
“Playing in Hobart for so long, coming here and seeing how things are run, it’s different.
“But I’m starting to get into it all and really enjoying myself here now.”
Riding high after breaking through for their first win last weekend, the Lady Bandits face a tough test against the Lady Chargers, who sit third in the South conference with a 4-2 record.
With a four-pronged attack led by Amy Kame and Kathleen Scheer, Ashton said Albury-Wodonga would need to curb their influence to have any chance of holding a two-game winning streak for the first time since the end of the 2013 season.
“They’ve got four main players, if we can limit two of them to what they would normally score, that would be good,” Eaton said.
“I’ve helped a little bit with scouting them, just a little bit.
“But yeah, definitely, we can win.
“I think the time we had off and getting the win last week, along with that feeling we’re finally playing together, everyone was rapt.”
Eaton is presently averaging 8.5 points, five rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, providing the Border club with a solid all-around presence.
Never a dominant scorer, Eaton was recruited as much for her leadership as the Border outfit tries to rebuild a shattered reputation.
“When I first came here, I knew where the team was at,” Eaton said.
“I was spoken to about coming in here as a leader and building that winning culture.
“With Hobart, we started off in the same position and ended up winning the South conference last year.
“We all get along really well and it’s been fun here so far.”
Tip-off at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre is 6pm, with the men’s game against Hobart to follow at 8pm.