FROM run-and-gun to grit-and-grind.
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A week after defeating one of the highest scoring teams in the SEABL, the Albury-Wodonga Bandits play host to one of the lowest.
The Border club welcomes the Hobart Chargers to the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre tomorrow night and the Tasmanian outfit, it’s fair to say, has had an indifferent start to its SEABL season.
Presently sitting second-last in the South conference with a 2-5 record and yet to win on the road, the Chargers are in desperate need of some offensive spark, having not passed 68 points in any of their games.
But Bandits coach Brad Chalmers was more concerned with keeping his team’s two-game winning streak alive than worrying about Hobart’s struggles.
“It’s definitely going to be very contrasting styles,” Chalmers said.
“Defensively they’re good but for whatever reason, just haven’t shot the ball well as a group.
“We’ll really just worry more about ourselves to be honest.
“We just need to keep doing the right things and making them react to us.”
The contest will be Bandits’ star guard Deba George’s first match against his old team but Chalmers dismissed any talk of it being some sort of revenge game.
George enjoyed three explosive, high-scoring seasons in Hobart and memorably poured in a match-winning 42 points against the Bandits here last year in a thrilling overtime classic.
“I honestly haven’t thought about the revenge factor,” Chalmers said.
“I don’t think there’ll be any sort of emotional attachment for him, he’s not that sort of guy.
“Regardless, it’s great having him on our team instead of against us.”
The Bandits starting backcourt of George and Daniel Sepokas has been in superlative form over the past three weeks, with the duo combining for 48 points in both wins over Dandenong and Ballarat.
With a fully-fit Donte Nicholas also back in the line-up, Chalmers has high expectations his three primary ball-handlers will cause plenty of headaches for Hobart.
“They’re just feeding off each other right now,” Chalmers said.
“They really set the win up in the first half last week.
“And now we’ll have Donte right back in the mix, he looked much sharper at training this week.
“They’re a confident bunch, we’re all on the same page and just want to keep winning games.”