ALBURY-Wodonga Lady Bandits coach Michael Brookens had just one goal for his team’s SEABL road trip to Tasmania at the weekend — to come back home a better team than what they were before they left.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And despite two defeats that took the Border club’s losing streak to six games, Brookens considers it mission accomplished.
On Friday night, the Lady Bandits gave South conference powerhouse Hobart an almighty scare before eventually succumbing 81-74 in overtime.
Another poor start hurt Albury-Wodonga on Saturday against the Launceston Tornadoes and despite battling hard, would prove its undoing in an 85-67 win for the hosts.
But Brookens said he was satisfied his players put forth a much improved showing.
“Yeah absolutely, we got a hell of a lot out of this weekend,” Brookens said.
“Cohesiveness, strength, we patched up some offensive holes and really improved on the defensive end.
“We found things that will work for us for the rest of the season.
“It would’ve been nice to get that win on Friday night; that comes down to experience and understanding when to take your chances properly.”
Under-fire imports Ali Bouman and Kristina Baltic both heeded Brookens’ warning of their shaky status and produced in spades for the Lady Bandits in both games.
Bouman tallied 23 points and 15 boards against Hobart and eight points and 11 rebounds in the defeat.
Meanwhile, Baltic stepped up with a 15-point, 18-rebound haul against the Lady Chargers before scoring a season-high 20 points on Saturday night in Launceston.
“Both players were phenomenal the whole weekend,” Brookens said.
“Kristina was very aggressive offensively and that really paid off for her.
“She’s never had to be that major scorer before on any of the teams she’s played on.
“She’s trying to understand that it’s OK for her to take a few more shots.”
