After showing positive signs over the last month, coach Miachael Brookens said he would look to put time into Perso, with a mind to developing her into a foil for Ali Bouman.

“Carly is the next tall in line, so it's really important that she gets as much time on court as she can get,” Brookens said.

“She's done some really good things for us this year, but like a lot of young players, she's still developing a sense for the physicality of basketball at this level, but for a young player she's been quite consistent.”

After starting centre Bouman was fouled off in her last two outings, Brookens said Perso was becoming increasingly important to the Lady Bandits’ structure.

“We still need to do better to make sure Ali doesn't get into foul trouble on a regular basis, but given that we lack the height that some other teams have, a player like Carly can be really important,” Brookens said.

The Lady Bandits will again have their back against the wall when they travel to Dandenong to face the ladder leaders at home tonight, before returning to Albury to host Sandringham on Saturday night.

Brookens said tonight’s clash would be an indication of whether his side had improved, after good showings against Frankston and Sandringham in the last fortnight, going down by just nine points in each.