ALBURY-WODONGA Lady Bandits coach Jim Wilson is hoping a return to the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre will be the catalyst for a return to the winner's list.
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The Lady Bandits have endured two road doubles in a row in the lead-up to Friday night's game, and are desperate to log their fourth win of the season, and third since upsetting the Hobart Chargers a fortnight ago.
“It's good to be back home, it makes things a bit easier,” Wilson said.
“The girls can have a bit of routine, and obviously the home crowd helps.
“We have to continue to build, if we can turn the good performances we've had over the last couple of weeks into a win that would be perfect.”
The Lady Bandits have shown that they can keep pace with their Eastern conference rivals of late, with strong road performances against Kilsyth and Sandringham in the books.
But their record doesn’t show it – yet.
“I've been really pleased with the way the kids have bounced back, week after week,” Wilson said.
“It's a little easier for those who were in the program last year and know what to expect, but it's new for players like Casey Ardern.
“Playing in a big stadium in Hobart like we did a few weeks ago is completely new for them, it takes them away from country basketball a little bit.
“The good things is that they have never once shied away from it.”
Wilson said the likes of Ardern, Olivia Barber and Charlotte Beavan were playing with a maturity far beyond their years.
“It's actually the thing I love most about coaching these girls, they don't know who they’re up against, they just play,” he said.
“Whether it's college players, international level players, WNBL, reputation doesn't mean anything to them.
“They just stick to the game plan as best they can and play hard.
“Casey is a very coachable player, she just wants to learn and is never daunted by the opposition.
“Seeing them quickly learning from their errors at 14 or 15 years of age is impressive.”
If the Lady Bandits were ever going to strike, the back-to-back this weekend is the perfect time for them to do so.
Returning to home court with form, they'll face the Nunawading Spectres on Friday night at 6.30, before travelling north to take on the Sydney Uni Flames.
The Bandits will take on North-West Tasmania afterwards at 8.30pm to keep their finals hopes alive.