ON COURT EXPERIENCE: Warriors’ leading scorer Pat Dowling returns to the side this week after missing the last round of matches.
Side faces Albury and red-hot Bullets in huge weekend test
Written by SCOTT ANDERSON.
WANGARATTA faces a brutal Country Basketball League double header this weekend, with a game against third-placed Albury at the Wangaratta Indoor Sports and Aquatic Centre tonight followed by a trip to Geelong tomorrow to take on the undefeated Corio Bay-Barwon.
While the Warriors will be looking for a competitive performance tonight, with a win not out of the question, tomorrow night’s clash against the Bullets could get ugly for the Wangaratta side.
The Bullets have not only won each of their nine games, they have demolished their opponents, led by mercurial point guard Stephan Osborne.
CB-Barwon won its debut match in the North East division – against Swan Hill – by 82 points, and hasn’t looked back since, smashing Shepparton by 39 and 22, Deniliquin by 37, Maryborough by 70, Albury by 54, Seymour by 24 and Echuca by 79.
The Bullets thumped Wangaratta by 39 points in round five, when Osborne torched the Warriors’ guards, posting 31 points.
But Osborne’s form since then has only improved, with his past two matches reaping a total of 98 points.
Making matters worse, the Warriors will head to Geelong without imposing big man Todd Dalton, leaving Wangaratta coach Ian Guilfoyle to pray for divine intervention.
"I just wonder when (Osborne) is going to get called up to the state squad – hopefully it is this week," he said.
"We’ll definitely be heading over without Toddy, and the way they have been smashing sides it doesn’t look good.
"I think if we can keep it to a similar score that we did last time we’ll be happy.
"But I think I might be going to church and saying a few prayers before then."
In the meantime, the Warriors will be hoping to get a good sized crowd to offer support in tonight’s game against the Cougars.
While Albury will have a significant advantage in the experience stakes, with former Bandits Glenn Collins, Mick Watson and Michael Mack in the squad, the Warriors will be boosted by the inclusions of skipper Luke Clark and leading scorer Pat Dowling, while point guard Andrew Knights is a chance to play after recovering from a shoulder injury.
Guilfoyle said he was looking forward to a competitive hitout against Albury, with an emphasis on sticking to the game plan for all 40 minutes.
"Having Patty and Clarky back will make a difference – they add a lot of experience to a very young side," he said.
"Albury is a perennial powerhouse, so we are going to have to really work on our offensive game, get that quick ball movement and try to get our two big guys involved, but also look out for the perimeter shot.
"We also need to work on our defensive transition, and maintain that for the entire game like we did against Wodonga.
"If we can do that I’m confident we’ll be thereabouts at the end of the game."
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