Brancatisanos combine to snatch victory
A FAST-FINISHING Lady Supercats held their nerve in emphatic fashion to defeat Diamond Valley Eagles at home in a Saturday night thriller.
The 67-66 victory rewarded the Glenn Sharp-coached Lady Supercats, with head coach David Herbert away in Canberra for an Australian under-19 camp.
Herbert watched on via the club’s live-stream service as they managed to overcome a five-point deficit in the final quarter through a barrage of defensive pressure.
A Charlie Brancatisano three-pointer followed by an Isabella Brancatisano twopointer gave the Lady Supercats the lead with 53 seconds remaining.
They then held their nerve in the last 10 seconds to pressure the Diamond Valley possession, forcing an errant shot to secure the nailbiting win.
Herbert praised his side’s composure in the clutch moments.
“Watching the end of the game on a fast break and I see one Brancatisano pass to the other Brancatisano and she lit up a three it was fantastic,” he said.
“We want to play an exciting, quick game of basketball and to see Charlie knock down that big shot was just huge. “We didn’t drop off at all. “We really pressured Diamond Valley into some dumb decisions.”
Chelsea Poppens led the way for the home side with 20 points and is starting to find her groove in the Lady Super- cats’ system along with fellow recruit Daniela Wallens.
“I don’t think we are seeing at her (Poppens) best yet by any means,” Herbert said.
“She’s still not finishing off as best as she can, but once she gets going we are going to be a force in the competition.
“We’re still putting the pieces together offensively. Fitting Daniela and Chelsea in has been a challenge in a short space of time but they’re showing more glimpses of what they’re capable of.
“We’ve gone from having no post player back to the bas- ket to actually having a major player in that area.
“I’m sure over the next month you’ll see a major improvement in our output that way.”
The win was an important one in the context of the Lady Supercats’ season with Herbert admitting they are yet to reach their full potential.
“I still think we’re a way off of playing at our best yet,” he said.
“Every game that we’ve played so far we’ve been in so we really shouldn’t have lost a game.”