STORM ZEROING IN ON FINALS BERTH
BELLARINE Storm coach Luke Beauglehall says having their finals destiny in their own hands will bring out the best from his in-form playing group.
The Division 1 men’s team has won three matches on the bounce, moving its way into the Big V top six in the process.
They now sit two wins clear inside the finals positions, but have played an extra game than the chasing Bulleen Boomers.
But if Storm can win their final four games of the season, a playoff berth is certain.
“With Bulleen and Warrnambool chasing us, we have a nice little buffer and it makes it a lot easier for us knowing that we have got to take care of business and not just rely on other teams to drop games,” Beauglehall said.
“We brought (import) Everett (Osborne) in late and we’ve had some guys away and injured. But we’ve been really consistent in the last three weeks, which has made a difference on the court for us.
“Training over the past couple of weeks has been really good. It’s been super competitive and good quality.
“We have been focusing on the defensive end of things and that’s been pushing us into wins in the last couple of weeks.”
Storm had a winning double-header weekend last week, comfortably accounting for Coburg Giants at home on Saturday and then getting the job done on the road against Whittlesea on Sunday.
Beauglehall praised the performance of Jack Burnett against Whittlesea, nailing some crucial shots from the free-throw line to help guide Storm to a two-point win.
“He went three of four from the line in the last 30 seconds. I think his last two were with under 10 seconds (remaining), which managed to get us the lead,” he said.
“For him to come off the bench and still go out there and know his role and know what he needs to do and hit those clutch free-throws, really helps solidify what we have on the bench.”
Beauglehall said Burnett’s performance was the perfect example for bench players pushing for starting spots.
Centre Nathan Lemke is also enjoying good form, but he is getting pushed for a spot by Rohan Jarvie. It is bringing out the best in both players.
“The competitiveness, and the bench guys that are pushing starters at training, you can’t ask for more,” Beauglehall said.
“We are first or second in bench scoring for the league, so knowing we have that to fall back on if we need to (is crucial).
“If one of our starters isn’t performing like we need, we know we have got those guys we can throw in and rely on like Jack Burnett did for us on Sunday.” in 2017, going down by one point, and coach Dean Vickerman is desperate for a victory over one of the fancied NBA franchises.
“If we keep going, we give ourselves the best chance to be the team that gets the first win against one of those teams,” Vickerman said.
“To be highly competitive right now is the greatest challenge. We competed fantastic against OKC and Philly, took a bit of hit against the Raptors — you just don’t want to take any of those games for granted.
“You know they can pile on points quickly ... we just want to go there and make sure we represent the league the right way.”
NBL CEO Jeremy Loeliger hailed the longevity — and significance — of the series.
“It’s a reflection of the strength of partnership between the NBL and the NBA and the incredible growth and success of basketball in Australia and New Zealand,” he said.
“The NBL is now one of the premier basketball leagues in the world outside the NBA and we can’t wait for October.”
The NBA-NBL fixture comSaturday, away. Women 6pm, Men 8pm Saturday, Geelong Basketball Netball Centre, 7pm Sunday, GESAC, 3pm Saturday, Darebin Sports Stadium, 6pm Saturday, Bellarine Sports Centre, 7pm Sunday, Boroondara Sports Complex, 2pm