Torns ready for revved-up Braves
LAUNCESTON coach Derrick Washington has no fear his side sent a jolt to SEABL powerhouse Bendigo too early as the two sides square off in the championship decider on Saturday night.
The Braves went through the regular season undefeated (20-0) before being stunned by the Tornadoes in the qualifying final 84-77. Bendigo has since bounced back to thump Geelong 99-74 and Kilsyth 93-64, with Launceston blazing into the grand final by beating Nunawading by 10 points in front of a packed Elphin Sports Centre last weekend.
It has set up a blockbuster rematch and while he acknowledges the Braves will be seeking revenge, Washington has declared his squad has the belief it can repeat the boilover to capture the club’s first championship in 23 years.
“At the end of the day I know what talent we have got and the crazy thing is we haven’t been healthy all year, and we still won’t have all our players,” Washington said.
“The ladies know they can compete, they know we can beat them, we could have beaten them the first time, we just couldn’t hit our shots.
“We got some respect from them, that’s all I ever ask for. I’m sure they took us lightly but at the end of the day they are a good ball club.
“They have been solid all year, and we are a solid team too when we lock in offensively and defensively. That victory gave some significant belief for the ladies knowing they can now go in and possibly win a championship.”
Bendigo is stacked with current and former WNBL and Australian talent, with Kelly Wilson, Gabby Richards, Nadeen Payne, Kara Tessari and Ashleigh Karaitiana a formidable starting five.
However the Torns have the league MVP in Lauren Nicholson, sharpshooter Alex Wilson and a host of locals pitching in to leave Washington confident despite the task at hand.
“I’ve told them we were meant to be here, we’re a top four team, we just have to play like we’re meant to be here,” he said. “That will be our mentality going into the championship game, we knew we were a top team when the season started.”