Heat off Hobart, Joseph

WITH the pressure valve released after snapping a five-match losing skid, Hobart Huskies coach Willie Joseph now has his sights on steering his squad back into NBL1 finals contention.

The Huskies’ torrid run since the addition of import Jen Schlott ended on Saturday with a 90-69 win over Launceston, lifting the side to a 5-8 record. And while they still sit two wins outside the eight — and face third-placed Knox at Kingborough Sports Centre tomorrow — Joseph is hopeful the breakthrough victory can begin a run of momentum.

Schlott nearly pulled off a tripledouble at Elphin Sports Centre (17 points, nine assists, eight rebounds), but with all five starters hitting double figures and youngster Tayla Stevenson pitching in 11 points off the bench, the long missing chemistry within the team may be reappearing.

“I felt more happy for the girls to get the win under their belt as a group, since Jen arrived we hadn’t ticked over the win column but her getting her one has made it a lot easier for the girls to relax,” Joseph said. “Launceston were depleted a bit but at the end of the day we still had to play solid defence to keep them at bay.

“But importantly they came with the right mindset on Saturday, a couple of quarters we had 12, 13, 14 stops. I told the girls when you start to get 12 or more stops in a quarter, you win games.”

Joseph said the mid-season break allowed players to not only recover from minor niggles, but allowed them to spend time together in an effort to build team harmony. “Sometimes you need to look at the outside stuff to help with the inside stuff.”

The Huskies will need to contain Knox star Lauren Scherf if they are to hand the Raiders their fourth defeat, with the former WNBL rookie of the year averaging 22 points and 12.6 rebounds a match.