Depth shines through

Horsham Hornets men and women have a fortnight to prepare for games against their toughest opponents after winning double headers at the weekend.

The Hornets – who are undefeated on top of both the men’s and women’s ladders – will travel to Bendigo for round seven of Country Basketball League’s north-west conference on November 25.

Men’s playing coach Cam Bruce said his charges’ triumphs over Castlemaine and Kyneton at the weekend stood his team in good stead for the remainder of the competition.

“We had a few players missing on Sunday and quite a few sick or injured, so it was good to come away with the win,” he said. “Our depth held up well.” Bruce was unavailable for Saturday’s match against the Cannons, which the Hornets won 92-73.

He slotted back into the side on Sunday for the team’s 37-point victory against the Tigers.

Bruce said experienced players Tim Pickert and Matt Lovel showed plenty of leadership on the court.

“They played well in both games and really led from the front,” he said.

Pickert top scored on Saturday night with a 22-point haul, followed by Lovel, 16, and Damien Skurrie, 15.

Pickert and Lovel dropped 21 points apiece on Sunday to cause headaches for the opposition, which had a good spread of scorers but none in double figures.

Bruce said his outfit would go about business as usual ahead of the showdown against the Braves.

The Hornets defeated Bendigo convincingly in round three to the tune of 52 points, however Bruce said his charges would not be complacent.

“At the start of the season they were tipped to win the conference by league officials,” he said.

“The first time we played them they were missing two or three players, so it will be a good test next time around.”

Lady Hornets

Depth also helped get the Lady Hornets over the line at the weekend.

Horsham was too strong for the Lady Cannons on Saturday night, accounting for Castlemaine 83-40 in what coach Gareth Hiscock labelled a ‘scrappy’ affair.

“I was trying to rest a few players on Saturday night because I knew we were going to be short on Sunday,” he said.

“On Sunday we were without three of our potential starting players and Kyneton has a really experienced centre who used to play for the Bendigo Lady Braves, Michelle Fletcher.

“She’s an experienced WNBL player and she was really good early, however we were able to manipulate the game a little bit and up the tempo, which tired her out a little.

“We trailed all game and we were able to fight back and get over the line at the end, which was really good.”

The Hornets won by four points, 61-57.

“We only had eight players but they all tried really hard,” Hiscock said.

He said Shannon Reinheimer was unable to play much on Sunday because she was injured on Saturday night. “Shannon took on three charges on Saturday night and was really sore on Sunday,” he said.

“She’s only a little thing but she’s determined and strong and she stands up to all the bigger players.”

Ema Iredell top scored with 28 points on Saturday night but was unavailable for Sunday’s match.

Caitlin Story led the way against Kyneton, contributing 23 points, followed by Rebecca Mcintyre on 14.

Liv Jones was unavailable for the weekend while Sophie Alexander is due to return to the side against Bendigo at Bendigo on November 25.