Hornets back in action after break
Horsham Hornets will return to the court following a fortnight’s break when they travel to Bendigo on Saturday.
The Hornets men will meet the Braves in a top-of-the-table clash at Bendigo Stadium.
The Horsham outfit is undefeated on top of the Country Basketball League north-west conference ladder, with Bendigo one spot behind on four wins and one loss – to the Hornets. The teams met in round three, with the Hornets dominating from the outset.
Tim Pickert led the way with 20 points, with four team-mates also reaching double figures.
The Hornets will want to get off to another strong start to put the result beyond doubt and retain top spot.
The ladder-leading Lady Hornets should also enjoy a challenging match against third-placed Braves.
Horsham coach Gareth Hiscock said he expected a full list to choose from bar Liv Jones, who had her tonsils out last week.
“Everyone else should be right to go,” he said.
“The last time we played Bendigo we had an 18-point win at home, but we’re expecting it to be tougher over there.
“They might have had a couple of players unavailable last time.”
Hiscock said his charges would have to curb the influence of conference leading scorer Madeline Sexton.
“We won’t focus on her too much individually though,” he said.
“If we can shut down their defensive structure that should limit their opportunities.
“However, if we get lazy in defence Madeline will cut us to pieces. We can’t afford to slack off.”
Hiscock said an even spread of talent was his team’s biggest strength.
“We don’t rely on any one player and that makes it harder for opposition teams to shut us down,” he said.
Hiscock said he looked forward to the Hornets’ last away game for the season.
“It’s an unusual draw this year, which saw us play a lot of away games early, but it means we have the next few games at home, which will be great,” he said.
The Lady Hornets will take to the court at 6pm, followed by the men at 8pm.
Ararat Redbacks have a bye in the south-west conference.