Redbacks on the road

Ararat Redbacks coach Marcus Jenkins says his team is ready to make the most of a challenging road trip to take on Bacchus Marsh and Bellarine this weekend.

The Redbacks sit in the middle of Country Basketball League’s southwest conference standings after a win and a loss from their first two games.

Jenkins said this weekend’s matches would be a good measuring stick for his squad.

“We’re aiming to win both games, but realistically I’d be happy to split them because they’re both good-looking outfits,” he said.

“Bellarine has a couple of South East Australian Basketball League players on their team, and, going from results at the weekend, Bacchus Marsh is starting to play really well.”

Jenkins said it had been hard for Ararat to establish a rhythm early in the season, with a first-round bye, a double-header, another bye and now another double-header.

He said the team was also still adjusting to the loss of spot-up shooter Blake Thomas, who went down with a broken leg before the start of the season.

Zac Dunmore, Josh Fiegert and DJ Woods are each averaging more than 20 points a game for the Redbacks, while no other team member is averaging more than eight.

Jenkins said Ararat needed more consistent contributions from the entire team to be successful.

Lady Hornets

The Horsham Lady Hornets face a tussle with fellow top-four aspirant Millicent Magic in South Australia on Sunday.

The Lady Hornets have made a strong start to their season with victories against Colac and Bellarine after a narrow first-up loss to Portland.

They sit third on the ladder, while Millicent is fourth.

The main challenge for the Lady Hornets will be stopping Millicent duo Emily Winter and Olivia Fuller.

Both are averaging more than 20 points a game and earning plenty of trips to the free-throw line.

They are the second and thirdhighest scorers in the league behind Horsham’s Ema Iredell, which could make for a high-scoring shootout.