Bandits' Road Trip

While I was unable to make the trip down the Hume on the weekend to see either of the two games the Bandits faced I was compelled to write something considering the outcomes.
Now, according to the box scores from the games the boys had a hard time against Bendigo, going down by 14 points.
Of course there are positives in any defeat, Broady Mills getting some more court time and scoring a few points, Matt Gange with another solid 15 point game and, although probably quiet by his standards, Fernandez Lockett chipping in with 18.
All eyes would have been on new import Jermaine Williams who hit a big 26 points in his first game for his new club.
Overall not a bad effort by the Bandits considering their position on the ladder compared to that of Bendigo.

Sunday they faced Ballarat and while the Miners have had a hard time of it lately they appeared not to show that form, leading at all but the first break.
The Bandits had a big final term however hitting 38 points to take the game by 7.
It was another strong effort by Matt Gange, who's proving to be quite a handful for opposition teams, with 18 points.
De Koeyer added 12 and Williams had another solid start to his term on the Border with 26 points but Lockett once again stole the show with a massive 42 points and 22 rebounds!
How I would have loved to have seen that!
The boys are showing they are a capable team with many players notching up solid scores.
With the disappointment of Smith behind them and the new injection of firepower via Williams hopefully they can go on and provide some quality entertainment for their many fans here on the Border.

Down the road a bit further the Lady Bandits faced one of the top teams in Dandenong and by all accounts it appears to have been a tight game all the way, the girls going down by 2 points.
This is a young team who are achieving some great things this season.
With some good coaching from Ken Kereema they should go on to bigger and better things by season's end.

Trevor.

Fernandez Lockett Slide

Fernandez Lockett has been a revelation for the Albury Wodonga Bandits this SEABL season.
He's an excitement machine providing athletic entertainment to Border fans.
Here's a few images to showcase his efforts this season thus far.

SEABL. Bandits v Gunners

Albury Wodonga Bandits hosted the Canberra Gunners on Saturday night with big expectations of another home court win.


The first quarter saw a fast and furious start with the Bandits taking the smallest of margins to the break.
The Bandits pulled away somewhat in the second with some great work from Lockett, much of that by way of defensive rebounds.



Going into the last half with an 8 point lead the Bandits were looking good, outscoring their opponents yet again.
Canberra however, weren't quite done and began the last with a desperation they hadn't showed to that point.
With only seconds to go the Bandits were holding on but a last effort saw the Gunners take a gutsy come from behind win by just a solitary point.



Although a disappointment for the Bandits they take solace in the fact that their new import was present for the game and should be on court soon to add that spark they've missed since the illness of previous import Eric Smith.
Hopefully he'll give the boys something extra up forward and be a support for high flying Fernandez Lockett, who once again impressed with some great areal plays.


Trevor.

SEABL, Bandits v Frankston, Lady Bandits v Ballarat.

Saturday night saw a double header at the Albury Sports Stadium with the Lady Bandits first up against the Ballarat Lady Miners.
Given their respective positions on the ladder, win loss ratio and so on the Lady Bandits were always going to be a chance to notch up another win at home.
However they didn't have things all their own way.
After they lead by a couple of baskets at the first break the Miners came back and took a 2 point lead going to half time.
Big efforts from Toni Edmondson, (28 points, 13 rebounds) and Lisa Wallbutton, (19 and 16) kept the home team strong in the final half.
With support from Alex Duck, (13 and 3) and Tara Blair, (11 and 3) the girls were able to hold on for a well earned victory, 77-64.

The men had a tougher proposition ahead of them when they faced Frankston with an unbeaten record.
The first term saw some physical work both under the basket and around the court and the Bandits went to the break with a handy 9 point buffer.
From there however the Blues stepped up the pace.
Their big men in David Gruber, (31 and 15) and Rob Kampman, (26 and 7) cut loose and caused some real headaches for coach Madigan.
The physicality of the match brought tempers to a head in the last term but by then the Blues had the score on the board and took the win 103-87.
Top performers for the Bandits were Lockett, (24 and 13) De Coeyer, (18 and 7), and Gange, (18 and 3).
Overall not a bad effort from the Bandits given the strength of the opposition.

Trevor.

Bandits v Kilsyth

Easter Saturday saw the Bandits host Kilsyth at Albury stadium and while a disappointing result for the Bandits the game still provided it's fair share of entertainment.
Local radio presenters Matt and LC called the game in the dry witted style that has made them so popular in the region.
A healthy crowd attended offering support for both the home side and the visitors.
And of course the usual physical encounter provided ample opportunity to cheer and jeer.
Fernandez Lockett once more provided entertainment with the athletic prowess we've already welcomed here on the border, pulling down some great rebounds and slamming a magnificent 'oop' that left the crowd roaring.
(Bit of a shame this photographer hadn't caught it...)
Overall it was great night out.
Of course it would have been better with another Bandits win but it wasn't to be.
Kilsyth simply started too hard and held their ascendancy, pulling away for most of the game.
Next weekend sees a double header at Albury Stadium with the Lady Bandits taking on Ballarat Miners while the men host Frankston.
Here's looking forward to another great night of basketball.

Trevor.

Bandits Big Night.

Albury/Wodonga Bandits faced another night of home games with the Lady Bandits facing Nunnawading and the men facing Mt. Gambier.
The women started hard and performed solidly throughout the game to take a well deserved and much overdue victory.
The star NZ imports performed well again as did local Alex Duck returning to her usual aggressive form.
Elle Gleeson found her feet again and overall the whole team lifted to take the win to resounding applause from the home crowd.
The men faced the Pioneers and ex Bandit Andrew Rice in what may well have appeared to be a foregone conclusion.
The Bandits, however, were quick out of the blocks and looked in control for the most part of the match.
With the Pioneers closing the gap several times and looking like pulling ahead import Fernandez Lockett was inspirational yet again claiming some big defensive rebounds.
Of course the highlight of his game in his short time in Albury has been his athletic dunks and Saturday night was no exception.
With plenty of support from DeKoeyer and Gange etc the boys were able to hang on for a great win.
It's been a while since the Albury stadium has heard such an ovation as received by both these teams.
Here's hoping to more of the same this season!

Trevor.

Water Polo Grand Finals

Albury Pool hosted the senior Grand Finals
in water polo starting early Sunday morning
March 29th.
With the sun hiding behind trees and
buildings the scenario faced me where the
player was often in full sun while the ball
was in full shade, or vice versa.
However the teams were pumped and the
atmosphere was as warm as the early morning
sun as the C grade final swung into action.

As the day warmed so did the competition
with the B and A grade men and women to
follow.
Some close games showed the even level of competition in the local league and I'm sure the players were quite comfortable in the cool water of the Albury pool, compared
to my position atop one of the diving blocks!

Quite a few young players took to the water, many of whom I've seen on the court at domestic and representative basketball not to mention their involvement in Netball, Aussie Rules etc.

It's good to see our youth encouraged to be a part of all sports in what is well known as a big sporting town.
(We did produce Lauren Jackson!)

As far as the day went all members retired to the Star Hotel for presentations after and were treated to a couple of slide shows containing images I've taken the last couple of weeks.

All in all a great day out.

Here's just a couple of shots from the day.

Trevor.