Lady Bandits bow out.

It's been a great season for the Albury Wodonga Lady Bandits making the playoffs for the first time.
I wasn't at the game against Dandenong but going on the box scores it appears to have been a cracker!
On a head to head basis the teams have been separated by a matter of 2 points on each occasion leading up to the elimination final with Dandenong holding on both times.
And so it continued with with Dandenong getting out to an early advantage only to see it pulled back and then overtaken by the Lady Bandits, who went on to lead at the final break.
In typical fashion Dandenong regained the upper hand taking the game by, you guessed it, 2 points!
Despite the loss the girls can hold their heads high having achieved some great things this season.
Support has been strong from the local crowds and should hold them in good stead for the next season.
Well done girls.

Guest Blog Spot

Here's a link to a guest blog spot I had on Peter Robert Casey's hoops blog just recently.

Guest Blog

Trevor.

Cool Hoops Video.

I found this looking through Peter Robert Casey's blog.
Peter had mentioned Rucker Park to me in an email so I Googled the name, discovered some history and ended up finding this going through his older blogs.
Some great stuff on that blog!
Go check it out.
Peter Robert Casey

Vince Carter at Rucker Park.

Lady Bandits looking good!

I finally managed to get along to another home game and snap a few shots of a couple of great games.
The men went down to a strong Geelong outfit but all the same made the Supercats earn their victory.
With some bad luck during the season via the loss of two imports, the latest being Fernandez Lockett with a knee injury, the boys have been doing it tough.
First replacement in the form of Jermaine Williams has been doing a great job and slotted in quite well.
The latest replacement in Miles Pearce is a mountain of a man and with only a couple of games to fit in has been given a huge pair of shoes to fill.
The season hasn't looked too impressive on paper but the action and effort throughout cannot be denied.
Going down in some close games and with the younger players stepping up as they have good things could be on the horizon for the embattled team.
The women on the other hand have had a great season.
It's a young team with a new coach and a couple of imports from 'across the ditch'.
Lisa Wallbutton and Toni Edmondson have been brilliant for the team but then so have the local youth.
I've previously posted a pic of the young bench and what these girls have achieved this season is nothing short of amazing!
Under the guidance of 'supercoach' Ken Kereama they've taken the game to the stronger regional teams and come out looking the goods.
Satruday night was the perfect example, hosting Sandringham.
Down by 13 at the long break they soon closed the gap and finished the game with an 8 point victory.
Without having made a playoff series in their short history they currently sit 5th with a game to go.
They'll have the whole of Albury and Wodonga behind them and should they manage to host a final the roof would surely be lifted off the 'Hideout'!
Good luck girls!

Personally it's been a great season of shooting with plenty of action captured and while it's no NBL this league definitely provides a great night's entertainment.
With names like Gruber, Crosswell and Herbert, just to name a few, and the imports from the US, and of course NZ, no wonder it's become our premier winter league.
To have access to this level of basketball in regional areas is a huge boost to the game.

Aussie hoops is alive and well and our SEABL is helping to show the way.

Trevor.

T-Bone hits a Hundred!

Local sportsman Tony 'T-Bone' Ferris joined the hundred club last night at Albury Stadium when his Bandits faced Sandringham Sabres.

With the Sabres coming off a spate of victories the home side were always going to be up against it.

However with T-Bone knotching up his hundred there was something special to play for.

Early in the game the Bandits were looking the goods and it was only after the first break that Sandringham started to apply the pressure.

With Nathan Crosswell calling the shots on court the experienced Sabres began to wear down the Bandits and take control of the game in the second term.

Having said that the boys from the Border weren't about to let them have it all their own way and put in some big efforts to keep pace with their more fancied opponents in the last half.

Young Jack Duck took the court to the pleasure of the crowd and immediately set about getting hold of the ball, showing he's a player to watch in the future.

Although a dissapointment to go down on T-Bones big night it still shows Albury/Wodonga has some great young players who'll benefit from playing against the likes of Crosswell.

It can only be a good thing for basketball in the region.

Trevor.

Half Time Entertainment

While the NBL teams have their own dancers we've been treated to some of the same in recent weeks.

The DMB Dancers were at Albury Stadium again last night for the Bandits v Sandringham game.

Once again they put on a high energy set keeping the crowd entertained at the long break.

Some great colours and sounds helped showcase the young up and coming talent this region has to offer, not just on the court but off of it as well!

Trevor.

Bandit's at Home...

Friday night saw another big night of basketball on the Border with the men and women facing a Tassie challenge.
The women were first up taking on Launceston and as has been the case so many times this season set the pace from the word go.
Launceston weren't about to waste a road trip and fought well but the girls held on for a good win.

The men had it tough from the outset but put in a determined effort throughout the game.
They couldn't however send their Tassie challengers, Hobart, packing and despite some big efforts went down by a narrow margin.

The big excitement for the game was the half time shoot out with a young local player hitting the shot from the centre and taking home the big dollars.

All in all another entertaining night of basketball.
The fans here on the Border can certainly not complain about the level of competition they've been witness to this season.
A few more wins would be nice but hey, it's been anything but dull!

Trevor.