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.

In Pink!

Well the Men and Women of the Border Bandits have had a tough couple of weeks here in Albury with defeats at the hands of Knox Raiders and Brisbane Spartans.
Regardless of win or loss the teams are still putting in big efforts, the opposition has simply been too strong.
Jermaine Williams has settled in to his new role with the club and the younger players for the women are getting court time.

Of course tough games of basketball are one thing.
Life can be a lot harder for many.

Friday night helped to reinforce such an issue with the Brisbane Spartans turning up... in pink!

Of course they are raising money for breast cancer and their uniforms certainly make a big statement!
So for a good cause I'm simply adding some images to this page to document the plight of those suffering this affliction via the generosity of others in the community.

Good on ya' Spartans!
Keep up the good work.

Enjoy.

Trevor.

The Real Snowwombat!

A mate of mine from work was kind enough to create a new logo for me.
I thought it was a ripper!
Keaton Ferguson is a very talented artist from Wodonga who can breathe life into an idea, not only with a mouse and PC but with pen and paper.
Within minutes of my request he had a number of ideas running around his head, committed them to paper and went from there.
This is the final cut we both felt best represented my current photographic efforts.

Trevor.

Albury Cougars

With all the training and a big trip away last weekend I haven't had the chance to blog lately.

The big trip was up to Illawarra for round 2 of the Southern Junior League basketball comp.
I took the Albury Cougars 16 women 2's away aiming at a perfect 4 from 4 result.
Up against teams like Illawarra and Canberra the weekend was looking tough.
The weather had closed in on us, with some wild winds overnight almost putting a hold on our beach plans, however a small group headed down Saturday morning for some fresh sea air prior to heading off to Berkley Stadium.
Then it was time for business!
With the first win taking place in overtime it was obvious this was going to be a tough slog.
A solid second game helped us on the way to that elusive spot in the second round of state.
However, Sunday came and things changed.
A 3 point loss saw our plans fall to the wayside and a big defeat in the final game relegated us to just the SJL rounds only.
While disappointing, overall the girls played some of their best basketball this season.
The team began working well together and we can take some positives into the next comp which happens to be the Country Championships held in Maitland on the upcoming long weekend.
We're hoping for something special at Country, with the aim of bringing back the title as we did last year.
Time will tell.
With the job of coaching taking much of my time I wasn't able to do a lot of shooting.
The chances I had weren't helped by the darkness of Berkley Stadium, as can be seen on the back wall in the final image.

PS: Don't forget to click on the images to view them larger.

Trevor.

The Boys (and Girls) are back in town!

What a big night of basketball on the Border!
The Lady Bandits faced off against Frankston Lady Blues Saturday night with the opportunity to take yet another win for the season.
The Albury girls are becoming quite a formidable opponent for any team in the league and with stars such as Toni Edmondson and Lisa Wallbutton it's no surprise!
Toni had a big night again with 26 points and 10 rebounds topped only by Lisa who hit 28 and 10.
Of course the young local girls are stepping up to the plate as well with Alex Duck finishing on 14 and 5 while Ellie Gleeson, with some good court time chipped in with 5 and 4.
The home side took the points with a strong 75-51 score.

The men faced a tall outfit from North West Tasmania and from the first buzzer it was apparent we were in for a physical game.
Tempers flared many times with Fernandez providing some light entertainment via skipping, dancing and even sitting on the edge of a corporate box after a number of these skirmishes.
The Bandits were on top throughout the game and weren't about to be upstaged by their female counterparts finishing with a good solid victory 106-96.
Once again the local boys stood up and kept the score ticking over, Matt Gange with another solid game, 26 and 4, Matt De Koeyer on 17 and 4 and big Tony Ferris chipping in with 6 and 2.
All eyes have been on the latest addition to the team in Jermaine Williams.
He managed a game high 27 points with 8 rebounds for good measure!
And as for Fernandez, another top all round game finishing with 20 and 20.
No doubt about it, Fernandez can jump!
His rebounding at both ends of the court are giving the Bandits the opportunities to take the ball away from opponents and score via several quality outlets such as Gange, De Koeyer and now Williams, just to name a few.
Once again another great night of basketball on the Border and with our own Lauren Jackson watching from the sidelines, a very apt result.

Trevor.