Bendigo men clear of the task ahead

Bendigo Bank Braves Men coach Stephen Black said there were some positives to come out of this week’s NBL1 round for his team, despite two losses.

The Braves played two away games – on Friday night against Casey and on Sunday afternoon against Eltham.

Bendigo never recovered from a tough first quarter against Casey, down 13-28 at the first break and way down on a number of key stats.

The second and third quarters were better for Bendigo, with the Cavaliers only extending their lead by four. But Bendigo was blown away in the last term, going down 60-92.

Bijan Johnson finished with 13, Adam Pechacek 12, all in the second half, and Luke Rosendale 10 for the night.

Black asked for a lift in intensity against a star-studded Eltham team on Sunday, and got it early, with Bendigo up 11-4.

However, they went into the first break 17-26 down and were playing catchup for the rest of the game.

An 11-2 run at the start of the second raised hope for the visitors, but Eltham NBL guns Angus Glover and Owen Foxwell quickly put paid to a Braves comeback.

Bendigo had patches of quality play in the second half as well, but went down 72-91.

Black was frustrated with the weekend, but saw some positive signs in the Sunday game.

“I felt on Friday night we just didn’t compete and our execution was awful,” he said.

“On Sunday there was a least a level of competing that gave us a chance. The endeavour and the appetite for the contest was there.

“I said after the game I was pleased with that side of things, but acknowledged that was not enough. From there we have to execute.

“Eltham is a good team. Taking nothing away from that, I do believe we should be able to compete with such a high-quality team this season.”

That will be the focus of the Braves as they head into a home clash against Kilsyth on Saturday night.

“We are a ways off but we are really clear with what we need to improve on and how we can come together as a team,” he said.

“Now we just need to start putting that onto the court.

“It’s never the same person or combination. As a collective we are not constantly sustaining the things we need to do.

“We all have a responsibility to focus on the things we are doing well, and then doing them as much as possible.”

Photo - Craig Dilks Photography