SHAKEN up after a rough and tumble affair, the Bathurst Goldminers will aim to get back to their winning ways in the men’s Youth League division two competition when they travel to face the Sydney Comets on Saturday night.
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Goldminers had their first loss of the season in last round’s 82-77 against the Moss Vale Magic, a game which saw five Bathurst players fouled out of the match.
The task doesn’t get a lot easier against the Comets, who sit one spot above the Goldminers in third place.
Comets’ 64-52 victory last round over the previously undefeated St George Saints has caught the attention of Goldminers coach Andrew Osborn.
Osborn said his Bathurst men must be on alert with such a result.
“They’re definitely a threat after their game against St George last week. We’re playing at their home court too,” he said.
“Sydney have only had the one loss and I expected St George to beat them, so I was surprised about that. Obviously they’ve done a lot of work over the week to right their wrongs.
“I know the Comets are one of Sydney’s oldest clubs and have teams across most divisions. There’s a lot of great talent to draw from.
“Fortunately we’ll have a stronger team than last week with our Western Junior League players like Will Cranston and Kobe Mansell coming back. That makes us a lot stronger both offensively and defensively.”
The defeat sent Bathurst crashing back to earth after two big wins to start their season.
A blot on the Goldminers record last round might have been disappointing for the team but Osborn hopes it’s something that they group can learn from.
“That’s something we’ve got to put behind us. We’ve got to learn from that, particularly against these stronger teams,” he said.
“Once we got over the initial shock of that game we physically matched up quite well with them.
“Up until that last minute and a half we were still in it, but when you only have three players on the court it’s just about minimising the damage.
“This week we have to be far more aggressive in offence and see far more movement of both player and ball than last game.
“The defence needs to start where we finished the first quarter last week. If we do that we’ll be in good stead for the rest of the game.”
Saturday’s match is the second match in a three-leg away venture for the Goldminers, who take on Penrith a fortnight’s time.