A Friday night home match-up with Sandringham and a trip to Casey on Saturday evening confronts the Hoop City Geelong United Supercats women and men as they face their first double-header of the 2023 NBL1 South season.
For both teams, it presents an opportunity to square the win-loss ledger following defeats by Kilsyth and Bendigo to open the season.
The men were unable to go the distance with the Braves last Saturday night at home, outscored 12-2 in the closing stages.
For coach Grant Wallace, all of Geelong United’s attention will be on the Sabres at Geelong Arena.
“Two decent performances by the team have not been rewarded by a win to date,” Wallace said.
“In both games we had undermanned rosters in play and a reliance on our local youth.
“It has been impressive to watch the players’ development and progression, and I am so proud of them.
“But this Friday night we welcome the extremely strong Sandringham, which is deep with NBL talent.
The Sabres started the season with three consecutive losses before seeing off Casey 83-64 last Sunday.
The Cavaliers are winless through their opening three matches.
Captain DeMarcus Gatlin will serve the final two matches of a three-game suspension this weekend.
Like Geelong United, Sandringham’s women started the season with consecutive losses before the Sabres took care of Kilsyth and Casey in Round 2.
The Supercats lost no friends with last week’s three-point loss to Bendigo, with an even spread of scoring a highlight.
“After such a great performance last weekend without getting the win, the players have been eagerly anticipating getting back on court this weekend,” coach Matthew Paton said.
“Sandringham boast a very talented and versatile line-up with a number of WNBL players, so they will definitely present a significant challenge on Friday night.
“We have used this week to make a few adjustments, and we are confident we can continue to improve as a unit and hopefully open our account for the 2023 season in front of another great crowd.”
Geelong United will be looking to deny Casey its first home win of the women’s season on Saturday night.
“Their roster is very well-balanced and have scoring threats all over the floor, so it promises to be a great contest,” Paton said.
“We will need to maintain discipline and focus for a full four quarters in order to come home with a win.”
Tickets are selling fast for Friday night’s matchups with the Sabres. Head to https://bit.ly/3JspNN5 to secure your seat.
