DEFENCE was tighter, offence clicked and Ballarat Rush played a more aggressive brand of basketball.
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Rush stuck with a far more experienced Bendigo until dropping away in the final term for a 15-point loss in the South East Australian Basketball League on Saturday night.
Little one per centers slipped and the Lady Braves gradually took control.
It was a bittersweet performance for Harvey Norman Rush, who showed marked improvement only to lose a game they believed they could – and should – have won.
Rush went to Bendigo with a three-player bench, including 15-year-old Isabel Fraser, who earned her first SEABL minutes.
The Lady Braves made a 10-0 points run to open the game.
Rush called a time-out and not only clawed its way back but took a six-point lead into quarter-time.
They only trailed by six points going into the final term before Bendigo seized control.
Rush coach Peter Cunningham said his team’s style was a far cry from the 35-point loss to Bendigo in the opening round – and that improvement in itself was a win.
“The girls were disappointed but (also) somewhat satisfied,” he said. “They played a pretty good level, but mostly they thought they were good enough to win that game.”
Cunningham said lapses of concentration, when “old Rush” habits crept in, hurt, but his players kept working their way back into the contest.
In the end, failure to capitalise on chances was costly. Bendigo, with a wealth of national league experience, made them pay.
Lady Brave Kerryn Harrington was near unstoppable with her 22 points, while Kelly Wilson, fresh back from Australian Opals duty in Europe, was solid with 18 points.
Rush co-captain Abbey Wehrung (22 points) and Liv Thomp-
son (20 points, 14 rebounds) headlined the Rush scoring. Thompson had 14 points, nine rebounds to half-time before she was closely contained.
The Lady Braves stuck heavily to their starting five right to the end.
Sophie Alexander and Kasey Burton worked up good minutes from the Rush bench and Cunningham was confident to introduce Fraser, despite the tightness of the game.
Shanae Greaves, who had toe surgery earlier in the week, kept close check on dangerous Lady Brave Stacia Robertson and maintained a high work rate.