ROY Booker needed just 20 seconds to spark the first leg of the Ballarat Miners’ South East Australian Basketball League road trip to Canberra on Friday night.
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This was how long it took Booker to find the basket on his return as he sunk a three-point jump shot.
The US import, who set the SEABL alight last season, provided the impetus for an emphatic 97-79 win over the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.
Booker missed the GMHBA Miners’ opening game of the season a week earlier after travelling to the United States because of a family bereavement and the team struggled against Bendigo.
Just his presence was a massive boost for Ballarat as he contributed 22 points and seven assists to complement first-year import Ollie Bailey and Earnest Ross.
Bailey was again a warhorse as he scored 24 points and Ross shot 27 points with six steals.
The Miners play Canberra on Saturday night.
MEN
BALLARAT 18 44 72 97
COE 12 37 56 79
POINTS – Ballarat: E Ross 27, O Bailey 24, R Booker 22, S Short 9, C Smith 6, D Hing-Hawea 4, A Constable 3, C Marshall 2
REBOUNDS – Ballarat 35 (O Bailey 9, C Smith 8), COE 30
ASSISTS – Ballarat 16 (R Booker 7), COE 12
STEALS – Ballarat 13 (E Ross), COE 7
BLOCKS – Ballarat 2, COE 2
TURNOVERS – Ballarat 22, COE 24
SHOOTING – field, Ballarat 32-64 (50 per cent), COE 27-65 (41); three-pointers Ballarat 6--20 (30), COE 7-22 (31); Ballarat 18-21 (85), COE 27-33 (81)
WOMEN
COE 20 48 70 90
BALLARAT 17 34 56 73
POINTS - Ballarat: A Spencer 20, J Burke 16, A Wehrung 13, K Burton 11, M Mathews 6, L Brooks 4m, S Alexander 3
REBOUNDS - COE 38, Ballarat 46 (J Burke 9, A Spencer 7)
ASSISTS - COE 18, Ballarat 17 (A Wehrung 6, J Burke 4)
STEALS - COE 7, Ballarat 6
BLOCKS - COE 10, Ballarat 4
TURNOVERS - COE 19, Ballarat 22
SHOOTING - field, COE 32-74 (43 per cent), Ballarat 28-72 (38); three-pointers, COE 11-21 (52), Ballarat 6-22 (27)
