After what Ballarat Rush coach Eric Hayes described as a tumultuous few weeks heading into the South East Australian Basketball League bye, he is confident his players are feeling refreshed.
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Ballarat Skoda Rush is set to face Sandringham at Sandringham Basketball Stadium on Saturday, before taking on Diamond Valley at the Minerdome on Sunday in round 10 of the season.
Hayes said it had been a good week of preparation as the team works towards a fresh start. Injured player Ashleigh Spencer jumping on the court at training had also helped boost morale.
“The couple of weeks leading up to the break were pretty messy and pretty emotional with Splash (Ashleigh Spencer) injured and C-Will (Courtney Williams) departing,” Hayes said. “So having the break, it came at a really good time and I think everybody is in a good headspace now. We’ve come back to a bit of normality.”
The team has taken away some lessons from when it previously met Sandringham, going down 66-73 in a round six home game.
“It was a pretty close game until the very end when they made some big shots and we broke down a bit,” Hayes said. “There are a few adjustments that need to be made and I think a few people probably played pretty tough games, so if we all play pretty well and make those adjustments I think we will be right.”
Young gun Georgia Amoore returns to the line-up, Joy Burke is expected to play despite soreness, while Laura Taylor will miss the game against Sandringham on Saturday due to youth league commitments but will be available for Sunday’s Diamond Valley clash.
Rush is still in talks with potential imports to replace Williams, who has since found a basketball home with the Launceston Tornadoes.