IT’S time for the Western Reds to show the home crowd what they’ve got when the second round of the Country Premier League rolls into the Bathurst Indoor Sports Stadium this weekend.
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Reds squads had a mixed weekend in the opening round of the statewide regional competition but with plenty of support bound to be behind them in Bathurst they are out to notch up as many wins as possible.
Bathurst basketball co-ordinator Paul Masters said after the opening round of matches all Reds sides are searching for an improved performance.
“We’ve been pretty competitive. The 14s boys and 14s girls will hopefully be able to make it through to finals,” he said.
“The 16s girls are looking pretty strong at the moment, the 18s boys are as well.
“The 18s girls will be looking to win a couple of games here to try and get themselves above Illawarra, who are the only other team they will be playing this weekend.”
The 16s girls are one of the leading squads for the Reds after the opening round thanks to their three wins from four matches.
It’s a big weekend for the 16s Western girls who are playing against the Canberra Capitals and Illawarra Hawks on Saturday – the two teams who sit level with the Reds.
Another team aiming to continue a strong start to the competition is the 18s boys after their two wins from three games.
Like the 16s girls the 18s boys also have a big meeting with Illawarra, who are undefeated in the age group.
Both 14s sides claimed one win from their opening three games. The 16s boys search for their first victory and the 18s girls are 1-3.
With the first round done and dusted Masters is hopeful the Western squads can find their cohesion this weekend.
“We’ve had a lot of our guys in basketball camps over the school holidays so hopefully that can help us,” he said.
“In the first round we came up against a lot of teams who have been together longer and had more match time together.”
Masters believes the CPL has been a valuable competition for the region.
“Since we’ve started the Reds it has made our area a lot stronger, whereas other regions have dropped their numbers,” he said.
“Our Reds players still come back and bring their basketball to their home association, and many also play in the Western Junior League.”
Matches on both days begin from 9am.
Following this weekend’s round the Reds will have two more opportunities to notch up more wins before finals come by, on May 27-28 and June 24-25.