Posted on 25 May, 2011

After three wins in a row the Swinburne Kilsyth Cobras (4-5) face another tough challenge for season 2011, crossing the Tasman to face the Hobart Chargers (4-7) on Friday night followed up with a game on Saturday night against the North West Tasmania Thunder (4-6).

Kilsyth are getting their season back on track and their five point win against the Dandenong Rangers at home last Sunday afternoon proved that they are back in the mix for play-offs, though the true test will be the results of this weekend’s games on whether or not they can mix it with the likes of Bendigo, Knox and Nunawading.

Kilsyth came up against Friday night’s opponent, the Hobart Chargers, just two weeks ago at Kilsyth Sports Centre, coming away with a hard fought 11 point victory and their first win on the redeveloped Hugh McMenamin Court. The Chargers have only managed one win out of their past four games, coming last Sunday, against Ballarat, 98-71. Mark Banovic top scored with 30 points and was well supported by Derrick Nelson (17pts, 9rbds), Greg Dilligard (12pts, 12rbds) and Anthony Stewart (13pts, 7rbds).

Kilsyth will need to ensure that they are at the top of their game come Friday night as Hobart are even stronger at home and as always bring a lot of experience to the court. If Tim Lang performs like he did against the Chargers in round six then the Swinburne Cobras will go a long way to winning.

Saturday night will be just as tough as Friday night when Kilsyth comes up against a North West Tasmania side who haven’t managed a win in the past six games. The Thunder went down to Brisbane by five points, 75-70, in Brisbane on Saturday night, then by nine points, 68-59, against Canberra in Canberra on Sunday in a disappointing weekend.

Shawntes Gary had a great weekend with 36 points against Brisbane followed up by 29 in Canberra, his ability to bang down threes when they defeated Kilsyth by three points back in round three was what got North West Tasmania over the line. The Swinburne Kilsyth Cobras will need to be very wary of the man who is currently averaging more points per game (24.8ppg) than any other SEABL player so far this season.

For Kilsyth things seen to be coming together, Tim Lang was SEABL MVP in each of the Swinburne Cobras past three games with 20pts 10rbds against Canberra, 21pts, 9rbds against Hobart and 18pts, 11rbds against Dandenong. Auryn McMillan was sensational last week against the Dandenong Rangers shooting at 90% accuracy for field goals, finishing up with 18 points. Captain Quincy Henderson has never stopped leading from the front with his pressure and composure. When Kilsyth was in trouble last week it was none other than Henderson who stood up and dropped vital baskets to secure the win.

If the Swinburne Cobras are to come away from the weekend with both wins they will need to ensure that they don’t let their habit of slow starts come back into play. After shooting at 85% accuracy from field goals in the first quarter last week they proved that they have the ability to hurt teams on the scoreboard. Kilsyth have the right mix to beat both Hobart and North West Tasmania and all the Cobra fans back on the mainland will be hoping for a 2-0 result from the trip down to Tasmania.

The Swinburne Cobras tip off against the Hobart Chargers tip off against the Hobart Chargers at 8:00pm Friday May 27 at Aurora Stadium. They then tip off at 7:30pm against North West Tasmania at Ulverstone.

Kilsyth Basketball is hosting the 2011 Under 16 National Championships this July. Volunteer and Business opportunities are available email megan.martin@kilsythbasketball.com.au for further information.