The season couldn’t have started much better for the Hume City Broncos women’s side in Big V state championship basketball.
A first-up 50-point win against Whittlesea Pacers in round one was followed by a 42-point thrashing of McKinnon on Saturday night.
Broncos coach Katrina Hibbert is pleased with the two massive wins but maintains her players won’t be getting ahead of themselves.
After a slow start against a determined McKinnon outfit, the Broncos led by 18 points at half-time.
“It wasn’t a great first half as we were a bit passive against the zone defence” Hibbert said. “McKinnon were down a couple of girls … [they] stayed with us in the first half, but we were able to run away with it in the second.”
The Broncos shared the scoring around, Colleen Planeta top-scoring with 24 points and Nicole Zammit, Vivien Saad and Olayinka Olorunnife all making double figures.
Having big leads in both games gave Hibbert the opportunity to rotate her bench.
Against the Pacers, every player had at least 10 minutes’ court time, while nine of the 11 players spent at least 10 minutes on court against McKinnon.
“We want everyone feeling confident on court,” she said, “Come finals you never know what will happen.
“You don’t learn sitting on the bench. I challenge the girls at training to train hard and be ready to play.”
Hibbert is also aware that key players will miss several matches throughout the season, meaning court time becomes more valuable for the players coming off the bench early in the season.
Sammy Gallaher will be on international duty with New Zealand in May.
“It depends on how they [New Zealand] go; we may not get her back,” Hibbert said. “Nicole goes overseas in June and July, which gives opportunities to other players. Sarah Wright … has experience in championship-winning sides and no doubt she’ll step up.
“Jacinta Scott is another experienced player. Sophie Byrnes will get more minutes and Natalie Karantzoulis is fit, as well. The toughest challenge at the moment is getting them all court time.”
The Broncos’ men defeated McKinnon 82-80 on Saturday night but lost 103-87 to Corio Bay on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the association announced last week that OREANA Property Group had come on board as a naming rights sponsor for the men’s state championship side this season.
