Having a full, healthy team paid off for Warrnambool Seahawks when it defeated Altona Alligators on Saturday night.
Coach Tim Gainey was pleased with the 75-67 result, crediting it to his side’s positive attitude and well-being.
“We finally had a full team,” he said.
“Everyone was healthy.
“Bobby Cunningham was back, he played his first match for the season.”
It was a crucial away win for Warrnambool, which had come off two consecutive losses.
“We played a lot harder this week,” Gainey said.
“Everyone was in for the game.”
Warrnambool led for most of the contest, with Altona failing to reduce the deficit despite shooting 22 points in the final quarter.
Gainey said training had focused on offence, which had translated well into the game.
“Altona plays a slow game,” he said.
“We sped things up and got the opposition tired and they couldn’t recover.”
But the coach had one criticism of his side’s performance, stressing the players needed to maintain their intensity.
“We let the game go once we were up,” he said.
“We took the foot off the gas a bit.”
Gainey commended Tom Symons on his shooting but said every player contributed to the win.
“It was a team effort,” he said.
Warrnambool will spend this week focusing on recovery sessions as it takes a break for Easter.
The Seahawks will then continue to work on their offence before playing one of Big V Basketball’s top teams, Whittlesea.
Following their second triumph in six outings, Gainey was yesterday looking forward to the coming weeks.
“There was a good energy, we stayed positive and we played hard,” he said of Saturday night’s game.
“Whittlesea is always tough but we’ll aim to continue to progress.”