JAMES Mitchell is a happy coach.
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Warrnambool Seahawks' return to Country Basketball League action went to script as Mitchell's men stunned Geelong-based rivals Bellarine Storm by six points on Saturday night.
Defence was a hot priority heading into the bout and the Seahawks' stoppers held firm, restricting their opponents to just 76 points.
We weren't too worried about scoring, we just wanted to stop the other team from scoring.
- James Mitchell
"I'd say that was the biggest improvement on this past season. We've always had the guys who could score, but our defence has let us down a bit," Mitchell said.
"Everyone went our there and had it as their focus. We weren't too worried about scoring, we just wanted to stop the other team from scoring.
"We didn't know what to expect really but I was really happy with how we played."
Mitchell said his team was without passengers.
Five players - Mitchell, Riley Nicolson, Liam Killey, Adam Lawson and Benson Steere - all managed double figures in points.
"We were really well-balanced. Matt Rea was really good, we put him on their top scorer and he was really good defensively," Mitchell said.
"There's heaps of things to improve on still. Riley Nicolson was our top scorer with 20 points and 11 rebounds and he was sitting in the locker room afterwards saying 'I've got to do better'.
"It's a good sign when someone is standing up and saying that. We'll get Mojwok (Akoch) back next week and Dailin Toone as well.
"It'll be good to get some young, fresh legs into the team. We're still getting our fitness back and it's a good opportunity to get some experience for the young guys."
Terang Tornadoes, meanwhile, fell to Colac by 15 points.
Warrnambool Seahawks are next scheduled to host Portland Coasters at the Warrnambool Stadium at 7pm on Saturday.
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