A ROAD trip looms for the Mount Gambier Lakers men as they kick off the 2020 leg of the current Country Basketball League season.
Heading into the Christmas break with a single blemish – which came as a loss to Horsham Hornets in the first of two games in the final round of 2019 – the Lakers sit comfortably in second place on the premiership table.
However, they will be eager to finish strongly over the final three minor rounds, starting with a clash against Warrnambool Seahawks tomorrow night.
The Seahawks are a young list, but entered the holiday period with good wins over Bellarine and Portland after a slow start to the season.
They are somewhat of a surprise package for the Lakers, who have not met the side this season, but Mount Gambier will be buoyed by the confidence of a full roster.
“At this stage it looks like it will be our first game with everyone available,” coach Matt Berkefeld said.
“Every game before Christmas we had at least somebody out, but this should be our first game with a full squad to choose from, which is handy to have.”
That is a daunting prospect for Warrnambool, with the likes of Kyle Tipene, Simon Berkefeld and Lachie Hunter – to name only a few – all in dangerous form.
Sam Stafford was a standout in the final round of 2019 and will look for a similar performance tomorrow, while Jak Ryan will be a valuable inclusion after time off due to injury.
The depth is pushed further with tall man Braiden Ousey’s return from injury late in 2019, along with rising talent Mitch Hunter.
Players enjoyed time away from the training court over the holiday break, but now have their sights set on one goal – defending their championship.
The team had a light training run last night, but will dive into more intense preparation next week.
“As of next week until the end of the season we will crank it up,” Berkefeld said.
“We are going to train a couple of times a week from next week onward.
“That start of January to the end of the season is the business end for us.”
The aim is to iron out the kinks before playoffs and while Berkefeld said Warrnambool is a “bit hard to judge” heading into tomorrow’s game, the main focus over the coming rounds will be on preparing for playoffs.
“At this stage of the season we are probably more worried about how we are going to play, rather than what the opposition is going to do,” he said.
“Horsham was our second to last game before the break and that showed us there was a few things we need to work on.”
“We are going to try and address those areas, regardless of who we are playing against.
“At the same time, these final games of the season give us a chance to try a few new things.”
Berkefeld said the coming rounds will see players provided with various opportunities, including chances to prove themselves in different positions, while others may be given extra court time and with it a chance to prove themselves.
“Pretty much everything we do from here on out is geared towards getting ready for finals,” he said.
“We are just going to try a few new things and give people different opportunities.”
