James Murphy
THE Millicent Magic men will hit the road for their final game of 2022 in Round 12 of CBL basketball this weekend.
It will be a tough task, as they meet the Horsham Hornets on their home deck tomorrow night.
To make matters a further challenge Millicent is expected to be a heavily depleted side.
“It is going to be a tough game for us,” Millicent coach Darren Dean told The Border Watch this week.
“I think I have about nine or 10 missing this week.
“We will muster up five or six players and see what we can do.”
Dean said among those absent will be young guns Jack Haggett and Jackson Bowden, who will not return to the side until January 28 due to state commitments.
“Frazer Bradley up in Adelaide is a week-by-week proposition as well and Harry Mules had an operation last week to have plates out of his arm,” Dean added.
The Hornets stand as a strong opponent, having recently handed Mount Gambier its first of two losses for the year.
Back in Round 9 they were too strong for Millicent and claimed a 21-point win over what was a near full-strength roster.
As such the Magic will enter the rematch with their backs against the wall.
While their lineup has proven versatile this season, availability will hinder the chances of entering the Christmas/New Year break off a victory.
Currently sitting in third on the South West conference leaderboard, Millicent remains well in the hunt for a finals appearance.
However, with just one home game across the final five rounds, every match will be vital in the tight competition.
“We are hoping we can get enough wins to keep us in the finals hunt,” Dean said.
“Ararat beat Horsham (on the weekend) and Warrnambool beating Portland helped us a bit, but we will probably still need another three wins to get through.”
