THE Launceston Tornadoes will be shooting for their third consecutive win on the weekend when they take on the Sandringham Lady Sabres in Melbourne.
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New recruit Abby Bishop has been crucial to the Tornadoes late-season form, grabbing a massive 22 rebounds and 18 points in last week’s 80-61 win over the Canberra Capitals.
The Tornadoes will jump ahead of the Sabres on the SEABL ladder if they can repeat the result from earlier in the season, when forward Nadeen Payne fired to give the home side a five-point win at the Elphin Sports Centre.
Head coach Peta Sinclair said the squad’s depth had been pivotal over the course of the season, and was looking for another strong all-round performance on Saturday.
‘‘Contributions from the bench players will be critical once again, the bench have been outstanding of late, and that has made a huge difference to our form,’’ she said.
Sinclair identified Sabres star and New Zealand Olympic squad member Mikaela Cocks as someone who needed to be shut down for the Torns to register a win, naming guard Emma Russell as a likely match-up.
‘‘Russell is an outstanding player and our lock down defender,’’ she said.
‘‘Her ability to lock down WNBL star Steph Cumming was significant in our a win against Ballarat two rounds ago, I am confident that she’ll be up to the task of Cocks this weekend.’’
SEABL WOMEN
FAST FACTS
WHO: Launceston Tornadoes v Sandringham.
WHERE: Sandringham Basketball Stadium.
WHEN: Tomorrow, 5.30pm.