After a tough win on the road, Moss Vale Magic will return home this weekend.
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But it won’t be easy, with the team facing a double header and injury problems.
The Magic will take on third placed Illawarra Hawks at home on Saturday night before travelling to Manly to take on the Sea Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
The Highlands side may be without three of its squad for both of the weekend’s matches.
Coach Kevin Campbell said Alex Davenport, Brad Frost and Will Cunich were all in doubt for the double header clashes this weekend.
He said under-18 player Tristan Glenn would most likely make his Waratah Youth league debut and was hoping to find a few other under-18 players to help boost the squad.
“He’s [Glenn] the leading scorer for the under-18s and a really good three point shooter.”
And while selection problems face Campbell as a result of injuries, he said he was still confident the Magic could come away with two wins this weekend.
After a narrow win on the road against Newcastle last weekend, the Magic boys will be keen to get another win on the board.
Looking at the home match this weekend, Campbell said it would be a big challenge for his team.
“Illawarra’s coach (Mick Cranney), I have a lot of respect for him,” he said.
The Cranney brothers Tom and Sean will be two key players Moss Vale will need to shut down.
“They’ve got some skill and some size. But we love a challenge,” Campbell said.
Assistant coach Ben Keegan said after last weekend’s match Moss Vale needed to improve on the way it started each quarter after it was down 12-0 after four minutes in the match against Newcastle.
This was something Campbell agreed with and said he was now looking for more consistency from his side.
Moss Vale sits in 11th spot on the ladder with four wins and five losses from its nine matches.
Campbell said his team was not far off the top six and now wanted his team to string together a few wins in a row.
“We need to show we can be a consistent team,” he said. “We need to be switched on, focused and have our head in the right place. We have plenty of guys who can score points.”
Also in Moss Vale’s favour is the fact it has a couple of games in hand.
Carter Reeves remains one of the top five players for average points in a match and overall match points and Campbell said Zac Ottoson had also scored plenty of points for the magic this year.
“Marko Laus is due for a big one so I wouldn’t be surprised if he steps up this week.” Tip off for Saturday’s match at Moss Vale Basketball Stadium will be at 5pm.