Three games in less than 24 hours.
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That was the task for the Tamworth Thunderbolts women’s team in Sydney at the weekend.
The hectic schedule is more akin to baseball rather than the sport invented by James Naismith.
Tamworth reaped the rewards from their hard work on court, winning two games against Goulburn Bears and St George Saints.
The Bolts downed the Bears 62-56 on Saturday night, having opened their triple-header with a 65-46 loss to Wagga Blaze.
Tamworth saved their best showing for last, outgunning St George Saints 59-51, much to the delight of coach Brad Melton.
“St George was a really massive side, quite big inside and we’re one of the smallest size-wise,” Melton said.
“But we pressed their guards up high and played an up-tempo game which certainly worked for us.
“We had them down by 20 points at one stage and even though they fought back, that was a great win for the team.”
Melton paid tribute to the collective work of every player on his roster as a decisive factor during a weekend which lifts Tamworth (3-2) to fifth on the Waratah League division one ladder.
“We were very happy to take two wins out of three,” he said.
“It is a schedule I’ve never seen before, to play three games in such a short time-frame, but the girls were tremendous in their attitude.
“We benefited from a deep contribution and played a lot of minutes with three of our under-18 players on the court.”
Young gun Lily Darcy averaged 13 points per game across the weekend, headlined by a 19 point haul against St George.
Taylor Skelton top-scored in the defeat of Goulburn, while Tammy McMahon, the returning Aimee Diebold and Dhlara Knox also impressed.
The Thunderbolts have this weekend off before their next game against Hawkesbury Jets at Tamworth Sports Dome on May 6.