Ballina Braves aim for three wins from three to reach next cup round
As the club from North Mayo travels north on Saturday evening, Ballina face Team North West in a bid to qualify for the first round proper of the National Cup with a tasty fixture waiting.
A head coach would never look beyond the next game. But it’s clear to everyone what Ballina Braves are playing for on Saturday, October 24 when they face Team North West from Donegal.
A win will not only make it three wins from three for the Moysiders, but it will also mean they advance to Round One of the National Cup. Ballina would then face Carrickmacross, from the second division, a league above them.
The match to be played on Saturday, November 7, would be the biggest game for Ballina in 15 years. A huge opportunity, against a top team from a higher level.
But first things first. Ballina need to get the job done up north. The Mayo News understands, that the fixture could be rescheduled to Sunday, due to current weather warnings. And also, the match might move location as well. It might go ahead in Derry, in the Foyle Arena. A decision is expected Saturday morning.
In their quest for a third win from three games this season, the team coaches by Paul Barrett will still have to do without the services of Ronan McGarrity. The veteran player was not able to play in their last game in Athlone two weeks ago and isn’t ready yet to play again.
Knowing what’s at stake, Ballina will have to take care of the basketball more, reduce their turnovers. In their first two matches, the team committed 41 turnovers, which is simply too many.
On the plus side, Ballina Braves showed a much improved performance in their second outing in terms of rebounding. Especially the offensive rebounding rate was worryingly low in their first match, at home to Dublin Raiders.
In the two professional players Joseph Owens and Miles Felletti, Ballina have two excellent scorers on the court. Especially Owens has hit the ground running this season, as he scores 30.5 points per game, collects 14 rebounds per game, and has contributed 4 assists and 2 steals per game as well.
Ballina will have to clean up their shooting efficiency from last day out. In Athlone, they only hit 49% of their two-pointers (down by 6%) and only 22% for three-pointers (down by 28%).