Geraldton Buccaneers hit the road for double-header against South West Slammers and Mandurah Magic

The Geraldton Buccaneers are hitting the road as they face a double-header down south on the weekend against South West and Mandurah. The Buccs have been set up for success after picking up a nice win in their first game against Willetton on Saturday, with coach Dayle Joseph saying the first game can be rusty. “It’s always a little bit unknown that first one … probably a little bit underprepared as far as no scratch matches and playing together … so we did a pretty good job to get that first win,” he said. “I think it was a bit scrappy probably to watch for a little bit, but there was some good signs as well.” The win over Willetton was the first time Buccaneers fans got to see new recruits Nik DeSantis and Josh Keyes in action. DeSantis came out with a hot start, leading the side in scoring with 21 points as the primary ball handler. While it worked for game one, Joseph said having players come in would alleviate the pressure on the West Adelaide recruit. “We also had Fletch (Klasztorny) missing the other night, so our plan was to use Nic and Fletch to get the ball up the floor a bit,” he said. “We’ll also have Josh Braun come in as well that can handle the ball a bit, so we’ll have those three and we can also mix it up. Johny (Narkle) can handle the ball a bit as well. “So I think we’ve got some good options to get the ball up the floor.” Braun won’t be with the side for the double-header, but having Klasztorny come back against his old Mandurah side will provide extra height and scoring for the Buccs. “We have Fletch back this week in our rotation, so hopefully that helps us get a little bit stronger and a little bit better,” Joseph said. A local who stood out in the win over the Tigers was Bob Griechen, who was in the closing five and scored a career-high 16 points. His presence on the court came from favourable match-ups, but Joseph said the 17-year-old provided another wrinkle to the team’s game plan. “He’s obviously had a really good local competition and dominated that, and he’s been able to transfer it into our preseason,” he said. “Then for him to perform as well as he did on Saturday, it gives us some other options. “It was more match-ups and everything and Bob was doing well, so we sort of run with what was working.” Playing in back-to-back games can become a logistical nightmare for some teams as they try to navigate preparation. Joseph said the Buccaneers would focus on the Saturday clash against the Slammers and go from there. “We put a lot of time into obviously the Saturday game, our first one, and try and concentrate on that first, then look at the Sunday games straight after,” Joseph said. “A lot of our preparation is done for the Saturday game and go by feel a little bit for the Sunday one, do a quick prep for that. “We hope to come home with two (wins).” The Buccaneers face the South West Slammers on Saturday, April 13, and the Mandurah Magic on Sunday, April 14, both on their opponent’s home courts.