The Tamworth Thunderbolts' return to the court did not go exactly according to plan on Saturday night, but coach Mitch Balderston was "incredibly proud" of the way his team fought throughout the game.
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"There was a lot of adversity tonight," Balderston said.
"We lost four of our starters very early in the game ... we weren't meant to be in that game, so I'm quite proud of them."
Over the course of the game, Ben Pearce was fouled out, Bailey Keech suffered broken teeth, Matt Corney incurred four fouls, and Isaac Fuller fell to an ankle injury.
The impact of losing "literally our four best players", Balderston said, was evident on the scoreboard early as the Thunderbolts fell 17 points behind in the second quarter against the Sydney Comets.
But, through sheer determination and a slight change of game plan, the home side fought back to within three points late in the third at the Tamworth Sports Dome, only to run out of steam in the fourth and succumb to a 64-52 defeat.
"We didn't finish as well as we wanted to, but we were struggling in that space because we were giving up so much height," Balderston said.
"It's a lot harder to get those shots off when you've got a guy in your face. We had to improvise and get more open than we normally do."
One big advantage which remained with the team throughout the night was the overwhelming crowd support.
From the very first basket sunk by the Thunderbolts, every point scored by the home side was met with ear-splitting roars and applause.
The awe-inspiring display, Balderston said, was evidence that Tamworth has "the best crowd in the league".
"I don't say that jokingly because we're here, we genuinely have the best crowd in the league.
"We love it. It's good for basketball, it's good for us."
Though the Thunderbolts officially opened their season with a loss, the strength of their performance against the best team in the competition left Balderston assured of their finals chances.
"Based on that performance, and the things that didn't go our way, I'm calling a top four finish," he said.
The Tamworth Thunderbolts will next play the Hornsby Ku Ring Gai Spiders on Saturday, April 2, from 7pm in Sydney.
The team's next home game will be held on Saturday, April 9, against the Central Coast Waves.
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