Sport
19 January, 2023
Opals honour beckons for Bibby
WARRACKNABEAL basketball export Chloe Bibby will vie for national honours after being included in an extended Australian Opals squad released last week. Bibby, enjoying a strong debut season with Perth Lynx in the National Womens Basketball League...
WARRACKNABEAL basketball export Chloe Bibby will vie for national honours after being included in an extended Australian Opals squad released last week.
Bibby, enjoying a strong debut season with Perth Lynx in the National Womens Basketball League, was thrilled with the news of her inclusion into the extended Opals squad and is looking forward to the remainder of the WNBL season with the Lynx.
“That was a huge honour for me to be included into the extended squad,” Bibby said.
“We’ve been working hard through this WNBL season and I’m thrilled to be a part of this squad. The March camp will be so much fun and I’m looking forward to training with the girls.”
Coming off the heels of their bronze medal win against Canada at the FIBA Women’s World Cup last October, the Opals will look to continue a podium-finishing streak in the 2023 Asia Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics.
All squad members will be make their way to a camp at the AIS National Training Centre in Canberra in March, with the exception of four players who are all currently playing in Europe.
Bibby, on the rebound from a bout of Covid, is focusing on the next couple of weeks when the Lynx hit the road for 10 days with three away games against Sydney Flames, Bendigo Spirit and Melbourne Boomers.
With the Lynx sitting in fifth position, a game behind fourth-placed Townsville, Bibby said the road trip games are vital for their season.
“These next three games on the road will be so important to our finals chances,” she said.
“We’ve played some pretty good basketball of late and getting the win over Southside was great. It really gives us confidence for the remainder of the season.”
Bibby is back to full fitness after her Covid bout and is looking forward to playing more minutes after missing the game against Sydney in round 10 before a reduced game in their victory over second-placed Southside last Friday night.
“Yeah, I was pretty buggered that game against Southside but it’s all good now and it was great to get that win with the girls producing an outstanding performance,” she said.
Bibby’s inclusion into the Opals squad comes off the back of some strong basketball in the first half of this season putting up some good numbers including an average of 18.4 points and five rebounds a game.
A season high 28 points in round two against Bendigo in front of a large home-town crowd, many of which making the trip from Warracknabeal, was followed by 25 points against Adelaide in round nine.
Tomorrow’s match up with Sydney will be a vital game to their chances which will be followed by Bendigo on Wednesday, which could again include a large contingent from the Wimmera, and against the ladder leading Boomers on the following Sunday.
After this week’s road trip, Perth will play back-to-back home games before the remaining five games of the season before finals.