Bowen always ready to step up in big moments

Trailing by 14 points and missing Jack White for the remainder of the game, Dean Vickerman looked to the depth of our squad for someone to step up coming out of half-time on Saturday.

Offensively, that was Chris Goulding, whose 36-second-half points broke the game open, however defensively, it was Kyle Bowen.

The big-man played all but 2 minutes in the second half, and while he scored zero points, his effort shutting down Perth forward Kristian Doolittle went a long way in helping us secure a second-straight victory.

Bowen limited Doolittle to just four points and forced him into five second-half turnovers, while adding five rebounds, an assist and a block.

Speaking on The Extra Pass podcast, Bowen touched on his mindset on Saturday once White was unavailable for the remainder of the game.

“I’m always ready, and I hate that those circumstances arise but those are the moments you have to step up,” he said.

“I think that’s what this group’s about, we’ve got multiple guys on the bench that if someone was to go down in the starting lineup, there’s no doubt that they’ll be ready.

“While CG was shining on offence I had a few big moments on defence and a couple of rebounds here and there and I think that’s what I am to this team, one of those guys that’ll just do the one percenter little plays.”

The win solidified our league-best 9-4 record heading into a blockbuster matchup with the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday afternoon at John Cain Arena from 2:30pm.

Bowen says spirits are high within the group ahead of Round 9, however they are always looking to get better.

“It’s obviously good, two big wins this weekend, but I think we’re just trying to achieve more consistency,” he explained.

“I think in patches we have great spurts where we’re looking like the best defensive team in the competition, but then there’s other times where we’re giving up a bit too many points and not being ourselves.

“We know we’ve got enough talent in the locker-room to do special things but it’s always just about putting it together for 40 minutes.”