Depth praised following thrilling Game 3 win

Across the course of the entire season, Head Coach Dean Vickerman has talked about how continuity and chemistry has been the ‘superpower’ he wanted his group to take advantage of.

That obviously extends to our reserves, who stepped up in a huge way in the decisive Game 3 of our Playoff Series against the Perth Wildcats, combining for 51 points and 13 rebounds in the 113-112 victory.

Leading the group was Ian Clark, who tallied a career-high 38 points in his 30 minutes of play off the bench.

Speaking after the game, Clark touched on his mindset coming into the huge clash.

“I just wanted to be aggressive and try to win the game, there’s really nothing more to it other than that,” he explained.

“Throughout the year, my coaches and teammates have just been telling me to stay aggressive and keep going and tonight, more than anybody, it was Chris in my ear just telling me to keep going, keep going and that what I wanted to do, I just wanted to make plays whether it was for myself or for my teammates.

“Tonight it felt good, I just wanted to make sure I was hunting good ones and making sure I was getting quality shots up.

“Guys looked for me and got me open and shots were falling tonight.”

Also lauded was Tanner Krebs, who along with returnees from NBL24 Kyle Bowen and Flynn Cameron, was praised for his ability to stay ready and impact the game whenever his minutes came.

“We saw that Tanner (Krebs) and Kyle Bowen and Flynn (Cameron) have been able to do… we got those guys ready,” Vickerman said.

“It’s one of the tougher jobs in the league being the backup to CG (Chris Goulding) given the year that he’s had.

“We really needed Tanner tonight, and like any guy who’s coming off the bench, being ready for more and he was ready for those extra minutes tonight.

“We’ve been working with him on his box outs and I just thought everything that we’ve worked on with him recently, he’s just gone to another level.

“He’s going to be ready for whatever in the Grand Final Series. I’m not sure what but over the last eight-ten games, his shooting percentage would be something ridiculous, he’s hardly missed a shot during this period as well so he should be super confident.”

United’s stars will have to wait until tonight to find out who we will be facing off against in the Championship Series.

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