CAMBEWARRA’S Kate Bellamy has made her first season back in the black and gold since 2010 one to remember – being name in the Waratah League Division One all-star five.
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Bellamy, a Northeastern State University graduate, was joined by Goulburn Jordan Huntley and Bathurst trio Rachel Murray, Matilda Flood and Haylee Lepaio in the team
“It’s such a great honour to be named in the all-star five,” Bellamy said.
“When I started playing state league at the age of 14, I obviously wasn’t a huge contributor to our team, so it’s been great to get out there and have more of an impact within the team.”
On top of the personal accolades, which also saw her finish as the competitions leading scorer with 257 points at 21.42 points/game, Bellamy, 23, helped the Kerrianne Allan coached Shoalhaven Tigers return to the finals, after finishing second in the regular season.
“As a team, I was really happy with how the season went,” Bellamy said.
“We had some close games and really fought them out as a team to get the wins.
“Personally, I’ve really enjoyed playing back at the Tigers and putting on the black and gold.
“I took a year off after I finished four years of college at Northeastern State University, so obviously, I wasn’t as fit as I would have liked and felt a bit rusty at times.
“I always had my teammates working hard around me and Kerrianne’s knowledge of the game, which was very encouraging.
“Shoalhaven basketball is a great organisation and alongside Kerrianne’s practices, I would practice with Scott Balsar once a week and Ian Ozolins would let me work out with the boy’s team too.
“Not to mention, Stumpy’s cooking after the game when everyone comes together.
“It’s such a great inclusive basketball culture at the Tigers Den and it was great to be a part of that again.”
While Bellamy is over the moon with the personal awards, she has her eyes on a bigger prize this weekend.
“Obviously, the banner is what we’ve had our eyes on the whole season,” she said.
“We haven’t won since 2010 and I would love nothing more than to bring a banner home and hang it up with my teammates.
“I think the key to winning this weekend is playing as a team.
“We really need to get in there and find the open player and make the extra pass.
“Defensively, it will be about putting the pressure on our opposition and taking them out of their comfort zone while blocking out and rebounding.
“Then I think it really just comes down to hunger and who wants it most.”
The Tigers play Coffs Harbour in their Waratah League Division One semi-final from 1pm at the Maitland Federation Centre.