BOTH senior Portland Coasters sides will face the next big challenge of their respective Country Basketball League seasons when they travel to Terang to take on the Tornadoes on Saturday night.

The women’s side will be hoping to get points on the board, after two losses during their round one South West Conference double-header, while the men’s side have ambitions of going 3-0, and staking their claim to top spot.

The match-ups are enticing for both sides, as both games are definitely winnable from a Portland point of view, but that is not to say Terang will not challenge.

For the men, who have not lost to Terang since the 2018-19 season, the game is theirs to lose, after the heart-in-mouth thriller against Mount Gambier on Saturday and the comfortable win over Warrnambool on Sunday.

Ash Hill is out with a calf tear, and there is a bit of soreness around the group from the double-header last weekend, but depth is there should coach Rebel Noter need to use it.

From what could be seen in the those first two games, team mainstays Trenton Johnston, Jackson Dunlop and captain David Denboer played well, with their on-court leadership indispensable.

Nathan Hardingham was critical in the paint, and scored well, Toby Jennings put on pressure on the scoreboard and at both ends of the court, and young guns Jack Walsh and Sam Peters impressed in both games.

Noter believes the game is a good chance for his side to work on pressure and defence, especially if they are to win.

“Terang is one of those games that could go either way,” Noter said.

“Games against Terang are always close, they’re not ones you mark down as a win before the game.

“Our pressure up the court has always been really good against that team.

“They’ve got a few players that they rely on, and the rest are a bit inexperienced, so if we can put pressure on, that will be good.”

For the Coasters’ women’s side, the game against Terang is a chance to earn some redemption for the losses last weekend.

They played out of their skins against Mount Gambier on Saturday in a fiercely physical game before losing by five points, and the final margin on Sunday against Warrnambool (28 points) can partly be attributed to the fatigue that resulted.

The positives on Saturday were all there, however, with Kayla Pickert dominating the key, Alana Strom doing the same, and the likes of Millie Jennings and Rhi Davis competing hard for the ball.

Younger players Tyleah Barr and Summer Millard impressed, and they will only get better as the season continues.

Captain Nicola Handreck was the glue that held the team together, moving exceptionally and providing the link-ups with passes.

Terang lost heavily against Horsham and Mount Gambier over the weekend, and while this coming game is not a definite victory for Ellen Zeunert’s Portland side, it does provide the opportunity to experiment a little, with Zeunert safe in the knowledge that her side can adapt and play well if it goes wrong.

“I’m looking forward to going to Terang and having a good hit out,” Zeunert said.

“We’ll get a few things sorted and settled… our team plays, we’ll work on things without being under too much pressure.

“We want to work on our transition, and play a natural, running, open style of play… with a few set plays as well.

“I don’t think Terang are going to be quite as intense (as Mount Gambier).

“I could not have been more happy with Saturday’s game, and the game on Sunday was a reflection of how hard they played. “It was almost like a football game.”