Ben Ellsworth
Dominika Offner
THE Penrith Basketball Association hosts the Bankstown Basketball Association this Saturday at the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre (PVRSC), in the second round of the 2013 Waratah Championship League (WCL) competition.
The women's game kicks off at 3pm and the Lady Bruins, as reigning premiers, will be favourites to dispatch the young, inexperienced rookie Penrith women's team.
The Bankstown Lady Bruins were not at their best during the preseason but have been strengthened by the return of ex-Sydney Flames WNBL forward Briana Maimone (nee Hennessy), who led her team to victory over the Parramatta Wildcats in the opening round.
Penrith and Bankstown's men's teams both had wins in the opening round but the Panthers have a stronger motivation for this weekend's clash.
A half-strength Bruins team inflicted Penrith's most embarrassing loss of the season during last year's second round and head coach Jeff Cooper is sure to have that result etched in both his and his team's memories.
Saturday is the first chance for the Panthers to gain redemption and, given the win over Newcastle, Penrith will be confident of a win over the Bruins, who beat the Wildcats 63-60 last Saturday.
Penrith mixed their results in the opening round against Newcastle Hunters, with the women falling 74-44 but the men winning 75-57.
American import Ben Ellsworth (Penrith) was leading all scorers at the long break with a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards.