EXCITING teeenager Emily Foy will be back for the Newcastle Falcons' clash with Manly in the NBL East women's play-off at Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium on Saturday after steering NSW to an Australian Schools championship.
Foy averaged 18 points a game and scored 12 in the final as NSW accounted for Victoria Blue 110-57 in Bendigo on Friday.
A knockdown shooter, Foy averages 12 points and four rebounds for the Falcons.
Against Manly, she top scored with 19 in a 69-51 loss on the road on May 29 and then had 13 in a 75-73 win at home on June 25.
"Emily missed the last two games and will give us a boost," Falcons coach Chloe Mullaney said. "She has steeped up in some games where we have needed her too. Kate Kingham has stepped up too."
The Falcons finished third on the table, but are adjusting after the departure a fortnight ago of Australian under-19s star Chyra Evans to the University of Michigan.
American import Nicole Munger led the way with 38 points and 10 rebounds against Norths (80-63 win) and 20 points and 14 rebounds in a 64-61 loss to Sutherland last weekend.
Tip-off is at 3.30pm and entry is free.
Apart from Munger, Mullaney said centre Rachel McGinniskin had lifted.
"Rachel has been floating in when available," Mullaney said. "She has played every game since Chyra left. She is about six-foot-two and was the Youth League MVP a few years ago. She had a few years off but is getting back into it. It is good that she has come in given us a bit of height with Chyra going.
"Manly will be tough. They beat us down there when we shot the terribly. They played zone defence and we converted something like one from 30 three-point attempts.
"Up here we were leading comfortably and they hit a series of late threes to get back to two or three.
"They have the Henderson sisters and Delaney sisters and Kim Hodge who played with the Sydney Flames in the WNBL a few years ago. They are a good shooting team.
"We have to come out ready to play. When we blew Norths away last week, it came from a very good start. We have to be ready to play with our defence. Our offence flows off that."
