The Bear Cave is set to be a hub for high quality representative basketball this weekend, as the Norths Senior Representative teams combine to play eight games across the two days.

In what is a huge weekend of basketball at the North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre, the Bears host Maitland and Blacktown on Saturday, followed by traditional rivals City of Sydney on Sunday. Add to this eight games against City of Sydney in the Metropolitan Junior League on Sunday and all is in place for a two days of high quality representative basketball.

Saturday’s round of games will feature the opening round of the Youth League Women’s season, with the young Bears taking on an experienced Maitland team at 8pm. The start of the Youth league season has been put back this year, so after a long pre-season, the new-look Norths outfit will be keen to put on a good showing under new coach Michael Haynes.

Experienced guard tandem Rachel Zalloua and Donalee Delahunty will be key players for the Bears as they look to overcome a Mustangs team that traditionally shoots the perimeter shot well and plays with high energy at the defensive end of the floor.

The Youth League Men currently sit entrenched in the top four and face an athletic Blacktown team on Saturday, with Coach Dennis Emery keen to consolidate his team’s position as a genuine play-off aspirant. The Bears had a slow start in the home opener against Manly, but have since clicked into gear with Darcy Emery, Daniel Jones and Dan Young leading from the front with their experience and toughness.

For the Waratah Championship Women, Saturday’s clash against Maitland is a chance to consolidate their position atop the competition table and start to put some sort of gap between them and the rest of the competition.

Star guard Renae Camino has been the dominant player in the competition in the opening month of the season and her ability to not only score, but fill the stat sheet in so many areas make her the early favourite for league MVP honours.

Two-time team MVP Nicole How returned to the fold last week after an injury lay-off and her defensive ability and combination with Camino make the Bears back court the most dynamic in the Waratah Championship competition.

Up front, twin towers Katherine Rendell and Alliyah Fareo have provided Norths with plenty of possession and second shot opportunities and with former SEABL player Katina Mandylaris expected to return after missing last week with injury, the Bears front line has a versatile and imposing look about it.

The undefeated Waratah Championship Men welcome new recruit Erik Dorbek this week and the addition of the versatile swingman will be crucial for Coach Ben Knight against a Maitland team that has reloaded over the off-season. Dorbek is a multi-skilled inside-outside player and his inclusion adds to an already deep Bears rotation.

The Mustangs have added perennial Waratah All Star Goran Veg to their line-up this year and with the addition of two quality imports, the team from the Hunter is expected to be one of the big improvers in season 2014. Veg is always a tough match up with his athleticism and versatile skill set and his clash with Bears defensive stopper Emmanuel Adu will be a highlight.

Sunday sees all four senior representative teams back in action, with the Bears welcoming neighbours and traditional rivals City of Sydney to the north side of the bridge. No question the highlight of the day will be the Championship men’s clash, with Norths looking to extract revenge for their 2013 semi-final loss to Comets.

Game times for the huge weekend of senior representative games is as follows –

Saturday, April 5 –

• 6pm Norths Bears v Blacktown Youth League Men
• 6pm Norths Bears v Maitland Championship Women
• 8pm Norths Bears v Maitland Youth League Women
• 8pm Norths Bears v Maitland Championship Men

Sunday, April 6 –

• 10am Norths Bears v Sydney Comets Youth League Women
• 10am Norths Bears v Sydney Comets Youth League Men
• 11.45am Norths Bears v Sydney Comets Championship Women
• 1.45pm Norths Bears v Sydney Comets Championship Men