THE Busselton Bullets took Bulls Maroon on Friday night in a much anticipated A grade Bunbury basketball fixture that saw the competition return to Busselton for the first time in over 20 years.
An enthusiastic crowd formed in anticipation as the locals set out to challenge last year's grand finalist.
In an effort to impress the large crowd both teams looked to push the ball up, the court.
It appeared to be a battle of the bigs as the Bulls pumped the ball to the SBL veteran Trent Worthington whilst Bullets big man Adam Dehring tried to contain him.
After a tight 10 minute settling period both teams found range and structure in their offence.
Dylan Ness finished the story in the first half after a quiet start, compiling five points in the dieting minutes, including a questionable "banked" three pointer on the buzzer.
This took Bullets to a 32-27 lead.
The battle of the big guys re-ignited in the second half with Worthington coming out firing.
Dehring however returned to last season form dominating the boards and the scoresheet to steer Bullets to 67-61 to see the Bullets lead table with three straight wins.
Bullets premiership hopes will be well and truly measured when they take on Tornadoes Black on Friday Night.
Busselton Bullets Women's side played their first home game on Friday at the GLC.
The Bullets started the game hard with some good inside work from Kemp and Anderson.
The girls played strong on defence but found it hard to convert in the offensive end with the Bulls playing an extremely physical game.
A run on from the Bullets and good team work saw them trail by six points at one stage of the game.
The second half saw the Bullets come out firing.
With a young Bullets side, the game was overwhelming but one they will learn from, becoming better and stronger as the season goes on.
The MVP donated by Busselton-Dunsborough Mail went to Tia Anderson.
Photos: Sophia Clements
