PREMIERSHIP glory will be at stake when the Mount Gambier Lakers travel to Colac’s Bluewater Leisure Centre to face the Bacchus Marsh Lions in the Country Basketball League South West men’s grand final tomorrow night.
The Lakers have had an almost faultless season, with just one loss and a draw after a cancelled match due to a roof leak at the Icehouse.
It was an upset semi-final victory which saw the Lions gain a grand final berth, with minor premiers the Horsham Hornets succumbing to their roar.
The Hornets were the only team to have defeated the Lakers in 2018-19, but Bacchus Marsh will carry some new-found confidence into the decider.
However, a 36-point win was the result for the Lakers in their last meeting and they will be hungrier than ever to claim the title.
“It is always a good thing when you can play a grand final,” playing coach Kane de Wit said.
“And I love playing with the guys I am playing with at the moment, so that is even better.”
The Lakers will carry confidence from their previous meeting with the Lions, but de Wit said they will be under no illusions heading into the match.
“We are not going to underestimate Bacchus Marsh, but we are confident we can go in and play the way we need to,” he said.
“We beat them pretty comfortably last time we played them, but you have to take that with a grain of salt because it is finals now.
“It is a completely different ball game.
“We have to work a lot harder and the intensity will be up.”
With so much depth in the roster, de Wit said he is not looking to a single player to step up and win the game.
Every player knows his role and it will be a team effort which will see the Lakers across the line.
“I expect everyone to step up to the plate and contribute in their own way, but I would not have anyone in particular I expect to go above and beyond,” de Wit said.
“We are such a strong and solid team throughout the entire roster.
“I think that has been the strength all year.
“We go eight or nine guys deep, so we have got to take advantage of that, rather than rely on the one guy to get a win.”
The likes of Lachie Hunter, de Wit and Braiden Ousey can all pack a heavy punch on the scoreboard, while Matt Berkefeld comes off the back of a solid performance in last week’s semi-final against the Bellarine Storm.
Add into the mix Simon Berkefeld and Sam Stafford and there are no shortage of game changers in the ranks.
As his first year as full time coach, taking over from Ryan Meakin, de Wit could not be prouder of what the team has achieved so far.
He hopes the successful season can finish on the highest note.
“You cannot not be proud if you make the grand final and only lost one game for the year,” he said.
“I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve and hopefully we can get the win tomorrow and top it off nicely.”
Reflecting on his first year as coach, de Wit said it has been nice to implement his own ideas onto an already successful team.
The approach to the final will be the same as any other game, with a focus on defence first and creating opportunities to attack from that pressure down the court.
“We are going to play our game as best we can, which is great defence and then get out and run as much as we can,” de Wit said.
“We are not going to change too much, we are just going to stick to our game plan.”
The match will tip off at 8pm tomorrow night, following the women’s grand final between the Millicent Magic and the Geelong Supercats, which will open proceedings at 6pm.
