IT will be another Limestone Coast derby tomorrow when the Mount Gambier Lakers take on the Millicent Magic men in Round 10 of the Country Basketball League.
Unlike the Round 3 clash, this game will be played on Millicent’s home court, handing the advantage to the Magic.
But they will need all the help they can muster, with the Lakers unbeaten at the top of the South West ladder after seven games, only threatened this season in a tight nine-point win over the second-placed Colac Kookas back in Round 4.
Last time the Magic faced the Lakers the result was in favour of the latter by 24 points.
Kane De Wit was at his best, with a game-high 34 points, but for the Magic Jordan Robertson was almost as impressive, finishing with 29.
The pair are set to go head-to-head tomorrow, with both capable at either end of the floor.
However, in that game the Lakers finished with five players in double figures, including Lachlan Atkinson, Zach De Wit, Matt Berkefeld and Sam Stafford, with the Magic having just three reaching that milestone.
Millicent will need to close Kane De Wit down if they are any chance of claiming the points, but the Lakers have shown they are more than capable even without him in the line up.
In his absence in Round 5 against the Ararat Redbacks, Dellon Brown stepped up and recorded a huge 45 points in the 23-point victory.
That game also saw Berkefeld with 22 and Zach De Wit with 13.
Stafford is an imposing figure around the basket at either end of the floor, with his 195cm frame and 10.83 points-per-game average coming from predominantly inside the paint.
Millicent has rotated several players through its roster this season, including Josh Murphy at 18.86 points-per-game, along with James Fleming at 14.25.
The Magic will need all that firepower tomorrow if they are a chance to claim the honours over the more-fancied Lakers.
While the Lakers have taken all before them, for the Magic the wins have been hard to come by, with just three from their seven outings.
They sit a game clear of Terang Tornadoes in third place, well in finals contention, but three games behind the Kookas, who have recorded six wins from eight games.
A win for both sides is important, with the remaining games for the round sure to have an impact at the top of the order if given the chance.
The Kookas will look to match the Lakers’ seven wins when they face the Redbacks, should the Magic prevail against Mount Gambier.
Likewise the Tornadoes will want to stay in touch with Millicent in third place, with a win over the Portland Coasters quite likely.
In reality, Mount Gambier should record another comfortable victory over Millicent to remain firm at the top of the ladder with eight wins.
The Coasters are yet to win this season, which should hand the Tornadoes the victory and leave Millicent in a tough battle for a top-four position.
The Magic should still sit a game clear of the Redbacks regardless, leaving some wiggle room as the season winds down.
The ideal scenario for the CBL season will see two Limestone Coast teams in the finals race when the minor rounds are done and dusted, but for this week, the Lakers should be far too strong for their “local” rivals.
The game tips off at 7pm.
