ALL eyes will be on the Icehouse tomorrow night, as the Mount Gambier Lakers fight to secure a grand final berth in the 2019 Country Basketball League’s South West men’s competition.
A forfeit from the Geelong Supercats last week saw the Lakers with a free ticket into the second week of finals, where they now face a semi-final meeting with the Bellarine Storm.
On the other side of the draw, minor premiers the Horsham Hornets will host the Bacchus Marsh Lions, with the fixture fittingly made up of the top-four finishers of the minor rounds.
Should the results go as expected the Lakers and the Hornets will meet in the decider next week, but it is final’s basketball and upsets are never off the table.
Based off their track record against the Storm and the form displayed by the Lakers in recent rounds, they will no doubt head into the match as favourites.
And with the home-court advantage on top of that, Lakers fans should be in for a treat, but the Storm will hope to rain on their parade.
The two teams have met only once this season, back in round five, also on the Lakers’ home deck.
That game saw the Lakers take control early in the first term, before holding the lead for the remainder of the match.
Lachie Hunter top-scored with a season-best 33 points, while Matt Berkefeld and coach Kane de Wit added 22 points each to the total.
A 19-point haul from Braiden Ousey bolstered the score, while Sam Stafford’s 13 completed the double figures and helped the Lakers on their way to an eventual 42-point triumph.
Bellarine was not without its own highlights, with Josiah King recording a solid 29 points for the match, while Nathan Gronbeck shot 22.
The two average 21.29 and 15.38 points a game respectively and the Lakers will look to keep them under wraps tomorrow.
Nathan Freind (17.3) and Jack Burnett (15.55) are two others who will be out to impress for the Storm, but the third-place finishers will be well aware of the challenge they face.
The Lakers boast immense depth in their lineup and have countless options on game day.
The entire starting five is capable of blowing out the scoreboard and most players have all had a share of the spotlight this season.
Hunter had a quiet one last time the side took to the court, with just 10 points against Bacchus Marsh in the final minor round.
That was his second lowest score for 2018-19, with eight points in round nine the only time he has scored single figures.
He is due for another big game and will no doubt pack a punch tomorrow and prove why he averages 18.38 points per game.
De Wit will also be one to watch, with the Lakers’ coach a pivotal part of the team.
The game-changer averages 18.23 points a match, but just his presence on the court and coaching from the sidelines is often enough to lift his side to new heights.
Ousey is another who has come in leaps and bounds this season, quickly becoming a vital piece of the puzzle.
He averages just under 17 points from 12 games and will be another to keep an eye on, while with Stafford, plus Matt and Simon Berkefeld also in the equation, there will be no shortage of talent and firepower.
Should everything go to plan, the Lakers should take the honours tomorrow and will prepare to redeem their 2018-19 runner-up finish, which saw Colac put an end to their undefeated season at the final hurdle.
Tomorrow’s game is set to tip off at 7pm.
