A DOMINANT semi-final win has booked the Mount Gambier Lakers men a place in the 2019-20 Country Basketball South West conference grand final.
The Lakers hosted Colac Kookas at the Icehouse on Saturday night and made short work of their rival, breaking away to an eventual 40-point triumph after a close first quarter.
With a grand final clash against Geelong United now looming as Mount Gambier prepares to defend its 2018-29 crown, coach Matt Berkefeld is pleased with the form his team will carry into this weekend.
“I was really happy with how it went,” he said.
“I thought it was probably our best effort defensively this season.
“Between our bigs Sam Stafford, Lachie Hunter and Jordan Hollitt, we held their two leading scorers to 17 points between them – that was personally the most pleasing aspect of the game.”
While the bigs held firm at the defensive end of the court, the Lakers were able to convert that pressure into opportunities at the other end.
Consecutive two-pointers from Simon Berkefeld and Kyle Tipene opened the game and that set the tone of the match, as the duo top scored with 26 and 25 points respectively.
Tipene was particularly strong early in the piece and matched the first-quarter intensity from the Kookas.
“He made some shots early when the rest of the team was probably struggling a little bit,” Berkefeld said.
“They (Colac) got off to a fast start as well, so that was really key for us.
“Then once we really clamped down on their better players the whole game came easier for us and we were able to run a bit more and get the game played at our pace.”
The game opened as an even affair and the score was tied at 18-all with two and a half minutes left in the first term.
But then the Lakers hit their straps and a Simon Berkefeld three-pointer started a solid run which saw the hosts lead 29-18 at the first change.
The second quarter saw Mitch Hunter drain consecutive twos to keep the ball rolling, while Tipene and Berkefeld continued to find the basket.
At half time the Lakers had pushed out to a 28-point lead and they were not threatened for the rest of the game.
The points were shared around in the third term, with several avenues to the hoop, which allowed Mount Gambier to seal the result with an unassailable 43-point lead heading into the final stanza.
The fourth quarter was more of the same and was it not for a run of 11 unanswered points from Colac to end the game, the margin would have been even greater at the final buzzer.
In what was an exemplary performance from the hosts, Berkefeld said the key to success was the defensive efforts of his bigs, who limited Colac’s leading scorers Jordan Lingard and Nathan Lemke to below-average returns.
The pair were held to 11 and six points respectively, which took the wind out of the Kookas’ sails and allowed the Lakers to capitalise at the other end of the court.
“Heading into the game we knew their strength was their bigs, but they were a little bit light on in terms of guards,” Berkefeld said.
“The bigs held up on defence and down the other end Kyle and Simon were able to do their thing – that was really good.”
Berkefeld also credited the depth of the bench, which has been a valuable asset to the team all year.
“This has been a common theme all season, but I thought our bench really stood up,” he said.
“Kurt Rodis and Mitch Hunter both hit some shots coming off the bench and Jordan Hollitt once again played a pretty big defensive role for us.
“We had some foul trouble early in the game, so it is always handy to have some guys who can come in and pick up from where the other guys left off.”
Hunter scored 12 points for the match, while Rodis and Lachie Hunter managed 11 each to round out the double figures.
Now up against Geelong for this weekend’s grand final in Portland, the Lakers can expect a different style of game from the minor premiers.
“Playing Geelong – they are a completely different opponent to Colac,” Berkefeld said.
“They’re probably the fastest paced team in the league.
“They are very aggressive defensively – they trap a lot and press up the court to try and put you under a lot of pressure.
“When we played them earlier in the season their style took us a little while to get used to, which is something we want to avoid this time around.
“We want to be ready for what they throw at us right from the start.”
