Trevor Jackson
THE Mount Gambier Lakers women face the penultimate test on Saturday against a tough Warrnambool outfit in the Country Basketball League semi-final.
In a format which leaves no room for errors, win and they go through to the grand final, lose and they pack up for another season.
It has been a good year for the Lakers, despite a roller-coaster roster, which provided opportunities for younger players to stand up, which they have done.
On the ladder the Lakers finished behind Millicent, and just ahead of the third-placed Warrnambool Mermaids.
Head-to-head the Lakers have the upper hand, but both wins over the Mermaids have come by four and five points.
This weekend is one of the strongest rosters to face Warrnambool, although a couple of omissions could have an impact.
Nikeisha Facey is out injured, while Pioneer Olivia Wormald is still travelling in the USA.
However, coach Bryan Green is not looking for excuses and expects a tough contest.
“We beat them both times, by four at home when we didn’t play that well and had a few players down, then we went to Warrnambool and beat them by five,” he said.
“We only had seven players – we had a lot of kids, but they had some players missing too.
“It will be a tough game.”
Despite the challenge, Green said he is quietly confident of claiming the win, but he knows by personal experience it is not over until the final siren.
“We have had a good year, but the same could be said for last year and we let it slip in the semi-final against Portland,” he said.
“We certainly don’t want a repeat of that.
“I think every one of the fours teams in the finals is capable of beating the other, so it will be interesting.”
While Green said he would ultimately like to face Millicent with a full-strength roster, but that chance will have to wait for another week, providing the Lakers make it through the semi-final.
“We will worry about this week and make sure we get the job done,” he said.
“We are playing at home, we don’t have to travel anywhere, we didn’t have to play last weekend, we are pretty refreshed and we basically have a full team.
“We have no excuses.”
