James Murphy
SOUTH East basketball fans will have their attention turned to Millicent’s Peter Seebohm Stadium this weekend.
Round 13 of the Country Basketball League season has the Mount Gambier Lakers and Millicent Magic men’s teams set to do battle on the Millicent courts tomorrow night.
After a narrow one-point win in favour of the Lakers back in Round 2, bragging rights will be on the line again.
However, as the season reaches its close – with just two rounds remaining after this week – there is a little extra riding on this encounter.
Both teams sit in relatively stable positions, with Mount Gambier two wins clear in second, while the Magic is in fourth.
Millicent is tied on wins with both Portland and Warrnambool, but has games in hand over its closest rivals.
A win this weekend would prove valuable in its finals hopes, but it will not come easily.
Despite a win and a loss last round, the Lakers have settled into their lineup and any team featuring the likes of former Pioneer captain Tom Daly, Simon Berkefeld and Toby de Wit is sure to prove formidable.
Ben Young enters off a strong showing as well, with a 20-point game against Hamilton on the weekend, while it was Berkefeld who led Mount Gambier in both of its outings in Round 12.
Throw in the likes of Shaun Lock, Duncan Reid and Braiden Ousey – the latter two which were absent last round – and the Lakers have plenty of talent to lean on.
That is without including the development players who have also had their moments to shine.
Millicent is not without its own firepower and while also being a young team, there is a wealth of experience there.
Frazer Bradley enters the round off a 29-point game, also against Hamilton, while Jackson Dean and Kade Bradley were reliable under the basket with 19 and 14 respectively.
Jack Haggett and Matt Black were two notable absences last week and they are game changers in their own rights.
Haggett has an impressive 224 points from his nine games which puts him third on the league scoring table, with the top two players having played three extra games.
Another entertaining clash is expected and whichever way the result goes it should be close.
The Magic will then back up Saturday’s game when hosting Ararat Redbacks on Sunday.
The Redbacks sit in eighth position and are well out of contention with two wins.
Millicent is yet to play them this season, but will have plenty of time to become familiar when backing up this week’s encounter with a road trip to Ararat in Round 14.
Despite their ladder position, the Redbacks can not be ruled out entirely, having finished within 12 points of ladder-leader Horsham prior to the Christmas break.
The Magic will want at least one win out of this weekend, or risk dropping down the pecking order.
Saturday’s match is scheduled for an 8pm start, while Sunday’s clash will tip off at 12pm.
