THE minor premiers in two of the three divisions are through to their respective grand finals of the Lithgow Basketball Association Junior Men’s competition following the semi finals played at the Barton Street Stadium.
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Under 12 minor premiers Heat came to play when they took on second-placed Kings in the major semi final.
The Heat exploded out of the blocks and had the match in their keeping with a 26-6 lead at half time.
They kept their foot on the throttle to take the game comfortably 46-13 and book a place in the grand final.
Great teamwork at both ends of the court by Luke Baker-Hogan, Eli Morris, Mitchell Giffney, Riley Bell and Mitchell Wallace got Heat through.
The Kings couldn’t find a way through the Heat defence but Toby Campbell, Connor Moss, Lachie Thompson, Jack Goodwin, Justin Fields, Ashton Hunter and Lachlan Kendall will have a chance to set up a re-match if they can get things in order and win this week.
Tight defence was a feature of the minor semi final between Cavaliers and Rockets with both teams knowing a loss would mean elimination.
It was anyone’s game at the half with Rockets ahead 10-8 but they strangled the Cavaliers offence in the second period, allowing only four points as they eased away to win 22-12.
The Rockets team of Taj Jenkins, Riley Hart, Mitchell Jennings, Hutch Evans and Nathan Ralf will be hoping for another solid defensive effort in the final this week.
For the Cavaliers their season is over, but Kade Inwood, Ashton Thompson, Blake Goldspink, Riley Pascoe, Billy Rushworth, Alex Flynn, Kynan Coombes, Finn Pascoe and Luca Giokaris can consider themselves unlucky, missing out on second place on a countback which put them in the sudden-death situation.
Under 14
The desire for a grand final berth was evident when minor premiers Comets faced off against Bulls in the major semi final.
The teams went to the break locked at 20-all and when the smoke cleared after an intense second stanza it was Bulls who had finished in front, 45-43.
Zeke Evans, Jake Weber, Caleb Traish and Mitchell Jennings were good on offence for Bulls, and they were supported in defence by Leroy Daly and Hutch Evans.
Fortunately the Comets team of Tully Kerstens, Eli Morris, Landon Tesoriero, Lachlan Wilson, Callum Flynn, Jack Elliot and Kade Inwood will get another bite of the cherry this week.
Bruins grabbed their match against Tigers by the throat in the first half with dominant defence to lead 22-4.
Tigers fought back in the second half but the deficit was too great with Bruins cruising to a 44-21 triumph.
Will Hutchison, Lachie Thompson and Riley Bell proved a handful on offence for Bruins, while tight defence from Connor Marshall and Luke Baker-Hogan, especially in the first half, made the difference.
The Tigers played well in patches throughout the season, but Kane Molla, Ryan Bird, Jack Mantle, Mitchell Bradford and Corey Honey couldn’t put it together this time.
Under 16-18
Celtics stunned minor premiers Lakers in the major semi final with a first half 29-20 edge.
Lakers regained their composure and wiped away the difference early in the second period as Celtics went away from their game plan.
Sustained pressure from the Lakers at the end saw them claim first spot in the grand final 56-47.
The Lakers’ Michael Brooks, Tallis Flynn, Matt Brooks, Fletcher Swift, Jayden Bergagin and Toby Kenniff did well in attack, often finding an open man for an easy shot.
For the Celtics, Ethan Petra, Mitchell Brain, Seton Carter, Hayden Cox, Mitch Gurney and Finn Galloway played well on both sides of the ball but too many hurried shots cost them.
Arguably the match of the afternoon was the minor semi final between Bullets and Wildcats.
After a hard-fought first period, Wildcats went to the break ahead 24-19 and were confident of pulling off an upset.
Both teams knew their seasons were on the line in the second half and stepped up their defences accordingly.
Long periods where both teams struggled to score showed the intensity of the contest.
Bullets came out the better though, limiting Wildcats to only 10 points to sneak home by the barest of margins, 35-34.
For the Bullets, Kye Wilson, Braiden Walsh, Jason Drury-Doohan, Kobe Hunter and Zeke Evans all got on the scoresheet in a tough team effort.
In finishing an inconsistent season, Brandon Cheney, Baydon Charlton, Lleyton Guest, and Austyn Lincoln did well in attack for Wildcats when allowed the opportunity, while Elijah Harris and Tarimana Whanga-Katipa were strong on defence in an unlucky loss.
This week’s games (Finals): Under 12 Kings v Rockets, under 14 Comets v Bruins and under 16-18 Celtics v Bullets.