Warrnambool Seahawks may have scraped into Country Basketball League finals but can take confidence knowing they knocked off their semi-final opponent on the road earlier this season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A full-strength Seahawks squad will head across the South Australian border for their semi-final showdown against the top-ranked Mount Gambier Lakers on Saturday, February 3.
The winner progresses to a grand final against either Horsham or Portland, which play off in the other semi-final.
Seahawks coach Tim Gainey, who hopes supporters can make the trip from Victoria across to Mount Gambier, said it would be a tough assignment but pointed to the roster's 16-point away win against the Lakers in round 12 as proof it was possible.
"They've got confidence they can do it but obviously, finals is a bit different," Gainey told The Standard.
"Guys will play a lot hard, more on the line.
"I think this competition in general has been pretty even across probably the top-six teams.
"It's pretty much anyone's chance to win really."
Gainey, who has former Seahawks coach Barry Brooks assisting him this season, was thrilled to see the team return to CBL finals after missing last summer.
"I always preach to the boys, me and Barry have never missed finals when me and him have joined up," he said.
"I said you 'can't break the streak' and luckily we scraped through."
Gainey said his squad had kept up its training despite a bye in its final home-and-away round as players eyed roster spots for the upcoming Big V season.
"They'll be in pretty good nick as far as shape-wise," Gainey said.
"We'll have another good hit-out at training this week to talk about Mount Gambier."
The Seahawks, who finished the regular season 9-7 and clinched the fourth final spot on percentage ahead of Millicent, enjoyed a strong run of games in the back half of the season.
They won six of their last eight fixtures with the final regular season loss decided by just two points on the road against fellow finals-bound team Horsham.
"The guys played really good defensively," Gainey said of the game against the Hornets. "It was so physical so to see them stand up to that type of environment gives them that much confidence to think they can win every game.
"We're kind of hitting our stride."
Dom Occhipinti, who returned to competitive basketball this summer after a four-year hiatus, is a player coming back into his own.
Gainey said the 22-year-old's game "spoke for itself", which includes an equal game-high 21 points against Horsham.
"He had to get the rust off but I think he's finally clicked and got back in game shape," Gainey said.
"Even at a young age, he's probably one of the older ones so he's taken on that role of telling guys what to do and how to get ready for games.
"He's still not there yet as far as where he wants to be but he's loving his basketball and enjoying his teammates so that's the biggest thing."
Big V players Riley Nicholson and Adam Lawson are two others not only hitting the scoreboard but improving their leadership as two of the more experienced players in the squad.
"For them to step up in this CBL team and use their voices a lot more, lead by example and set the tone, it plays a huge part," Gainey said.
Meg Saultry
Sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard, with a strong interest in Australian rules football, basketball and women in sport.
Sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard, with a strong interest in Australian rules football, basketball and women in sport.
