Tall challenge in grand final

Erin Pearson
GEELONG Supercats will host South East Australian Basketball League’s south conference grand final tomorrow night after a stunning 11-point win over minor premier Nunawading.
The Supercats will face a tall-timbered Hobart side at North Geelong’s Arena after the Tasmanians crushed Nunawading on its home court last Saturday night.
Manager David Hoey said tickets for the grand final were selling out fast, with only 200 left.
Supercats coach Jamie O’Loughlin said the Chargers’ “veteran players” and “good shooters” would challenge Geelong.
“They’re a similar size to us but they’re very experienced and making the grand final is testament to the quality of the team,” he said.
“We think we can match up well on them and it looks like we’ll have a full list of players to pick from.”
O’Loughlin said the Supercats were confident of winning.
“Both teams are aware of the other team’s ability to score in bunches, so we’ll both focus on defending in the game.
“We’ll definitely have our strategies to play their main scorers and keep them down and I’m sure they’ll come with the same focus.
“Our fans are fantastic, though, and there’s been more than one occasion this season where they’ve helped the guys get over the line when the pressure was on.”
Captain Braith Cox said the Supercats were now looking forward to playing the conference final on their home court.
“It means we won’t need to travel as a team and will be able to enjoy a home-cooked meal and our own beds,” he said.
“This definitely helps when it comes to finals because it’s a whole new ball game.”
Cox said winning would come down to “who can play under the pressure”.
In the league’s east conference, Bendigo will play host to the grand final against Kilsyth after surprising the minor premier last week.
The league’s south and east champions will play each other on August 28 for the overall SEABL crown.