The Wagga Heat will host the first game in the Basketball NSW finals series on July 25, following their first of two comprehensive victories on the weekend.
Coach Allan Mullins believes the Heat will have the upper hand with a “huge” home court advantage at Bolton Park.
“Sydney teams don’t normally like to travel,” he said.
The Heat defeated the Liverpool Spartans 106 to 82 in the season-defining match on Saturday.
The Heat jumped to a 10-2 start, and then Liverpool player Blake Smith kicked into gear, popping in several baskets. A strategic move curbed Smith’s offence.
“I switched Zac Maloney to guard Blake Smith, and he shut him down,” Mullins said.
Gage Daye scored 32, Zac Maloney 20 and Tom Commins 20 points.
The Heat finished the weekend off with a comfortable 102-74 win over the Illawarra Hawks on Sunday.
“We still played pretty hard against Illawarra,” Mullins said
“We were certainly fitter than both of those teams on the weekend.”
Gage Daye led from the front with 43, Zac Maloney 23 and Scott Hare 14.
The Heat will take on Canberra next Saturday, 7pm at Bolton Park.
“Canberra will be desperate to win,” Mullins said.
“My emphasis at training will be on how to deal with teams who have nothing to lose.”
Meantime the Wagga Blaze are back in the winners circle with a 66-49 win over the Goulburn Bears in Goulburn.
Breanna Arbuckle top scored with 17 points, Ash Hayllar and DreShonda Williams took 12 each.
The Blaze must all three of their remaining games to qualify for finals.
Their fate also rests on results from other games, not an enviable position at this stage of the competition according to coach Michael Macpherson.
“Our destiny is out of our hands,” Macpherson said.
The women walked away from two consecutive losses to undefeated Bathurst with their heads held high.
“If we had played any other team in the state we would have beat them,” Macpherson said.
The Blaze will be back at Bolton Park next Saturday for a rematch with Goulburn.
