Wagga Heat have brushed off the disappointment of their 21-point loss to ladder leaders Sutherland after posting a convincing 89-71 win over Queanbeyan on Saturday night.
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The fourth-placed Yowies stretched the Heat in their last outing at Bolton Park Sports Stadium back in April but were ultimately outclassed by their hosts in a 83-75 classic.
It was a similar story this time around with the Yowies producing a serious scare at Queanbeyan Basketball Stadium, reeling in a 22-point half time deficit to get within two points of the red-hot Heat.
The home side blitzed Wagga’s defence in the third quarter, largely thanks to the absence of star player Connell Crossland, who was forced off early in the evening with an ankle complaint.
However, the Heat rallied strongly in the face of a vocal Yowies grandstand to surge ahead and run out 18-point victors off the back off an impressive fourth quarter.
Heat skipper Zac Maloney top-scored for his side with a 25-point game while Scott Hare, Jaydan Oliver and Josh McPherson all finished with double digit hauls.
“Queanbeyan really got their crowd behind them and pushed us in the middle, but it was a really good team performance out there and everyone chipped in with the points,” Maloney said.
I’d say it’s one of the better games we’ve played this year, especially in defence.
- Heat skipper Zac Maloney
There was more good news off the court with other results swinging in Wagga’s favour over the weekend.
Fellow top three contender Bankstown dropped a game against Lithgow to hand the Heat second place on the Waratah League division one ladder with just one round remaining.
Maloney’s men can now wrap up second in their conference and book a date with St George in the playoffs with a win over the Lazers this weekend, but the skipper knows it’s no mean feat.
“We’d love to hold onto second after Bankstown took that loss and we know it’s no guarantee against Lithgow,” Maloney said.
“They’re going to be fighting for their season and we know they’ll be tough, so it’s good that we’ve got a chance to play them on our home court and hopefully keep our spot.”
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