Still, it’s a fitting name for the stadium that houses Wagga’s premier basketball sides - the Heat and the Blaze - and Heat stars Josh McPherson, Scott Hare and Zac Maloney are hoping their Bolton Park Sports Ground fortress can match the hype this weekend.

The trio are preparing for a must-win elimination final against Central Coast Crusaders and skipper Maloney is eager to see his home court packed to the rafters.

“It’s been a fair while since the stadium was full and it’ll be a good game against Central Coast,” Maloney said.

“I haven’t seen them in about eight years, but we’ve been checking out their stats and they’ll be strong.”

Central Coast shape as an unpredictable finals opponent for Colin Reed’s men.

The Crusaders racked up nine wins and seven losses in the northern conference of the Waratah League this season and only locked down fourth spot off the back of a winner-takes all clash with Newcastle last week.

Heat standout McPherson has been keeping an ear to the ground ahead of Saturday’s knockout.

“I know of a few of their players through relatives and they’ll be a tough team to beat from what I’ve heard,” he said.

“They’ve got a couple of experienced players out there with plenty of smarts and I think they’ll run us around a bit.”

The run-around is exactly what sent the Heat packing in their recent 91-81 loss to Lithgow, with Hare conceding the desperate Lazers had outmaneuvered and outplayed them.

“They (Lithgow) were playing to stay alive and that makes a team very dangerous,” Hare said.

“They were putting everything on the line - running, leaping, diving around the court - and we just didn’t match their intensity.

“You just don’t know how good a team can be when they’re playing for their lives, but that’s where we are now.

“We’ve corrected a few things and we’ll be ready.”

Adjustments aside, the Heat will still be sweating on the form of star import Connell Crossland.

Connell was a dominant mid-season force for his side, notching eight 20-point games on the trot between April and June, including a season-high 27 points against the Yowies in round seven.

However, Connell’s scoring average has dropped in recent weeks in the wake of two team losses and an ankle injury sustained during Wagga’s away win over Queanbeyan last month.

Meanwhile, Wagga Blaze have another week off before their finals schedule is finalised.

The Heat and Crusaders tip off 6pm Saturday night at Bolton Park Sports Stadium.

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