Wagga Heat penciled in dinner for two with Bankstown in the Waratah League preliminary finals after winning a physical 97-87 affair against Central Coast Crusaders on Saturday night.
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The Heat were never behind on the scoreboard but threatened to throw in the towel against the visiting Crusaders, who drew level with their hosts in the dying stages of their elimination final.
Skipper Zac Maloney proved the difference, bagging 10 points in the last four minutes of the game to steer his side home and send Bolton Park Sports Stadium into raptures.
“It was a big win and I’m super happy with how we played,” Maloney said.
“We shot out of the gates really early but we knew they’d come back at us and that’s exactly how it played out.”
Scott Hare cranked the thermostat at “The Incinerator” with an early eight-point haul in the first quarter to stamp his authority on the game while Jayden Oliver was prominent in the opening stages.
A three-pointer on the buzzer from Joshua McPherson then handed the Heat a 28-14 advantage at quarter time, but that lead dried up when Crusaders’ star Noman Shoaib joined the party.
Shoaib bagged 13 points in a three-minute blitz to reel the margin back to two before Heat import Connell Crossland returned the favour, sinking a pair of threes to give the hosts some breathing room.
Jacob Edwards combined with Hare and Oliver to stretch the half time margin out to 53-35, where it stayed for precisely two minutes after the break.
Hayden Ellis then led a Crusaders fightback in the third term, dragging the difference back to 10 points at the final break and inspiring the visitors to draw level at 79-all with four minutes on the clock.
A Crossland lay-up settled the Heat’s nerves before Maloney sank the three-pointer that sparked his late 10-point run.
The rest, as they so often say, is history.
“Shannon Kleine had a really big block that changed the momentum, Joel Stakiewicz hit two late free throws and Joshua (McPherson) was good at the end, so everyone did their part,” Maloney said.
“We’ve got Bankstown coming up now and that’ll be another really tough game.
“Last time we played them, we got up by two points but the game before that they beat us by two points, so we’re evenly matched.”
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