Christmas has come early for Country Basketball fans!
The Country Basketball League (CBL) is set to crown its newest champions this weekend in the Gippsland and North West conferences. The Grand Finals will tip-off in Traralgon and Bendigo this Saturday after some thrilling Semi-Finals last weekend.
Four excellent matchups will battle it out, here’s a look at the four Grand Finals.
Gippsland Women
Grand Final – Moe Meteors vs Korumburra Wildcats
Saturday 10 December 5:15pm at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium – Traralgon
Moe and Korumburra will clash after winning their Semi-Final games last weekend. Moe defeated Maffra 62-60 at home in a tough, defensive game in their Semi-Final. It was a low-scoring game with only 18 points total scored in the final term with Caitlin Demczuk’s 19 points proving decisive for the Meteors. Korumburra cruised to an 87-60 victory at home against Traralgon. Chloe Hogg has been brilliant all season for the Wildcats and put up 22 points in their Semi-Final win.
Korumburra looks like the best team in the conference after scoring the most points across the season as well as having the least points scored against. However, Moe finished the season in first place and gave Korumburra their only loss of the season. These teams last met in round seven with the Wildcats losing 48-55 on their home floor. A dominant 17-9 third quarter propelled Moe to the hard-fought victory with scoring spread out for both teams. Caitlin Demczuk led Moe with 14 points and Gemma Dixon led Korumburra with 11 points. Chloe Hogg did not feature for Korumburra in their previous matchup against Moe and will be vital to their success in the upcoming Grand Final.
Gippsland Men
Grand Final – Traralgon T-Birds vs Maffra Eagles
Saturday 10 December 8:00pm at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium – Traralgon
Traralgon is one win away from back-to-back championships but faces a difficult opponent in Maffra in the Grand Final. The T-Birds defeated Warragul 99-85 led by stellar performances from Ben Barlow, Frazar Brouns and Christian D’Angelo who scored 33, 24 and 23 points respectively. Strong first and fourth quarters guided Maffra to victory in their Semi-Final against Moe. Samuel Whelan top scored for Maffra with 35 points alongside 20 points from Elliott Hunt.
Traralgon and Maffra last met in round two with the T-Birds triumphing on their home court 94-79. The Eagles matched the T-Birds in three out of four quarters but the game was decided in the third with Traralgon outscoring Maffra 32-16. Ben Barlow scored 24 points for the T-Birds with Christian D’Angelo chipping in with 17 points, Kody Tibballs with 17 points and Bradley Watson with 16 points. Mehmed Bektas was a bright spark for the Eagles putting up 26 points. Traralgon was the highest-scoring team in the conference this season, averaging over 100 points per game. Maffra were the best defensive team in the conference, only giving up an average of 70 points per game. The Eagles have shown that they can match the T-Birds for large parts of games however, it might be impossible to stop that powerful offence over a whole game.
North West Women
Grand Final – Bendigo Braves vs Mildura Heat
Saturday 10 December 5:15pm at Red Energy Arena (Bendigo Stadium)
Mildura stand in the way of Bendigo’s pursuit for a second CBL championship in three seasons. Bendigo returned home from Maryborough with a win last weekend in their Semi-Final matchup, triumphing 72-58. The Braves were led by Madeline Sexton who scored 19 points and Poppy Blanch who poured in 17 points. Mildura travelled to Kyneton for their Semi-Final and returned home with an 85-62 win. Alannah Morello and Courtney Sandiman top-scored for the Heat with 19 points each.
Mildura and Bendigo were set to clash in round 3 but the game was postponed due to flooding in regional Victoria. Therefore, they will face each other for the first time in the Grand Final this Saturday. Bendigo went undefeated this season with the best defence in the conference, moving nicely towards another CBL championship. Mildura were slight underdogs in their Semi-Final matchup and will again be underdogs this weekend. The Heat have one of the best offences in the conference and will be dangerous for the Braves in Bendigo.
North West Men
Grand Final – Melton Thoroughbreds vs Mildura Heat
Saturday 10 December 8:00pm at Red Energy Arena (Bendigo Stadium)
Melton will contest their first-ever CBL championship against Mildura this weekend. Melton comfortably defeated Bendigo 95-68 in their Semi-Final matchup. The Thoroughbreds outscored the Braves 30-8 in the first quarter with Blake Allison leading all scorers with 30 points. Mildura snuck past Castlemaine 82-79 in a very close encounter. The Heat was bolstered by Trequan Rudd-Morfaw’s 20 points, Archer Hammond’s 19 points and Dru Pilmore’s 17 points.
Melton and Mildura last met in round nine with Melton victorious 81-79. The Heat started on fire, leading 51-29 at halftime before a spectacular second half launched the Thoroughbreds to a narrow win. Bol Bak was superb for Melton, scoring 22 points alongside 17 points from Jai Everitt. Archer Hammond led Mildura with 24 points with Tarryn Shaddock putting up 18 points. Melton had the best offence and defence in the conference this season and is currently still unbeaten. They are a powerhouse and look likely to win their first CBL banner. However, Mildura suffered one of their two losses to Melton and gave them a scare in their last matchup. The Heat have shown that they can give the Thoroughbreds problems which they will need to do again for a chance at victory on Saturday.
