It may not have been their best display, but Ballarat Miners have finished first in South East Australian Basketball League’s south conference after an 11-point win over BA's Centre of Excellence on Saturday night.
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The Ballarat GMHBA Miners are now set to play a home final next weekend.
The team showed its dominance early at the Mars Minerdome, with a 17-point opening quarter from captain Peter Hooley.
But the young BA CoE squad was not intimidated by a 20-point half-time deficit, going on to win the third and fourth quarters.
Miners coach Eric Hayes said there were some good patches of basketball from his players, but there were also things he did not want to see going forward.
“We played a much more flowing game in the first half, in the second half it got a bit stagnant,” Hayes said.
“Offensively the ball didn’t move as well and defensively we weren’t as physical in the second half – their big guys owned the paint on the keyway and they were getting some really deep catches, then used their size.”
But Hayes said good sides found a way to win, even when not playing well.
“Ultimately we wanted to get a win and we got one, which is good,” he said.
Hooley top scored for the Miners, while Marvin King-Davis made a double double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The team will now start its preparation for play-offs.