Ballarat Miners are set to play their biggest game in more than a decade when they meet Dandenong Rangers in a South East Australian Basketball League home court conference final.
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The Rangers secured their spot in Saturday night’s blockbuster game after knocking out second-placed Hobart Chargers 105-98 in an elimination final in Hobart on Friday night.
Garrett Johnson, Lucas Barker and Tim Lang each scored 19 points to get the Rangers across the line.
While Dandenong finished the season in third, it was equal with Ballarat on number of wins and losses.
When the teams previously met at the Mars Minerdome in July, the Ballarat GMHBA Miners came away with a 13-point victory after leading at every break and dominating the aerial contest.
Import Marvin King-Davis was best on court with 33 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a steal, and is likely to again be one to stop after dominating in the Miners’ first final against Hobart.
The match marked the second time the Miners had triumphed over the Rangers, with a 16-point win earlier in the season in Dandenong.
Ballarat boasts an impressive 12 wins, one loss record at home this season, but will be without the club’s most valuable player award winner Craig Moller, who is representing Australia at the World University Games in Taiwan.
However, the Miners will be fresh from a week off after securing their spot in the final last weekend.
Basketball Ballarat is expecting the game to be a sell out with more than 600 tickets already sold.
If the Miners win, the team will advance to the SEABL championship game and play the winner of the east conference final, which is between Nunawading and Mt Gambier.
