The Ballarat Youth Miners have set up a championship winning opportunity for next week's Saturday night curtain raiser after winning game one of the Big V youth league one men's grand final series.
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Entering a hostile Geelong Arena for game one against the Geelong Supercats, the Miners came out with a clear intention to attack the rim, driving the ball inside and using its size to secure second chance opportunities.
Coach Daniel Knaggs said he made a point to his players to attack the game early on and minimise the Supercats' home court advantage.
"We wanted to make sure we were aggressive from the outset and made a statement of their home court," he said.
"We knew getting up in this game would make it a lot easier for us... we didn't want to be chasing them or having to win the next two games."
Forward combination Blake Allison and Amos Brooks were feasting on Geelong's smaller lineup, combining to pull down 30 rebounds between them, 11 of which were offensive.
Taking a 50-37 lead into half time, it was a matter of maintaining the lead for Ballarat over the final two quarters.
The Miners moved the ball well across the game, leading to 21 team assists and six players finishing the contest in double figures for points.
Last week's hero Zac Dunmore top scored in the contest, finishing with 19 points including a trio of three-pointers in 23 minutes of action.
Ultimately the Miners dominance on the interior would be too much for Geelong, finishing the game with a 92-80 victory.
The youth Miners will have the opportunity to secure the championship at home next Saturday before the senior Miners' preliminary final against Nunawading.
Knaggs said he is excited to have a packed Minerdome crowd there for the game cheering his side on to victory.
"Having the crowd there last week played a really huge role in getting us over the line. I think having a great crowd there and being surrounded by everyone within the program will help our guys thrive off the energy."
DETAILS
SCORERS: Miners - Dunmore 19 (3 three-pointers), Brooks 14, L.Allison 14 (2), Weightman 13 (1), B.Allison 11 (1), Bak 10 (2), McKenzie 8 (2), Fiegert 3 (1). Supercats - King 18, Hindle 14 (2), Nyieth 13 (3), Kos 13 (3), Hultgren 8 (2), Gronbeck 8, Baulch 3, Thomason 3.
STATS
REBOUNDS: Miners 63, Supercats 44
ASSISTS: Miners 21, Supercats 23
STEALS: Miners 7, Supercats 7
BLOCKS: Miners 3, Supercats 5
FOULS: Miners 21, Supercats 17
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