Ahead of its NBL1 preliminary final match-up against Nunawading, Ballarat Miners coach Brednan Joyce says his side is ready for anything the Spectres throw at them on Saturday evening.
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"Everything teams have thrown at us throughout the second half of the season has prepared us for any variation defensively," he said.
"It's just a matter of playing well of the night."
Watch our sports team provide some insight into Saturday's match-up:
Win or lose, the game will be the final Miners contest played at the Minerdome, a fact which is not lost on the team. Captain Josh Fox says a victory would mean a lot not just for the team but the Ballarat basketball community.
"This game means a lot for us," he said.
"We're expecting it to be the last game at the Minerdome... winning this isn't just for us, it's for everybody."
Joyce echoed his captain's sentiments, saying that the situation will provide the Miners with extra motivation.
"It's been a long time since the Miners have gotten to this final four situation with the opportunity to make a grand final, so it'd obviously mean a lot of get there... we obviously hope there's full house and that the crowd can be our sixth man."
Joyce likened the Spectres style of play to that of Kilsyth, who the Miners easily distracted of in an 80-66 win at the Minerdome.
"I think there are a lot of similarities between Kilsyth and Nunawading, their big guys like to shoot from the perimetre and their guards like to attack... they actually really like to play in the half-court and execute offensively."
One of the biggest cogs in Nunawading's offence is 205-centimetre centre Simon Conn, who is coming off a stellar season in which he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Holding a near 20 kilogram advantage over Ballarat centre Deng Acouth, Joyce is expecting a physical match-up in the paint.
The coach said he believes Conn should be worried about Acuoth and not the other way around come Saturday night.
"I think Conn's going to have a lot of trouble against Deng... I think Deng's going to give him fits, not only on the defensive end but on offence.
"There's a reason why Deng's been called into the NBL and Conn's not in the NBL."
Fox said he has a lot of respect of Conn's game and know's what sort of damage he can do on the court.
"Simon Conn is a monster," Fox said.
"He's getting up there in age but he's just so good, I like his game and it'll be fun to play against him."
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