Mudgee Lakers boys trek to Griffith in search of basketball glory

The under 14s will take on Orange Eagles in the major semi-final at 11-45 on Saturday, a team which won all round games, including the two against the Lakers, 52-42 and 60-40.

However, despite the losses, the Lakers are quietly confident they can overcome the ten point deficit in those games and book a place in the grand final.

If they fail to beat Orange, they should still make it through, as they defeated West Wyalong and Bathurst Goldminers, the minor semi-final opponents, comfortably in all round games.

The preliminary final is on Saturday at 4-45, the grand final at 10-30 on Sunday.

Both U16 teams play in the minor semi-final, and must win to progress to the final for a shot at the grand final.

The under 16s in division 2 are against Bathurst Goldminers, a team that beat them 66-47 and then 50-47, before the Lakers improved dramatically to turn the tables on the Goldminers with a 60-55 win in round three.

This will be a tough match for the Lakers, with there is very little between the teams as the previous scores have illustrated, but little by little they improved with every game they played, and with the enthusiasm shown at training, and the boost in confidence they received from their victory over Bathurst, there is every possibility they could find themselves in the final against either the undefeated Young, or more likely West Wyalong, one win away from a grand final appearance on Sunday at 10-30.

While the under 14 boys look the goods for a Western Junior League win, the division one under 16s team has a very good chance of also making the grand final at 9am on Sunday morning.

After finishing third following a couple of surprise losses, they find themselves lining up against Narrandera in the elimination semi-final.

The good news is, that the Lakers beat Narrandera 90-77 in the round game, and it would be a shock if this result was reversed on the form shown against the teams in the major semi-final, undefeated Dubbo and Leeton, the Lakers could have beaten, but went down 67-53.

Dubbo, yet to drop a game, 78-74 against Leeton their closest loss, are without doubt the team to beat, and though have looked invincible, the Lakers are itching to get a crack at them - like the other semi-finalists - but to do so, will have to play at their very best in the earlier games to get that chance.

This is the first time a Mudgee team has reached a division one semi-final, and to be considered by their opponents to be a real threat is a tribute to the way they play and the input from the coaching staff.

Go Lakers, Go!