Saints march into Goldfields men’s division one decider

Saints are on target for back-to-back men’s division one premierships in the Goldfields Basketball Association after an efficient first half underpinned a 67-58 victory against CBC last Friday night in the qualifying final.

After finishing the qualifying series in first place with 12 wins and being crowned minor premiers, Saints carried over that form with a 40-point opening half.

It paved the way for what would be a match-winning lead of 11 points when the second half became a dour defensive struggle.

Both teams were held to 11 points in the pivotal third stanza and while CBC shaded the last quarter, 18-16, it was too late as Saints advanced to this Saturday night’s grand final.

It was Saints’ fourth win in six head-to-head clashes against CBC this season, after they also had the Collegians’ measure in last year’s grand final, 98-93.

Saints’ latest win was on the back of a hard-working offensive display, led by Hamish Cummings’ game-high 19 points and Jordan Clements’ 15 points.

Laine Warena and Michael Gardner also made important contributions, each with 11 points.

CBC, in contrast, relied heavily on the impact of Jamie Bratton (15 points) and Miles Tierney (13).

However, no one else among the eight players used in the game by CBC was able to score in double digits.

The round started on Thursday night, when Olympians upset Franchise, 84-67 in the elimination final.

Franchise had finished a game clear of Olympians after the qualifiers, but they ultimately paid the price for a sluggish opening.

Olympians’ dynamic start gave them a half-time lead of 29 points.

It proved more than enough to stay alive in the finals series — despite being outscored by Franchise in each of the remaining two quarters.

Mitch Sheppard, Nick Shaw, and Aiden Caliskan combined on 61 pojnts for Olympians while Hemara Pita and Owen Fowler accounted for most of the scoring for Franchise, with 25 points and 23 points, respectively.

CBC were slated to play Olympians on Monday night in the preliminary final for the other spot in this weekend’s decider.