Basketball Finals Spots up for Grabs.

The South East Coast Basketball League Finals begin next week but the contestants and order will not be decided until Wednesday night when the last minor round is played.

Panthers-Wizards appear set to hold the minor premier mantle in the Men’s competition but then only four points separate the next six teams.

Panthers and Saints, winter season runner-up, have finished well in recent weeks. Panthers have found some consistency after an ordinary season while Saints toppled the highly fancied Cougars three weeks ago but then went down to Panthers and last week defeated Roos. This week Panthers take on League leaders Panthers-Wizards and Saints line up against third placed Roos-Lakers.

Interest will however centre on the battle between Cougars and Roos-Lakers for second spot and Cats and Bulldogs for fourth.

At the moment Cougars and Roos-Lakers are locked on 29 points, the former holding second on percentage. Cats and Bulldogs are on 27 points with Cats currently having the better percentage. 

The ultimate round of the summer season holds all the answers. Bulldogs play Roos and are expected to finish on 30 points, but will this be enough for them to see finals action? Their fate appears to lie in the hands of the Cougars/Cats clash. If Cats win then it will be moth balls for Bulldogs because of the huge percentage difference. If however Cats go down to Cougars, Bulldogs will slide into fourth place and it will be a disappointing end for Cats, who headed the table for a significant part of the season.

The Cougars/Cats clash is also pivotal in the second/third tussle.

Roos-Lakers are favoured to defeat Saints and should finish the season on a five game winning streak and 32 points. A win by Cats would give Roos-Lakers second spot; a win by Cougars could see them second by virtue of a better percentage. It will all unfold around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night.

Several players have been in good form in recent weeks. They include Simon Berkefeld and Tom Kosch for Bulldogs, Pioneers American import Andy Tipton and Ben Anderson for Roos-Lakers, Dallas Jeffree, playing a lone hand for Cougars, Andrew Rice and Kyle Howe-Tipene for Panthers, trio Nick Morrison, Matt Sutton and Steve Csono for Wizards and Kevin Smith for Roos. Coaches will be looking to these players to maintain their form in the coming weeks.

Bulldogs Women are coming home strongly at the business end of this season. Their unexpected win over Panthers and then a come from behind 2 point win over Saints last week will earn them fourth place, providing they can get over an improving Roos on Wednesday night.

Cats will hang onto third regardless of their result against Panthers this week.

Cougars are very likely to defeat Saints and compile 40 premiership points. If Panthers chalk a win over Cats on Wednesday, they will be minor premier again on percentage. If not, Cougars will finish on top and Panthers second.      

Several Women have been showing the way in the closing rounds of the season. Catherine Larkin and junior Maddi Wilson are getting the job done for Cougars, Sonia Bawden and state squad junior Sam Loughhead are doing likewise for Panthers while Sara Chapple and Chantelle Weir are the leaders for Bulldogs and Roos respectively.