By Benito Carbone @_DavidCarbone

Woodville Warriors 80 | Eastern Mavericks 60

A classy and controlled display of basketball from Darnell Mee’s Warriors saw the hosts defeat the cellar-dwelling Eastern Mavericks to claim the 4^th seed and a vital home final. The victory came off the back of a dominant 1^st quarter from the home side, where they scored 26 points to the Maverick’s 8. Nelson Kirksey was strong as always with 12 points, while Luke Stanbridge played a strong match, collecting 13 points and 8 rebounds. No one managed more than 8 points for Eastern, but they will be pleased with their bench who scored 38 of their 60 points.

A rapid start for the hosts saw them race out to an early 13 to 2 lead, with the talented Woodville players making their presence known with strong offensive pressure and stout defending. A stunning Nelson Kirksey rejection on a Darcy Aistrope lay-up effort summed up the first quarter, as the margin blew out to 18 points at the first break. Devon McGee (8 points, 9 boards) showed his abundant talent early in the second term, working his way through the Warriors defence for a great three-point play. Leon Twigg replied instantly from outside for the hosts, before some strong movement underneath the rim from Corey Schutz increased the margin to 23 points at the half.

Kirksey kick-started the third period with a casual dunk, before Aistrope decided to attack the rim for a skillful lay-up. The Mavericks failed to match Woodville for large parts of the match though, and the Warriors’ lead continued to increase, reaching 26 points at the final interval. Substitute Mitchell Meldrum (12 points) sunk 7 points in the final term as the match began to slow to a canter. This allowed plenty of free-scoring for Eastern, with Matthew Stock (8 points) hitting a pair of consecutive triples late in the match. A late dunk from Schutz capped off proceedings with the hosts running out 20-point winners.

Woodville will consider themselves a legitimate premiership chance with quality players like Kirksey, Miller and possibly Ng on their side. They face the 5^th seeded Forestville Eagles at St Clair first up, hoping to replicate some of the form that saw them push the Southern Tigers to the absolute limit earlier in the season.