Ulverstone women and Burnie men have advanced to the Grand Final to be played in Penguin on Friday night.

In front of a large crowd, Wynyard had the better of Ulverstone in the first half and had a slender 4 point lead. The Wildcats were out rebounding the Hoppers, with Libby Haines leading the scoring with 7 points.

After half time Ulverstone started better and controlled the quarter outscoring Wynyard 13 – 8 to lead by one point going into the last. The Hoppers continued to play the better basketball building a 7 point lead with 5 minutes to go. With Wynyard’s shooting percentage dropping away, Ulverstone claimed an 11 point victory.

Ulverstone’s Shelby Rayner was the standout player with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists for the game. Libby Haines top scored for Wynyard with 13 points.

In a low scoring start to the game and with both sides shooting at a low percentage, Burnie led 12 – 11 at quarter time. In the second quarter Burnie were making the better of their second chance opportunities while the Demons were having trouble looking after the ball.

In the third quarter, Burnie took complete control on the boards increasing their lead to 22 points. Latrobe tried valiantly in the last and reduced the margin to 13 points at one stage, however, the Tigers in a great team effort maintained their composure to win by 20 points.

Burnie’s Tre Armstrong had a good night leading all scorers with 22 points and 5 rebounds and was well supported by Isaac Plant with 15 points and Kobe Jackson 12 points. Latrobe’s best were Jack Triffett with 16 points, Brady Armstrong 14 points and Jacob Parker with 8 rebounds.

Preview Grand Final Friday night at Penguin

A big crowd is expected to see two quality games at Penguin this Friday night.

Somerset will go in favourites after their win over Ulverstone in the second- semi. However, with Shelby Rayner available this time, the Hoppers may have too much experience for the Heat.

The outcome of the clash between Sami Phillips and Sarah O’Neill will have a big bearing on who will take out the title. Both these players have been the standout players and would be favourites for the MVP which will be presented after the match.

The men’s game is a difficult game to pick. If Penguin can continue their form from the second-semi they will be hard for Burnie to stop, especially as they are on their home court. A lot of pressure will be on the Blues trio of Fraser Eaton, Tyler Kelly and Ryan Cook to get the job done.

If Burnie can get their offensive structures in place and defensively restrict Penguin’s ability to score beyond the three point line they will have a good chance of claiming an outstanding fourth title in a row.

Preliminary Final Results

Women - Ulverstone 59 d Wynyard 48

Best Players – Ulverstone: S. Rayner, S. O’Neill, O. Crawford. Wynyard: E. Gamble, L. Haines, B. Groenewege.

Scorers – Ulverstone: S. Rayner 20, S. O’Neill 16, O. Crawford 10. Wynyard: L. Haines 13, B. Kay 10, E. Gamble 7.

Men - Burnie 70 d Latrobe 50

Best Players – Burnie: I. Plant, T. Armstrong, K. Jackson. Latrobe: J. Triffett, J. parker, B. Armstrong.

Scorers – Burnie: T. Armstrong 22, I. Plant 15, K. Jackson 12. Latrobe: J. Triffett 16, B. Armstrong 14, J. Parker 6.