THEY were pushed early, but the Lady Wolves asserted their dominance of the Castlemaine Lady Cannons to book their place in the Country Basketball League grand final.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 77-48 victory will see the Wolves host the Shepparton Lady Gators at home on Saturday, in a replay of last year’s final.
Captain Rachel Jeffrey said the side was hungry for a win after a heartbreaking 10-point loss this time last year.
“We’re excited but it is a little bit daunting,” Jeffrey said.
“We’ve fallen at this hurdle before, but I think the performance we put in last night will give the girls a bit of confidence going into the match.”
Tahnee Cannan top scored with 20 points, and had solid support from Jade McCowan (15) and Sarah Mellington (13) in the game at Wodonga Leisure Centre.
Jeffrey said the improving performance of some younger players would hold the side in good stead ahead of a hard week of training.
“I thought Alisha Lourie was really outstanding for us, she came off the bench and put in one of her best performances for the season,” she said.
“It’ll be great to see how they go in front of a big home crowd cheering us on.”
Coach Phil Brown was pleased with outcome, despite a slow start in the first half.
“It was very close early on, we missed of few early opportunities, but eventually the depth of our side shone through,” Brown said.
“We finished very strongly, and everyone on the court lifted.
“Ultimately I think the winning margin was testament to the effort that was put in.
“Now the challenge will be to maintain that effort from the word go.”
Jeffrey said the team would be doing their best to concentrate on and refine their own game plan.
“We’ll train hard this week and make sure we’re ready to burst out of the gate,” she said.