Redbacks take on Lakers for title
Ararat Redbacks coach Rhys Burger says game preparation will not change as the team prepares for the Country Basketball League south-west conference grand final on Saturday night.
The league minor premiers will play Mount Gambier Lakers at Warrnambool for the 2022-23 season title.
A Redbacks win on Saturday evening would hand them their second title in three seasons, after the association won the 2020-21 premiership before it failed to field a side for the following season.
Burger said even though Saturday evening’s game would be ‘tough’, his side would prepare for the match the same way it had all season.
“I don’t like to change things too much, I guess I could be a bit superstitious,” he said.
The Redbacks overcame Millicent Magic at the weekend by 17 points to earn their spot in Saturday’s grand final, while their premiership opponents, Mount Gambier, defeated Horsham Hornets by 27 points to book their shot at the title.
Despite a mixed record against the Magic this season – the Redbacks lost their round seven bout against the Magic by 22 points but won their round-15 rematch by 24 points – Burger said he always knew his side could win when at full-strength. “It was pleasing to get the better of the Magic on Saturday,” he said.
“I always knew we could do it against them again. That was a tough weekend for us in the middle of the season when we travelled to Millicent and then Mount Gambier for a double header.
“We only took eight players with us on that road trip, and we knew it was going to be hard to travel, play against the Lakers, sleep, and then travel across to Millicent for another tough match.
“Both of those losses were narrow, so when we came up against those two sides again a few rounds later we knew that if we tweaked a couple of things, we would be fine.”
The Redbacks followed a similar loss-win trajectory against Mount Gambier as they did against the Magic, defeating the Lakers by 26 points in round 10.
Burger said Mount Gambier had strong players and it was important his team remained aware of their opponent’s primary play drivers.
“At this point of the season we know who to look out for against the Lakers. So as long as we keep an eye on their main playmakers, Kane de Wit and Simon Berkefeld, and keep to our own game plan, we can win,” he said.
Burger admitted the Redbacks’ successful league return was a ‘bit of a surprise’, but his players had found a way to regroup after a season away from the competition.
“The league was quite strong this year, with Horsham, Mount Gambier and Millicent all playing great basketball with talented, high-level players. I guess before last season, we just struggled with player numbers, so for the band to get back together this season and bounce back again, that was great,” he said.
“Hopefully our supporters will make the trip to Warrnambool to cheer us on.”
The match at Warrnambool Stadium starts at 8pm.