THE women’s State League division one minor premiership was already in the possession of Bathurst Goldminers but that didn’t make them any less motivated on Saturday to end their regular season on a high note.
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A depleted Wagga Wagga Blaze squad, only playing for pride, pushed the Goldminers at the Bathurst Indoor Sports Stadium but the hosts’ defence held firm as they recorded a 61-53 win.
Goldminers have finished the regular season with an 11-1 record and will prepare for a semi-final meeting with the fourth-placed Maitland Mustangs on August 12.
Bathurst co-coach Kieran Purvis said his side were far from their best against the Blaze but all his players were able to enjoy plenty of time on court.
“They only brought seven players, but in a way that’s a benefit because it means they can get some flow into their game. For us, we were just focused on getting our players as many minutes as we could,” he said.
“At one point we got as far as 17 points up and then from that point I think we just slowed things down.
“They were playing a zone against us the whole game, and playing against that is probably not something that we’re used to.”
Both teams began Saturday’s match evenly before the Goldminers began to pull clear midway through the second quarter.
Bathurst took a 35-26 lead into half-time and the margin continued to hover around the 10-point region for the remainder of the match.
Wagga’s Brooke Walsh kept the visitors in the contest over the final quarter – finishing with a game-high 24 points – but the damage had already been inflicted by the Goldminers.
Claire Woolmington top scored for the hosts with 21 points, her second-highest individual haul of the season.
Goldminers will have to face the Mustangs on their home court in next month’s semi-final.
Bathurst thrashed Maitland by 40 points earlier this season but Purvis expects a tougher contest this time.
“We beat them by a lot in that game and we only had seven players for that match,” he said.
“They’ve made a few changes since that game, and they’ll be stronger, but we’re still going to feel confident heading into this one.”
Goldminers will make the trip with a 10 game winning streak to their name.
The other semi-final in Maitland will pit Shoalhaven Tigers against Coffs Harbour Suns.
