The sentiments of coach Amanda Cheers summed up those of every member of the Bathurst Goldminers men’s Youth League team after they went down 81-80 in a thrilling final round match with Springwood at the Bathurst Indoor Stadium on Saturday night.

The ’Miners had earlier battled back from an eight-point half-time deficit to claim a 62-61 lead at the final break before narrowly succumbing in a pulsating final quarter.

Kieran Osborne starred for the home side in posting 32 points – 19 of them in the second half – but a telling blow came in the final quarter when partner-in-crime Jesse Ferguson (21 points) was fouled out mid-way through the term.

Thereafter the ’Miners struggled to put together back-to-back baskets and in the clutch Springwood were able to find the points when they needed them most.

The home side had two opportunities in the final 25 seconds to either draw level or take the lead but when a Courtney Ward shot – which looked like the match-winner – bounced off the back of the ring with seven seconds on the clock, the game was up.

“I’ve got mixed emotions,” Cheers said afterwards.

“I have a lot of pride in the boys after that. They fought. To be missing players like Will Aisake, Joe Tigh and Michael Cox and play like that was a great effort.

“We’ve had a pretty hard season and suffered a lot of injuries, but you can’t really do much about that and it happens to everyone. I’m disappointed that we lost but probably even more disappointed that we could have done better in the season if we played like that every week.”

Kyle Simpson, Matt Chapman and Tigh will all pass the age restriction for 2011 but given the players that have proven themselves in the season just completed, Cheers has high hopes that on the back of a competitive performance this year, they can at least make the finals in 12 months.

“We should definitely improve next year,” she said.

“I said a few weeks ago that regardless of whether we make the finals or not, we’ve got to look to next year already. Basketball NSW need to look to next year as well because they’ve said that after three years they will look at the structure of the competition.

“It’s been three years now, so they have to decide whether they are going to keep using the promotion-relegation system between the divisions or get teams to nominate which division they want to play. I’d prefer the latter.”

SPRINGWOOD SCORCHERS 81 defeated BATHURST GOLDMINERS 80 (Kieran Osborne 32, Jesse Ferguson 21)