VICTORY over their Central West rivals and a thrilling overtime triumph capped off a memorable Canberra Classic campaign for the Al Dente Bathurst squad.
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Bathurst scored a 69-49 victory over Orange in the B grade semi-final before displaying nerves of steel in their 59-52 overtime win over home hopes Canberra Premier League Raiders.
“This is our third year in the tournament. First year we fell short, second year we made the semis then this year we’ve taken it out which was a really nice feeling,” Bathurst’s Kyle Simpson said.
“That final was pretty intense. There were a couple of mistakes and it probably shouldn’t have gone into overtime but those things happen. It was a great tournament overall.”
Moss Vale Magic were the first opponents for the Bathurst sides and it was the defensive efforts of Andrew James, Simpson and Peter Fitzsimmons plus the long range shooting of Andrew Gray that paved the way for a 69-25 win.
Canberra Premier League (CPL) Chargers provided a bigger challenge for Bathurst in the second game.
Bathurst had lost to the CPL Chargers in the previous year’s semi-final by five points but they found revenge in the 2019 edition with a 38-28 win.
In a defence-heavy game Kieran Osborne, Ben Falcke and Jase Delaney stood tall for Bathurst.
Multiple threes from Andrew Gray plus steals and deflections from Simpson helped Bathurst overcome another Canberra opponent, winning 55-33.
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Bathurst then encountered several former Goldminers players when they faced the likes of Mathew Chapman, Zak Simons, Kobe Mansell and Nick Mockler in the semi-final.
The Bathurst men got off to an excellent start and managed to hold their lead in the face of a fourth quarter Mansell-led comeback.
Simpson and Delaney were instrumental in keeping the playmaker contained.
James racked up 20 points in the victory.
Bathurst’s last opponent, Raiders, also went through their pool undefeated.
It was a tense conclusion to regulation for Bathurst as they watched a seven point lead disappear in the final few minutes.
A missed Bathurst inbound pass, while up two points, led to a pair of successful Raiders free throws and overtime was going to be required to decide a winner.
With everyone exhausted it was Simpson, James and Osborn who took over the game.
The three players combined for an excellent passage of play where a James three-pointer sealed the result.
Along with their title the Bathurst team also picked up a $350 winner’s cheque that will be donated to Chloe Selmes to assist in her battle against ovarian cancer.