AFTER showcasing some scintillating basketball in the opening two weeks, Bathurst Goldminers are confident of securing grand final hosting rights.
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Goldminers barnstormed its way to comprehensive wins against Lithgow Lazers and Dubbo Rams in the opening two rounds of the Women's Western Regional League.
Up against Orange Eagles on Saturday, a win will guarantee Goldminers hosting rights for the season decider, which will be played on the following weekend.
With a team in form, manager Mel Sullivan believes her team has the goods to get the job done against Orange.
"They're pretty confident," she said.
"Coming away with that 91-36 win against Dubbo on the weekend was pretty impressive.
"Going into this team, we've got a full team except for Maddy Breen, she's the only one that can't play.
"The team is pretty confident."
Sullivan said her players aren't familiar with the Orange squad, which in a way makes them a tough team to gauge.
"I've been trying to work out who we're going up against," she said.
"We know they've got Jody Thornberry, but as for the rest of the line-up, we're still trying to work out who Orange has got."
With Orange carrying several injuries and some key outs, the hosts face an up-hill battle to claim victory over the Goldminers.
According to the Central Western Daily, word has reached the ears of the Eagles that a Bathurst win is a foregone conclusion.
"There's been a little bit of feedback coming from Bathurst that they've already beaten us before we take to the court," Thornberry said.
"It would be nice to prove them wrong."
Orange went down in overtime to Lithgow Lazers in their round two match despite missing Abbey Philpott and Sage Annis-Brown.
They will now be without the likes of Caitlyn and Sami Harvey, Carmen Dederer and Brooke Parish for the meeting with the Goldminers, making the task even more daunting.
Dubbo has already forfeited its match against Lithgow.
If Bathurst wins, it will host the grand final on the following weekend, but an Orange win will mean the Goldminers and Hawks finish level on points, with point difference to determine hosting rights.
Saturday's match will get underway at 6pm at Orange PCYC.
BATHURST GOLDMINERS: Teagan Edwards, Emily Matthews, Bronte Emanuel, Jess Matthews, Roxy George, Lewellyn Kingham, Emma Palmer, Kaleah Mack
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