Mudgee have struggled so far this season, but will be confident that on their home court, they can push the likes of Bathurst and Dubbo all the way.

Mudgee captain Jordan Woolmer said that the side has had a solid preparation heading into the finals series.

“We had some good numbers at training this week, we were able to discuss our game plan and get everyone on the same page which will help us going into the finals,” he said.

“At this stage we’re waiting to see if a few people are available for the weekend so hopefully they’ll be able to come through so that we have a good squad.”

According to Woolmer, despite his side’s results this year, the team has the ability to cause an upset or two come Sunday.

“The players in Mudgee have the ability to match any of the other teams in the competition. It’s just a matter of everyone playing together as a team on both ends of the floor,” he said.

“If we’re aggressive on defence and play smart offence and take the right shots, there’s no reason why we can’t pull off an upset.”

After finishing in fourth place Mudgee will go up against undefeated Dubbo Rams on Sunday morning in what will be a crucial match.

Dubbo finished on top of the competition and have a formidable line up including several State League players, and were too strong for Mudgee in both clashes, winning by more than twenty points.

That being said, the Rams will head into the clash warm favourites to progress to the final at the expense of the Lakers.

Dubbo’s shooting options are numerous and have a height advantage over Mudgee, making it hard for the Lakers to get a fair share of rebounds at both ends of the court.

No doubt the Lakers will give it their best shot, but their form during the competition has been ragged, so it will require a sharp upward trend in form over the four quarters to snap their losing streak and upset the competition favouries.

Despite finishing in last place, the home side could book a place in the grand final against either Bathurst or Narromine if they can upset the table-topping Dubbo side.

“Dubbo will be a tough first game, they’re undefeated so far and everyone one of their players has played at State League level,” Woolmer said.

“They pass the ball extremely well so we need to work hard on defence to stop them from getting the ball to open shooters.”

Woolmer, a Deaf Basketball Australia representative at the recent Asia Pacific Games, said as captain he’ll be hoping to step up this week, but ultimately, it won’t be up to just him.

“I’m feeling determined going into this weekend,” he said.

“I didn’t perform as well as I’d have liked in the last round so I’m hoping to turn that around.

“But if we’re going to get a win this weekend it won’t be because anyone puts up ridiculous numbers - we’ll do it together as a team.” 

Bathurst Goldminers and Narromine Stingers clash in the other semi-final at 11am, with Bathurst slightly favoured following a 56-34 victory in their only encounter this season.

However, if Bathurst takes the court with their State League side, like Mudgee, Narromine will have to play out of their skins to progress through to the final.