By BACT Media Unit – 30 August 2022

IT’s HERE….FINALS TIME….!!!

Round 1 of Basketball ACT’s Premier League Finals gets under way this week, with Premier 1 Finals on Wednesday 31 August at Tuggeranong and Belconnen.

To help you get to know who is in contention in 2022 we have put together a Premier 1 Finals Preview…

PREMIER 1 WOMEN

It’s that time of year again. The Premier League 1 Women’s Finals tip-off tomorrow night and every team competing will be taking their games to the next level, hoping to be crowned winter champions for 2022.

In third and fourth, the Wests and ANU Owls will be competing to keep their season alive at Belconnen Stadium in the Elimination Final. With the loser eliminated from the competition, stakes are high in this must-win contest.

Wests finished the Winter season in third. They are hitting form at the right time of the year with victories over Dodgers and Rats in recent weeks and might just be a dark horse in the championship race. The Owls squeeze into the top four but don’t count them out just yet, as the university side has proved clutch this season with multiple wins in close matches.

There have been four games between these two teams in the season. The Owls hold advantage, with three victories in a row over Wests, and they will be looking to extend that streak out to four tomorrow night.

The Weston Creek Woden Dodgers and Ginninderra Rats topped the table during the regular season and will face off at Tuggeranong Souther Cross Stadium. The winner books their ticket straight to the Grand Final, a mighty prize well worth fighting for.

Led by an array of Canberra Nationals stars, the Dodgers are loaded with talent and it’s been almost impossible to hinder their high scoring this season. On the other hand, it’s been the Rats depth that has led to their success, with many players hitting double digit points every game. It’s a clash of contrasting styles, and it will be interesting to see which one comes out on top.

These two teams have matched up five times this season, with the Dodgers taking 3-2 honours after a hard-fought victory last round. Can the Rats settle the score tomorrow night or will the Dodgers go back-to-back?

The Premier League 1 Women’s Winter season is wrapping up, but that doesn’t mean the action is winding down. Will the Dodgers or Rats make their championship aspirations a whole lot easier with a victory? Can the Wests beat their bogey team, the Owls, to keep their season alive? Find out tomorrow night in Premier League Women’s 1 action.

PREMIER 1 MEN

Look out, Men’s Premier League 1 Finals action begins tomorrow night. The championship is up for grabs and the top four teams will fighting hard for the 2022 winter title.

The Elimination Final will take place at Belconnen Basketball Stadium between Norths and Wests. The winner keeps their season alive and remains in the hunt for the championship, meaning the pressure is on for this one.

The Norths team is packed with rising stars who have begun to find their groove as the season reaches the pointy end of the draw. Their opponents, Wests, have just managed to scrape into the top four after some tough losses in the second half of the season but they’ll be backing themselves to beat anyone after a massive victory over the Global Academy in the final round.

Two wins in two games for the Norths when they’ve matched up against Wests this season. They’ll be hoping this trend continues in the Elimination Final, but the Wests will be doing everything in their power to survive.

One and two on the ladder, Vikings and Weston Creek Woden Dodgers were the teams to beat in the competition. A spot in the Grand Final is on the line when these two sides face off at Tuggeranong Southern Cross Stadium, so this contest will be electric.

Undefeated in 21 games, the Vikings have a heavily stacked side filled to the brim with past and present Canberra Gunners players that will be feeling pretty confident they have what it takes to be champions. The second-placed Dodgers have had a very solid season, and coming into the Finals on a seven-game win-streak means they are peaking at the right time.

The Vikings came out on top in both meetings between the two sides this season. Anything can happen in the Finals though, and the Dodgers will be aiming to hand the Vikings their first loss of the competition.

It’s Finals time in Premier League Men’s 1 basketball. With the 2022 title up for grabs, this competition is about to go up to a whole new gear. Can the Norths go three out of three against Wests? Do the Vikings have what it takes to win it all with a perfect record or will the Dodgers crash the party? Find out tomorrow night in Premier League Men’s 1 action.