Finals a chance for rocket-rising Warriors

Playing five matches in three weeks ahead of a potential finals berth is no small feat, but that’s precisely how the next month looks to the Wangaratta Warriors. The North East Men’s Country Basketball League season rolls into its antepenultimate round this weekend, and the prospects of the green and black appearing in the postseason is looking a lot brighter than it has for most of the year. After a less-than-stellar start, the Warriors have won three on the trot, including against the formerly undefeated Wallan Panthers, and now sit just one win out of the top three. To continue their phenomenal run, Wangaratta will need to perform consistently, facing a challenging run home which features two lots of double-header showdowns. This weekend, the Warriors are on the road to the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre on Saturday to play the Albury Cougars, before hosting Shepparton Gators on Sunday afternoon. Coach Adam Maher said confidence and belief in the game plan was building, and they were starting to see the results. “They’re pretty up at the moment, that was a hard weekend from a lot of perspectives,” he said. “I know they’re really pumped at the moment, they can see some light at the end of the tunnel because they now feel they can do it if they pull it all together. “They’re – I won’t use the word ‘confident’ – this weekend, but they know if they play their best basketball, we’re going to be in with a real chance. “The best thing out of it all is we are 99 per cent Wangaratta team. “It’s a great pathway and succession story, all of these kids have come through our junior Warrior program, kept interest in playing basketball, stepped up and are now mixing it against some really good sides. “A lot of those sides have been in the league and played basketball for a long time. “It’s really good for the basketball association, the players and the town. “We had some good numbers down there, over the 100 mark watching us. “With wins comes a little bit more interest in the sport, so I’m hoping we’re going to get some bigger crowds moving forward.” While the Cougars (seventh) and Gators (11th) sit below the Warriors (sixth) on the ladder, Maher said they wouldn’t assume victory before the tip off. “I don’t go into any game thinking we’re just going to walk through it,” he said. “Both of those sides have got the ability to cause some upsets, they’ve beaten some sides I didn’t think they would. “They are two very achievable wins, but that’s only if we respect what those sides can bring on the day. “If we just play our game of basketball, not get into how they want us to play, I think we’re starting to become a really well-rounded side. “The wins will keep coming if we just keep at what we’re doing, understanding what we need to achieve and how we need to achieve it.” The Warriors are in action against Albury Cougars from 6pm at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre on Saturday, and against Shepparton Gators from 2pm at WSAC on Sunday.

Finals a chance for rocket-rising Warriors

Wangaratta Chronicle, Wednesday, 11 November, 2026

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