SYMES Motors Bendigo Braves import Luke Meyer has been given the task of stopping Knox dangerman C.J. Massingale in tomorrow night’s SEABL east conference grand final.
Massingale almost single-handedly carried Knox into the grand final by scoring 41 points in last Saturday’s 76-75 preliminary final win over Kilsyth.
Meyer, who has had an impressive season himself averaging 19 points and almost six rebounds per game, is looking forward to taking on the league’s leading point scorer.
‘‘I’ll be looking to make it as tough as possible for him in defence, but will also have to be aggressive myself in the offence,” he said.
“I’ve watched the live tapes of his game and I’m feeling confident in my ability against him. It will be a great challenge for me.”
The Braves do not have a great 2010 record against the Raiders, losing by eight points in round four and seven points at Bendigo Stadium in round 19.
The last time the two teams faced off, Knox overran the Braves in the final five minutes.
Meyer said the Braves need to focus on playing a full game to take out the championship.
“The most recent time we played them we we played three-and-a-half quarters of fantastic basketball and they just ran on top of us when we let our guard down in the last five minutes,” he said.
“They have some big bodies and are a really complete team.
“I’m confident that if we play four full quarters that we can come away with the championship.”
The prospect of a championship win is even more exciting for Meyer, who has not played in a championship team since his high school days.
“To win a championship is a really tough thing to do. I won a couple when I was still at high school so it’s been a while for me,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m more excited about the game than I am nervous and the worst part has been waiting the whole week in the lead-up to the match.”
Meyer and fellow import Ivan McFarlin have made a strong impact on and off the court with the Braves in their first year in Bendigo.
The duo have re-signed with the club for 2011.
Meyer said he has enjoyed the grand final atmosphere in Bendigo this week and he is looking forward to getting a win in front of a packed Bendigo Stadium tomorrow night.
“We’ve been in the local media a lot this week and the staff at Bendigo Stadium have decorated the place so it’s a really exciting atmosphere,” he said.
“We’re expecting a huge crowd, so hopefully they can get behind us Saturday night. It would be great to take out the championship in front of our home crowd.”
Tickets are selling fast for the grand final. They can be purchased at the Bendigo Stadium ticket office.
The final starts at 7.30pm.
Email a friend