LATROBE Valley sides appear set to fill three out of four CBL Gippsland men’s finals spots after Churchill, Traralgon and Moe all enjoyed a fruitful weekend in round 13.
Twin victories for Churchill in its double header gave the fourth-placed Blue Devils a decent buffer over the chasing pack on the eve of finals, while Moe and Traralgon also scored wins to shore up their top four positions.
The Blue Devils knocked off Bairnsdale by five points at home on Saturday before a comfortable 13-point victory over Korumburra on the road.
Club talisman Jordan Canovan starred against the Bullets by dragging down 32 points including a three-point treble, supported by 16 points from Rob Michaelides.
He backed it up with another game high 31-point haul against the Wildcats with Michaelides again the primary support act with 14 to his name.
Canovan has been on fire all season long, averaging 28 points per game and has scored a minimum of 20 in all 14 of his appearances.
His total match points tally of 393 dwarfs second-placed Alistair Grainger of the Steelers by 55.
Traralgon led at every change against Maffra and extended its lead in the second half to walk home 67-58.
Ben Barlow was the star with another impressive individual effort, this time scoring a game high 24.
The Moe Meteors fended off a late challenge by Maffra to cling to a 76-74 win.
Sharpshooter Nick Sedley drained an incredible nine three-pointers in his game high 37-point tally.
Churchill and Traralgon also appear destined for a finals berth in the women’s league.
The Blue Devils scored an important win over Korumburra on Sunday, while the T-Birds maintained their top four standing despite a hefty loss to Maffra.
This weekend is the final round of matches prior to playoffs.
CBL Gippsland Men
Maffra Eagles lt Moe Meteors 74-76
Korumburra Wildcats d Western Port Steelers 67-56
Churchill Blue Devils d Bairnsdale Bullets 82-77
Maffra Eagles d Traralgon T-Birds 58-67
Korumburra Wildcats lt Churchill Blue Devils 61-74
Warragul Warriors d Bairnsdale Bullets 78-40
CBL Gippsland Women
Maffra Eagles d Moe Meteors 78-50
Korumburra Wildcats d Western Port Steelers 77-42
Maffra Eagles d Traralgon T-Birds 95-56
Korumburra Wildcats lt Churchill Blue Devils 54-63
