The GMHBA Ballarat Miners were able to secure their first win of the 2014 SEABL season on the road against the Brisbane Spartans.
The game was an exciting back and forth struggle for the entire first half, with scores tied 24-24 at the end of the first quarter, and the Miners only trailing by one going into halftime, 38-39.
With solid offensive contribution from Anthony Fisher, Roy Booker, and Ken Horton, the Miners would run away with it in the third period, outscoring the Spartans 29-15, and going on to outscore them 29-16 in the final period.
Booker led the Miners with 28 points, shooting 53% from behind the arc, and also handing out five assists. Fisher was not far behind him, adding 20 points, on an 8-17 shooting effort. Horton recorded his first double-double of the season, contributing 23 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 10-19 from the field.
Zach Henifin was seemingly the only bright spot for the Spartans, after Brisbane star Scott Kenny was sidelined for the second half with an ankle injury. Henifin put forth an outstanding effort of 30 points and 15 rebounds, with a shooting accuracy of 57% from the field, while CJ Massingale was uncharacteristically quiet, scoring only 11 points for the Spartans, on 5-12 shooting.
Ballarat looked strong throughout the entirety of the game, and was able to enjoy a 96-70 win over the Spartans.
Also noteworthy for the Miners was the rebounding efforts of Chris Smith, who was able to bring down 12 rebounds (four offensive), and the impact made by the young bench players in Ash Constable and Sean Massey. In a limited amount of minutes, Constable contributed 10 points and pulled in three rebounds, while Massey drained two three-pointers, grabbed three rebounds and dished out two assists.
The Miners host the Nunawading Spectres in their first home game of the season at the MARS® MINERDOME from 8pm.
Thank you to Thrifty Ballarat for helping with all our travel needs.