A 45-point game from captain Nathan Sobey led Warrnambool Seahawks to a commanding Big V grand final series game one triumph on Sunday.
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Casey Cavaliers had no answers for the NBL-listed guard as the Seahawks claimed a momentum-building 97-78 road win.
The Seahawks will host game two at the Arc on Saturday night and game three, if needed, on Sunday afternoon.
Warrnambool coach Matt Alexander labelled Sobey’s game one performance “incredible”.
“He shot at 53 per cent from the three-point line,” he said.
“Alex Gynes was fantastic too, played really good defence.
“He had 17 points, shot the ball well, and was really instrumental with his talk on defence.
“X (Xavier Johnson-Blount) was fantastic too.”
The Seahawks scooted to a seven-point lead at quarter-time and never looked back.
Alexander said they handled the Cavaliers’ height– something which was always going to be a test without their tallest player, American-bound Curtis Ryan.
“We were really poised and kept our composure,” he said.
“I am really proud of the way they went about it.”
Alexander said the Seahawks’ bench saw more minutes than in previous weeks, with teenagers Ollie Bidmade and Brock Carter highlighting why their important to the division one roster.
“Ollie really stood out off the bench,” he said.
“He defended pretty well, stayed in front of the opposition guys.
“Brock was really active. He kept the big guys second-guessing.
“It was really good to see him on the court, for a 16-year-old he seems to have no fear.”
The Seahawks, who are unbeaten on their home court in 2016, are chasing their first Big V men’s title in 18 years.
Their most grand final series was the 2011 loss to Geelong Supercats.
Alexander said the players had a steely determination and were eager to perform on their home floor next weekend.
The Seahawks are expecting a sellout crowd to fill the Arc which was the case in the preliminary final.
“On Saturday night we have to give our best performance of the year,” Alexander said.
“We didn’t over-celebrate (on Sunday). It was ‘all right, let’s get another one’.”