Western Waves’ under 16 side is living in the moment as it vies to make history in Thursday’s state championship semi-final.

The John Houston-coached outfit defeated geographical rival Barwon by just five runs on Wednesday to advance to a semi-final showdown with Metropolitan Outer South.

Houston said his side was content but not satisfied with its progress.

“I suppose we’re working on a theory of not thinking forward or back at this stage,” he said.

“We’re thinking in the moment. We’ve done well so far, but we don’t want to live in the past.

“We’re just making sure we’re prepared for what’s next. This is the best we’ve ever finished, but we aren’t satisfied with just that.”

Mortlake’s Isaac Wareham lifted with the ball to fire the Waves through to the semi, claiming three wickets for 17 as Barwon advanced.

Woodford’s Liam Burgess was among the strongest contributors with the bat, blasting 39 runs.

The semi-final will be played at Albert Ground.