The action is heating up in the Launceston Basketball Association as the men's finals and women's finals get underway on Wednesday.
After a tightly fought season, the South East Launceston Devils will face off against the Southside Rebels for the right to play in the grand final in the men's division.
Southside will need to find a way past the league's best defence in the Devils which has been frugal all season.
"I feel like we've done a pretty good job from where we started the season, just building our chemistry with some new players coming in and building on that," Devils player Hayden Zasadny said.
"As long as we lock into defensive end and just get stops, we look at it as if we score 70 points we can beat anyone."
The winner will progress to the grand final against the City Rockets next week.
"I do rate our chances, I think we match up well against them."
The Devils are also represented in the women's finals series as they face-off against Rebels Red in the elimination final.
"I think when it comes to finals we like that it drives us a lot more and we've got a lot of motivation," Devils Patterson player Lisa Patterson said.
"We've always got a good challenge against Rebels Red and we see this as another challenge but we're really excited to see how we go."
The winner will play the loser of the Westside Trojans and Rebels Blue semi-final.
The Trojans have put together a terrific season aside from one loss to their upcoming finals opponents, Rebels Blue.
"Everyone's really excited, always a bit anxious but the girls are awesome they enjoy playing together and hopefully we can come out with a win," Trojans player Jessica Jeffrey said.
"There's something different about finals that brings everything out even if you don't want it to ... that makes everyone play twice as hard and that's always fun."
The Rebels Blue are underdogs heading into the final but are maintaining the faith after their recent regular season win over the Trojans.
"We've come across Trojans in a few tough games and ended up on top in one which I am hoping gives us a bit of confidence," Rebels Blue player Jessie O'Toole said
"We've all grown so much as a team, we've been playing together for two years now, having those times with the girls always helps.
"The excitement around finals obviously builds coming into it, last week we got a win leading into the finals that definitely helps lift the team up a bit so we've got to keep doing what we've been doing all year."
Do you know someone who is contributing to Northern Tasmanian sport, whether through participating or assisting?
The Examiner's Junior Sports Awards, sponsored by Woolworths, provide acknowledgement of accomplishments by players, coaches, volunteers, teams and clubs across the region.
Nominations are open from Wednesday, April 14, and will close at midnight on October 4.
Entries must include a photograph of the entrant.
