The Otago Goldrush has limped into the finals of the Women's Basketball Championship despite fielding an understrength team.
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But having qualified, coach Brent Matehaere believes his side has the ability to win the title.
"Once we have all our ducks in a line we have the firepower to take it out," Matehaere said.
Qualifying was always going to be half the battle for the Goldrush. The Otago side won the opening qualifying tournament in Palmerston North last month with classy forward Casey Lockwood and former Silver Ferns shooters Jodi Brown and Daneka Wipiiti all playing crucial roles.
But Brown and Wipiiti missed the second qualifying tournament in Auckland and Lockwood was available only for the opening game.
That left the Goldrush facing the daunting prospect of having to qualify for the finals, which will be staged in Dunedin next month, without its three best players.
The Goldrush beat Canterbury 67-47 but, once Lockwood left, the Goldrush struggled to score and lost to the Harbour Breeze 75-55 on Thursday. But a 56-49 win against Southland on Friday proved crucial.
"We didn't score too many points after Casey left," Matehaere said.
"Our points average dropped to around 50 and in one game we could only score in the 40s.
Things tended to dry up. We were small and lacked a bit of power inside. We just couldn't buy a basket.
"We did manage to beat Southland without her and that was a game we had to win. As the results turned out, if we hadn't have won that game, we wouldn't have made it."
The Goldrush lost to New Zealand Force Academy 60-52 and was beaten 53-46 in the play-off for fifth place by Hutt Valley, which needed to win the match to qualify for the finals.
With its combined points, the Goldrush has qualified second with the New Zealand Force Academy gaining pole position with two second placings.
Lockwood, Wipiiti and Brown are available for the finals and dual basketball and cricket international Suzie Bates is also expected to line up for the Goldrush.
Matehaere is also hopeful forward Patrice McKenzie, who plays for the Melbourne-based Frankston Blues, will be granted leave from her franchise to join the Goldrush.
With those players back in the fold, and a home venue, the Goldrush shapes as the side to beat.
