By Anthony Dowsley & Sarah Wotherspoon -
Hearld Sun
14 Jan 2005
Medal hopes: the Australian Deaflympics basketball team is ready to take on the US.
Picture: David Caird.
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These revved up basketballers are out to make a point or more against the champs of the court tonight at the Deaflympics.
Australian coach Daryl Beasley says his team has what it takes to win its semi-final against defending champions the US.
Beasley said it was the first time the Aussie has played the US and they were ready.
"Our goal was to reach the top four, so now we're reassessing how we are going to get the gold," he said.
The semi-finals will be played tonight at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, with the final to be played tomorrow against either Lithuania or Slovenia. A win would cap off a golden week for the Australian team, which began with javelin thrower Amy Mills's record-breaking win on Tuesday night.
Her win set off a week-long medal haul in which Reece-Emerson Ban Beek added another gold to his collection with a win in the men's 50km Individual Points cycling race.
In athletics, the women's 4x100m relay team came from behind to claim the bronze medal.
Australia is ninth on the medal tally, with three gold, three silver and three bronze.
