Mountaineers gear up for semi-final showdown with Capitals

With a league best 13-3 regular season record, the Toowoomba Mountaineers are hot favourites heading into the QSL basketball finals. Find out how they got to the semi-final here.

Toowoomba Mountaineers players celebrate after securing a home semi-final with a win over SD Spartans.

Their climb to the top of the QSL 1 Women’s ladder complete, the Toowoomba Mountaineers are now just a game away from competing for the ultimate prize.

The Mountaineers are no strangers to finals basketball with Saturday marking their third straight semi-final appearance, but the last two semis have ended in failure.

“This is our third straight post-season and we’re still just as excited as 2023 which broke a long drought and 2024,” coach Matt Cox said.

“The last time the women’s program won the title was 1975 and we’re determined to win this weekend to give ourselves a shot at adding to the trophy cabinet.”

Despite starting the season with just one win from their first four games the Mountaineers finished atop the table with a 13-3 record.

Their climb has been led by a dynamic duo, a potent 1-2 punch the likes of which the league has not seen in years.

Former Queensland Firebirds star Mia Stower has been a standout for the Toowoomba Mountaineers for a number of season. Picture: Getty Images

New Toowoomba Mountaineers import Gracie Stugart leads the QSL 1 in average points, steals and assists per game.

Former Queensland Firebirds star Mia Stower is a double-double machine averaging 16.14 points and 13.36 rebounds.

Stower is the ‘Tower of Power’ in the Mountaineers front court being fed by point guard Gracie Stugart.

Stugart, who leads the league in points, steals and assists per game, has been a revelation for the team – stamping her authority in the race to claim MVP honours.

Amazingly the young guard also averages the second highest number of rebounds per game – second only to Stower.

“We’re truly blessed to have who I think are the two best players in the league,” Cox said.

“Mia has been amazing for us for a while and Gracie is the point guard this program has been crying out for years now for a true MVP calibre player.

“The amazing thing about both girls though is how much better they make the players around them.

“Their spacing, positioning, experience and leadership lifts everyone.”

The Mountaineers are not just Stower and Stugart though.

At the helm for five season now Cox has helped oversee a period of massive growth for the Mountaineers girls and senior women’s programs.

“We had a lot of roster changes over the past seasons, players who have come and gone, but one thing has always remained the same,” he said.

“Our focus has always been on good culture that creates an environment where our players can develop, grow and importantly have fun.

“We’re also committed to providing more opportunities for our young players.

“Players like Halee Shipton, Chelsea Jacklin and Orane Epetahui to name a few from this season have really grown this season alongside our veteran players.

“It’s not just them though everyone in the squad has been key to our success so far this season. Our run to the play-offs is because of what this entire team has done.”

The Mountaineers face Brisbane Capitals this Saturday, July 5. Tip-off is 6pm.