The men’s team earned a home semi-final berth after topping the ladder in the regular season, and made it count with an 89-75 win against the Seahawks.

Horsham had beaten Warrnambool comfortably twice during the regular season but the visitors made it clear they were not there just to make up the numbers.

The Hornets jumped out of the blocks, with guard Tim Pickert fouled as he completed a breakaway layup and converted the free throw for a 3-0 lead.

Jordyn Burke scored again on the fast break and co-coach Cam Bruce found Pickert spotted up for a three-pointer, giving the home side an 8-0 advantage.

Warrnambool’s game plan was simple – get the ball inside to big men Liam Killey and Curtis Ryan and try to exploit mismatches against smaller Horsham defenders such as Burke and Damien Skurrie.

Horsham did a good job of dropping back into the paint and cutting off passing angles, forcing the Seahawks to settle for outside jump shots.

Just when the Hornets were threatening to build a big lead, Warrnambool hit back.

Ryan scored the Seahawks’ first two points on a midrange jump shot – a sign of things to come.

The teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter, leaving Horsham with an 18-12 lead at the first break.

Warrnambool struggled to contain Bruce, Pickert, Burke and co-coach Mark Dorward, who all blew past defenders to score or draw fouls at the rim in the first half.

The Seahawks finally addressed the problem just before half-time by switching to a 3-2 zone defence.

The move cut off driving lanes for the Hornets and temporarily stalled their offence.

At the other end, Ryan continued his dominance, scoring on the post against the smaller Michael O’Callaghan and hitting outside shots to keep his side in the game.

Securing defensive rebounds was one of Horsham’s main concerns. Often the Hornets would force Warrnambool into a bad shot only to give up a rebound for an easy score or foul.

The home side was at its best when it generated steals and ran in transition, and Bruce was happy to oblige.

Bruce roamed the passing lanes and forced turnovers to start the third quarter, finding team-mates in transition or scoring himself.

With things starting to get out of hand for Warrnambool, it was guards Fletcher Steere and James Mitchell who brought the team back into the contest.

The pair hit several mid-range shots and worked their way to the free throw line as the tide started to turn early in the last quarter.

Steere was fouled by O’Callaghan on a fast break and still somehow managed to convert the layup, and O’Callaghan’s frustrated outburst drew a technical foul from the referees.

Mitchell converted both technical free throws to trim a one-time 14-point lead to single digits, and then combined with Ryan on back-to-back Warrnambool scores to narrow the gap to seven.

The home crowd was starting to get nervous, but veteran Damien Skurrie ignited the team and the fans with a steal, setting off a fast break that finished with a Matt Lovel and-one opportunity.

Whenever the Hornets needed a big basket to quell the Warrnambool momentum, they got it.

Ryan hit three big three-pointers down the stretch and finished with a game-high 31 points, but it was too little, too late for the Seahawks.

Pickert led the Hornets with 23 points, while Bruce, Burke, Lovel, Skurrie and Dorward each finished in double digits.

Horsham will face the Colac Kookas at home on Saturday in the grand final.

The Kookas knocked out reigning south-west conference champion Mount Gambier at the weekend.

It is a chance for Horsham to go one better than last year, when it lost in the grand final.

Dorward said he was thrilled by the way his team responded to the Warrnambool challenge.

‘‘It was very physical, but we expected that because they’ve got some huge guys out there,’’ he said.

‘‘Our big guys, Jordy and Skuzz, gave away a bit of size, but the way they battled in there was unbelievable and it’s a credit to them.

‘‘We focused on fronting the big guys and the guards hedged down a bit to help out.

"Our experience helped against a young team like that and they will get better the longer they play together.

‘‘In the end, we did it as a team, which is all we can ask for.’’

Dorward said the team was ready for its chance at grand final redemption.

‘‘To get back to the grand final is a big achievement and I’m pretty proud of it,’’ he said.

‘‘To have it at home is going to be awesome and that’s what we strive for at the start of the year.

‘‘Now there’s only one more step to go.’’