ROUND TWELVE GAME PREVIEWS
WOMEN
Toowoomba Mountaineers v Cairns Dolphins
Toowoomba Mountaineers: A solid outing by Beatriz Royo Torres unfortunately was not enough for the Mountaineer women to seriously challenge the Force last weekend. Her stat line of 20 points and 9 rebounds will need more help in order for a different result.
Cairns Dolphins: Young gun Teyla Evans would be keen to get back on the court after she wasn’t as impactful against the Cyclone’s as she would have hoped. She shot 4-17 from the field which coincided with a tough offensive night for the Dolphins.
Two straight losses by the Dolphins and suddenly they are in a position that requires determination if they wish to play in the post-season. This clash will be seen as very winnable for them as the ‘Neers have been struggling and are out of the playoff race.
Gladstone Power v Townsville Flames
Gladstone Power: Despite 23 turnovers for the game last weekend, the Power was able to upset the Dolphins due to their hot shooting. For the game they shot 50% from the field which is never an easy feat, so if they can cut down the turnovers they will be a tough opponent.
Townsville Flames: In a pivotal weekend, one reason the Flames were able to go 3/3 was due to the play of Natalie Novosel. She was a force on the court and averaged over 30 points per contest!
The Power returns home after the Meteorette’s ran them off of the floor Sunday afternoon. They will be confident however; as they defeated the Dolphins in their last home game which showed the league they are a tough opponent despite their position on the ladder.
Ipswich Force v Cairns Dolphins
Ipswich Force: The tandem duo of Lucet and Farley dominated both on the scoreboard and on the glass. With both registering double-doubles, they will need to be stopped if this Cairns outfit want to walk out with a win.
Cairns Dolphins: Myra Donkin was a key part in her side’s game against the Power and although the Dolphin’s came up short, she was a menace from behind the arc as she nailed 5 from 8 attempts.
The Force continues to surge through this part of the season and will go into this one full of confidence having won 6 in a row. They will be up against a desperate Cairns outfit however who simply must go 2/2 this weekend to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot and will give it everything they have.
South West Metro Pirates v Gold Coast Rollers
South West Metro Pirates: Despite losing to the Rollers in their Round 6 clash, import Erica Carlson was dominant for the Pirates inside. A huge double-double of 18 points and 20 rebounds would be handy this weekend if she can reproduce that level of play.
Gold Coast Rollers: Nadeen Payne was at her best with 29 points and 10 rebounds as the Rollers came up short at the hands of the Flames last weekend. As she had 33 points and 15 rebounds in the Round 6 clash, the Pirate’s need to be wary of her abilities.
Although it would appear that the Rollers have a playoff spot stitched up for 2016, they won’t want to slack off as they will want to pursue a home final. The Pirate’s will be playing for pride and when a team has nothing to lose, they can be extremely dangerous.
Suncoast Phoenix Clippers v Bundaberg Bears
Suncoast Phoenix Clippers: In a low-scoring tussle last Saturday Night, the difference was the Clippers’ Kierra Mallard. Mallard left her mark on the game with her inside play having registered 22 rebounds to go with her game-high 25 points.
Bundaberg Bears: The Bear’s couldn’t find the basket from behind the arc in a disappointing home loss last round. They managed only 6 makes from 29 attempts, and as the Rip were on fire, it may have been the difference.
The Bear’s find themselves in a very precarious position having lost four in a row and now behind the Capital’s for second spot in their pool. The Clippers however are coming off of a win and will return home full of hope that they can put an end to the Bear’s season.
Rockhampton Cyclones v Townsville Flames
Rockhampton Cyclones: Shanavia Dowdell’s return to the Cyclone’s line-up was a welcomed sight to the Rockhampton faithful and the coaching staff. 20 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists.
Townsville Flames: The Flames were smashed on the glass the last time these two sides met back in Round 4. Although this was some time ago, a focus will surely need to be the rebounding numbers for a successful result.
A win here for the Flame’s will go a long way to securing a home quarter and even semi-final. It’s much easier than said than done however, no team has beaten the Cyclone’s since Round 1 and they will do anything to ensure home-court advantage throughout the postseason. This clash promises to be epic as both teams have so much to play for.
Brisbane Capitals v Sunshine Coast Rip
Brisbane Capitals: A real focus needs to be put on the defensive end for this rested Capitals outfit. They kept the Rip to a cheap 36 points in their last clash. If they can come close to this come Saturday Night, they won’t be beaten.
Sunshine Coast Rip: In a weekend of mixed results, it was the impressive play of Claire O’Bryan that buoyed the Rip to an upset win in Bundaberg. Her 27 points and 8 assists would have the Rip coaching staff thrilled and confident of causing another upset.
Despite being outclassed in their last matchup against the Capital’s, the Rip will be quietly confident after beating the Bear’s last Saturday Night. Although with Lewis and King leading the way, this rested Brisbane outfit will be at their best as they aim for that elusive quarter-final spot.
Logan Thunder v Suncoast Phoenix Clippers
Logan Thunder: The usual hot shooting that Kate Gaze excites the Logan home crowd with unfortunately wasn’t on show last Sunday which coincided with a heavy loss. She will need to bounce back if the Thunder hopes to go home with a win.
Suncoast Phoenix Clippers: Back in Round 4, Katarina Flasarova brought one of her better performances of the season with 17 points to go with her 7 assists. The Thunder will need to watch her and minimise her impact if they hope to win.
A win here for the Thunder could ensure they get a home quarter final which will have been the goal at the start of the season. As the Clippers are coming off of a well-deserved victory, they will be quietly confident. Stopping the hot shooting that the Thunder possess will be the first call of order, as they have shown they can get hot and damage teams very quickly.
Sunshine Coast Rip v Bundaberg Bears
Sunshine Coast Rip: Kristen Langhorn lit up the Bear’s when they met last weekend so she will need to be a focus. On 13/16 from the field, she dropped 35 points and had 8 rebounds which the Bear’s probably didn’t see coming.
Bundaberg Bears: When Kellie Page shoots the ball well the Bears have shown that they can match it with anyone. Unfortunately, Friday Night she managed only 12 points on 4/18 shooting, which was a key factor as to why the Bears couldn’t get the win.
The Bears will be seething that their playoff hopes were dinted against a lowly side on their home court. Fortunately, they play them again just 9 days later so they the pain will be fresh in their minds. The Rip will need to bring their “A-Game” again Sunday, if they hope to upset a desperate Bundaberg side yet again.
Gold Coast Rollers v Brisbane Capitals
Gold Coast Rollers: Although Katie Rose has missed a few games this season, her production hasn’t wavered and she always puts in good performances for her team. Her 19 points 6 rebounds and 6 assists last weekend highlights this.
Brisbane Capitals: A week off for star player Heidi Freeburn is exactly what she would have needed after starting the season off so strongly. In the Round 10 clash against the Power, she went only 3/13 from the field and will be keen to bounce back strongly.
This is a must-win for the Capitals if they hope to play in the postseason, as the Bears are just about locked up with them for second spot in the central pool. The Rollers however are hoping for a home semi-final, and if they want to edge past the Force, a win here is needed.
MEN
Toowoomba Mountaineers V Cairns Marlins
Toowoomba Mountaineers: Even though Toowoomba weren’t able to close out last week’s nail biter against the Force, Erron Maxey definitely put in the hard yards for his team. He finished the game with 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists and will be looking for another outstanding game this coming weekend.
Cairns Marlins: With the extreme weather change that the Marlins are about to face it will be interesting to see if Cam Tragardh can reproduce his 32 points and 12 rebounds he came up with during last week’s match up.
Everyone knows how difficult a trip up the Mountain can be and that anything is possible in the bitter cold, so it will be crucial for Cairns to be ready for a tough match. Toowoomba will be ready to go and eager to get a win as they only just missed out on it last week and will be keen to dash the playoff hopes for their opponent.
Gladstone Power V Townsville Heat
Gladstone Power: In the tough loss to Logan, Yassine Ghomari was the leading man for Gladstone with 19 points to his name. Townsville need to be wary of him when they match up.
Townsville Heat: Peter Crawford started off last weekend with a bang having 23 points and shooting over 50% from the field against the Rollers on what proved to be an extremely tough weekend for the Heat.
After coming off a losing road-trip, Townsville will be looking to show everyone that it was nothing more than a slight glitch in their championship aspirations. As Gladstone will be raring to go in front of their home crowd, this is a real danger game as the Power will smell blood!
Ipswich Force V Cairns Marlins
Ipswich Force: Kyle Harvey will need to keep up his sensational play if the Force wants to roll into the playoffs. Last week’s performance of 29 points and 8 rebounds was enough to get his team across the line.
Cairns Marlins: A force to be reckoned with became apparent as Alex Laughton showed his class despite in the loss to Rockhampton. 25 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists is something any team would be more than happy to have a player produce.
Cairns will need to take care of business on Friday if they hope to have enough left in the tank to take on a surging Ipswich outfit on the Saturday. Both games need to be wins if they hope to edge out Mackay for a playoff spot. The Force however are tough at home with the likes of Legan lighting it up every game.
South West Metro Pirates V Gold Coast Rollers
South West Metro Pirates: The Pirate’s sent ripples through the competition as they knocked off the previously undefeated Heat. POW Tanner McGrew dominated the paint with 26 points, 20 rebounds and 4 blocks, so he must be slowed.
Gold Coast Rollers: Dwayne Vale most definitely earned his stripes last week as a shooting machine against Townsville as he shot over 50% from the field to finish with 27 for the game.
Even though South West were short on numbers last weekend they still stepped up to the plate. This weekend they will be looking to prove that their performance wasn’t a one off. Whereas Gold Coast will be looking to get some consistency under their belt to notch up a few late wins.
Suncoast Phoenix Clippers v Bundaberg Bulls
Suncoast Phoenix Clippers: If the Phoenix hope to beat the Bulls, Jorden Page needs to make sure that he comes ready to play. He struggled last week but will be ready to hit the ground running and come out firing.
Bundaberg Bulls: A low scoring final quarter is what ultimately cost the Bulls the game last week in a game that they feel they should have won. They will be hungry to start of their double-header with a win and to achieve this they will need to close out the game better.
Bundaberg will be looking to take care of business on this road trip and prove to everyone that they still have some fight left in them. The Phoenix will need to try and contain role players from the Bundaberg side if they wish to come out on top in front of their boisterous home crowd.
Rockhampton Rockets V Townsville Heat
Rockhampton Rockets: After a comfortable 25 point win over the Marlins last week thanks to a huge final quarter, the Rockets will need to make sure they come prepared as they look to take on the league leaders.
Townsville Heat: Mirko Djeric was missing from the Townsville roster last weekend and his absence was duly noted. Hopefully the week off has been put to good use and he is firing on all engines for what is going to be an intense match.
After Townsville’s disappointing finish to last weekend’s road trip they will be out to prove a point to the rest of the competition. However, if Rockhampton play with the high caliber they have been recently they will be tough at home. This one is too close to call.
Brisbane Capitals v Sunshine Coast Rip
Brisbane Capitals: The last game that the Capitals played they cruised to victory by 50 points but will need to make sure they are ready to go after a week off.
Sunshine Coast Rip: Against Brisbane’s frantic defense Hayden Reed will need to find his rhythm again to stretch the Capital’s defence after only going one from six from behind the arc against Bundaberg.
Even though their record doesn’t quite show it the Rip are a team that have been able to hack it with the best when the time is called upon. The Capitals will be no exception and so Brisbane will need to make sure they don’t overlook them if they want to claim top spot in their pool.
Logan Thunder V Suncoast Phoenix Clippers
Logan Thunder: After knocking off the top team Logan will be looking to keep their winning streak going. Mitch Young needs to have another strong performance to follow up his 24 points and 15 rebounds against Townsville to do so.
Suncoast Phoenix Clippers: The Clippers came out on fire in the first quarter last week and will need to do this again if they wish to challenge one of the best sides in the league.
If Logan continue to play with the precision and teamwork that they have been showing the past five weeks they will be tough to beat. However the guard play of the Phoenix can’t be overlooked, and if they manage to get hot the Thunder may have a hard time restraining them.
Sunshine Coast Rip V Bundaberg Bulls
Sunshine Coast Rip: Lance Hurdle came up with the goods during last week’s game in Bundaberg where he got his side over the line. His impressive 32 points and 8 rebounds helped his team register a tough win.
Bundaberg Bulls: Willie Shackleford once again proved that he is still a dominant player in the league, finishing the game with a double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds. He will be looking to bring this performance with him on the road.
This match up will prove to be fueled with fire, after the close game where Rip pipped Bundy at the post still fresh in the minds of every player and coach. This will be the Bull’s chance for some redemption on the road.
Gold Coast Rollers V Brisbane Capitals
Gold Coast Rollers: Andrew Lomakin will definitely be looking to improve on his performance from last week where he struggled to find the basket, going only 14% from the field against the top ranked team.
Brisbane Capitals: After dominating from behind the arc two weeks ago, Aaron Anderson will need to bring this kind of form with him on the road to help a strong Brisbane outfit to victory.
Game Preview: The Rollers will need to make sure they lock down on key role players for the Capitals if they want to stand a fighting chance this coming weekend. They have the experienced players who will know just how to do just that, so you cannot discount them yet.
