ROUND EIGHT GAME PREVIEWS
WOMEN
Friday 17 June 2016
Ipswich Force v Sunshine Coast Rip
Ipswich Force: The Force will need Morgan Pink to fire at home this weekend, she’s been quiet lately but has shown that when she is on song the Force can be a totally different team.
Sunshine Coast Rip: Last weekend college player Hannah Beede couldn’t find the target especially from distance. No doubt she will be ready to make amends this week as the Rip seek their first win.
With the Force suffering back to back losses in the road trip last weekend, playing at home Friday night will be a welcoming sight. Although the Rip suffered a heavy loss last weekend at home they will be keen to come out and show they aren’t so far off the mark; the Force will need to bring it in order to come out victors.
Rockhampton Cyclones v Gold Coast Rollers
Rockhampton Cyclones: The solid performances from Rachel Norwood in heavy wins will have her coaching staff confident she’s at her best and will continue to bring it when required.
Gold Coast Rollers: 23 turnovers by the Rollers last weekend is far too many and the Dolphins really pounced on this. Look for them to tidy it up come Friday Night.
The Cyclones return home after two big wins last weekend and will be full of confidence as they welcome the Gold Coast to Hegvold Stadium. The star duo of Payne and Moyes will need to fire if they want to make amends for last weekend’s heavy loss.
Gladstone Power v Logan Thunder
Gladstone Power: Charmian Mellars dominated the Force in a big and much needed home win. 31 points, 13 rebounds and 4 steals was more than enough as the Power got the win and earned Charmian the Player of the Week award.
Logan Thunder: Bridget O’Brien was a much needed spark for the Thunder off of the bench in a game that was mired with errors. She will need to bring her best game again for the two games Logan play this weekend.
With both teams coming off good wins, there is no reason for either side not to be confident of beating the other. Although the Power have had some good results this season, they’ve also lost some very winnable games. Will we see the Power at their best? To challenge the Thunder they will need to be, but only time will tell.
Saturday 18 June
Suncoast Phoenix Clippers v Brisbane Capitals
SC Phoenix Clippers: The Clippers staff will be hoping Jen Carden-David will fire after showing some glimpses against the Mountaineers, finishing with 12 points.
Brisbane Capitals: The Capitals were smothered by the Cyclones at NAB last Saturday Night, they were restricted to only 18.6% from the field in a tough night at the office.
Game Preview: With both sides fighting for one of the playoff spots, a win here is critical for both camps. With Logan and Bundaberg currently leading the way, either side will be wary of slipping too far out of reach. With this much riding on this game this should be a hot and fiery clash.
Bundaberg Bears v Logan Thunder
Bundaberg Bears: With Kellie Page doing a good job stretching the defence thanks to her hot shooting, it really opened up the floor for her teammates. The Bear’s will be hoping this can be repeated against the Thunder.
Logan Thunder: 8 assists by guard Mikhaela Donnelly was justified by her ability to find the open player and make the right decisions. She will need a repeat of this to knock off the Bears in Bundaberg.
With both sides having 2 losses to their name, this matchup could potentially have finals defining consequences. When these sights met in Round 1 Logan proved too much for the undermanned Bears, so there is no doubt Bundaberg will be wanting to make amends and look to take top spot in the Central Pool.
Mackay Meteorettes v Gold Coast Rollers
Mackay Meteorettes: Jacqui Zelenka’s production in her limited minutes was more than adequate in a dominant display against the Flames. She had 14 points and 8 rebounds in just over 20 minutes.
Gold Coast Rollers: Nadeen Payne had an off night in a game that the Rollers will be hoping they could have again. Her 6-19 from the field performance is a rare off-night and she will undoubtedly be at her best this week.
Mackay have another game at home after a big win over Townsville and will welcome a Rollers outfit who appear off the mark after getting humbled at home the weekend before. If Gold Coast want to show they are up there with the best they will need to knock off Mackay on the road, a feat that has proven to never be easy.
Toowoomba Mountaineers v Sunshine Coast Rip
Toowoomba Mountaineers: Beatriz Royo Torres was at her brilliant best despite the loss. Her 26 points and 10 rebounds was unfortunately not enough to get the Mountaineer Women over the line.
Sunshine Coast Rip: Jessica Elliott was one of the better performers for the Rip in a very rough night at the office, her 7 points put her in the top 3 for scoring in light minutes.
With success on the court a rare thing for both teams, no doubt both will be very hungry to taste victory. The Rip are yet to win in their short QBL history and they will feel this is their best chance to do so. The Mountaineers have only registered one win in the past two seasons so they will be just as keen to taste victory.
Sunday 19 June
Ipswich Force v Toowoomba Mountaineers
Ipswich Force: After a solid performance in Gladstone, young gun Shyla Heal couldn’t find the same form the next day in Bundaberg. She will learn and be better this week after a day off between the two weekend games she will participate in.
Toowoomba Mountaineers: The Mountaineers are currently giving up 89 points per contest. On the road Sunday they will need to protect the paint better and be stingy to keep the Force at bay.
The Force are snapping at the heels of the Pirates for second spot in the south pool. They will need to take care of business at home if they aspire to achieve post-season success; especially as they face the struggling Mountaineers. Toowoomba however will have nothing to lose will give everything they have and will sniff the chance for an upset.
MEN
Friday 17 June
Ipswich Force v Sunshine Coast Rip
Ipswich Force: Kyle Harvey and James Legan brought their A game for the Force in their double header on the weekend. No doubt head coach Mick Conlon will be hoping for another strong performance.
Sunshine Coast Rip: Hayden Reed showed up for the Rip in another positive display against a quality opposition in Rockhampton. He made three shots from behind the arc and finished with 21 points and rebounds.
With Ipswich’s roster looking like it is finally coming together nicely it will be interesting to see over the next few weeks how they fair against quality opposition. The Rip have had positive performances against two powerhouse clubs in as many weeks so the Force will need to play their best to make it a sure thing.
Rockhampton Rockets v Gold Coast Rollers
Rockhampton Rockets: Mitch Philp was gallant and as always led from the front last weekend, particularly in their loss to Brisbane last Sunday. 16 points and 9 assists was unfortunately not enough to get his team the win however the team will be pleased that he is playing some good basketball.
Gold Coast Rollers: Dwayne Vale contributed well in his 20 minutes however found himself in foul trouble. He will need to do a better job of keeping himself in the game against the Rockets at Hegvold for the Rollers to win.
Despite suffering a loss to the Capitals in their recent double-header, the Rockets will be confident of registering another win this weekend in front of their loyal and rowdy home crowd. The Rollers need to try and keep them as quiet as they can in order to give their stars and most importantly the role players the clear heads they require to win.
Gladstone Power v Logan Thunder
Gladstone Power: Superstar Import Ray Willis continues to lead the Power and he was nothing short of spectacular in a tough win over the Force last weekend with 39 points and 14 rebounds.
Logan Thunder: What cost Logan the game against the Marlins was the turnover count. 18 turnovers to 5 gave the Marlins the extra possessions they needed and they made sure to capitalise. They will do a better job of looking after the ball this weekend.
In a jam-packed Central Pool, the Thunder find themselves in a tight race with two other teams. Making it 2 from 2 this weekend will strengthen their case for a playoff position. The Power however at home are no joke and will go in with full confidence of achieving the desired result, time will tell as to whether or not Logan can escape with a much-needed victory.
Saturday 18 June
Suncoast Phoenix Clippers v Brisbane Capitals
SC Phoenix Clippers: Jorden Page’s off night coincided with a disappointing loss on the road against an up-and-down Mountaineer outfit. He will bounce back at home so the Capitals need to prepare to keep him under the raps.
Brisbane Capitals: Dusty Rychart was back to top form registering a double-double in a confidence building win that will have the Capitals confident they can return to the level exhibited last season.
Its 1 v 2 in the Central Pool as the Capitals travel up the highway to take on the Phoenix-Clippers. A win here will do wonders for the post-season aspirations for either team, so you can expect a high level of basketball. The guards for the Phoenix-Clippers will need to bring it offensively to counter the play of the likes of Anderson in order to win.
Bundaberg Bulls v Logan Thunder
Bundaberg Bulls: Despite 28 points, Scheraun King only managed 33% from behind the arc. A player of his calibre will be back on target this weekend so the Thunder will need to find an answer to try and limit his influence on the game.
Logan Thunder: Mitchell Young was a force to be reckoned with against the Marlins, however it wasn’t enough to get his side the win. 28 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks is a good stat-line so the Thunder need to find contributions from other players to help him out on the offensive end.
Even though the Bulls were punished last weekend at home, they have shown they can match it with the best on their home floor with a victory over Mackay only a few weeks ago. The Thunder although will be keen to make amends for their disappointing performance against the Marlins. With both teams having a lot to play for this could be tight and go either way.
Mackay Meteors v Gold Coast Rollers
Mackay Meteors: 8 First quarter fouls was too many last weekend and put the Meteors on the back foot from the start. Key players got into foul trouble and the Heat shot twice the amount of free throws as the Meteors. Look for them to tighten the screws this weekend.
Gold Coast Rollers: The Rollers had poor first and third quarters last weekend in a loss which got away from them. They’ll need to start off better after extended breaks to knock off a desperate Mackay side up in Candle Stick Park.
Mackay find themselves in the unfamiliar position of not being one of the teams at the top of the ladder. Quite simply this is a game which they need to win if they hope to repeat this season. The Gold Coast although are no joke, and with Australian rep Adam Gibson they will have the talent to win, so this should be an exciting matchup!
Toowoomba Mountaineers v Sunshine Coast Rip
Toowoomba Mountaineers: Charles Dickerson wound back the clock with his best game this season in a dominant win. 17 points and 15 rebounds was more than what the Mountaineers staff would have hoped for.
Sunshine Coast Rip: 5-19 from the field for star big Rory Sutton will leave him disappointed as he couldn’t find the target. He will need to bounce back and shoot better from the field if the Rip hope to register their second QBL win.
The Mountaineers bounced back emphatically after a disappointing loss to Bundaberg just the week beforehand. The Rip have played two powerhouse Northern teams in two weeks and played well but went home empty handed. Against less reputable opposition they will sense they are a real chance!
Sunday 19 June
Ipswich Force v Toowoomba Mountaineers
Ipswich Force: Guard Jaryd Eustace bounced back Sunday at the expense of the Bulls after a disappointing performance by his standards in a loss the night before. His high level play will need to continue as the Force look to continue making strides this season.
Toowoomba Mountaineers: Captain Erron Maxey led from the front and let his game do the talking as the Mountaineers took the chocolates last weekend. 25 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists was a major factor as to why his side was so dominant.
Well the one-two punch of Whitehead and Maxey was again on display last weekend and a diminished Phoenix-Clippers outfit copped the full brunt of it. However the role players will continually need to step up if the Mountaineers hope to return to the playoffs. The Force although have similar aspirations and a home loss in this pool game will be will have big ramifications, so expect their best performance.
