Boomers win Gut Check match

The Boomers prevailed over the New Zealand Tall blacks in game one of the Trans-Tasman series last night. Below is the match report from: http://www.basketball.net.au

Ingles fires as Boomers topple Tall Blacks

23.08.09

Australia's men's basketball team has avenged the Wallabies' loss to New Zealand last night by overcoming a physical Tall Blacks side to win the opening game of the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship in Sydney by seven points, 84-77.

[Box Score]

Trailing by three points at three-quarter time, the Boomers rode the hot shooting hand of Beijing Olympian Joe Ingles in the final period to get over a committed New Zealand outfit for the hard earned victory.

Ingles scored ten points in a blistering 90 seconds midway through the fourth quarter and finished with a game high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting including four three-pointers.

Dallas Mavericks forward Nathan Jawai was a force in the paint and finished with 17 points and a game high 11 rebounds while Beijing Olympian Brad Newley added 13 points and 5 rebounds, with ten of those points coming in the second half.

Kirk Penney led New Zealand with 23 points but only two of his points came in the fourth quarter after young guard Matthew Dellavedova did an outstanding defensive effort shutting down the potent Tall Blacks guard.

Boomers head coach Brett Brown admitted being nervous in the second half and was surprised that New Zealand won the battle of the boards, but reserved special mention for his game winning shooting guard.

“We were down going into the last period and Joey, through some individual brilliance, bailed us out of some potential problems,” Brown said.

“We have a team that is physically gifted so I was surprised that they got the better of us on the boards, particularly the offensive boards, but you’ve got to give New Zealand credit, they were an aggressive, tenacious team.

“We are on a bit of a youth kick but our young group closed out the game in veteran fashion.”

Australia’s victory was even sweeter considering Beijing Olympian Mark Worthington was a late withdrawal due to a foot injury.

“He’s done for the series and from a coaching standpoint that really threw me into a tailspin,” Brown said. “He is a grenade at the minute to the system.”

Brown also made mention of 18-year old point guard Dellavedova and his tenacious, aggressive defence.

“Dellavedova was tough and he came in and played great defence on Kirk Penney. That’s a hell of an assignment for a young kid to roll out at this stage of his career.”

Tall Blacks centre Alex Pledger scored the opening points of the game on a strong drive to the basket but when Joe Ingles hit two three pointers and finished a fast break the Boomers were up 8-4.

Penney then reeled off three long range bombs in quick succession and New Zealand was ahead 17-13 before Nathan Jawai asserted his presence inside. He finished with nine points for the quarter as Australia took a 25-21 lead into the first break.

New Zealand scored the first four points of the second quarter before James Harvey connected on a three pointer to put the Boomers back in front. Australia then upped the ante in defence and began scoring off turnovers as the lead pushed out to eight mid way through the stanza.

Australia extended the margin to ten points approaching half time before fatigue set in and the Tall Blacks responded with a run that reduced the lead to one point at the half, 43-42.

Ingles had a game high 16 points at half time, Jawai had 11 points and an equal game high 5 rebounds and Baynes had four blocks for Australia while Penney had 12 points to lead the Tall Blacks, who won the first half rebound count 23-14.

Mika Vukona scored first in the second half and Pledger followed with a rainbow set shot to put the Tall Blacks in front by three before Oscar Forman nailed a three to tie things up.

The see-saw tussle continued before Penney and Tait got to the hole on consecutive possessions to put the Tall Blacks up by five with 4:55 remaining in the quarter.

The physical battle fired up the crowd and when Newley connected on a three and Jawai skied for a rebound and put back the level the scores again they were in full voice, but they were silenced when guard Mike Fitchett nailed a buzzer beating three to end the third quarter with New Zealand ahead by three, 64-61.

Penney had nine points for the third quarter to take him to a game leading 21 points while Forman had seven for Australia in the period, but it was Jawai starting the scoreboard in the final period with two free throws to reduce the margin to one point.

Australia had good chances to take the lead but could not finish close to the hole while the Tall Blacks did just enough to stay in front until Ingles hit his third three of the game in transition and followed it with a long jump shot to put the Boomers up by four, 70-66 with 5:43 remaining.

Ingles scored his third basket on the trot with a mid range fadeaway to put the Boomers up by six then drained a three pointer to make it four in a row before Abercrombie stopped the rot with the Tall Blacks down seven.

But the New Zealand spirit had been crushed by Ingles and Ogilvy and Newley stepped up to finish off the Tall Blacks, setting the stage for a FIBA Oceania Championship series victory on Tuesday in New Zealand.

New Zealand won the rebound count 45-31 after it was tied 8-8 after one quarter.

The Boomers depart Australia at 8:45am tomorrow bound for Wellington and are available to media at the Qantas International Check-in desk from 6:45am to 7:15am.


Quarter by quarter:
1. AUS 25 NZL 21
H: AUS 43 NZL 42 (18-21)
3: NZL 64 AUS 61 (22-18)
F: AUS 84 NZL 77 (20-16)

Starters:AUS: Gibson, Newley, Ingles, Forman, Ogilvy
NZ: Tait, Penney, Vukona, Abercrombie, Pledger

AUSTRALIA 84 (Joe Ingles 26, Nathan Jawai 17, Brad Newley 13) bt
NEW ZEALAND 77 (Kirk Penney 23, Alex Pledger 16, Lindsay Tait 12)
at Sydney Olympic Park Sports CentreCrowd: 2178

Photo by Guil Hornos for Kangaroo Photos

SEABL Previews

SEABL MEN PREVIEWS

CONFERENCE GRAND FINALS

SOUTH MEN FINAL
FRANKSTON vs GEELONG
Saturday 22nd August – 7:30pm @ Frankston Basketball Stadium
Geelong has fought their way through to their fourth conference final in five years after a terrific 107-78 victory onthe road last week against Hobart. Geelong had six players score double digits with Import Ismail Muhammad dominating with 30pts@63%. Frankston are determined to secure their first Conference title since 2000 after a disappointing loss last year. Harms, Gruber and Kampman have guided the Blues to an impressive 23-4 regular season record including two
easy victories over Geelong. League MVP contender Andrew Harms has dominated the Supercats in both games this year averaging 32.5pts, 7.5rebs and 7.5ass including a Player of the Week performance in the rd11 victory with a Triple Double (34pts, 11rebs, 11ass).
Supercats enter this game on the back of a five game winning streak and are playing great basketball at the most important time of the year. Jason Reardon has been the Supercats consistent performer against Frankston this year averaging 22.5pts, 13rebs and 6ass. Geelong Imports Lee and Muhammad did not dominate in the games against Frankston this year but have showed in recent weeks that they love playoff basketball and keen to produce an impressive performance this week and secure the conference title.

2009 Head to Head

Round 3 Frankston def Geelong 116-94 (@ Geelong)
Round 11 Frankston def Geelong 128-115 (@ Frankston)

EAST MEN FINAL
BRISBANE vs KNOX
Saturday 22nd August – 8:00pm @ Carina Basketball Stadium
The Brisbane Spartans men take on rivals Knox Raiders at Carina for a fourth time this season. Over the years a fierce but healthy rivalry has begun and the stage is set for an East Conference Grand Final extravaganza. In round 10 the Spartans demolished the Raiders by 19 points, however two weeks later in front of 2000 spectators the Raiders snapped the Spartans 16 game-winning streak by 5 points in overtime. Two weeks ago, in the first semi final, both teams faced off again in front of a packed Carina Stadium where the Spartans prevailed by just 3 points. The atmosphere was electric and the black army, as the Spartans supporters are known as, were back in fine force. In all three games so far this season both teams have had a different player step up and provide their respective teams with respectable numbers. Brisbane center Greg Vanderjagt has averaged 23pts, 12rebs and 3ass against the Raiders this season and Knox coach will be keen for a solid defensive assignment from Lester Strong. Lester was impressive in the semi final game, but needs to make sure he stays out of foul trouble because he is worth more to the team on the court than sitting on the sidelines. Conference Leading Scorer CJ Massingale has averaged 27.6pts against the Spartans this season and after a disappointing performance in the semi final will be keen for a better offensive display this week. Massingale and Carroll will secure their third conference title in four years with the Raiders should they win this weekend.

2009 Head to Head

Round 10 Brisbane def Knox 121-112 (@ Brisbane)
Round 12 Brisbane Lost to Knox 103-107 O/T (@ Knox)
Semi Final Brisbane def Knox 113-110 (@ Brisbane)

SEABL WOMEN

PRELIMINARY FINAL PREVIEW

BRISBANE vs BENDIGO
Saturday 22nd August – 6:00pm @ Carina Basketball Stadium
The Carina Leagues Club Lady Spartans lost last week to Knox in Knox and now must win this week to earn the right to play in next week’s Grand final. Brisbane will be confident of securing the victory having defeated Bendigo twice already this season. Emma Randall has dominated in both games recording 21pts 9rebs in rd8 and 16pts 12rebs in rd 19. Her presence in the paint has been a major factor in both games and Lady Braves coach Jeremi Moule will need a solid defensive effort from Jasmine Finnigan. Bendigo guard and league MVP contender Kelly Wilson has also stamped her authority in both games averaging 20pts and is in fine form and keen to produce another solid offensive performance. Brisbane coach Donna Rinaldi may decide to let Wilson score her season average 22.75pts, but concentrate on shutting down Lady Braves other
offensive threats Finnigan and King. Bendigo has relied heavily on the threesome all year and need all three to produce double digits in scoring for Bendigo to clinch the victory.
Kate Willey and Shona O’Bree have had outstanding seasons this year, and play a pivotal role at both ends of the floor. Both Willey and O’Bree will share the defensive job on Wilson throughout the game and both are exceptional defenders and capable of shutting her down. Both players will also need to produce at the offensive end as the team can not rely on Randall to score all the points. This game will also be the last Brisbane gets to see of Australian Opal, Emma Randall, as she departs to New Zealand where she will compete for the Opals prior to returning to Europe to take up a contract. Should the Lady Spartans win they will need to play the Grand Final next week without their team MVP.

2009 Head to Head

Round 8 Brisbane def Bendigo 82-72 (@ Bendigo)
Round 19 Brisbane def Bendigo 77-62 (@ Brisbane)

SEABL Results

From Victoria way, the SEABL Results from last weekend:

SEABL MEN SEMI FINAL RESULTS

EAST MEN SEMI FINAL 1
KILSYTH (53) 100
(Werner 23pts 25rebs, Shanahan 20pts 6ass, Lang 14pts)
def
BENDIGO (32) 79
(Tanner 20pts 9rebs, Davis 14pts 7rebs, Randall 13pts)
MVP – Joe Werner (Kilsyth)

EAST MEN SEMI FINAL 2
BRISBANE (53) 113
(Vanderjagt 24pts 10rebs, Goulding 18pts, Demos 18pts)
def
KNOX (58) 110
(Hill 28pts 7ass, Rigby 21pts 5rebs, Strong 20pts 18rebs)
MVP – Tyson Demos (Brisbane)

SOUTH MEN SEMI FINAL 1
GEELONG (55) 101
(Lee 25pts 10rebs 5ass, Muhammad 18pts 11rebs, Cox 15pts)
def
SANDRINGHAM (53) 90
(Conn 23pts 13rebs, Dillon 19pts 10rebs, Crosswell 18pts 6rebs 4ass)
MVP – Clifton Lee (Geelong)

SOUTH MEN SEMI FINAL 2
FRANKSTON (36) 76
(Harms 24pts 9rebs, Gruber 18pts 12rebs, Kampman 15pts 6rebs)
def
HOBART (41) 72
(Banovic 31pts, Stewart 19pts 5rebs 4ass, Long 9pts 12rebs 5ass)
MVP – Andrew Harms (Frankston)

SEABL WOMEN SEMI FINAL RESULTS

SEMI FINAL 1
BENDIGO (43) 79
(Wilson 33pts 6rebs 6ass, Chalmers 15pts 8rebs, Finnigan 13pts 8rebs)
def
DANDENONG (34) 71
(Penaluna 17pts 4rebs, Todhunter 14pts 5rebs, 3ass)
MVP – Kelly Wilson (Bendigo)

SEMI FINAL 2
KNOX (32) 74
(Keane 24pts 10rebs 2ass, Graham 20pts 5rebs, Dunlap 16pts 15rebs 2ass)
def
BRISBANE (35) 56
(Randall 16pts 8rebs, C Smith 13pts 5rebs, H Smith 11pts)
MVP – Lill Keane (Knox)

SEABL CHAMPIONSHIP

SOUTH MEN (Conference Final)

Game 4:
Saturday 22 August –Frankston Blues vs Geelong Supercats
@ Frankston Basketball Stadium
Local tip-off: 7:30pm

EAST MEN (Conference Final)

Game 4:
Saturday 22 August – Brisbane Spartans vs Knox Raiders
@ Carina Basketball Stadium
Local tip-off: 8:00pm

Winner of both games will progress to the SEABL Championship game on Saturday 29^th August at Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre at 8:00pm

WOMEN (Preliminary Final)

Game 5:
Saturday 22 August – Brisbane Lady Spartans vs Bendigo Lady Braves
@ Carina Basketball Stadium
Local tip-off: 6:00pm

Winner of this game will progress to the SEABL Championship game versus Knox Raiders on Saturday 29^th August at Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre at 6:00pm

Ballin Round Australia, the Catch-Up!!!

Ball fans here are some of the recent goings on in the Ballaverse as I've seen over the last week or so. Firstly various reports from league playoffs around the country, a bit of Boomers info and mare. Happy reading.

The Central Australia Basketball League update courtesy of :
http://news-review-messenger.whereilive.com.au

Basketball: Matthews lifts Flames

18 Aug 09 @ 09:36am by Dale Clarke

Todd Matthews played a crucial role for Norwood in the fourth quarter on Saturday. Picture: Luke Hemer

A TODD Matthews-inspired Norwood outfit is now one win away from the Grand Final after beating Forestville 92-81 in the qualifying final at Mars on Saturday night.

In a highly physical rematch of last year’s Grand Finalists, Norwood’s defence was too strong for Forestville in the second half, turning a nine-point half-time deficit into a four-point three quarter-time lead and holding the lead for the rest of the game.

While most of the last quarter was an arm wrestle, it was a two-minute purple patch from Matthews that tilted the game in Norwood’s favour.

Matthews was able to drive through the Eagles defence several times in the last quarter to either score, or drop the ball into the laps of Dan Thompson or David Cooper to finish off.

Andrew Webber top-scored with 23 points, and hit the last of his six three-pointers to kill the Eagles - the Flames taking a seven point lead inside the last two minutes.

Webber also had eight assists, Matthews had 18 points and seven assists, and Cooper had 13 points and 14 rebounds.

For Forestville, Peter Hoban seemed its best option all night with 23 points and 20 rebounds, and Brad Gerlach had 17 points, with 14 in the first half.

The Flames will now meet Sturt at Pasadena, with the winner going express to the Grand Final.

Forestville will host West at Wayville in an elimination semi-final.

Women: North v South, elimination final

NORTH Adelaide’s women have lived to fight another day after knocking off South Adelaide 74-55 in the elimination final at Hillcrest on Saturday night.

Led by Olympian Jo Hill, who scored 21 points with 15 rebounds and six assists in a match-winning effort, the Rockets iced the game in the fourth quarter after leading by three at three-quarter time.

``The first few minutes of the game was scrappy and South got a jump on us,’’ North coach Mike McKay said.

``To our credit we were able to knuckle down and get back into the game.’’

Lauren Mansfield had 13 points with seven rebounds and Bec Lock chipped in with 13, while Tania Dhu was crucial with her eight points, six rebounds and four steals.

For South, Kerrin Truslove only scored seven points but still managed 17 rebounds, Cassandra Carpenter had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Sarah Peddle and Claire Johnson each added 11.

``Tania Dhu and Jamie-Lee Peris did a great job on Kerrin Truslove to keep her to seven points,’’ McKay said.

Women: Forestville v Sturt (qualifying final)

STURT is one win away from the Grand Final in the men’s and women’s competitions, after the Sabres women beat Forestville 72-62 in the qualifying final on Saturday night.

Sturt will now meet minor premier West in the second semi-final at Port Adelaide, while the men will come off the bye to play Norwood. The winner of both matches goes straight through to the final.

Angela Marino and Monique Bowley proved a headache for Forestville to deal with, Marino scoring 22 points with six assists and Bowley scoring 14 and dominating the rebounds to finish with 18.

Mia Newley top-scored for the Eagles with 21 and six rebounds.

Men’s: West v North, elimination final

WEST Adelaide put an end to North’s shaky season in the elimination final on Saturday night, 81-73.

The Bearcats won the game in the last quarter, where North only scored two field goals for the quarter, Westies overturning a one-point deficit at the last break.

West had a handful of key contributors - Ryan Kersten with 21 points and four assists, Chris Molitor with 17 points and seven rebounds, Blake Truslove with 11 and 11, and Anthony Spadavecchia impressive all-round with 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Nick Hambour was outstanding for North with 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Dallas Quigley stepped up for 16 and eight.

But the Rockets probably needed a big game from defending Woollacott Medallist Erik Burdon, who had 12 points on 4/20 from the field - a defensive win for the Bearcats.

Finals - week two, Saturday:

Wayville:
Forestville v North (women’s first semi-final, 6.30pm)
Forestville v West (men’s first semi-final, 8.15pm)

Port Adelaide:
West v Sturt (women’s second semi-final, 6.30pm)

Pasadena:
Sturt v Norwood (men’s second semi-final, 7.30pm)

SEABL Development League report: courtesy of Mark Quinn, League manager

D LEAGUE MEN GRAND FINAL RESULTS

SANDRINGHAM (44) 89
(Wilcher 23pts 9ass, Mueller 19pts 8rebs, Burum 18pts 9rebs 2blks)
def
KNOX (43) 81
(Gibcus 22pts 7rebs, Moult 19pts 7rebs 4stls, Bass 16pts 14rebs)

Sandringham Sabres were crowned 2009 CRAZY JOHN'S SEABL D LEAGUE Champions after defeating Knox Raiders 89-81 last night. Knox Raiders who defeated Minor Premiers Nunawading last week to earn the Grand Final berth started the game strongly behind the inside presence of Bass, Gibcus and Moult. Raiders started the game with a zone defence which caught the Sabres by surprise as dynamo guard Josh Wilcher was held and Sandringham were fored to find other avenues to score. Knox finished the quarter with a one point advantage. Sandringham were the better team in the second quarter as Burum and Mueller stepped up and provided the Sabres with a consistent scoring presence as the Raiders continued to do a stellar job on Wilcher
defensively. Sandringham produced three late baskets and went into the half time break with a one point advantage. Both teams shot the ball well, but the Sabres held on to the lead throughout the third term. In the fourth term Knox produced some costly errors late in the game and Sandringham Sabres Josh Wilcher was able to shrug off the constant defence and scored
11pts in the final term to guide his team to the Victory.

MVP – Neal Mueller (Sandringham)

D LEAGUE WOMEN GRAND FINAL RESULTS

NUNAWADING (34) 62
(Cole 14pts 2ass 5stls, Vanderzaag 13pts 3rebs 2ass, Yousef 12pts 5rebs)
def
DANDENONG (14) 34
(Appleton 6pts, Martin 5pts 11rebs, Dear 5pts)

Nunawading Spectres were crowned 2009 CRAZY JOHN'S SEABL D LEAGUE WOMEN Champions after defeating Dandenong Rangers 62-34 last night. The Spectres started the Grand Final strongly. In contrast the Rangers suffered with a number of costly turnovers and it was Nunawading by 15 points at quarter time. The Spectres extended their quarter-time lead to 20 points by half time in a low scoring game. The Rangers had a lot of work to do in the second half to be a threat to the Spectres. Accuracy and lack of scoring potential continued to plague the Rangers in the second half quarter although they were able to keep up with the Spectres in the third quarter. The Spectres however dominated at both ends of the court and capitalised on the Ranger's turnovers. By three-quarter time their lead was 22 points. At the 7 minute mark of the final quarter, the game was well and truly over. Nunawading were never headed and went on to record at 28 point championship win, 62-34.

MVP – Nardine Yousef (Nunawading)

Time to Catch up for tha week!!!

Ok, university studies have taken away a large amount of my blog time but here is my weekly update on the Hoops universe as I see it.

Down South Australia way here is the latest for the finals series from Basketball SA:

The Central ABL enters finals mode on Saturday August 16, with four standalone games guaranteed to attract large crowds.

At 7pm at Port Adelaide, West Adelaide and North Adelaide battle to stay alive in the mens elimination final. The Rockets left it until the final minor round to confirm a finals berth. Despite a solid month which started in late June with wins over the Bearcats and the Eagles, their last two weeks were less impressive, with a one-point loss to last-placed South Adelaide and a win over Centrals which was not as convincing as the 22 point margin indicated. Reigning Woollacott medallist Erik Burdon will need to recreate his early-season form to keep the Rockets in the hunt.

West Adelaide's finals lead-up has also been topsy turvy. Two weeks ago they upset league-leading Sturt, but last week lost to Southern. The Bearcats have a good mix of shooters (Ryan Kersten, Chris Molitor, Josh Bond and Kurtis Phillips can all light up on any given night), but it is more likely that the inside battle between Blake Truslove and North's Nick Hambour will determine the outcome of this game.

North Adelaide's women also face a do-or-die game, against South Adelaide at 6:30pm at Hillcrest. Little separates these teams as they finished tied on the ladder and split their two regular season games, so it was only Norths superior points spread that gives them the home court advantage. Look for another great battle of the giants between centres Kerrin Webber (South) and Jamie-Lee Peris (North) to have a big impact on the outcome but also watch out for big improvers Claire Johnson (South) and Kirsty Williams (North) to play a part.

In the women's qualifying final, traditional rivals Forestville and Sturt lock horns at 6:30pm at Wayville for the right to play West Adelaide next week. Given recent victories over West Adelaide, many predict these two teams might meet in the Grand Final, and either way, this weekends game will go along way to determining the likely Grand Final participants. With current and former WNBL talent on show including Sturt's Angela Marino, Caroline Burgess, Monique Bowley, Brigid Bowley, Katie Orr and Forestville's Jess Mahony, Dee Ranford and Mia Newley, any outcome is possible.

In what will no doubt be the loudest game of the night, Norwood host Forestville in the mens qualifying final at 7:30pm at Mars in a replay of last years grand final. Norwood enter the finals on a two game losing streak but still boast the best backcourt in the competition featuring 36er David Cooper, Keith Krause and Dan Thompson. Forestville dropped games to Woodville and Sturt in July but finished the season with a 69 point rout of Eastern and with Brenton Campbell returning from injury late in the season to join Matt Sutton, Brad Sullivan and Brad Gerlach, Forestville appears to have the edge in the backcourt. How well Forestville handles the vociferous Norwood crowd will go along way towards determining which team retains the double chance and the right to face Sturt.

Down South in the SEABL things are shaping up like this:

East Mens Semi Finals:
Kilsyth slammed Bendigo 100-79 while Brisbane got the best of Knox 113-100.
This week sees Knox and Kilsyth battle for the right to face Brisbane in the East Final
South Mens Semi Final:
Geelong ran past Sandringham 101-90 and Frankston held off Hobart 76-72.
Hobart meets Geelong this weekend to gain a berth in the conference final versus Frankston.

The East champions will meet the South champions for the SEABL Championship.

In Ladies action:
Bendigo blew out Nunawading by a score of 68-44 while Dandenong slipped by Albury/Wodonga 60-58.
This weeks action sees Bendigo square off against Dandenong with the loser eliminated while Brisbane faces Knox with the winner through to the Grand Final and the loser to face the Bendigo/Dandenong winner for the other Grand Final berth.

In Queensland:

QBL Playoffs XXIV
MEN

QF1 Rockhampton Rockets (93) def. Mackay Meteors (69)

QF2 Brisbane Capitals (108) def. Northside Wizards (94)

QF3 South West Metro Pirates (110) def. Gold Coast Goannas (100)

Note- Semi Final rankings based on end of regular season ladder

Semi Finals:
Cairns vs SW Metro
Brisbane vs Rockhampton

QBL Womens:
Gladstone 98- Rockhampton 68
Caboolture 74- Maroochydoore 66
SW Metro 55- Gold Coast 54

Semi Finals:
Townsville vs SW Metro
Gladstone vs Caboolture

Get out this weekend and catch the action in your area.

The Queensland Update.

courtesy of : basketballqld.net.au

QBL Playoffs XXIV- 'Power won't take no for an answer'

Rockhampton Cyclones v Gladstone Power, Fri 7th Aug @ 8pm (Hegvold Stadium)-

This stand alone Friday night Quarter Final will be a cracker. The Cyclones managed to scrape through their Round 15 double-header with 2 wins to secure the rights to host this game and they’ll need all the advantages they can get. The last time these two teams met it was all the Power as they cruised to a 93-75 win in Round 12. The Power combo of Natalie Hurst and Jessica Bibby are on-top of 5 of the 8 stat awards this year which is a real domination from a team that went 2 and 16 in ’08.

The Cyclones have adapted well to the loss of Abby Bishop with Haynes (pictured above) and Rush in-form, but this void is not something that can be easily filled. The Power showed their true colours on Sunday on the Gold Coast where everything they touched turned to gold including an impressive 6 of 8 three’s from Hurst. The Power will have a good following at Hegvold Stadium and are hungry to put Gladstone on the map as a basketball town. Not a bad way to close out the 2009 season – 6 seconds to go, 2pts down and the Townsville Heat’s Chris Cedar (pictured above) drains a long three-point bomb to put the team up by 1pt before the full time hooter sounds. The Heat walk away with a 102-101 win and finish the year at 6th place on the ladder. Unfortunately the team will not progress to the QBL playoffs in ’09 but this win over the Meteors is a very positive way to end the year.

The QBL playoffs are upon us. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2009 QBL PLAYOFF'S SCHEDULE. The number of teams remaining in the competition has halved and now that we are at the business end expect the unexpected.

Development League Grand Finals this Saturday night. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2009 D-LEAGUE PLAYOFF'S SCHEDULE.

Central Australian Basketball League Report

courtesy of : http://guardian-messenger.whereilive.com.au

Lions defy the odds

04 Aug 09 @ 06:43pm by Dale Clarke

FOUR weeks after North seemed to have closed the door on finals and padlocked it shut, the Rockets are facing a do-or-die final round clash with Central Districts to earn their spot in the five.

The Lions have been the story of the season in recent weeks. Since parting ways with import Oliver Prince, they have won four games in a row, including upset wins against West Adelaide and, on Saturday, second-placed Norwood.

To beat West, the Lions were missing Daniel Cioffi. That was centre Daniel Carlin’s last game before going to the Australian Institute of Sport. Since losing him, they beat Eastern, then South, before stunning Norwood 122-103 - this time without three-point specialist Matt Atkins.

In this week’s decisive encounter, the Lions will again be without Cioffi - who scored 36 on Saturday - who has headed back to Italy.

For North, the past four weeks have been a nightmare. The Rockets looked to have booked their place in finals when Erik Burdon hit a three-pointer to beat top side Forestville, in a round where Central and Southern both lost.

That gave the Rockets a two-game gap on Southern, and a three-game gap on Central. At the time, North appeared to have the more favourable run home of the three teams.

But since then, the Rockets have suffered losses to Eastern (9th), Norwood (2nd), and South (10th), to leave the door open for the barnstorming Lions.

South v North

Saturday night’s loss to South came on a three-point buzzer beater by South guard Dan Kosmider.

Trailing by two with less than 10 seconds on the clock, the Panthers rushed the ball down court, leaving Kosmider little time to get the winning shot up for the 91-90 victory.

The shot sparked amazing scenes, as teammates and supporters chased Kosmider across the court and formed a pile-on near the baseline at Marion.

``I started running towards the door, but it was blocked, then everyone just jumped on me,’’ Kosmider said.

``Unfortunately the position I was in, my knees were going straight into the ground, it was the most pain I’ve ever been in.’’

The Panthers had trailed by 7 with less than two minutes left, before Adam Blight connected for a two and a three pointer on consecutive plays.

Earlier, they had been down as much as 19 in the third quarter.

The dramatic win brought up painful memories for North - the Rockets were knocked out of last year’s finals on a Kosmider buzzer-beater.

The end of the game was also strikingly similar to South’s win against Central at the same time last year. In that game, Kosmider also hit the game-winner, which was enough to carry the Panthers into the finals.

On Saturday, Kosmider finished with nine points and seven assists, while Matt Davies top-scored with 22.

For North, Erik Burdon had 19, despite going 1/9 from three-point land, and Luke Mapunda also had 19.

Nick Hambour was solid with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

In the women’s, North secured its place in finals with an 83-69 win against the Panthers.

The two teams are almost certain to meet in a knockout clash in the first week of finals.

Norwood v Central

Central coach Scott Whitmore was thrilled with his team’s win (Central 122 d Norwood 103), which was powered by Daniel Cioffi’s 36 points.

``Cioffi hit some of the biggest shots you will ever see,’’ Whitmore said.

``We always talked about getting to a position where we needed to win this last game against North.

``That’s the whole reason for recruiting (Cioffi), to get us to that game against North at Hillcrest.’’

The Lions added Cioffi to their roster with eight games remaining in the season, knowing he would be unable to play finals.

On Tuesday, Cioffi and his wife Yolanda flew back to Spain, the recently married couple set to celebrate their wedding, part two, with Yolanda’s family.

``I singled him out in front of the team before the game, saying `this is what we wanted you here for’,’’ Whitmore said.

``He just said `I’m ready for it’.’’

Cioffi went on to hit eight three-pointers, including the killer blow with two minutes left for an 11-point lead.

The Lions had trailed by six at three-quarter-time, before unleashing their best quarter of the season to outscore the defending champions by 25.

Cioffi also had seven rebounds, six steals and four assists in an all-round performance.

Other Lions contributors included Jacob Templeton with 22 points, eight assists and eight boards, Ben Todd with a season-high 20 points, Lachie Parker also with 20, and Matt Clarke with 13 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds.

Norwood’s Woollacott Medal frontrunners Todd Matthews and Andrew Webber again provided headaches for their opposition. Matthews had 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Webber had 23 points.

In the women’s, Norwood won 84-33, but due to other results on Saturday, the Flames will miss out on finals this year, regardless of this weekend’s results.

Forestville v Southern

THE Southern Tigers women pulled off a late-season upset by beating second-placed Forestville 66-60 on Saturday night.

The result ruined any hope Forestville had of finishing top, but won’t be enough for Southern to get a sniff at finals, with only one game remaining.

The Tigers came roaring home at Wayville, outscoring Forestville 21-11 in the last quarter, after coughing up their first half lead.

Stephanie Gates was the driving force behind the win, scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds and four blocks, while Ashleigh Spencer chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds.

Jess Fergus scored 23 points for Forestville, and Mia Newley had 16 points on 8/28 shooting, to go with 10 rebounds and five assists.

In the men’s, Forestville was in control all night to run out a winner, 112-88.

Brad Gerlach had another top game against his former club, scoring 30 points with 11 rebounds and six assists.

Brenton Campbell also rejoined the Eagles, with 24 points including four three-pointers, while Peter Hoban ripped in a round-high 20 rebounds.

For Southern, Tristan Braithwaite top-scored with 22 points, SHane Boal added 15, while Michael Florance (12 points and 11 rebounds) and Brad Bungey (10 and 12) recorded double-doubles.

West v Sturt

WEST Adelaide is not carrying the best form into finals, despite being the dominant women’s team all season.

The Bearcats have sealed top spot with a 14-3 record, but each of those three losses has come in the past five weeks to fellow top five sides in South, Forestville and, on Saturday, Sturt.

The Sabres toppled West 71-60 to seal their own place in finals, with Norwood now unable to qualify.

West will stay top regardless of this weekend’s result against the Southern Tigers.

Brigid Bowley, with 18 points and six rebounds, led the way for Sturt, while Angela Marino had 18 points and six assists, and Caroline Burgess added 13 points and eight boards.

For West, Nikita-Lee Martin had 21 points and seven rebounds, while Sam Woosnam had 15 and seven.

In the men’s, West caused a stir with its 104-89 upset against Sturt.

The Sabres were missing Jacob Holmes, but the Bearcats still had to contend with Darren Ng, who scored 26.

Ryan Kersten had a top night for West, scoring 27 with seven assists, and Blake Truslove had 25 and 13 rebounds.

The Bearcat men are guaranteed to finish fourth and host an elimination final against either North Adelaide or Central Districts.

Woodville v Eastern

WOODVILLE will be setting its sights on sending South home with the wooden spoon when the sides clash this Saturday.

The Warriors, on the back of a 90-70 win against Eastern, can ensure the Panthers take the spoon home, as they are sitting bottom, one win behind the Mavericks.

The Warriors had big games from Cameron Wilson (24 points, seven assists), Chris Furness (23 points, 22 rebounds) and Adam Miller (21 points, 14 rebounds) as they easily pushed aside a Mavericks line-up missing Brad Hill.

Shane Breheny was again the shining light for Eastern with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

In the women’s, the Mavs got home 82-70 for what is likely to be their last win of the season, as they face Forestville this week.

Jamie Fricker scored 20 points for Eastern, while Jodie Barratt had a huge night for the Warriors with 14 points and 17 rebounds. Ingrid Richards had 19 points.