Quarter Final Previews Game previews courtesy of Basketball Queensland
MEN
BRISBANE CAPITALS ( 1 ) V ROCKHAMPTON ROCKETS ( 8 )
Last time they met : Round 13 – Rockhampton 93 ( Hassan 27 ) def Brisbane 82 ( Rychart 23 )
Two huge home wins in Round 15 has gifted the Capitals with the number 1 seed for the entirety of the Playoffs . Brisbane boasts an incredible 8-1 record at NAB Stadium throughout 2017 , with the only minor hiccup being a 3-point loss to Logan in Round 8 . The Capitals have also managed to win 6 of their past 7 matches in the lead up to the Playoffs , with the one loss being at the hands of Rockhampton three weeks ago , although without star point guard Aaron Anderson .
Rockhampton on the other hand have only managed a 3-6 record away from Hevgold Stadium throughout 2017 . The Rockets were able to cement a finals berth with an impressive 103- 93 victory over the now fourthplaced Cairns Marlins , which proved to be extremely vital considering the Spartans upsetting South West Metro on Sunday . Hassan ( 38 ), Fowler ( 25 ) and Wager ( 20 ) all managed to hit the scoreboard in a big way .
When these two sides met in Rockhampton in Round 13 , Brisbane were coming off a massive win over McKay the previous night , whilst the Rockets were fresh and waiting for their opponents . Considering the absence of Anderson , the Capitals put up a solid fight in going down by only 11 points . Rockhampton have proved over the course of the year that they rely heavily on their 5 starters and do not rotate their bench often . Depth is an extremely important factor come Playoff time and especially on the road . Rockhampton will need a big input from the Christensen brother ’ s and Trevor Corrigan if they are able to match the juggernaut that is the Brisbane Capitals . The Capitals defense is the backbone for their 2017 success to date , as they led the league in steals throughout the regular season , as well as being fourth in blocks .
It is always going to be difficult to pick an 8-seed to upset the 1-seed and although the Playoffs are a completely different ball game , it is extremely difficult to see Rockhampton getting over the line in this contest . Brisbane should prove to have too much depth and class for the travelling rockets . Prediction : Brisbane by 12
MACKAY METEORS ( 2 ) V LOGAN THUNDER ( 7 )
Last time they met : Round 8 – Logan 101 ( Young 28 ) def Mackay 92 ( Bruce 27 )
Both teams had byes in Round 15 , resulting in them sitting back and watching the results waiting to see who they ’ d play . Logan were locked into the 7-seed before Round 15 , whilst Mackay was hoping for a Townsville victory on Sunday which would have seen them finish on top with home court advantage for the Playoffs .
Mackay were almost invincible for their first 9 matches of 2017 , going undefeated with an average winning margin of 19 over this stretch . Mackay suffered their first loss on June 17 at the hands of Logan . Despite still putting up
similar offensive numbers , it is fair to say that Mackay has not been the same beast since that loss to Logan . Mackay has given up 99 points per game in their past 8 games ( 5-3 ), compared to only 83 over their first 9 . The Golden State Warriors have proved recently that the best offensive team can win Championships , although Mackay will need to get their defense back to what it was throughout that 9-0 start if they want to win this year ’ s QBL Title .
Logan had a sluggish start to their season losing their first three matches , but have since gone 9-5 . Four of these five losses have been by 8 points or less , further highlighting their competitiveness over this span . Mitch Young missed 6 games , with majority of these being throughout June and July , where the team was still able to record victories . Without Young , the Thunder were able to prove that they are one of the deepest and most even teams in this year ’ s competition . Despite not having a lot of match experience with a full roster , if Logan can click by inserting Mitch back into the lineup they will be extremely dangerous throughout August .
The Mitch Young v Lucas Walker matchup will be extremely exciting , as well as seeing the Cedar brothers going head to head . The clear difference in the teams on paper is the point guard position , with Shaun Bruce proving that he is the league ’ s best facilitator all year and largely responsible for Mackay being the best offense in the league . Considering Mackay ’ s only loss at Candle Stick Park all season was to Brisbane , it is difficult to see them
12 # ourteamourtownourtime