Round 15
Game Previews
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Toowoomba Mountaineers v
Southern Districts Spartans
In what will be our first ‘dead rubber’
of the final round, the last-placed
Mountaineers host the eleventh-
placed Spartans. Puseljic put in an
efficient 21 for the home side in the
16-point loss. Toowoomba shot a
respectable 47% from the field against
the Pirates but were clumsy with the
ball recording 29 turnovers as well
as allowing South West to shoot an
unacceptable 57% for the game. The
Spartans on the other hand were able
to break a four-game losing streak
with a 20-point home victory over the
Seahawks. This will be the opening
game of Southern Districts road
double to close out their season, with
a Saturday night fixture at Ipswich to
follow. Spartans have a great chance
to put a positive spin on what has
been a disappointing season, whilst
the Mountaineers would love to give
their fans something to cheer about
with what would be their first win
since June 1. Spartans on the road.
Mackay Meteors v Rockhampton
Rockets
A round 14 home loss to the first-
placed Brisbane Capitals now sees
the Meteors drop five of their past
seven games. Mackay pulled the
margin back to four in the dying
minutes but were unable to pull any
closer eventually falling by 7 points.
Despite the loss Washington returned
to his early season form with 25
points and 11 boards, whilst Cedar
stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points,
10 rebounds and 7 assists. They will
host the Rockhampton Rockets who
also suffered a round 14 home loss to
the Capitals. The Rockets gave up an
alarming 20 made three-pointers to
the Capitals which was a major reason
for the loss. Ogilvy put 16 points to
go along with 21 boards, whilst Shaun
Bruce recorded another double-
double. Both Mackay and Rocky only
managed to play seven players in
the matches against the Capitals and
both coaches will no doubt extend
their rotations in the final match of the
regular season. The winner will lock in
fifth position and a Week 1 date with
the Marlins in Cairns. Mackay in a close
one.
Brisbane Capitals v Sunshine Coast
Phoenix
With two huge road wins in round
14, the Capitals have locked in the
number one seed and home court
advantage throughout the entirety of
the finals. Magnay continues to make
his opponents think twice before
entering the paint averaging 6.5 blocks
in the two games to go with his 19.5
points and 18.0 rebounds. Cadee
was again awarded Player of the
Week honours with 25.0 points and
10.5 assists for the weekend. Cadee
is a likely out for the final round after
being called up to the Australian
Boomers squad, whilst the team is in
a position where they could rest other
players if the choose to do so. The
Phoenix kept their finals hopes alive
with an all important 6-point victory
over the Logan in round 14. In a match
where both teams struggled to put
the ball in the hoop, CJ Massingale was
the difference finishing with 30 points
out of his teams 77. Sunshine Coast
have their destiny in their own hands
with a final round win cementing their
position in the finals. A loss will result
in them relying on other results to go
their way in order to keep their season
alive. We’re tipping the Phoenix to
knock off a Cadee-less Capitals outfit
with the potential of other starters
resting.
Ipswich Force v Southern Districts
Spartans
After a strong opening term against
USC, Ipswich were outscored 16-34 in
the second period to find themselves
in a 13-point hole entering the major
break. The Force were unable to
recover eventually falling by 11 points
on the Sunshine Coast. Ferguson (27)
and Ghee (23) were the high point
scorers for the visitors, while Harvey
had a quiet 18 by his high standards.
They will play their final game of the
season in front of their home crowd
against a Southern Districts Spartans
squad who will be backing up after
a Friday night match in Toowoomba.
Both teams have had disappointing
season and will be looking to close
out 2019 on a high note. The Force
have only recorded the two wins from
their eight games at Llewellyn Stadium
yet believe they will be able to finish
their season giving the fans something
to cheer about. Ipswich by single
figures.
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