The Wrap Rnd 6 1st June The Wrap Round 6 1st June | Page 10

WOMEN
Gold Coast Rollers v North Gold
Coast Seahawks
Round 6 begins with a bang as the
Gold Coast Rollers take on local rivals
North Gold Coast Seahawks on Friday
night. The Rollers haven’t played since
Round 3 and currently sit 11th on the
ladder with a 1-3 record from 4 games.
Jacquie Luna-Castro has led the team
in scoring this season with 16.5 points
per game shooting at just under 50%,
whilst Susannah Walmsley has also
been strong with 13ppg and 7rpg. The
Seahawks were one of the few teams
to play last weekend and suffered a
20-point loss to the Logan Thunder at
home. It marks their second straight
loss and as a result sees them tumble
down the ladder to 6th after Round
5. North Gold Coast will be desperate
to stop the rot and there’s no better
chance to make a statement by
beating their coastal cousins away
from home on Friday. This should
be a massive game with a great
atmosphere and the result should go
down to the wire.
Gladstone Port City Power Breakers
v Sunshine Coast Phoenix
Gladstone will enjoy being home
for a double-header this weekend
after travelling to Mackay last Friday
for a tough 35-point defeat to the
Meteorettes. The Power Breakers have
struggled to find form this season with
a single win against Toowoomba the
only highlight in 2019. Gladstone will
hope Akilah Bethel and Ash Kelman-
Poto can put up similar numbers from
last week’s performance in a winnable
contest for the Power. The Phoenix
are 2-2 and one spot out of the eight
coming into their northern double-
header. The following day’s clash
against Mackay will be a tough ask for
the team and so will look to get good
form and momentum in this one at
Gladstone. Both teams will fancy their
chances and will be hoping that a win
here will keep them within reach of
the eight with plenty to play for. Toss
of the coin.
Brisbane Capitals v USC Rip City
The Capitals will be searching for
their first win of the season when
they host USC in Auchenflower
on Saturday night. Brisbane have
started the season in the worst
possible fashion losing their first 6
games to be the only winless team
in the competition. The Caps have
struggled to put points on the board
with Emma Read the leading scorer
at 12.5ppg. Madison Woodford was
instrumental in Brisbane’s last outing
against the Spartans leading the way
with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 5
assists and coach Marshall will look
for her leadership again this week.
Rip City enjoyed their first win of the
season against Brisbane in Round
4 and will aim to make it a sweep in
Round 6. On that occasion, Madison
Rocci top-scored with 22 and 6
assists, whilst Chevannah Paalvast
Bianca Abbott and Tahlia Tupaea all
averaged double-digits in the 25-point
win. The Rip have the wood on
Brisbane; however, the Capitals are
at home and desperate to climb off
the bottom of the ladder. Look for a
spirited performance from the home
side in this one.
Ipswich Force v South West Metro
Pirates
Ipswich will aim to cement a position
in the top 8 this week with two games
at home, the first against South
West Metro. In Round 4 the Force
travelled north to face the Flames and
Dolphins and were able to split the
result 1-1. After a close 10-point loss to
Townsville on the Friday night, Ipswich
bounced back with a commanding
95-77 win over Cairns the following
day. Amanda Johnson averaged
20.5ppg, 14rpg and 3.5apg, whilst
Kaili McLaren had averages of 15.5, 6.5
and 4, Amy Lewis picked up 13.5ppg,
5rpg and 5.5 assists and Rachel Mate
had 14.5 points over the weekend.
The Pirates would have enjoyed
the week off after a disappointing
Round 4 going down to both Logan
and Mackay. South West have a 3-3
record heading into the weekend and
sit perilously close to falling outside
the eight. Steph Bairstow had a solid
weekend in Round 4 averaging 14
points, whilst Kayla Roberts was
outstanding against Mackay with 32
points at 56% from the field. Coach
Edwards needs more from his team
to avoid the slide and will hope for a
more rounded effort against Ipswich.
This should be one of the games of
the week with stars on both sides and
a tight encounter should ensue.
North Gold Coast Seahawks v
Townsville Flames
The Seahawks tackle their second
opponent of the weekend coming
up against the Townsville Flames
in a battle that will keep the winner
within distance of the top four. The
Seahawks were disappointing last
week in their loss to Logan with Casey
Samuels the top-scorer with 14 points
and Deja Middleton leading the way
with 14 rebounds. North Gold Coast
face a Townsville side coming off the
back of a 14-point win in Cairns last
Friday and have now won three on
the trot. The Flames face their first
southern trip of the year and their first
game at Runaway Bay. Townsville have
improved their scoring over the past
couple of weeks off the back of strong
performances from Micaela Cocks
and Lisa Brennan. It should be a fast-
paced game with plenty to play for as
the top four remains within reaching
distance for both.
Mackay Meteorettes v Sunshine
Coast Phoenix
Mackay are the in-form team of the
competition after their sixth straight
win against Gladstone last Friday. The
Meteorettes were far too good for
the Power thanks to Erica Coville’s big
night with 22 points and 10 rebounds
to go along with top-scorer Alex
Delaney who had 25 shooting at
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