The Wrap Rnd 6 1st June The Wrap Round 6 1st June | Page 11

77% including 6-8 from downtown.
Mackay’s depth has been sensational
in the past few weeks with many
valuable minutes going to the bench.
The Phoenix travel to Mackay on
the back of a trip to Gladstone with
a shot to enter the top eight by the
end of the weekend. Sunshine Coast
currently commit the most turnovers
per game in the league and cannot
afford to gift Mackay easy ball on the
weekend. Aliyah Huland El, Casey
Lockwood and Carlie Smith have put
up good numbers this season and
all three will be vital to the team’s
chances. Mackay have been lights out
the past month and will be tough to
beat at home.
Rockhampton Cyclones v Cairns
Dolphins
Rockhampton sit third on the ladder
thanks to a 5-1 record and will be
hoping for four straight wins when
they host the Dolphins. The Cyclones
endured a hard-fought 5-point win
over rivals Gladstone in Round 4
thanks to a big performance from
Brooke Blair. Blair had 28 points and
9 rebounds in the win, whilst Chloe
Snow had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Rockhampton are the third highest
scoring team in the league which is a
stat that Cairns will need to address in
their defensive scheme on Saturday.
The Dolphins remain one off the
bottom of the ladder and despite
some spirited performances in the
past week have not won since the
opening round. It’s a tough road trip
for Cairns who will be desperate to
get their season going heading into
the second half of the year.
Toowoomba Mountaineers v
Logan Thunder
The Mountaineers face another
double-header in Round 6 starting
with a home encounter against an
in-form Logan Thunder. Toowoomba
have just the one win this season but
still find themselves within reach of
the eight. The Mountaineers put up a
league-low 44 points against Mackay
a fortnight ago and with a high-
scoring Thunder team heading to
Toowoomba, they will need to ensure
that their shooting improves after just
19 from 65 in the loss. Logan claimed
their third win of the season last week
taking care of the Seahawks 82-62. All
five starters were in double-digits with
Ash Taia the top scorer on 18. Mikaela
Reuf was outstanding grabbing 15
boards and Mikhaela Cann had
another dominant outing with 8
assists and leads the league in that
department by a fair way. It’s tough
to see Toowoomba winning this one,
but after a shock Round 1 win against
the Pirates anything can happen at the
Clive Berghofer Centre.
Gladstone Port City Power Breakers
v Cairns Dolphins
The Power face Cairns in both teams’
second game of the weekend at
Gladstone on Sunday. Amarah
Coleman is the leading scorer for
Gladstone this season averaging 18
a game whilst Akilah Bethel has 16.
The Power’s offense has been quite
strong this season, however the
defence is the big worry for coach
Cooper with Gladstone leaking 84
points per game. Cairns on the other
hand have struggled to put the ball
in the basket averaging just 61 points
on offense. The Dolphins have used
15 players over the stretch with one of
the best performers being young-gun
Shaneice Swain who has averaged
over 16 a game. It’s a must-win clash
for both sides who are staring down
the barrel of multiple losses this early
in the season. If either team wants a
chance to play finals this year, they
must get a win on the board this
weekend.
Carina Leagues Club Lady Spartans
v Townsville Flames
Southern Districts continue to set the
benchmark for the competition as the
two-time defending championships
remain undefeated in 2019. The
Spartans enjoyed another successful
weekend in Round 4 beating the
Capitals and Phoenix to record six
straight for the season. Leah Scott
put in a tremendous performance
against the Phoenix with 29 points
and 15 rebounds and currently leads
the league with 22.5 points per game.
Aja Parham-Ammar has continued
to be productive averaging 13 points,
8 rebounds and 3 assists a game.
Townsville face their 2018 Grand Final
nemesis coming off the back of a
trip to Runaway Bay the night prior.
Micaela Cocks and Lisa Brennan each
had 19 points in last weekend’s win
over Cairns, whilst Alicia Froling was
again dominant in the paint with 17
rebounds and 3 blocks. It promises
to be a mouth-watering clash
between two of the top teams in the
competition, but you can’t look past
the form of the Spartans and at home
they should have enough to win this
one.
Ipswich Force v Toowoomba
Mountaineers
Ipswich and Toowoomba go head-
to-head in each team’s second game
of the weekend to finish off Round
6. The Force will once again be led
by the 2018 MVP Amanda Johnson
who after a slow start has begun
to register similar numbers to last
year’s campaign. Ipswich lead the
competition with assists and currently
score the most points per game. It will
be a tough ask for the Mountaineers
who come into the game as one of
four teams with just one win to their
name. Toowoomba will look to Anita
Brown to lead their attack as she
currently averages over 22 points per
game making her the second highest
scorer in the league. A potential
shootout with Amanda Johnson
should make for good viewing.
Ipswich have the luxury of playing
at home and with a strong crowd
behind them should maintain their
dominance over Toowoomba
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