The Wrap Rnd 6 1st June The Wrap Round 6 1st June | Page 9

Rockets breezed past Gladstone,
this time with a 15-point victory in
newly rebranded Adani Arena in
Rockhampton. For the first time in
their opening six matches Rocky kept
their opponents under 80 points.
The Rockets have shown they have
no problems scoring the ball behind
the Big 3 of Ogilvy, O’Mara and Bruce.
Sean O’Mara was massive in the
victory over Gladstone putting up
37 points on 65% shooting. Bruce
distributed the ball well to finish the
game with 12 dimes. For the first time
this season the Marlins were able to
put together back to back victories
as they demolished the visiting Heat
in Round 5. Loughton notched up an
efficient 18 points for the home side,
with Christian Jurlina putting in 21 of
his own. Fisher and Krslovic both had
double doubles. In what looks like
the Game of the Week, the Marlins
will look to improve on their 1-4 road
record against the Rockets who look
as though might have finally clicked.
Hard to get a read on this game
but we’ll give a slight advantage to
Rockhampton being the home team.
Toowoomba Mountaineers v
Logan Thunder
The Mountaineers are still chasing
their first win of season 2019 with
their most recent contest resulting
in a narrow 6-point loss to the highly
touted Meteors. Toowoomba were
unable to capitalise on a 10-point half
time buffer as Mackay came out after
the main break and outscored the
home side 28-12 in the third. Despite
putting up a respectable 47% from
the field, the Mountaineers only
converted on 4-24 from deep, an area
which will no doubt need to improve
on if they are to record their first win.
The Thunder led from start to finish
against the Seahawks in Round 5
and squared up their record at 2-2.
Mitch Young, Thomas Ammar and
Michael Cedar all put up 20+ points
on good shooting clips, as Simmons
finished with a game-high 7 assists.
Toowoomba have been more than
competitive thus far, and a win looks
not too far away, although Logan
should be able to come out the better
in this one.
Mackay Meteors v Sunshine Coast
Phoenix
The Meteors just keep finding ways to
win. In Round 4 Mackay fought back
from double figure deficits against
both Toowoomba and South West
Metro to extend their winning streak
to seven and sitting comfortable at
second on the ladder at 7-1. Bryce
Washington put up a monster 20
and 17 over the two victories, closely
followed by Derrick Newton’s 20.5
points and Cedar’s 17 and 7. Sunshine
Coast will be playing their second
game of the weekend after a Friday
night contest in Gladstone. Despite
sitting in equal third on the QBL
ladder, Phoenix are still to prove
themselves against the league’s best
teams as each of their four games
have been against teams outside the
top 8. Saturday is a great chance for
Sunshine Coast to prove that they
are contenders as they face Mackay
in Mackay, one of the competitions
toughest tasks. Mackay to win
comfortably.
Gladstone Port City Power Surge v
Cairns Marlins
Gladstone will play their second
home game of the weekend as the
Marlins come to town backing up
from a game in Rockhampton the
night before. It may only be Round
6 but a 1-5 start sees Gladstone in a
must win situation in order to keep
their season alive. If the Surge cannot
record at least one win this coming
weekend, then you can all but rule
out any chance of a 2019 playoff
berth. Cairns on the other hand will
also see this game as a must win. With
the trip to Rockhampton looking like
a genuine 50/50 contest, these are
the games the Marlins cannot afford
to lose if they see themselves as a
2019 contender. Regardless of the
results in both teams first games of
the weekend, Cairns should prove to
be too strong for the home side who
falls to 1-7.
Southern Districts Spartans v
Townsville Heat
The Spartans enter Round 6 with a
2-4 record and find themselves sitting
10th on the ladder. Their previous
game saw an impressive road victory
where they knocked off the previously
undefeated Sunshine Coast Phoenix.
Christopher Whitehead put in a team-
high 29 to continue his impressive
start to the season. Whitehead is
currently averaging 24, 5 and 5 on
59% shooting. In order to knock off
the reigning champions, Southern
Districts will need to turn around
the poor form they have shown on
their home floor to start the season.
The Spartans boast a 1-3 record at
Rowland Cowan Stadium and will
need to start making the most of
home court advantage if they are
to be a serious player in this year’s
competition. It will be a big game for
Townsville big Jonathon Mines who
returns for his first game against his
old team. Tipping an upset here with
the fresher team to get the job done
on their home floor.
Ipswich Force v Toowoomba
Mountaineers
To finish of Round 6, we have the
Ipswich Force face off against the
winless Toowoomba Mountaineers.
With both teams a combined 1-9, this
is the perfect opportunity for either
team to record a much-needed
victory and get their season back
on track. Ipswich are backing up
from a Saturday night home match
against South West and Toowoomba
a matchup against the Thunder.
The Mountaineers will put a lot of
effort into stopping the league’s
leading scorer Kyle Harvey. Not only
is Harvey averaging 32 a night, his
three-point percentage is a staggering
59%, proving he is just as deadly
from outside as he is inside the arc. If
Toowoomba slow down Harvey they
should win this game, but with this
being easier said then done we think
Harvey will lead the Force to a close
victory at Llewellyn Stadium.
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