WSBL Week 2 Preview
This Saturday night will see the Perth Redbacks rock the Belmont Oasis for the first time in 2007. The Cockburn Cougars are in town and are ready to do business. The Women will start the night off at 6:00pm against the struggling Cockburn Women.
The Redbacks Women got off to a solid start to the season last week with a 6 point away win over the Rockingham Flames. On the flip side the Cougars had a run in with 2006 SBL Runners Up, the Mandurah Magic. The Magic women were out to prove they were still going to be a force in 2007 and took it out on the Cougars, with a 44 point win.
Both teams are very young with the Redbacks average age of just 22.6. Both teams have also lost a lot of experience from season 2006 with names such as Vlahov, Hiddlestone, Pearman, Matthews, McIntyre, (to name a few), not gracing the courts for their respective teams. It leaves both coaches looking to the youth of their team to step up.
Christelle Sampi was a shinning light in Round One against Rockingham finishing with 12 points and 4 assists in just 20 minutes of action. Sampi shot 62% from the floor and 50% from outside, showing she is ready to take the step up to SBL. Latoya Wallace and Natalie Harris enjoyed their increased opportunities against the Lady Flames both scoring 11 points. Harris shot at 71% from the floor (5/7) and grabbed 7 boards in her return to SBL action, while Wallace managed to go 4/7 from the floor while dishing out 4 assists and 6 rebounds.
Natalie Harris in action against Wanneroo in 2005.
Sophia Kelly led the rebound count for the Redbacks with 8, to go with 5 points in just 13 minutes on court. Both Kelly and Christine Boyd (both over 190cm) will have to take advantage of their height over the Cougars and gain control of the boards early. The Redbacks struggled to rebound against the smaller Flames in the first half of their round one clash.
Lizel Buckley was the sole Cougars player in double figures in their Round 1 clash and Coach Mckay will be looking for more of his young squad to step up against the Redbacks. The Cougars struggled to shoot at a reasonable clip against the strong Magic outfit managing just 21% from inside and 19% from outside the 3 point arc.
One area where both teams struggled from against their respective opponents was their field goal attempts. Both teams allowed their opposition to put up nearly 20 more shots from the field which would be a worry for the coaches.
Stats aside, both teams will be looking to make an improvement on their Round 1 performances with both teams capable of a lot more. Christine Boyd shot at just 38% converting 5/13 attempts and will be looking for a higher percentage from the floor. The Redbacks will be looking to control the ball a lot better offensively after having 21 turnovers against the Flames.
The Redbacks Women got off to a solid start to the season last week with a 6 point away win over the Rockingham Flames. On the flip side the Cougars had a run in with 2006 SBL Runners Up, the Mandurah Magic. The Magic women were out to prove they were still going to be a force in 2007 and took it out on the Cougars, with a 44 point win.
Both teams are very young with the Redbacks average age of just 22.6. Both teams have also lost a lot of experience from season 2006 with names such as Vlahov, Hiddlestone, Pearman, Matthews, McIntyre, (to name a few), not gracing the courts for their respective teams. It leaves both coaches looking to the youth of their team to step up.
Christelle Sampi was a shinning light in Round One against Rockingham finishing with 12 points and 4 assists in just 20 minutes of action. Sampi shot 62% from the floor and 50% from outside, showing she is ready to take the step up to SBL. Latoya Wallace and Natalie Harris enjoyed their increased opportunities against the Lady Flames both scoring 11 points. Harris shot at 71% from the floor (5/7) and grabbed 7 boards in her return to SBL action, while Wallace managed to go 4/7 from the floor while dishing out 4 assists and 6 rebounds.
Natalie Harris in action against Wanneroo in 2005.
Sophia Kelly led the rebound count for the Redbacks with 8, to go with 5 points in just 13 minutes on court. Both Kelly and Christine Boyd (both over 190cm) will have to take advantage of their height over the Cougars and gain control of the boards early. The Redbacks struggled to rebound against the smaller Flames in the first half of their round one clash.
Lizel Buckley was the sole Cougars player in double figures in their Round 1 clash and Coach Mckay will be looking for more of his young squad to step up against the Redbacks. The Cougars struggled to shoot at a reasonable clip against the strong Magic outfit managing just 21% from inside and 19% from outside the 3 point arc.
One area where both teams struggled from against their respective opponents was their field goal attempts. Both teams allowed their opposition to put up nearly 20 more shots from the field which would be a worry for the coaches.
Stats aside, both teams will be looking to make an improvement on their Round 1 performances with both teams capable of a lot more. Christine Boyd shot at just 38% converting 5/13 attempts and will be looking for a higher percentage from the floor. The Redbacks will be looking to control the ball a lot better offensively after having 21 turnovers against the Flames.
Last Modified on 14/01/2010 20:35
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