With the Easter break fast approaching, teams in the Mount Isa Basketball Competition entered Round 6 with a similar goal; gain momentum heading into the latter half of the season. The intensity on the court seemed to lift again in Round 6, with all teams starting to eye off a rapidly approaching finals berth.

The Women’s A-Grade Celtics started the night off strongly with a convincing 48-19 win over the Livewires. Holly Trentin contributed 12 points to the Celtics tally, while Debbie Roberts was at her consistent best in a tough game for the Livewires. Blazers 1 were looking to further strengthen their hold on top position in the A-Division, however were met with a forfeit victory over the Pumas.

In the Women’s B-Division, Sub Please scored their first win of the season, knocking off Blazers 2 with a quality 17-15 victory. Kylie Harries knocked down 10 points and lead Sub Please from the front, and Marjorie Ketewai scored 9 points for Blazers 2 and made some decisive defense plays throughout the contest. Half Stars got their season back on track with a convincing 31-23 win over the Highlanders. Natalie Norris had the hot hand for the Half Stars, bagging a huge 22 points for the ladies in white, and Ngaio Miller continued to impress for Highlanders in her first season back on court. To round out the night, Dribblers lead from start to finish, upsetting the Kangas in a replay of last year’s grand final, 37-24. A 19 point haul from Tracy Bicker lead the Dribblers to a share of the competition lead, and Caitlin Gibson strengthened her position in the Best & Fairest standings with another excellent defensive display.

In the Women’s C-Division, Blazers 3 won their way to the top of the division, defeating rivals Matariki by 33-17. Chontelle George scored a hat-trick of baskets for the Blazers, who have started to gel as a team in the run to the finals. Matariki were lead by Katy Teaukua who picked up 11 points, and showed that the debutants will be in good form leading into the latter half of the season. Kinetic looked to get their season back on track against Semi Pro, but were also met with a forfeit victory. Semi Pro have now forfeited back to back games, and will be looking to a return to form after the break against Blazers 3.

The Men’s division saw wins recorded for the ladder leading Meteors, Blazers and Celtics this week. The Blazers opened proceedings with a comprehensive demolition of the Tsunamis, running away with the match 74-32. Blazers skipper and renowned hot-head David Klich was the main beneficiary of some magnificent team basketball, scoring 18 points, but Tsunamis guard Johari Caseres kept the Blazers defense honest all night, scoring 7 points and setting up team-mates with an impressive passing game. The Blazers have won 4 straight now, and will look to take that form into their next game against fierce rivals the Meteors, who also notched a commanding win over the ever-improving Matariki side, 54-18. Aaron Quilty was at his defensive best, securing rebounds and troubling the Matariki offense, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Matariki guard Shayden Kerekere from knocking down some huge jump shots down the stretch for his team. An under-strength Celtics showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with, scoring a 46-30 win over the Pumas.

Games resume Tuesday, 3 May at 5:45pm, check the website for details.