MOUNT ISA BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
24/5/11 – ROUND 10 RECAP – THE FINALS BECKON

With just two rounds remaining in the regular season, teams arrived at MIBA Stadium this past Tuesday to stake their final claims for the all important finals positions in their respective divisions. On-court intensity was raised to a different level, leading many to speculate that this season’s finals series could be the tightest in recent history.

Ladies Division-A action saw the Celtics and Blazers 1 claim the competition points, going over the Pumas and Livewires respectively. This means that next week’s final round will be a dress rehearsal before the finals, with Celtics and Blazers 1 facing off for the right to call themselves minor premiers. With that said, the Pumas won’t be in any mood to be forgotten, and if taken lightly could be capable of causing a major upset in the top ladies division.

A few upsets in Ladies Division-B have blown open the competition, with any team capable of running away with the championship. The Highlanders 36-26 upset victory over the Kangas has propelled them potentially into finals contention. Eliza Freeman starred in the Highlanders victory, although it didn’t come easy with Susan Dwyer and Shannon Crawford ensuring the Kangas stayed competitive. If a few results go their way next week, Highlanders could find themselves in the finals at the expense of Blazers 2, who fell to the Half Stars 25-14. Natalie Norris once again stood out for the Half Stars, and has to be in strong contention for the Division-B MVP award. Shana Lestrange stepped up for the Blazers, and will be key to securing her team’s finals spot. In keeping with the theme of upsets, Sub Please scored a hard fought 29-20 win over the finals-bound Dribblers. Tracy Bicker stood tall for the Dribblers, but in the end it was Liz Armstrong leading her team to a heartening victory in what has been a difficult season for the ladies in purple.

In Ladies Division-C, Semi Pro kicked things off with a strong 36-21 victory over Blazers 3. Kimberly Stokes was instrumental in her team’s victory, while the Blazers were lead by a top performance from Kimberly Stokes. Blazers 3 will be looking to bounce back next week against Kinetic, who went down to Matariki 44-28 in a physical and occasionally spiteful affair. With the finals just a fortnight away, the teams would be well advised to keep their intensity reserves saved for the business end of the season.

The Men’s Division saw the battle for the top finals positions intensify between the Meteors, Celtics and the Blazers, with each scoring wins over the Pumas, Tsunamis and Matariki respectively. Meteors won a tough contest over the Pumas 53-39, with opposing captains Aaron Quilty and Michael Parker stepping up to the plate with aplomb. The Celtics and Blazers are currently tied on competition points, and both teams will be looking for any advantage available in the fight to secure a top-two finals berth, and that all-important second chance. For the Pumas and Matariki, they will be playing for pride in the final round, but both teams are showing great promise for the Winter season.

Next week is the final regular season game before the finals. It’s the final chance for teams to stake their finals claims, the final chance for players to gain votes to the inaugural MVP awards in each division, and for some teams, it will be last drinks for the Summer season. Who will be crowned minor premiers? Who will be judged MVP of each division? Who will play who in the finals? Only at the conclusion of next week’s final round will we have the answers…