Final Round Seniors Recap
MOUNT ISA BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
31/5/11 – ROUND 11 RECAP – NEXT STOP: THE FINALS
The MIBA Winter regular season has drawn to a close, and what a season it has been. 20 teams have been duelling for the past 11 rounds to secure those all important finals spots, and this past Tuesday evening they each had one final chance to stake their playoff claims. While some teams were seeking to secure their divisions’ minor premiership, other teams were simply looking to wrap up their seasons with competitive games in what many are saying is the strongest basketball competition across all divisions in recent memory.
Ladies Division-A saw the Blazers cap off an excellent season, securing the Minor Premiership with a 25-15 victory over arch-rivals, the Celtics. Lisa Parker led the Blazers offence with aplomb, but Kamrynn Roberts’ all-round performance kept the Celtics within reach from start to finish. The Celtics won’t have to wait long for a chance at redemption, as the Celtics and Blazers will face off again next week in the first round of the finals. The Grand Final awaits the winner, while Katii-Ann Batty and the Pumas (fresh off a fortnight off) will be waiting to spring an upset and catapult themselves into Grand Final contention.
The Kangas, Half Stars and Blazers 2 each capped off the Ladies Division-B season with resounding wins over the Dribblers, Highlanders and Sub Please. The Kangas wrapped up the Minor Premiership for the third consecutive season with a 36-12 demolition of the finals-bound Dribblers. Carla McLeod was the standout performer for the Kangas, and Claire McGoldrick put in a strong performance it what was a difficult outing for the Dribblers. Their finals opponents, Blazers 2, secured some much needed momentum with a 28-14 victory over Sub Please. Rebecca Lovelock’s 8 points wasn’t quite enough to topple the Christine Farlow-led Blazers, who will head into next week’s finals series with a swag of confidence. The Highlanders were playing to keep their finals hopes alive, but were pipped at the post by a determined Half Stars outfit, 31-18. Natalie Norris once again led the Half Stars offence with 15 points, and young Highlanders guard Eliza Freeman helped the Highlanders finish off a tough season in a game in which the score didn’t reflect the respective efforts on-court.
In Ladies Division-C, it was victory to Blazers 3 and Semi Pro, defeating Kinetic and Matariki. Although defeated, Matariki still secured their first Minor Premiership and top-seeding for the finals, and will face Blazers 3 for a Grand Final berth next week, after Blazers 3 topped Kinetic 37-30. Blazers’ Mereani Savuro and Kinetic’s captain Teresa Hodgetts both claimed 12 points each, and both teams will be looking for strong performances again next week when the semi finals tip off.
The Men’s Division saw the Meteors secure the Minor Premiership with a win over Matariki. It has been a difficult season for Matariki, however they’ve showed considerable improvement and enthusiasm from day one and it is increasingly likely they will build on their season with a strong performance in the upcoming season. The Blazers and Celtics both secured convincing wins over the Tsunamis and Pumas respectively, and by the narrowest of margins, Blazers secured 2nd place, relegating the Celtics out of the top two for the first time in 18 months. The Celtics defeated the Pumas by 54-37, and it was Jericho Young’s blistering offence (16 points) setting the tone for the victory from the opening quarter. The Blazers had a tough job ahead of them against finals-bound Tsunamis, but cometh the hour, cometh the man as Phil Brooks turned back the clock with a scintillating 22 points as the Blazers took the contest 57-25. Tsunamis were short of players, and whilst only trailing by 2 points after one quarter, ran out of legs with no subs to keep fresh players on court. Phil Ibardaloza had 11 points for the men in red, and will need more of that if they are to upset the Celtics next Tuesday.
UPDATE: Watch this space next Tuesday (7/6) as we break down the key match-ups in this season's Finals Series.
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