WNBL Round 15 wrap-up
Friday 23 January 2004
Last weekend, Dandenong clinched the minor premiership with Canberra's two losses in Melbourne. Let's take a look at where the other playoff contenders stand.
#2 Townsville
Townsville vaulted into second position due to an unlikely set of results occurring last round but they still have work to do. Their win against Sydney was not so surprising due to them being at home, their hot form and Snell's injury. They will need to win one of the games in their Canberra/Dandenong road trip in the final round in order to guarantee themselves a spot in the finals (due to them losing both the Sydney and Adelaide tiebreakers). It's a tough ask but definitely achievable considering their good form lately. Townsville have found a good balance with many players contributing and Jodie Datson elevating her play at the point guard position. They also must not overlook Bulleen at home this weekend.
#3 Canberra
Who would've thought that Canberra would lost BOTH their games in Melbourne? That road trip reminded us that basketball is truly a team sport and even if you have one of the best players in the world, it doesn't mean a damn thing when no one else on the team can hit a basket. Canberra does have the excuse of injuries but the role-players overall have been disappointing all season. It's not an easy finish to the season with Bulleen at home this weekend and Townsville and Sydney in two days in the final round. They'll have to rectify their offensive problems or they could find themselves losing all three and possibly out of the playoffs.
#4 Sydney
The equation is simple for Sydney - beat Canberra and assure yourself of a top 3 position. If they lose to Canberra, it could be touch and go making the playoffs and if they do, it will likely be in 4th position. The week off will do Sydney some good - Belinda Snell will have time to recover from her shoulder injury and Karen Dalton will have time to ponder her team's weaknesses (inconsistency and bad decision making. Sydney *can* beat Canberra - they definitely have the guns to beat Canberra from the perimeter and it could come down to the aforementioned issue of no one besides LJ stepping up for Canberra.
#5 Adelaide
The equation is also simple for Adelaide, lose to Dandenong and miss out on your first playoffs ever. The game against the Rangers should be a ripper with both teams having strong frontlines and have a reputation of being tough on the defensive end but where the hell is Michelle Brogan? Going MIA at the key end of the season is not good and Jan will be hard pressed to find a good reason for her to be included on the Opals team.
#6 Bulleen
The hottest team in the WNBL at the moment are a few steps closer to achieving the unthinkable (making the playoffs) but this weekend is their moment of truth. They have to at least split this weekend's road trip to have a decent shot at making the finals. The problem is that the road trip is a road trip to Canberra and Townsville, playing them on consecutive nights. The Townsville game will be a tough one, playing the league's other hot team of the moment at their home ground, the night after Lauren Jackson. Still Bulleen have shown they can conquer the tyranny of distance after their win over Sydney the night after Townsville a couple of weeks ago. The Canberra game is the more likely candidate for a win but Canberra at home, is a tough ask. Bulleen's perimeter shooting will have to be close to flawless again and hope that Canberra's guns are off again. Could it happen? For sure but I think Canberra will be more alert this week and the game should be a great one.
In order for Bulleen to get over the line, I believe Hollie Grima must step up her interior play. Bulleen's perimeter shooting isn't going to be on forever and Hibbert's consistency and Milner's savvy have only gotten Bulleen to the verge of playoff play. Grima is going to have to step up on the inside and I'm not sure whether she can do that.
Full boxscores and results can be found on http://www.wnbl.com.au