HEUIR DRIVES MARLINS FORWARD
DAMON Heuir’s case to be the QBL MVP gets stronger every week. The explosive guard led the Marlins to another win on Saturday night over the Gold Coast, dropping 32 points to go with four assists and three rebounds. Heuir, pictured driving towards the basket, drilled seven of 10 in a match-winning performance.
THE Cairns Basketball and Cairns Taipans hierarchy will this week decide who will finish the QBL season for the Marlins – Alex Loughton or Stephen Weigh.
In what is an embarrassment of riches for the reigning champions, the Marlins will make their final call if Weigh will return from his stress fracture in his foot for the remainder of the 2017 season.
Weigh is yet to play a game after Taipans teammate Loughton was signed as an injury replacement player with the cut-off date to play enough games to qualify for the postseason quickly approaching.
Weigh has increased his training load in recent weeks and attended the Marlins’ win over Gold Coast on Saturday night, in which they prevailed 99-85.
While the Marlins are desperate to repeat as QBL champions, the upcoming 2017-18 NBL season is the focus for the pair and no risks will be taken towards their Taipans campaign.
Loughton did not play in the second half of the win, feeling a tight hamstring after having minor issues with it earlier in the week.
Marlins coach Jamie Pearlman did not want to take any risks with the experienced power forward as they led by 19 points at the long break.
“There will be a lot of conversations (today) between the medical staff and Aaron Fearne in regards to what we do with Al and Stevie,” Pearlman said.
“Stevie has been looking really good on the floor. We will have the discussions and we will make a plan going forward.”
After the Rollers upset Townsville the night before, the Marlins killed off the game fairly early, leading 30-10 at the first change.
The Rollers, led by former Taipan Torrey Craig with 32 points, kept pace with the Marlins from then on and won the final two quarters but the damage had already been done.
With Loughton sitting with his hamstring complaint, talented youngster Denzel Kennedy saw more minutes and made two shots in an encouraging display.
“We executed defensively what we wanted to get done in that first quarter and just knocked down shots,” Pearlman said.
“It was a real double blow to start, we spoke about it before the game starting well and we were great.”
The Marlins face arguably the toughest road-trip in Round 10, away at Townsville and then their first meeting with the Cameron Tragardhcoached Mackay.