Meteors aim for sky

Coach confident game plan will send Cairns packing

IF CAIRNS is expecting to dine out at the Crater tonight they’ll be disappointed after Mackay Meteors coach Cameron Tragardh said the buffet was closed for business.

With the run of the court in their finals opener against Logan, Cairns fired from threepoint range and in the key to down the Thunder 112-94 and qualify for this weekend’s first semi-final in Mackay.

But with the Meteors ready to lock down, Tragardh said that despite their run against the Thunder, lightning won’t strike twice at the Crater.

“Cairns hit 15 threes (against Logan) and that seems like heaps, but if you look closer, Logan gave up 24 free throws and 40 points in the key.

“That’s what I call a Sizzler, because that’s an all-you-can- eat buffet,” he said. “So we will have to stay disciplined and … don’t jump at shot fakes like dolphins out of the water. We have to stay solid with our plan and I think we’ll win.”

The last time the sides met was a rare blemish on the Meteors’ season, as Cairns upset the minor premiers 81-77.

With a star starting five who have all been training with the Cairns Taipans during the Na- tional Basketball League preseason, they’ll again be a tough proposition.

“They’ll come in sharp and shooting the ball well … they’re a tough prospect to play with five full-time basketballers,” Tragardh said.

“But we have great mateship and culture and a bit of a veteran group, so we’ll be loose and confident.”

With the memory of the upset still fresh in their minds, Tragardh said it played into his side’s hands, with the Meteors looking to repay the favour.

“We hate losing in this building, So we felt dirty after our loss and needed to feel that and get it out of the system and know that (we) don’t want to feel that again.

Mackay’s last hope left standing after the Meteorettes went out of the finals with a 95-72 loss to Ipswich last weekend, Tragardh said the Meteors would carry the torch.

“Ian Haughton (Meteorettes coach) did an outstanding job with them and while it’s disappointing they lost, they can hold their heads extremely high,” Tragardh said.

“The torch gets moved on to us; we feel we represent them too … we’re one club – the men and the women.”