Flames need to step up after shock Power defeat
TOWNSVILLE Flames coach Brady Walmsley has demanded more consistency from his team after their tough 80- 72 loss to the Port City Power on Saturday night.
A fast start from the competition leading Power helped them race out to a 23- 11 lead after the first period and they were able to continually keep the Flames at bay.
The Flames managed just 23 points in the first two quarters and despite a vastly improved second half performance, Walmsley’s team were unable to bridge the gap and steal a home win.
“It wasn’t really until half- time that we got going and against good teams like Gladstone you just can’t let them get out in front like we did,” he said.
“I think that we showed in the second half that when we do things the right way we can compete against anyone in this league but we need to find a way to do that for 40 minutes.”
Their loss saw them slip to fifth in the QBL standings with a 7- 4 record for the season and with fellow Northern pool clubs the Power, Mackay and Cairns ahead of them, the next few weeks will be hugely important to their playoff aspirations.
“We’ve had a really competitive run over the last three or four games and our next few games are really must- win for us,” he said.
The Townsville Heat enjoyed much more successful night as they stormed home to an 86- 72 win over Gladstone.
Crocodiles point guard Mitch Norton led with 20 points and four assists, while Harry Froling also excelled with an 18- point, 11- rebound double coming off the bench.
Veteran forward Max Murray capped a big week with 13 points and four rebounds and Heat coach Rodney Anderson praised his squad’s resolve bouncing back from last week’s overtime loss.
“Last week we knew that we let the game slip away so I was really happy with how everyone approached training and bounced back on Saturday night,” he said.
“Gladstone have had a really tough schedule lately so we really wanted to push the pace, make them grind in defence and the guys followed the game plan exactly as I hoped.”