Fire need to fix defensive frailties for do- or- die game two: Wilson Flames were ‘ unbeatable’
RECENTLY retired WNBL stalwart Carly Wilson believes no team in league history would have matched it with Sydney in their brutal 111- 69 semi- final smashing of Townsville on Saturday.
But she insists the Fire are a “proud team” and can address their defensive frailties by mixing up what they throw at the Flames in Friday’s do- or- die game two in Townsville.
Wilson and fellow former STAR import Bryce Cotton overcame a slow start to help power the Perth Wildcats to an 89- 77 victory over the Illawarra Hawks in game one of the best- of- five NBL grand final series at Perth Arena.
Cotton was scoreless and looking off his game midway through the second term as the Hawks opened up an eight- point lead. But the former NBA guard shot to life before halftime, nailing 11 points in a six- minute flurry to reverse the momentum.
Cotton finished with 18 points, while Casey Prather ( 22) and Matt Knight ( 18) were also crucial in the hard- fought win. Australian Opal Jenni Screen commentated the match for the WNBL and were shocked by the gravity of the defeat.
Wilson played her final career game against Townsville last week for Canberra, the Capitals sending her off with a 90- 83 road win.
She is well placed to comment on the Fire’s issues.
“I’m trying to think of a previous WNBL final where a team could have beaten Sydney tonight. I’m not sure there has been,” Wilson said.
“If they play like that no one’s going to get anywhere near them, they were phenomenal.
“But this is an experienced
Wildcats captain Damian Martin starred in defence, even producing a spectacular block in the first term when the Wildcats were struggling for momentum.
Cody Ellis ( 12 points) top scored for the Hawks, while Tim Coenraad, Rhys Martin, and Rotnei Clarke were next best with 11 points apiece.
Hawks big man AJ Ogilvy entered the match under an injury cloud after twice rolling his ankle in Thursday’s semi- final win over Adelaide. Ogilvy was given the green light to face the Wildcats but his impact was minimal.
The Hawks are hopeful import Marvelle Harris will return for game ( Townsville) team, they’re a proud club, and so they should be.
“It’s going to be a long training week because they’ll be itching to get back on to the court and prove to the rest of the league it’s a one- off.”
Screen said the effort indicators told against the Fire.
“They got pummelled on the offensive glass, not just their bigs but the smalls,” she said.
“It was massive and they had way too many turnovers ( 18- 8).
“I’m not taking anything away from Sydney, you still have to put the ball in the hole, but Townsville are two million two at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Wednesday. He missed the grand final opener after flying to the US to be with his sick father.
The Wildcats made a nervous start to the match, with Cotton’s unusually quiet start allowing the Hawks to open up a 26- 21 lead by the first break.
The margin would have been greater if it wasn’t for the hot hand of Knight, who drained 10 points on fiveof- six shooting.
A nervous energy spread through the crowd as the Hawks opened up an eight- point lead but Cotton eased the tension with an inspired six minutes to end the half. times better than they were.
“( Former Fire captain) Rachael McCully tweeted ‘ I need a hug, that was hard to watch’ and any Townsville fan would be thinking that. But they’d also be thinking we can do so much better.”
Wilson said they need to get the Flames out of their offensive synch and force them out of their comfort zone by mixing up their defence.
The Fire have leaked 201 points in their last two games.
“I liked the way they ( Townsville) started, they were pressing and trapping Leilani ( Mitchell, Flames point guard) on the on- ball and were aggressive, but that died off a bit,”
Cotton nailed his first points of the match with a clutch three and the 24year- old nailed another two long bombs before the long break.
Cotton’s heroics helped the Wildcats draw level by halftime, and the home side asserted their dominance in the third quarter, opening up a handy 68- 62 advantage heading into the final term.
Hawks forward Cody Ellis threatened to steal the match with a series of shots, closing the margin to just three points early in the final term. But the Wildcats were able to weather the storm and then pull away in front of their adoring fans. she said. “That’s difficult to maintain when Sydney are hitting threes from all over the place.
“I also liked how they tried to change up the defence with a zone and it’s probably something they could explore a bit more in game two. Keep that aggressive mindset, but junk it up a bit.
“Throw in a full- court press after a foul shot, it doesn’t have to be after a score, fall back into a zone and maybe a differentlooking zone.
“How many finals games have we seen where someone scores 111 points? If they’re going to consistently do that, no one will stop them.”