OPALS SHINE IN GAMES FINALS
Big win over England
The Australian Opals are through to the semi- finals of the Commonwealth Games women’s basketball tournament after thumping England 118- 55 last night at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre.
Elizabeth Cambage ( left) was again the star, scoring a game- high 30 points, while former Townsville Fire star Cayla George ( above) grabbed a game- high 10 rebounds.
The Opals are on course for a Trans- Tasman showdown in the semi- finals, with New Zealand playing Mozambique in tonight’s qualifying final in Cairns.
THE Australian Opals have advanced straight through to the semi- finals of the Commonwealth Games after thumping England 118- 55 last night at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre.
Elizabeth Cambage again topped the scoring with 30 points, while former Townsville Fire star Cayla George secured BOWLS: a game- high 10 rebounds.
The Opals dominated from start to finish, leading 31- 15 at the end of the first quarter and finishing ahead 61- 24 at halftime.
There was no let- up in the final two terms, with the Opals almost doubling their points, although England showed plenty of fight in the third quarter with a 19- point effort.
Ezi Magbegor and Kelsey Griffin contributed 14 points each, while England’s Hannah Shaw top- scored for her team with nine points.
The Opals are shaping up for a likely semi- finals showdown with New Zealand, who will play a qualifying final against Mozambique in Cairns tonight.
Among the Tall Ferns squad is Fire player Micaela Cocks, who is eager to see how her team’s new system will stand up from tonight.
Playing in their first tourna- ment under new coach Guy Molloy, a former Cairns Taipans mentor, the Kiwi women have been learning a fresh game style on the fly in the Far North.
It has been so far so good for New Zealand, collecting victories over Malaysia, Jamaica and India, qualifying them for their crack at Mozambique.
“With this being Guy’s first tournament with us, we are running a whole new system,” Cocks said. “We have all been really eager to learn the new system and giving it our all.
“I feel like we have got better every game for the things he has asked us to do.
“We feel really confident and are enjoying the style of basketball we are playing.
“We are excited to put that to the test now against a team in Pool A of the tournament.”
The Boomers played Nigeria in Cairns overnight.