Defence in focus as Heat plan recovery
TOWNSVILLE Heat coach Rodney Anderson has urged his players to tighten their defence as the reigning QBL champions look to prove why they’re still the team to beat this season.
The Heat will host the Sunshine Coast- based USC Rip City tonight as they look to bounce back from a tough 104- 94 road loss to Mackay in last weekend’s grand final rematch.
Brendon McCully will be back on deck for the Heat tonight and Anderson was confident they would produce a much stronger defensive effort against USC.
“We’ve had a good week at training just trying to get ourselves better and iron out a couple of kinks and we should be right to go,” the coach said.
“I think Mackay just got way too many easy baskets and uncontested shots as well. We’re just going back to the basics and working a lot of defensive sliding drills and things like that.
“USC have got a really good guard in Isaih Tueta, who’s had some NBL minutes in the last couple of years, so stopping him is going to be key and Brendon McCully and Jordair Jett will get a pretty big role against him.”
Townsville have now lost twice to Mackay this season, but the defending champions have a great opportunity to make a statement against another top- four side in USC.
Rip City have been the surprise packets this season to be equal second on the ladder alongside the Heat, but they’ve lost their past two games and will be backing up from a match in Cairns overnight.
“It’s a really big game in the scheme of things for the season,” Anderson said.
“Sunshine Coast Rip play a really physical style of game so we have to make sure we match that physicality and make sure we’re up for the game.
“They’ve been right there around the top of the ladder all year so it’s a good chance to get another win over a top team and push ourselves to finish as high as we possibly can.”
Meanwhile, the Townsville Flames will be looking to cement their place at the top of the ladder without star big Darcee Garbin, who will make her Australian Opals debut in China tonight.
The Flames are also missing young gun Alex Fowler to under- 17 national duties, but they’ll still be full of confidence against the ninth- placed USC ( 7- 6) with just one loss in 13 games this season.
The women’s game tips off at 6.30pm tonight followed by the men’s game at 8.30pm.