Bond breaks through in ‘big’ way for Dolphins victory
CAIRNS Dolphins young gun Teyahna Bond put her heart and soul into her NBL1 North team’s win against the South West Metro Pirates on Saturday night.
The teen talent led the game with 23 points and four assists to inspire the Dolphins to victory at Early Settler Stadium after losing her grandfather last week.
“It was a big game for her mentally, and I think that such a big performance from a 15-yearold kid,” Dolphins player-coach Myra Donkin said.
“To carry the weight of the loss of her grandad into the game and perform like she did – it was pretty impressive from her.
“It shows a lot of maturity for such a young girl.”
Bond wasn’t the only Cairns player to have their way with the rim in the 88-62 victory, with Opals centre Cayla George producing another effortless double-double, with 21 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists.
Donkin’s focus in the coming games, however, will be on the defensive end – an area the team believes it needs to prioritise.
“Defensively, we were good for two-and-a-half quarters,” Donkin said.
“Then halfway through the third quarter, I thought we lapsed and gave them too many points than I would have liked.”
The Dolphins will have plenty of time to work on their stoppages at Early Settler Stadium, with their next four bouts to be played at home.
“I think it’s more a discipline thing than anything else,” Donkin said.
“I think for the group that’s been around the Dolphins program a while, we haven’t been in this position.
“We have to have more accountability on us, breaking bad habits and making the right defensive decisions to stick to the structure.”
The Marlins dropped their third game in a row against the Pirates men’s squad 93-90.
After taking the game to overtime, Marlins’ Deba George missed a heartbreaking gametying three-pointer.
Ben Ayre managed to light up the scoreboard for Cairns, however, leading all scorers with 32 points and nine rebounds.