‘NEERS COME UP BIG AT THE FINISH
Tight tussle denies Force
BASKETBALL: A determined effort down the stretch has given the Toowoomba Mountaineers their second win of the QBL season with a thrilling 9794 victory over the Ipswich Force.
The visitors were forced to fend off a late charge from their more fancied rivals, after a seven-point lead with 44 seconds remaining was cut to just one.
Centre Josh Derksen was able to sink two clutch free throws, as Garrett Hall missed in his attempt to send the game into overtime.
Damon Bozeman again showed why he is regarded as one of the premier guards in the QBL, scoring a game-high 37 points (13-23 FG) to go along with five rebounds and three assists.
Coming into the game, Bozeman had a point to prove against college teammate Garrett Hall, holding him to just 31 percent shooting from the field, something coach Danny Morseu was extremely happy with.
“Damon matched up well on him and defensively he was good,” he said.
“He shot 50 percent from three-point range as well.”
Bozeman was one of five Mountaineers in double figures, as Derksen (16), Manylok Mayek (14), Harold Ridgeway (12) and Cameron Weber (11) all produced.
While the shooting of Toowoomba improved drastically on last week, it was the effort on the defensive end that most pleased Morseu.
“Our boys played defence well, especially in the second quarter to stretch the lead to 11 points just before half time,” he said.
“Ipswich couldn’t come back at us, and it wasn’t until the last quarter they hit the front.
“I’m proud with the boys not getting their heads down and the way they played down the stretch.”
The win takes the Mountaineers record on the road to two wins from four games, and Morseu said the side would gain a heap of confidence heading into this weekend.
“Morale in the team is great,” he said.
“Our preparation for this weekend is going to have to be fairly extensive. We have two games this weekend and it will be a tough double for us.
“Townsville are a very good team and they can shoot well from the floor.”
In women’s action, Ipswich proved too strong for Toowoomba in claiming a 94-59 victory.
Donnaizha Fountain had 20 points and nine rebounds in the loss.