Grammar bench fires to edge out Ipswich
BASKETBALL: Key minutes from Toowoomba Grammar’s bench brigade have lifted them to a 92-88 defeat of Ipswich Grammar in the fourth round of GPS basketball.
Peter Deng and Nick Nugent made the most of their increased court time, earning praise from coach Kabe Cicolini.
“Peter Deng was massive for us. He played 34 minutes and although he only had six points, he had 13 rebounds and finished with a +13. He had a huge impact,” Cicolini said.
“Nick Nugent guarded their best player and did a good job. Those two were great off the bench for us.
“Our captain Greg Spurgin had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 38 minutes. You can’t ask for more than that.”
After a tough outing against Gregory Terrace a fortnight prior, Grammar had a bye round to prepare for the fixture.
They didn’t have it all their own way at the Glen McCracken Gymnasium, with Ipswich opening up an eight-point lead after the first quarter and maintaining that advantage through to the half.
Grammar was able to dig deep in the second half, outscoring Ipswich 47-35 to claim their second win of the GPS season.
“We had two weeks break with the bye round, and it gives you that extra time to practise,” Cicolini said.
“The boys came out with a renewed focus and attention to detail.
“Ipswich jumped out to the early lead, but from that point the boys really dug in.
“We wanted to play our brand of Grammar basketball. We do a good job of being quick when we need to be quick and slowing things down when we need to be clinical.
“We only conceded 11 points off turnovers, and we were able to show an ability to attack their zone and get the ball into spaces we needed to.
“It was more of a focus on ourselves as opposed to the opposition.”
The win keeps Grammar within sight of the top teams, sitting in fifth with a 2-1 record, opening up a handy gap to Brisbane Boys College (1-3) in sixth.
Their next challenge comes in the form of The Southport School, with Grammar hitting the road for their first away game of the season on Saturday.