The Gold Coast Bulletin

Finals are in reach

Key game for Seahawks

- EMMA GREENWOOD @EmmaGreenw­ood12

NORTH Gold Coast coach Robert Sleaford believes finals are not out of the reach of his Seahawks women in their maiden Queensland Basketball League season as their combinatio­ns continue to click on the court.

The sixth-placed Seahawks face a crucial match against the Mackay Meteorette­s at Runaway Bay tonight and while Sleaford had not been concentrat­ing on finals, he admitted his team’s job of making the playoffs would become much easier if they beat the north Queensland­ers.

“I’m not looking too far ahead just yet, I don’t want to put extra pressure on us to think that we have to make the playoffs,” Sleaford said.

“But if we take care of what we have to, (making the top eight teams) will take care of itself.”

With import Leeza Burdgess the last player to come into the squad just before the start of the season, the team has had time to gel.

“I think everyone’s just playing for each other,” Sleaford said. “It’s a very team-orientated group.

“There’s not one individual other teams have to watch, they have to watch everyone.

“Teams are going to scout your Leezas, your Caseys (Casey Samuels) but we play nine or 10 deep now, so we can keep the intensity up through rotations.”

The Seahawks will need to shut down US imports Ruvanna Campbell and Mia Lloyd, as well as former Brisbane Capitals guard Heidi Freeburn but Sleaford is confident they can make an impact.

“If we can make this a mustwin game for us, it’s really going to make it much easier for us down the track,” he said.

“I think this is a very winnable game.”

In tonight’s other match, the Seahawks men take on Mackay Meteors at 8pm.

Logan host the Gold Coast Rollers men and women on Sunday at Cornubia.

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