Fire return to winners’ circle, quelling Flames
Sebastian Tan |
The Townsville Fire have produced four minutes of magic to defeat the Sydney Flames 96-76 and bounce back from a disappointing loss in the WNBL.
Without Opal and co-captain Courtney Woods (hamstring injury) on the Quaycentre court on Saturday, compatriot Alex Fowler stepped up, posting 18 points and seven rebounds to help move their side within one win of ladder leaders Bendigo Spirit.
Unlike Townsville’s dominant 93-60 dismantling of the Flames in round eight, this match wasn’t as smooth sailing as 17 lead changes occurred in the first half.
But the visitors hit top gear late in the second quarter and into the second half, going on a four-minute 14-2 run early in the third quarter to balloon their advantage, which the Flames couldn’t erode.
Sharp-shooter Miela Sowah (20 points, three steals) and Lauren Cox (16 points, seven rebounds) also starred to help the Fire (10-2) return to the winners’ circle after going down to the Perth Lynx 97-81 last Sunday.
“When you lose a player of Courtney’s calibre, it’s going to make a difference. We’ve got some great depth in our team, so we can have different people step up at different times,” Fire coach Shannon Seebohm said.
“I thought Lauren Cox came in today and actually did that for us. She helped us with scoring when we were struggling in the first half, but also anchored the defence a little bit more.”
Flames (3-10) coach Renae Garlepp will have to wait another couple of days before she gets an opportunity to claim her first victory as the side suffered a fourth consecutive loss.
Injury replacement Jess McDowell-White made an impressive debut for the Flames after signing with the side on Friday, grabbing nine points and three rebounds.
Against her sister, Alicia, Keely Froling was typically busy pocketing 16 points, six rebounds, and two blocks while Unique Thompson registered 22 points and nine rebounds.
“That patch where we just turned the ball over, and we gave them really easy shots really fast, that’s something that we’ve got to continue to get better at,” Garlepp said.
“At halftime, we spoke about taking care of the ball and not fouling.”
In a physical start, Thompson and Froling guided Sydney to open up an eight-point buffer, before Townsville surged to finish the quarter trailing by one point.
The Flames continued to match the Fire’s heat in the second quarter, but Townsville went on a 12-2 run to finish the quarter leading 55-47.
Point guard Abbey Ellis and Sowah helped the visitors start fast in the third quarter, although the home side finished strongly to trail by 16 points.
But being held to 27 second-half points and conceding a flurry of fouls damaged any hopes of a Flames resurgence.
AAP
