Rob Loe produced a strong showing in the Greek League playing 24 minutes as a starter for KAO Dramos. Loe came close to a double double with 12 points and 9 rebounds but unfortunately Dramos dropped the game 80-76 to Aries Trikalla. Both teams had a 4-9 record prior to the game so it is a game Dramos would have hoped to win.
Jarrod Kenny helped German club Licher Baeren to a comfortable 87-64 victory against Speyer. Kenny again produced good numbers posting 8 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. Licher’s record improves to 6-10 as they begin to climb the South Division of the German B League.
La Bruixa d’Or Manresa improved their record to (5-13) with a commanding 78-59 victory against Rio Natura Monbus Obradoiro in the Spanish League. Fotu had a quiet night scoring 2 points and grabbing a couple of rebounds but Aussie teammate AJ Ogilvy produced 16 points and 7 rebounds. Manresa jumps a couple of places to 15th on the league ladder.
On Friday in Australia the Townsville Crocodiles suffered an 85-93 home defeat against the Perth Wildcats. The game went to overtime before the Wildcats secured a 93-85 victory. Leon Henry managed just 2 points and a single rebound.
48 hours later the Crocs travelled to Melbourne to take on United and came away with an upset win. A 9-0 run from the Crocs to open the final quarter was the catalyst for a fine 81-69 road win that seriously jeopardises Melbourne’s chances of making the play-offs.
Unfortunately Henry fouled out in just 10 minutes. Although he didn’t score the Crocs swingman did have three rebounds and three assists.
As reported last week Nick Horvath had joined Sydney Kings on a short-term contract as injury cover for Angus Brandt. Turns out Nick can’t obtain leave from his teaching post in Palmerstone North so his stay with the Kings lasted just 3 games.
The Tall Black did depart on a high note as the Kings dealt to the Sky City Breakers 101-81 on Friday night. Horvath came off the bench to contribute 4 points, 4 rebounds and an assist.
As widely reported Steven Adams snared a stunning 20 rebounds against Washington Wizards early in the week. On Saturday he produced a steady 9pts/7 rebounds/1 block as OKC went down 103-93 at Atlanta. Remarkably the Hawks have defeated the Thunder in 29 of the last 31 games between the two franchises.
OKC slipped back to a .500 record (22-22) following their defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Unfortunately Adams missed his first game of the season due to a migraine, the Thunder losing 108-98.
In the Australian Women’s National Basketball League Townsville Fire remain two wins clear at the top of the table as the Fire had too much heat for the Flames!
The Fire romped away with a 93-60 win over Sydney University Flames, Jillian Harmon enjoying her highest scoring outing of the season as she cooked up a notable stat line – 20pts/7rebs.2assist/1blk/1steal. Micaela Cocks chipped in with 7 points as Townsville improved their record to 14-3 with 5 games in the regular season remaining.
Unfortunately the West Coast Waves are spiraling in the other direction. They have now lost 11 games on the trot and sit last but one on the eight team table with a 4-14 record. Their most recent defeat was 80-55 at home to the Bendigo Spirit. Toni Edmondson played just 9 minutes and didn’t trouble the scorers.
Erin Rooney emerged in style from a recent scoring slump to contribute 11 points as Arras (11-5) defeated Lyon 78-72 to move to 4th on the French League table. Rooney knocked down 3 from 3 triples on her way to 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Arras should be able to improve their record further next week when they take on last placed Calais.
LACEY LOWDOWN 