Flames to build on strong showing against Lynx
Despite losing Wednesday’s nail-biter to the Southside Flyers, the Sydney Flames took plenty of positives from the Quaycentre fixture.
Obviously producing a season-best 91 points is one of them but Flames import Jocelyn Willoughby explained there are many more.
“We played well – from top to bottom, everyone was locked in and contributed in their own way,” Willoughby said.
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“Looking at the game stats alone, it shows that we played together on both ends of the floor.
“Offensively we pushed the tempo, shared the ball and created for each other, while defensively, we had a lot of success pressuring and covering for each other.
“We came up short but there was a lot of heart, passion and fun.
“And that’s the kind of basketball that will lead to such a high-scoring game.
“[As such] there are many positives to take away, with one of the biggest being we put together a complete game without having the extended lulls or lapses that proved to be costly for us in previous games.
“We need to play a solid 40-minute game against Perth.
“But another takeaway is that we’re really good when everyone gets involved—when we pressure, push tempo create movement, and just have a more balanced attack and scoring from the inside and out – we take our game to another level doing that.”
Next up for the sixth-placed Hoops Capital side is Perth, who has claimed victory in both the two previous meetings in WNBL23.
“We’ve been really close with Perth in our previous games,” New York Liberty star Willoughby said.
“Aside from the positives that I’ve already mentioned for us to take away and continue from the Southside game, Perth really relies on their three-point field goals for success.
“So we’ll need to limit them from getting those shots and also make sure we rebound so they get no second or third chance points.”
HIGHLIGHTS | Flames v Flyers
The best bits of our clash against the Southside Flyers#FlameOn pic.twitter.com/SRNASh9xdZ
— Sydney Flames (@TheSydneyFlames) January 18, 2023
Wednesday’s blockbuster round 11 fixture also saw a record crowd (2,089) turn up to watch the harbour city side – as number Willoughby hopes they can replicate on Saturday when the match tips off at 5.30pm.
“The crowd was fantastic [on Wednesday],” she said.
“We could feel their energy on the court and how much they were into the game and backing us.
“As a player, it’s such a cool feeling when the crowd sighs in unison, erupts in cheers, boos at unlucky calls – amplifying the emotions we have on the court.
“Yesterday was the best crowd we’ve had all season and a really fun atmosphere to play in.
“Hopefully we’ll have that same level of support in our remaining home games.”
Tickets to the Flames and Lynx match are still available here.