FIRE FOCUSED AHEAD OF CAPS CLASH
FIRE FOCUSED AHEAD OF CAPS CLASH
Morale is high at the Fire and why wouldn’t it be after an empathic mid-week win over the Flames. A dominant display allowed the coach to rest his regulars in the fourth quarter and give some fringe players court time. Back-up point guard Jess McDowell-White enjoyed extra responsibility and insists the whole team getting some solid minutes against Sydney has everyone feeling good about themselves.
“The vibes are obviously high! You know everyone’s happy. We got a lot of confidence from that so hopefully yeah we can just carry that on into the next game.”
She knows not to judge Saturday’s showdown with the Capitals by the ladder. It’ll be third versus eighth at the Fire Pit.
“You can’t take any team in the league lightly, like everyone give’s you their best shot every night.”
And the Capitals claimed a narrow 81-80 victory when the sides faced off in round 4. It’s a result which is providing plenty of motivation for the hosts, according to coach Shannon Seebohm.
“The results don’t show it but they’re a great team and they’ve beaten us once already this season, so we need to make sure we’re locked in to get them back.”
He’s made no secret shutting down Jade Melbourne is a major priority after the Opal inspired the underdog’s upset.
“Jade Melbourne’s coming to town and she’s a handful to deal with. We allowed her to get going and hit her first couple of shots last time so we need to be better there.”
But the Fire’s looking within rather than spending too much time assessing the opposition.
“You know I think for us it’ll be a very similar game plan to Wednesday night, we don’t want to change too much. And I think again this season, we’ve really had a focus just on us and trying to get better at what we do rather than worry so much about what the other team is doing, and if we can continue doing that, I think we’ll be alright.”
Tip off is at 7pm at the Fire Pit and purchasing tickets for friends and family would make a wonderful early Christmas present… They’re available here. Head along, bring your festive spirit and help provide an electric atmosphere tomorrow night.
