Fire look to re-find their flow
The JCU Townsville Fire will look to re-find their offensive flow this week as they face the UC Capitals and Melbourne Boomers in two crucial games.
Having suffered back-to-back losses last week, the Fire have slipped to fourth on the ladder, but must try and find some rhythm on offence after a sluggish start to the season.
The JCU Townsville Fire will host the @WNBL’s scariest game of the season on Sunday —> https://t.co/BpAsm52qSE #FireUpTownsville 🎃🏀👻 pic.twitter.com/uU9DkZIDOa
— Townsville Fire (@TownsvilleFire) October 26, 2017
“We need to fix things on the floor so regardless of the next game coming up, it’s all about ourselves and making sure we’re doing the right thing to put ourselves in a position to win games,” Fire coach Claudia Brassard said.
“Melbourne are the top of the table and Canberra are right in the middle of the pack so they’re two big games and we need to make we’re ready for both of them.
“Canberra are shooting the ball really well at home. They have a variety of scorers so I think for us it’s about making sure that our defence is back to where it was at the start of the season.”
Despite boasting the competition’s second-most stingy defence, the Fire have failed to find their rhythm at the opposite end of the floor, shooting just 38% from the floor.
While five-time WNBL MVP Suzy Batkovic is averaging a team-high 17 points, running mate Cayla George (12.3 points) is the only other Fire player averaging double figures.
For her lock-down defence that led to a steal and score, @TownsvilleFire's @mia_newley has earned the #WNBL18 iAthletic Power Play for Rd 3! pic.twitter.com/if2U5sZBTf
— WNBL (@WNBL) October 25, 2017
“It’s funny because we’ve actually shot really, really well throughout all the weeks and then we’ve got to the weekends and haven’t shot as well as what we know we can,” Fire point-guard Mikhaela Donnelly said.
“We know it’s coming, we’ve just got to keep taking those shots and if we’re taking the right ones then they’re going to drop.
“We’ve got confidence with everyone in the team to knock down those shots.”
The Fire face the Capitals at the National Convention Centre from 6.30pm on Friday night before hosting the Boomers at Townsville Stadium at 3pm on Sunday.
Click here to pre-purchase tickets to the Fire and the Boomers.