Game Preview: Capitals open up tough road stretch in Perth
The UC Capitals have a real test heading into the halfway point of the season with Round 7 kicking off this week, facing off against the Perth Lynx in the first game of a two-game road trip.
The Capitals are coming off a back-and-forth slugfest against the Southside Flyers going down 78-89 at the AIS Arena in Round 6. The Caps came into the game looking to match the agressiveness and physicality of the Flyers, with the ever consistent Jade Melbourne (16pts,4reb,7ast) and Nyadiew Puoch (11pts,9reb) spearheading the offense, as Charli Collier (13pts,5reb,2ast) and Chantel Horvat (10pts,8reb,3ast) provided support. The squad battled all game on both ends in a back and forth affair, but the Flyers surged ahead late in the 4th quarter with some timely baskets from veteran Alice Kunek putting the game away.
Ella Tofaeono (12pts,2reb,1ast) also shone through with a stand-out performance, hitting 4/5 fgs and providing a solid interior presence off the bench, culminating in being named the Caps’ player of the game.
Jade Melbourne did cop an accidental elbow in the heat of the moment at the start of the 3rd quarter, opening a cut that required eight stitches in the locker room, just to get her back on court for the 4th quarter. The skipper will be coming into this road trip having to manage that, but with the go-ahead from medical, she is expected to suit up and provide her usual energy and production.
As the team hits a crucial stretch of the season, Head Coach Paul Goriss is looking to see growth in terms of consistency and attention to detail, especially on the defensive end, from the team.
“We need to find that consistency, especially on the defensive end. We’ve seen it in stretches in our games, but we really haven’t shown that over the course of 40 minutes. Our attention to detail, especially with the scout, has to be on point to help us be competitive in this upcoming trip,” he said.
The Lynx are no stranger to the Capitals, with their last game going down the wire at the AIS Arena back in November, it’s set to be another tough outing on the hardwood. The Lynx are coming into the game hungry, with back to back losses to the Bendigo Spirit and the Sydney Flames, the team will be raring to bounce back in front of its home crowd. Currenty sitting second on the ladder and only narrowly losing to title favorites Bendigo 66-72, the Lynx will look towards Miela Sowah, Anneli Maley, Ally Wilson and Laeticia Amihere to do the damage. Making them even more dangerous is the return of Opal Amy Atwell, who is slowly hitting her stride after missing about a month nursing an injury. All these weapons make the Lynx one of the deepest teams in the league and capable of putting up a lot of points in a short amount of time.
The UC Capitals are set for a true test, a win from this hit out will give the team a huge confidence and positional boost going forward with the rest of the trip. The offense and defense needs to hit its stride now for the team to steal one on the road in a tough environment.
The Capitals take on the Perth Lynx at Bendat Basketball Centre on Thursday 12 December. Tip off is at 10pm AEDT on 9Now.