Game Preview: Do or die at home against Sydney

The UC Capitals play their most important game in years against the Sydney Flames this Sunday at home. The equation is simple for the Capitals. Win and their playoff ambitions remain alive, or lose, ending their season with a game to play.
The game against the Flames is a rematch from last Thursday, in which the two sides played out an overtime thriller in front of a thundering home crowd. The Capitals had their chances to win, however some key errors down the stretch saw the side go down 92-88.
Sydney was spearheaded by WNBL player of the week Shaneice Swain, who dropped 36 points in a scintillating performance supported by Cayla George (14 points, 17 rebounds) and Celeste Taylor (22 points).
Brave performances by Jade Melbourne, Nyadiew Puoch and Charlie Collier went in vain as the Capitals were left with little time to reflect ahead of a quick turnaround against Geelong away from home on Saturday.
However, a statement 91-77 win by the Capitals showed that the team is still as confident as ever in their ability to qualify for the playoffs. After a tight first 20 minutes, the Capitals put their foot down in the 2nd half, with a mesmerizing 20-5 run ensuring the team walked away with a comfortable victory.
Jade Melbourne again starred for the Caps with 17 points to feature in the WNBL team of the week for the 2nd week in a row, however it was Charlie Collier who led from the front, putting up 23 points and 5 rebounds to secure the win away from home.

The game at home against the Sydney Flames on Sunday at 3pm looms as one of the most anticipated games in Caps history and promises to be as exciting as the last between the two sides. Sydney have not played since their last game against the Capitals, meaning they will come in well rested and confident that they can repeat their efforts from last Thursday,
However, the Capitals will be equally confident, noting that a few areas of improvement could flip the result. The Capitals missed several critical free throws in the clutch that could have altered the result if they fell through. In addition, the Flames scored fifteen 2nd chance points, most of which were off the back of rebounds by Cayla George.
When asked about limiting George’s impact, Nyadiew Puoch commented on wearing her down given the centre is currently playing big minutes due to Sydney’s injury toll.
“She’s a really good player and she’s a great big. But she had to play that full game, so just wearing her down, getting Charli the ball and working her in the post.” said Nards
Perhaps the main area of concern for the Caps is the confidence of Shaneice Swain, who is emerging as the most dangerous player in the league currently. In her last four games, Shaneice averages 27 points, and has made a habit of being near impossible to stop once she gets into rhythm.
Head coach Paul Gorris is well aware of the threats posed by Swain. He stated limiting her impact is a tough ask, so focusing on areas of her game they can control takes on greater importance.
“I don’t think there is anything you can do to limit such a good offensive player. She’s going to score. We’ve got to do our best to stay to the scout and try to take the ball out of her hands knowing that she’s going to be a good enough playmaker to make shots and find open people.
We have to make it super tough for her on every catch and every shot, and I don’t think we did that in the first quarter (last game). Our intentionality and our focus about how we defend her, both from an individual standpoint and a team standpoint has to be high focus”.
Coach Gorris then talked about the importance of not getting caught up in the enormity of the game, highlighting that the message hasn’t changed all season.
“Our focus has been for the season has been winning games. When we had that little run after Christmas, we started to speak about how we’re a chance to make the playoffs mathematically. We sort of approach each game as it is, there are still too many permeations about who can make it, and who’s got what series win.
We’ve definitely discussed it but to me it’s not a high-pressure situation because we have been in must win games the last couple of weeks to make us still a mathematical chance of making finals.”
The must win game against the Sydney Flames tips off at the AIS on Sunday at 3pm. Make sure you get your tickets to come and support the team!