WNBL Round 7 Preview
Bidgee [CC-BY-SA-3.0-au (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/au/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons
Dandenong v Logan
Time: 7:30 PM
Friday 15th November
Dandenong Basketball Stadium
Who's hot?
Dandenong - Jenna O'Hea - 26 points, 7 rebounds last week vs Canberra
Logan - No game last week
In this week's only Friday night encounter, Logan travel south to meet Dandenong in what fans should hope to be another high-scoring and entertaining game (Dandenong won 103-91 last time out). Jenna O'Hea is the obvious player who Logan need to stop. A marquee player in the competition, O'Hea scored 29 points to go with 9 rebounds and 5 assists last time out. New Logan recruit Hanna Zavecz will be tasked with the difficult task of guarding her and will look to using her unbelievable speed to beat O'Hea. Logan will be rested and will rely on Laurie Koehn stepping out to force another big shooting performance against Dandenong (32 points on 64.7% in there first match-up) Dandenong in a thriller by 2.
Adelaide v Townsville
Time: 2:30 PM
Saturday 16th November
Adelaide Arena
GAME IS TELEVISED ON ABC
Who's hot?
Adelaide - Laura Hodges - 25 points, 7 rebounds, 10/15FG - last week vs Melbourne
Townsville - No game last week
Expect Adelaide to come out quickly and with a vengeance, trying to take advantage of a Townsville side who might be a little slow to get going. In reigning MVP Suzy Batkovic's return to Adelaide, her battle with former teammate and the Lightning's most influential player so far this season in Laura Hodges will be a big talking point. Coming off a terrible performance against Melbourne a week ago, Laura - with 25 points and 7 rebounds - was the reason why her team didn't lose by even more. Whoever can win the Batkovic/Hodges match-up will go a long way to winning this game. New Adelaide coach Richard Dickel will look to make an impact early on, but in order to do that, Batkovic and Kayla Standish will needed to be taken out of the game. Adelaide by 5.
Sydney v Dandenong
Time: 7PM
Saturday 16th November
Brydens Stadium
Who's hot?
Sydney - Alicia Poto - 15 points, 5 assists - last week v West Coast
Dandenong - Kayla Pederson - 17 points, 12 rebounds - last week v Canberra
Sydney will be out for revenge against a talented Dandenong side after falling to them 85-79, a game which saw Jenna O'Hea explode for 29 points. The Flames will look to take advantage of what may be a physically depleted Dandenong team who'll be coming off a game in Melbourne the night before. Alicia Poto and Lellani Mitchell will be their respective team's x-factor. With both point guards being in the upper-echelon of their positions, their playmaking skills will be the difference to finding easy baskets. Unfortunately for Sydney, The Rangers have simply too many options to stop. Pederson, O'Hea, Kunek and Mitchell will be too much for the Flames to stop even with Dandenong coming off a game the night before. Rangers by 7.
Melbourne v Canberra
Time: 7:30PM
Saturday 16th November
State Basketball Center
Who's hot?
Melbourne - Rebecca Allen - 18 points, 8 rebounds - last week vs Adelaide
Canberra - Natalie Hurst - 31 points, 10 assists - last week vs Canberra
Canberra head back to Melbourne for the second week in a row straight off their compelling victory over the Dandenong Rangers. Natalie Hurst had the most productive game out of any player for the season, standing out against the star power of Dandenong and leading her side to the opening win of their Victorian double. Melbourne are coming off an easy win against a lacklustre Adelaide side where Rebecca Allen proved herself as a force to be reckoned with in this league. With the help of Amelia Todhunter and Nicole Romeo, the Boomers continually disrupted the Lighting from starting any meaningful possession through intense defensive pressure. Confidence is at a high inside the Capitals camp and with Abby Bishop returning to full form this week, anything can happen. However, the surprise packet of the season in Melbourne, I believe, will be pushed over the line through another Tess Madgen masterclass. Melbourne by 9.
Logan v Bendigo
Time: 2PM
Sunday 17th November
Logan Metro
Who's hot?
Logan - No game last week
Bendigo - Kelsey Griffin - 16 points, 20 rebounds - last week vs Canberra
Due to unforeseen circumstances at home, the Thunder did not have a game in the past week and look physically refreshed going into their match against a quality Bendigo side. However, Logan simply do not have the physical presence on the inside like Bendigo. Names such as, import Kelsey Griffin who dominated under the ring last week against Canberra, Elyse Penaluna and Gabe Richards form a strong interior presence that Logan simply cannot match. For Logan to have any chance in winning this game against the Spirit who have won their last 5 by an average margin of 18.5 points, they'll need to be shooting at the same percentages or even higher than their previous outing against Sydney (51.8 FG%, 63.6 3pt%). Bendigo by 11.
West Coast v Townsville
Time: 3PM
Sunday 17th November
WA Basketball Center
Who's hot?
West Coast - Melissa Marsh - 8 points, 5 rebounds - last week vs Sydney
Townsville - No game last week
Even with the possibility that Waves player Natalie Burton may return this week for her first game of the campaign, West Coast simply don't have the required talent or depth to match the runners-up of last year. Townsville will be travelling to Perth with fire in their stomach, ready to make their way up the ladder after finding themselves just outside of the top 4. The young talent of West Coast who seem to have been thrown into the wild with big losses in the past 3 weeks and look to struggle to match the Townsville bigs in Kayla Standish and Suzy Batkovic. The old guard of Mellisa Marsh and Antonia Edmonson who are holding this depleted squad together will need big outings by matching up against Micaela Cocks and Steph Cumming to prevent a blowout loss. Townsville by 21.