Posted on 4 May, 2018
Our red-hot Cobra Men and Women are back on home court this Sunday when they take on Mt Gambier and Sydney, respectively, in a key SEABL doubleheader.
The Lady Cobras enter with a 4-1 record, thanks to a resounding 79-55 home victory over rivals Dandenong last weekend. Rolling their healthiest line-up thus far in 2018, the Lady Cobras looked every bit the championship favourites many had them pinned as to start the season, as they completely dominated both sides of the floor en-route to another 20-plus point victory. Steph Blicavs (game-high 19 points) and reserves Jasmine Gill, Alison Downie and Rosie Moult (combined 30 points) were big in Round 4, while Angela Beadle, Chelsea D’Angelo, Sarah Parsons and Hope Terdich have each recorded several double-digit scoring games to start the season for an incredibly deep Lady Cobras team.
Sydney enters the weekend on a three game win streak, following impressive victories over Geelong, Diamond Valley and the BA CoE to move to 3-2 overall. Outstanding two-way production from Tahlia Tupaea (15.8ppg/5.2rpg/4.2apg/3.8spg) has sparked the Sydney resurgence, while the front court duo of Lara Mcspadden (14.6ppg/9.4rpg/3.2apg) and Shanae Greaves (14.4ppg) have provided a big interior presence to start 2018.
Though the Sparks are on a hot streak, they will face the Lady Cobras on the tail end of a back-to-back weekend, as they play Frankston on the road on Saturday night. With fresh legs, home court advantage and a healthy – and deep – roster exploding with talent, the Lady Cobras are favourites to record their fifth win of the season.
The Cobra Men continued their impressive start to the 2018 season with an 89-75 home win over Dandenong in Round 4. Despite missing Dane Pineau (injury) and Owen Odigie (winning gold for Australia at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup), the Cobras received spectacular games from the backcourt duo of Isaac Turner and Sam Daly, with the pair able to slash to the basket at will to lead another deadly-efficient offensive night for Kilsyth. Felix von Hofe continued to light it up from the perimeter – he’s now 9-12 from deep over his past two games – and Ben Ursich was stellar on the defensive end, holding Adelaide 36ers star Anthony Drmic to 19 points below his season average.
Mt Gambier enters the weekend with a 2-2 record – a mark somewhat surprising for the reigning SEABL champions. A slow start by their lofty standards, the Pioneers have been hit with the injury bug to start 2018, with stars Tom Daly (elder brother of Sam), Brad Hill and Majok Deng sidelined and set to miss Sunday’s matchup. Despite having just eight healthy players, the Pioneers system, led by veteran coach Richard Hill, has been the league’s most successful in recent years, and the team has received significant contributions from sharpshooting guard Erik Burdon (18.8ppg/4.8apg), Lewis Thomas (15.3ppg/9.8rpg), and Kyle Tipene (12.0ppg/4.5apg).
As is the case with Sydney, the Pioneers face the Cobras on the the second day of a Round 5 doubleheader, and with just eight players available, will be tested against the impressive depth that Kilsyth possess. Stopping Burdon will be the key – he’s averaging 27.5ppg in the Pioneers wins – and if the likes of Odigie and Ursich can contain Mt. Gambier’s top offensive weapon, the Cobras are a strong chance to move to 5-1 on the season.
The Lady Cobras tip-off Sunday’s action at 12pm against Sydney, with the Men to follow at 2pm.
