IT was an exciting round of basketball which saw Perth’s unbeaten streak come to an end, the Boomers’ defence going to another level and some individual dominance.

Lynx’s hot streak finally comes to an end, Boomers defence continues to impress

The Perth Lynx’s dominant winning run finally came to an end this past weekend as the Melbourne Boomers upset the league leaders in a rather convincing manner. The loss stops the Lynx’s season-best six game win streak and sees them drop to 6-2 only one win ahead of the second-placed Capitals. The defensive numbers for the Boomers continue to be elite, holding one of the best offences in the league to just 69 points for an entire game as well as shutting down Townsville’s offence in the second half of their other encounter over the weekend.

Consistent player, inconsistent team

The Townsville Fire have endured a number of ups and downs in their early season and as such, find themselves in the bottom half of the ladder with just three wins and five losses. Their last five games have all produced scores in the 70s, with each game being decided by single digits. Over that stretch, the Fire have won two games and lost three, with the wins coming by a combined five points and the losses only 20 points all together. The one shining light through the entire season has been the play of veteran, Suzy Batkovic, who’s averages of 19 points and 11 rebounds put her among the league leaders in both categories.

Poor offensive execution dooms the Flames yet again

The Sydney Uni Flames have without a doubt been the most disappointing team of the early season, being the only side yet to register a victory. Much of this can be put down to their inability to generate consistent scoring on the offensive end and this was evident once again in their Round 6 defeat at the hands of the Bendigo Spirit. The loss drops the Flames to their ninth loss in as many games and their score of just 55 points for the entire game marks their second time scoring under 60 points as a team and their fifth time in their nine games without registering 70. The Flames have had some strong individual scoring games and do have five players averaging double figures, however, they have been unable to contribute as a collective unit to this point, particularly with the second unit struggling as they have been.

Three games in three weeks for Adelaide and Dandenong

In an interesting scheduling quirk, the Dandenong Rangers will play the Adelaide Lightning three times in as many weeks. Their first battle took place on November 10 where the Lightning fell 81-65 in Dandenong. Over the coming two weeks, these teams will meet on 24 November and 30 November, with both games being played in Adelaide. By this stage, we expect the teams to be very familiar with one another, which should make for some exciting match-ups.