THERE was NBL1 action aplenty across the nation over the weekend, with some big individual performances to come out of the games that were played.

The NBL1 North Women’s competition held its fifth round of action over the past few days, and among the winners were the Ipswich Force, who took care of business against the Red City Roar to the tune of 23 points at Paul Bancroft Centre on Saturday evening.

The Roar came in as underdogs given their slow start to the year, while the Force were just as eager to get back on the winners’ list after a three-game losing streak.

Ipswich delivered a dominant performance to bounce back after a form slump, winning all four quarters and controlling the match from the opening tip. The Force fired on the offensive end and gave everyone on the team some court time on their way to a 92-69 triumph.

While Ipswich produced a team-wide performance, leading the way was Alison Gorrell, with the guard posting a seriously impressive statline in a leader’s performance.

Red City Roar (69) def. by Ipswich Force (92)

Alison Gorrell – 16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals

Gorrell delivered a triple-double in an outstanding performance, playing her role as a floor general to perfection by contributing in plenty of ways.

Much of her offence came from the charity stripe, drawing plenty of contact and generating some offence from there. Although she shot just 3/10 from the field, Gorrell was relentless with her drive into the paint, forcing the defence to try and adjust in an attempt to slow her down, which only put her at the free throw line, where she shot a near-perfect 10/11.

Gorrell has been a solid rebounder to start the season, and recorded double-digits in this column for the second time this season, using her five-foot-10 frame to get first hands on the ball, with most of these coming after an opposition miss.

The 29-year-old has always been strong with her passing, and it was on display against the Roar, making life a lot easier for her teammates, in particular Meg Essex, who was able to produce a game-high 20 points, with a significant portion of those coming from Gorrell’s passing.

It was an all-around showing from Gorrell, who overcame a shooting slump to fire in other ways and play a vital role for her side in the big win.