REDCITY Roar became the sole undefeated side in the Queensland State League (QSL) Men’s competition, after the Roar knocked off second placed Southern District Spartans, and the Sunshine Coast Phoenix Teal also had a shock loss over the weekend.

Brisbane Capitals (100) defeated Northside Wizards (51)

Brisbane Capitals have continued their strong start with a huge 49-point victory over Northside Wizards. The Capitals made more of their chances despite only having seven more attempts from the field, shooting at a whopping 64.3 per cent from two-point range compared to their opponents’ 29.4 per cent. They also went plus 28 in rebounds with a total of 64 for the game, and were unbelievable with both assists (32-13) and second chance points (20-2). Jarred Bairstow had a night out picking up a triple-double of 30 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals and a block, shooting at 66.7 per cent from the floor. Jason Cadee (22 points, five rebounds, seven assists and two steals), Cameron Goldfinch (14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals) and Lachlan Venus (seven point, 14 rebounds) were other prominent players for the winning side. Northside did not have a player reach double-figure points as Fraser Lowrie (nine points, four rebounds) and Hayden Burrow (eight points, two rebounds and three assists) were the highest, though Mitch Elliott (three points, nine rebounds) provided strong resistance off the boards.

Ipswich Force (86) defeated Logan Thunder (84)

Ipswich Force moved up the ladder substantially with a narrow two-point win over Logan Thunder. The Force were the more accurate side, shooting 51.2 per cent from inside the arc, and 87.5 per cent from the charity stripe compared to their opponents’ 40 and 70 per cent respectively. Both teams ended the contest with 39 rebounds and 10 second chance points, while the Thunder finished marginally ahead in the assists (21-18), though the Force won the steals battle (11-6). Nathan Sobey was dominant from a shooting perspective, finishing with a match-high 27 points – though shooting at 36.4 per cent from the field – as well as seven rebounds, two assists and four steals. Jesse Ghee (17 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals) and Kane Bishop (eight points, nine rebounds, three assists and four steals) were also strong defensively, while Ryan Jeffries (14 points, six rebounds and three assists) also notched up double-figure points. For the Thunder, Chris Cedar had a team-high 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists picking up a double-double for his troubles, while Mitchell Young was deadly from the field with a 63.6 per cent clip off 16 points and nine rebounds.

Sunshine Coast Phoenix Teal (84) defeated by Gold Coast Rollers (92)

The upset result of the weekend was Gold Coast Rollers picking up their second win of the season and handing Sunshine Coast Phoenix Teal their first loss of the season on the road. The Rollers were more productive with their shooting, having less chances, but shooting at a higher percentage, including 43 and 51 per cent from three and two-point range, compared to Phoenix Teal’s 30 and 33 per cent. While Phoenix Teal were more prominent with their rebounding (48-45) and second chance points (14-4), Gold Coast rolled on to victory with accurate shooting. Jalen Patton Croker picked up a match-high 27 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Adrian La Fleur helped himself to 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Tom Howard had a double-double thanks to 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Tidjane Diop recorded 12 points and eight rebounds in the win. For the Phoenix Teal, Jamaal Robateau had 25 points, two rebounds and six assists, while Jonathan Janssen (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Nelson Kahler (13 points, 18 rebounds) were unstoppable off the boards.

North Gold Coast Seahawks (41) defeated by Southern District Spartans (107)

Southern District Spartans ensured they headed into the top of the table clash with RedCity Roar undefeated after a clinical 66-point thrashing of North Gold Coast Seahawks. In a battle of teams up the opposite ends of the ladder, the Spartans trained 13/24 from three-point range at 54.2 per cent compared to their opponents’ 1/22 at just 4.5 per cent. They did it all a little too easily, also recording a high 64.6 per cent from inside the arc, and had 19-3 second chance points. Adding to that fact, they restricted the Seahawks to just four assists for the game, whilst comfortably winning the rebound battle (48-28). Anthony Drmic led the way with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists while Callum Dalton had 17 points, six assists and four steals. Tamuri Wigness (11 points, five assists) and Sam Korst (11 points, five rebounds) also reached double-figures in the win. Alma-Spencer Taleni had a team-high eight points for the Seahawks along with four rebounds and two assists, while Jesse Lomax (six points, seven rebounds) and Donovan Russell (six points, five rebounds) also tried hard in the loss.

South West Metro Pirates (77) defeated USC Rip City (69)

South West Metro Pirates got the job done in a tight one over USC Rip City, triumphing by just eight points in the first of back-to-back matches for the Pirates. The teams were evenly matched on court, with USC getting ahead in second chance points (9-7), rebounds (41-39), assists (14-13) and steals (8-6), but the Pirates taking more chances, with three triples to four, and a 50 per cent clip from inside the arc compared to 40 per cent for their opponents. Tanner Krebs continued his wonderful season with another double-double, notching up 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Jonathon Mines (15 points, six rebounds and two steals) was also productive. Louis Ilton (14 points, 11 rebounds and three assists) had his own double-double for USC, while Dane Glover made the most of his shots, shooting four of five from the field on his way to 12 points, three rebounds and two assists ain the loss.

Toowoomba Mountaineers (93) defeated North Gold Coast Seahawks (63)

Toowoomba Mountaineers picked up their third win of the season with a 30-point triumph over the 0-5 now North Gold Coast Seahawks. The Mountaineers were clinical across the count with a 65.8 per cent accuracy rate from inside the arc compared to the Seahawks’ 42.9 per cent, whilst having 15 more rebounds and five more steals. The Seahawks matched them in other areas though only having one less assist and one less second chance point, in what was a much improved effort from Saturday’s heavy defeat. Joseph Johnson notched up 25 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals on the night, dropping 4/14 from long-range. Jakobe Hume (13 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals) and Sydney Hume (13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals also had productive evenings. For the Seahawks, Lomax had plenty of opportunities, finishing with 21 points, five rebounds and six steals, while Russell (15 points, two rebounds) and Loseli Tupou (12 points, five rebounds) also notched up double-figure points in the loss.

Logan Thunder (103) defeated South West Metro Pirates (88)

After three consecutive losses to open the year, Logan Thunder got back on the winners list with a 15-point triumph over South West Metro Pirates. The Pirates were off a second win in the 2020 season, but fell to the Thunder, who were a little more accurate from inside the arc (61.7 per cent to 50 per cent) and won the assists battle (28-18). The Pirates were quite good off the second chance points however, recording 15 to eight for the match. Atem Bior had a night out with 25 points and seven rebounds, one of three players to pick up more than five boards. Young (22 points, six rebounds and seven assists) and Michael Cedar (15 points, nine rebounds and five assists) were also influential throughout the night, as Cedar hit all four of his attempts from long-range. Mines was the standout for the Pirates with 27 points, eight rebounds and two assists, while Atem Atem dropped 15 points and six rebounds on the Thunder. Krebs was still very productive with 12 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

Southern Districts Spartans (109) defeated by RedCity Roar (123)

The highly anticipated top of the table clash did not let any spectators down as both the Southern District Spartans and RedCity Roar produced a high-scoring epic contest with 232 points put up. In what could be a grand final preview, it was the Roar on the road that got the job done, shooting at 38.9 per cent from three-point range and 57.9 per cent from inside the arc compared to the Spartans’ 24.4 and 49.1 per cent respectively. The home side had 10 more rebounds and 12 more second chance points, though the Roar won the assist battle (23-20) and also had more steals (8-6) and blocks (4-3) as well as less turnovers (10-12). Harry Froling (42 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks) was just having a laugh on the night, teaming up with William McDowell-White (39 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and three steals) as the pair outscored five full teams in Round 4 by themselves. Jean-Luc Morel was a third Roar player to record a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Drmic (23 points, 19 rebounds, four assists and two steals), Dalton (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Wigness (19 points, seven rebounds and five assists) also had prominent nights out, while Tyrell Harrison came close to a double-double of 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks.