# NBL news 10/16



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Crocs ready for Kings*

Townsville Crocodiles guard Brad Newley believes his team will have to bring their A game on Friday night for their Round Four clash with the Sydney Kings.

The Crocs went down by 19 points on Wednesday night to an impressive Brisbane team and in doing so picked up an unforgivable 26 turnovers for the game after the Bullets applied a full court press.

21-year-old Newley said he expected the Kings to implement a similar game plan at The Swamp on Friday.

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Kings Cup underway*

The ninth annual Wyndham Vacation Ownership Kings Cup began on Friday at Newington College with a record 20 teams from 13 schools competing in this year’s competition.

Defending champions Waverly College will again be one of the team's to beat following their victory in 2005 over this year’s host school.

For the first time in Cup history there will be a division one (Sydney Kings Cup) and division two (Sydney Kings Plate) champion. 

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Wildcats and Leven part*

The Perth Wildcats have parted company with guard Steve Leven after mutually agreeing it is in the best interest of both parties.

Leven was signed to a two-year deal with the Wildcats but has struggled to fit into the team philosophies, playing rotation and conduct policies.

“I believe Steve is a talented player. Unlocking that talent takes discipline and application and I think it is fair to say that Steve needs to work on that aspect of his game." Perth Managing Director Andrew Vlahov said

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Bailey cleared to play*

Black Friday has brought some good news for the Westbus West Sydney Razorbacks with import Justin Bailey cleared to play on Saturday night against New Zealand.

After completing a full training session this morning Bailey was been cleared to play and will make his Philips Championship debut against the New Zealand Breakers at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday night.

Bailey has been sidelined for over three weeks and missed the Razors’ two opening games after injuring ligaments in his knee but says he is raring to go. 

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Bullets turn the tables*

The Brisbane Bullets have ruined an Adelaide 36ers championship celebration by beating the South Australian side 115-93 at the Distinctive Homes Dome on Friday.

The game marked the 20th anniversary of Adelaide's 1986 championship win against Brisbane but the result was reversed with the Bullets dominating after the opening quarter.

Trailing by 10 points at the first break, the visitors fought back in the second quarter and outclassed their opponents in the second half.

The Bullets' terrific defensive pressure choked the Sixers' scoring options while their own offensive game flourished as the contest progressed.

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Crocs kings at home*

The Townsville Crocodiles have continued their perfect home record in the Philips Championship with a thrilling 115-111 win over the Sydney Kings at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on Friday night.

Brad Newley (30 points including six-from-seven at the three-point line) and Larry Abney (28 points, 6 rebounds) were the stars as the home side defeated last year’s grand finalists for the second time in three weeks.

Captain John Rillie (15 points) showed composure scoring two triples and a double in the last two minutes to ice the game for the Crocodiles.

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Taipans sting Kings*

A last-second Martin Cattalini jumpshot has given the Cairns Taipans a thrilling 91-90 win over the Sydney Kings at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday night.

Cairns had trailed the entire game, but Martin Cattalini's field-goal with five seconds to play gave the home side its final one-point advantage, while Darnell Mee blocked a last-gasp Jason Smith shot to seal the win.

It was a dominant 30-17 third-quarter effort that put Cairns into position for the win, the Taipans closing from 15 points behind to just two points, thanks to 10 Sydney turnovers in the term.

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Pigs break drought*

The West Sydney Razorbacks have broken through for their first win of the Philips Championship with a 104-97 victory over the New Zealand Breakers at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre on Saturday night.

A third quarter blitz helped the Pigs forge a handy 13-point lead heading into the final term, before holding out a determined Breakers fightback for their first win.

James Harvey was instrumental in the West Sydney victory, scoring 23 points and pulling down seven boards, while Liam Rush continued his impressive form with 18 points and import Justin Bailey chipped in with 14.

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Hawks upstage Dragons*

A powerful performance by Cortez Groves has ruined the South Dragons' first match at home as the Wollongong Hawks downed the Philips Championship's newest club 102-93 at Vodafone Arena on Saturday night.

Groves was instrumental to the Hawks' win, combining with Adam Ballinger to wrest the early lead back from the Dragons before arresting a last-quarter slump with some important plays to get Wollongong home.

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Tigers maul Slingers*

The Melbourne Tigers saw off an early challenge from the Singapore Slingers before cruising to a comfortable 113-102 victory at the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Melbourne on Saturday night.

After a close first quarter, the Tigers went on a scoring spree in the second to establish a lead that they would not relinquish for the rest of the evening.

Chris Anstey and Rashad Tucker led the way for Melbourne with 24 points apiece with Tucker also pulling down 10 rebounds, while Mike Helms was the standout for Singapore - also scoring 24 points.

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Wildcats leave it late*

The Perth Wildcats have come from behind in the dying stages of the final term to trump the Brisbane Bullets 90-87 at the Brisbane Convention Centre on Sunday.

The last-gasp victory retains Perth's 100 per cent start to the season and stretched its winning streak over Brisbane to six matches.

Tony Ronaldson was the Wildcats star with a game-high 30 points plus eight rebounds while Peter Crawford (14 points and nine boards) was solid and Darren Brooks (15 points) a menace in the first half.

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Legends head to Townsville*

The Townsville Bulletin newspaper has reported that some of the greatest players ever to compete in the National Basketball League will take part in a special Legends of Basketball match in Townsville next year.

The Bulletin's Antony Stewart has reported that Leroy Loggins, Ricky Grace, James Crawford and Bruce Bolden are among eight legends of the Philips Championship confirmed to be playing in the match on January 27 at The Swamp.

The game format will see the Legends of Townsville take on the Legends of Basketball. Townsville will be represented by former stars Graham Kubank, Jason Cameron and David Blades, while Rob Rose and Derek Rucker are also being mooted as possible returness for the one-off match.

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*One of the best: Black*

Cairns Taipans head coach coach Alan Black has told the Cairns Post newspaper he rates his team's come-from-behind 91-90 win over Sydney on Saturday as one of their best performances.

The Taipans were down by as many as 20 points in the second quarter before using a 30-17 third term to catapult themselves back into the game and ultimately upset last season's runners-up at the Cairns Convention Centre.

"That game is right up there in victories under pressure and under the pump and (after) playing poorly in that first quarter I thought that was just a terrific win," Black said.


complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Fish's ticker toughens up*

“My ticker is tougher now – what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, and that’s just made us a lot stronger.”

The words are from red-hot Perth Wildcat’s coach Scott Fisher after his team’s nail-biting win over the Brisbane Bullets in Brisbane on Sunday night.

“Honestly, I really didn’t care if we won or not by the end – we showed such great heart that the win was just the sweet gravy on top,” Fisher said. “To play against them at their place, missing Paul (Rogers), coming back from that deficit ... it was just unbelievable.”

complete article


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Pigs gunning for Slingers*

After humiliation at the hands of the Slingers in Singapore last Monday, the Westbus West Sydney Razorbacks are salivating over the chance of a quick-fire payback when the Slingers come to town on Friday night.

Boosted in manpower with their full roster available for the first time in their three starts, the Razorbacks defeated the New Zealand Breakers 104-97 at home on Saturday and gave their fans plenty to cheer about and themselves a growing confidence in their long-term prospects. Righting the ledger against Singapore is a matter of pride according to guard James Harvey.

complete article


----------

