prvy zapas druheho semifinale zenskej australskej basketbalovej ligy, Sydney skoncilo po zakladnej casti druhe, Townsville tretie ale kedze sa pred touto sezonou zmenil system play-off zapasov tak podobne ako pri zapase Melbourne-Perth, horsi team po zakladnej casti zacina doma a potom nasledne hra jeden resp. dva zapasy, ak je to nevyhnutne, vonku.

Tato dnesna bodova hranica zacinala vyssie ale aj terajsia je hratelna. Celkovo ta hranica je ovplyvnena poslednym vzajomnym zapasom v Sydney, kde Sydney doma zdolalo Townsville v prestrelke 107:81. Rozdiel je v tom ze teraz sa bude hrat v Townsville, kde sa nehra ziadnemu teamu lahko. Jednak Townsville lezi na severno vychodnom pobrezi statu Queensland, cize v priemere 3 hodiny letu z miest Sydney, Melbourne,Canberra, Adelaide, Bendigo + dalsou vyhodou domacich je hlucne a relativne blizko sediace publikum k palubovke ktore domacich zenie dopredu. Aj vdaka tymto vyhodam, Townsville prehralo v riadnej sezone na domacom ihrisku len 2 z 10 zapasov (proti Adelaide 64:79 a prave proti dnesnemu superovi Sydney 63:66). Pod dnesnou hranicou 158.5 bodu skoncilo 9 z 10 domacich zapasov Townsville, aj kvoli tomu ze ten team je prakticky nezmeneny z minulej sezony, silny podkos: hviezdami su Opals hracky, nestarnuca 37 rocna Suzy Batkovic a pivotka Cayla George, pred sezonou podpisali rozohravacku amicku Laurin Mincy, Kelly Wilson posilnila team z Bendiga a zbytok hracok do rotacie Haylee Andrews, Darcee Garbin, Mia Murray a Micaela Cocks predlzilo pred sezonou zmluvy. Doma sa snazi Townsville diktovat hru tym ze to spomaluju kedze sa vo vacsine pripadov pri prechode do utoku caka na Batkovic, ktora je sice stale vyborna strelkyna ale ten prechod do utoku aj vdaka veku je predsa pomalsi + v teame nie su ziadne vylozene trojkarky okrem Kelly Wilson, cize dost utokov konci na vysokych pivotkach Batkovic+George.

Ako som uz spominal v Townsville hralo Sydney tuto sezonu len raz a vysledok bol 63:66 v prospech Sydney, v identickych zostavach. Pripomeniem play-off zapas semifinale minulej sezony 2016/2017 kedze team Townsville sa velmi nezmenil a Sydney ostalo z minulej sezony 10 z 12 hracok ktore vyhralo minulu sezonu titul. Minulorocne semifinale v Townsville medzi tymito teamami sa skoncilo vitazstvom Sydney 76:61, cize znova daleko pod dnesnou hranicou.

Sydney je pre mna favoritom tejto serie ale minimalne prvy zajtrajsi zapas bude pre nich tazky, slova kapitankySydney, Belindy Snell:

"“They also have really fantastic supporters, very passionate and it is loud and close. Everyone knows it is hard to beat Townsville at home.’’

“We need to make sure we get a good start. Our last few weeks have been all right and we have really lifted the defensive intensity,’’ Snell said.

“They have a lot of depth and a lot of experienced players so we need to be on our game.’’

Sydney ma vyvazenejsi team ako Townsville, univerzalnu ale najma podkosovu hracku amicku Asiu Taylor, stvrta naj strelkyne sutaze ktora znova nastupi ako v predchadzajucich zapasoch so specialnymi okuliarmi kvoli ocnemu zraneniu z prebiehajucej sezony. Okrem Taylor, vyborny perimeter na cele s kapitankou Snell, dalej repre Opals, Katie-Rae Ebzery a Alex Wilson.

Zminulorocneho teamu Sydney chyba len vyborna rozohravcka a strelkyna z perimetra Leilani Mitchell, ktora sa rozhodla tuto sezonu hrat v turecku (Hatay) + kvoli predsezonnemu zraneniu, jedna z naj talentov Australie, Tahlia Tupea.

Pod kosom ma Sydney dvojmetrovu amicku Jen Hamson a prave ta bude mat za ulohu zastavit hviezdu Townsville, Suzy Batkovic.

Vyjadrenie trenera Sydney, Chambersa po poslednom vzajomnom zapase medzi Sydney a townsville:

“Jen was superb on Suzy last week. She is playing the best she has ever played and she is just getting better and better,’’ Chambers said.

“She is a big part of our defence and defence is what wins us games.’’

Chambers said fellow American Asia Taylor will continue to play with goggles after her retina was scratched in a game last month but the rest of her charges are “niggle free’’.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/sydney-uni-flames-worried-home-crowd-will-fan-townsville-fire-in-wnbl-semifinal/news-story/6bfce673386dce73a48b7c3654c0dd83

http://www.news.com.au/sport/sydney-uni-flames-wary-of-townsville-fire-at-home-in-semifinal-series-opener/news-story/162c9646173531ff97f9f55ecac68935

trenerka domacich Townsville, Claudia Brassard + kapitanka Batkovic vedia ze ten silny perimeter Sydney musia eliminovat a podla jej slov chystaju Caylu George na obranu amicky Asia Taylor

“They’re a great side with some big studs and we have to limit their scoring.”

“Cayla will start on her (Taylor) and at the end of the day it’s we can’t rely on one person trying to shut someone like Asia down on their own,” Batkovic said.

“In the end of the day it’s our team defence which will get us over the line.”

The post battle will be vital with Sydney’s gun American pair of Asia Taylor and Jennifer Hamson clashing with Opals stars Batkovic and Cayla George.

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/battle-of-the-bigs-crucial-in-semi-showdown/news-story/b8c49c9c18365e4db5ae2babed18bec0

+ perimeter Sydney bude mat na starosti nova predsezonna akvizicia Townsville, americka rozohravacka Mincy

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/semifinals-to-bring-out-best-of-fire-import-mincy/news-story/216c5a34a3011870cb8a1108d68bd305

co sa statistik z tejto sezony tyka, ako som spominal kedhral townsville tuto sezonu doma tak padla hranica cez 158b len v 1 z 10 zapasov, ked hralo Sydney vonku tak padla hranica cez 158 bodov v 3 z 10 zapasov.