The Queensland Firebirds have helped set the stage for a huge clash against West Coast Fever next week after recording a commanding 28-point victory against Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Bouncing back in impressive fashion, winning 82-54, the Firebirds equalled the league scoring record at USC Stadium, a record set by Fever last week - against the same opposition.
Firebirds head coach Megan Anderson said she was again pleased with her side’s start and the improvement shown after last week’s loss to the Vixens.
“What pleased me the most is that when it was tight in the first quarter, we still stuck to our game plan and knew that it would pay dividends in the end,” Anderson said.
“I think we really groundout the hard work in the first quarter and saw the benefits later in the match and I think everybody just trusted each other out on the court tonight.
“We had huge consistency across the four quarters, I think there was a small dip in the third quarter at the start, but after the timeout we really pushed on from there and out to a 20-goal lead which was really pleasing and then we maintained that.”
Anderson rewarded rising star Ruby Bakewell-Doran with a spot in the starting seven after a strong showing when she came on in the second half of last week’s loss.
The first-year Firebird made the most of the opportunity and repaid the faith shown in her by producing a Player of the Match performance.
“Ruby had a great game, and she was helped out by everyone around her, I thought Gabs and Eboni had their best games as well. “So, I think Ruby really benefited from the structure that was in place for the defensive unit. But she definitely shone and took her opportunity when she got it.”
Fellow defender Eboni Usoro-Brown was also a key contributor in her best match for the Firebirds since joining the club.
Despite her impressive work in defence, the England international was happy for young Bakewell-Doran to have the credit.
“We have been practising at training really hard and then Ruby had an excellent game today, she really worked the goal attack so hard, and we were able to pick some balls nice and early,” Usoro-Brown said.
“She’s a really good kid so it was so nice to see her do so well.”
The powerful win highlighted just what the Firebirds outfit is capable of, according to Usoro-Brown.
Though the experienced defender assured she and her teammates wouldn’t get ahead of themselves and must produce a similar performance next week against West Coast Fever.
“We didn’t do ourselves justice last week so to come out firing and really put in that four-quarter performance shows we are moving in the right direction,” she said.
“To score 82 today just shows what this team is capable of, but again we need to back it up next week and moving forward for the rest of the competition.
“Every week is a challenge for us and of course we are going to go back to the video and have a look. We know Fever are a tough team to beat, but it should be a really good contest.”
The Queensland Firebirds will play host to the West Coast Fever at 2pm next Sunday at Nissan Arena as part of the league’s Heritage Round.
