Cairns Marlins vs. Brisbane Capitals
Friday 28th May 8:00pm @ Bendigo Bank Basketball Centre
Cairns should be fresh and raring to go after a bye in round 4. Before the bye the Marlins had split results in their trip down south. They defeated the Force in the first match and then lost to the Pirates 74-64 in their second game. Young Gun Jeromie Hill showed plenty of promise against the Pirates by recording a career high 20pts and Deba George was solid for the Marlins in both games. After a round 1 win it has been all downhill for the Capitals with three consecutive losses. In their last outing they were defeated 90-62 by the Meteors. Brisbane could not recover from a devastating first quarter by the Meteors in which they outscored the Capitals 28-14. Kurt Thompson fought gallantly for the Capitals and recorded 27pts, 9rbs, 2assts and 2stls for the match. Brisbane will be out to put an end to their slide down the ladder in their two games in round 5. This could be difficult as Cairns are notoriously hard to beat at home and they will be looking to rebound strongly after their loss to the Pirates.

Maroochydore Clippers vs. Rockhampton Rockets
Friday 28th May 8:30pm @ Maroochydore Basketball Stadium
Maroochydore had plenty of optimism coming into their clash with the Meteors. However, this confidence was short lived after a powerful first half display by the Meteors put the game out of the Clippers reach. The Clippers will need to regroup quickly as they have two tough games in round 5 starting with the Rockets on Friday night. QBL 2006 player of the year Zane Meehl made a welcome return to the Maroochydore line-up in the loss to the Meteors with 19pts and 4rbs. Rockhampton were made to work hard for their win over the Heat in round 4. Rocky were trailing by 12 points at half time, before launching a second half come back to record an 85-78 victory.  Things are going to get harder for the Rockets as star Cameron Tragardh who has been instrumental all the Rockets wins, has played his last game for the season. Rocky comfortably came away with win when these teams last played 112-84. Maroochydore will be a tricky first up opponent for the Rockets and with the loss of Tragardh the Clippers might just fancy their chances of pulling of an upset.

South West Metro Pirates vs. Maroochydore Clippers
Saturday 29th May 7:00pm @ Hibiscus Sports Complex
South West Metro will be gunning for their in 5th win in a row, after holding their nerve and edging out the Ipswich Force 81-77. Brendan Teys top scored for the Pirates with 15pts and Troy Thomson had his strongest game of the year with 14pts. Even though the Pirates are currently unbeaten they will be desperate to defeat the Clippers with a daunting road trip to Mackay and Rockhampton in round 6. Maroochydore travel down the highway to play their second match of the round. Despite showing some positive signs this season the Clippers find themselves with a 1-4 record, and will need to start winning some matches, or they will run the risk of a slipping to far behind the other teams in their pool. Round 3 player of the week Isaih Tueta was well contained by the Meteors and will be looking to bounce back to his best against the Pirates. One point was all that separated the teams in their last encounter, with South West running the Clippers down in the 4th quarter. The Pirates have played consistently in all their matches thus far and should account for the Clippers in this match. 

Caboolture Suns vs. Rockhampton Rockets
Saturday 29th May 7:00pm @ Morayfield Park Leisure Centre
Round 4 was not a happy round for the Suns as they lost both of their games. Caboolture struggled to contain the Meteors offence in their first match and went down 103-75. Their second game against the Gold Coast was much closer and they only trailed by one point at half time. Sadly for Suns they were unable to maintain this resistance and went down 73-63. Thalo Green put in another exceptional performance for the Suns and finished the weekend with 54pts and 33rbs. In their second game of the round, Rockhampton will come to Caboolture looking to make it 2 from 2. Rockhampton’s big name players are going to have to step up and fill the void which will be left by Cameron Tragardh’s departure. Luckily for the Rockets they have an abundance of quality players, such as week one Player of the Week Reggie Golson and Michael Kingma who will need to lift and lead the Rockets for the rest of the season.  Caboolture have not beaten the Rockets for over three years, and for a team currently sitting with a 1-5 record this is a real danger game for the Suns.   

Northside Wizards vs. Gold Coast Goannas
Saturday 29th May 7:00pm @ The Sports Centre
After a shock loss in round three, Northside quickly regained momentum with a 95-72 win over Toowoomba in round four. Northside were always in control of the match, but will want a better 4th quarter effort in this match after the Mountaineers outscored them 24-12 in the final quarter. Shane Davis had a 21 point haul for the match and Chris Goulding added 20pts, 5rbs and 3assts. Gold Coast are travelling along nicely at the moment and have recorded wins in their last three matches.  The Goannas were able to pull away for the Suns in the second half of their match and won the game 73-63.  Former Rocky player Jason Aucoin had a strong match for the Goannas and scored a team high 18pts for the match. Gold Coast will need to pick up their intensity if they are to get over the Wizards in this game. Even though they are on a three game winning it streak, it has come against teams with a combined record of 3-13. Northside appear to have the goods on paper and will be eager for a win to consolidate their sport near the top of the table.  

Townsville Heat vs. Brisbane Capitals
Saturday 29th May 7:45pm @ NPA Stadium
Townsville’s coaching staff would not have been happy with the results from their Central Queensland road trip. In their first match the Heat went down 96-88 to the previously winless Gladstone Power. Chris Cedar did his best for the Heat with career high 37pts (1st in league), however it was not enough, as Gladstone came home with a wet sail in the 4th quarter to secure the win. Townsville looked good in the first half against the Rockets and were up by 12 at the main break. But, a poor second half saw them loose the match 85-78. Brisbane plays their second game of round when they journey to Townsville. The Capitals have not been in great form recently and this road trip will be a test of their character. In an encouraging sign for the future of the Capitals, some of their young players have shown some outstanding form in recent weeks. Kurt Thompson (21 yrs old) top scored for the Capitals in the last match and the week before it was young Drew Phillips who led the scoring. Both teams will be desperate for a win to put a halt to a three game losing streak.

Gladstone Power vs. Ipswich Force
Saturday 29th May 8:00pm @ Kev Broome Stadium
Gladstone was able to spring a surprise upset in round 4 by defeating the Townsville Heat 96-88. Townsville held a two point lead heading into the final quarter, but the Power cheered on from their home crowd rose to the occasion and outscored the Heat by 10 points, to record their first win of the year. For the second game in a row Keith Borgan (24pts, 5rbs, 5assts) and Anthony Esparza (21pts, 10rbs, 4assts)  put in powerful performances for Gladstone. Ipswich took the challenge up to the undefeated Pirates in round 4 and in a tense conclusion to match they were unable to reel in the Pirates and went down by 4. Veteran Ryan Stolberg showed he still had plenty to offer the team with an outstanding game of 25pts, 15rbs and 5assts.  Luke Cann also had a big match for the Force playing the entire game and finishing with 21pts and 7assts. Ipswich has put in a mixture of good and bad performances this year and will be looking for some more consistency in their game. Gladstone comprehensively defeated Ipswich in their round 9 match last year 113-82 and will be hoping to repeat the performance in this game.

Bundaberg Bulls vs. Rockhampton Rockets
Sunday 30th May 2:00pm @ Century 21 Stadium
Bundaberg should be well rested after having the bye in round 4. Bundy had two wins to start the season and then in round 3 lost a high scoring match to a rejuvenated Clippers side 109-104. Matthew Hanson continued to show why he is one of the most feared players in the QBL with 32pts and 17rbs. Willie Shackleford delivered another eye catching performance in his second game in the QBL with 29pts and 17rbs. Rockhampton on the other hand will be drained when they arrive in Bundaberg, as this will be their third game of the round. Rocky enter round five looking to cement their place at the top of the table with a clean sweep of the round. Reggie Golson was in superb touch in last year’s meeting between the sides, and he finish with 36pts in Rocky’s 118-74 win over the Bulls. With this defeat in mind the Bulls should be pumped up and looking for revenge. Rocky will be bit fatigued for this match, but with the end in sight should be able to lift and turn on another good performance.

QBL WOMEN

Cairns Dolphins vs. Brisbane Capitals
Friday 28th May 6:00pm @ Bendigo Bank Basketball Centre
Cairns will be fresh and raring to go on their home court after having the bye last week. Prior to the bye Cairns had mixed results when they played Ipswich and South West Metro in Round 3. The Dolphins had a good start to their trip with an 80-61 win over the Force. They then went on to lose their first match of the year 62-51 to the Pirates. Naomi Pedro and New Zealander Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe were the standouts for the Dolphins throughout the two games. Brisbane has a 2-2 record after they became Mackay’s third victim of Round 4. A disappointing second half from the Capitals cost them any chance they had of winning the match. Crista Ricketts registered her first QBL double-double with 20pts and 10rbs and Rachel Maenpaa recorded her third double-double of the season with 16pts and 12rbs. It has been over a year since these two teams last played, and on this occasion the Dolphins won 74-70. Both teams have very different line-ups for this match and Cairns’ good early season form indicates that they might go into this game as favourites.

Maroochydore Clippers vs. Rockhampton Cyclones
Friday 28th May 6:30pm @ Maroochydore Basketball Stadium
Maroochydore suffered their fourth defeat of the season when they faced a powerful Mackay outfit in round 4. The Clippers struggled to control Mackay’s offense and found it difficult to mount any pressure when they had the ball. Rachel Hubble, who was recruited by the Clippers from the SEABL, after missing Round 3 put in a solid effort (15pts, 10rbs) and Newberry College (NCAA Division II) player Amy Browne (14pts, 4stls) also gave her all in the team’s defeat. After two losses to start their season, the Cyclone’s rallied to defeat the Townsville Flames 71-68 in a nail bitter. It was a great team effort from Rockhampton with five players recording double figures for the match. These players were Tegan Cunningham (17pts, 10rbs), Fiona McGrath (12pts, 13rbs, 1stl, and 2assts), Amee Brown (14pts, 10rbs, 3assts), Daphanie Kennedy (16pts, 4rbs, 4stls, 6assts) and Katrina Clifford (12pts). Rockhampton have picked a good time to find some form with a three game road trip this round. Maroochydore will need to dig deep and put up a better performance this week if they are to rattle the Cyclones.

South West Metro Pirates vs. Maroochydore Clippers
Saturday 29th May 5:00pm @ Hibiscus Sports Complex
South West Metro’s perfect start to the season is over, after losing a fiercely contested match to the Ipswich Force 69-62.  The Pirates held a small lead at half time, but a stunning 3rd quarter from the Force took the game away from the Pirates.  Catherine Scanlon fought hard for the Pirates with 17pts, 15rbs, 3stls and 4blks, as did Heidi Freeburn (15pts, 5stls) and Jessica Wallis (13pts). Maroochydore will play their second game in two days when they come to Hibiscus on Saturday. With such a short turnaround between games Maroochydore’s experienced players such as Kirsty Dallas, Charmaine Cox and Rachel Hubble will need to step up and provide some leadership for the younger players. Normally one of the Clippers top shooters, Kristina Innemee will also be looking for an improved performance this round after only shooting 1 of 9 from the field against Mackay. If Innemme and co can reproduce their effort from round 4 last year when they defeated the Pirates 85-83, there might be a chance of the Clippers causing an upset in this match. However, the Pirates have produced some clinical performances this year and they will want to prove that last week’s loss was only a minor hiccup. 

Caboolture Suns vs. Rockhampton Cyclones
Saturday 29th May 5:00pm @ Morayfield Park Leisure Centre
Caboolture cannot catch a break this season and will need to do something drastic in the coming weeks if they are to salvage their year. The Suns played two games in round 4 and lost both. Against Mackay the Suns toiled hard and put in a strong last quarter scoring 24 points to Mackay’s 6 to go down by 13, which was a huge improvement on the previous week. In their second game the Suns played the Gliders who dominated every quarter and won the match 67-39. Rockhampton have good reason to be optimistic about the rest of their season. They are fresh off their first win of the year and new recruit Tegan Cunningham provided the Cyclones with a much needed spark in her first match in the QBL. Cunningham has returned to Australia after an exceptional College Career in the US with Oklahoma State, where she saw action in all of the sides 33 games in the 2008/09 season. In their match against the Flames Rocky showed that their team is beginning to gel and this is an ominous sign for the Suns who are staring down the barrel of 7 losses in a row.

Northside Wizards vs. Gold Coast Gliders
Saturday 29th May 5:00pm @ The Sports Centre
Northside remain the only undefeated team in the competition after they methodically accounted for the Toowoomba Mountaineers 114-35. Jenna O’Hea in her last game for the Wizards reminded them how much she will be missed with 28pts, 15rbs, 9assts, 5stls and 1 blk for the match. Other star performers for the Wizards were young guards Kimberly Lennon (19pts, 9rbs) and Katie Harris (17pts, 5rbs) Gold Coast Gliders have got their season going in the right direction with consecutive wins over Toowoomba and Caboolture. The Gliders put in their most complete display of the season when they defeated Caboolture 67-39 in Round 4. Peyton Soloai in her second QBL match top scored with 16pts and Jade Abele continued her solid season with 6pts, 4rbs, 5stls and 9assts. Northside prevailed 72-64 when the sides last met. The Wizards have had a great start to their 2010 campaign, but the loss of O’Hea will be hard to overcome. They have recruited the well-travelled US player Kirsten Rasmussen who after playing for a number of teams in the WNBA has more recently been playing in the Euro Cup for Romanian side LMK Sepsi BC Sfantu-Gheorghe where she averaged 8.4pts, 9.1rbs and 2.5 steals in the 2010 season making her 4th in the League for Total Rebounds and 10th in the League for steals. But with her international player clearance yet to come through the Wizards may be weakened for this match. The Gold Coast has been improving with every game and this will be a good test for the side against a quality opposition.

Gladstone Power vs. Ipswich Force
Saturday 29th May 6:00pm @ Kev Broome Stadium
Gladstone was out for revenge in Round 4, and wow didn’t they play like it. After being surprised by Townsville in Round 1 the Power was not going to let it happen again and the result never looked like it was in doubt.  Gladstone’s power trio of Hurst (27pts, 4rbs, 1stl,3assts), Bibby (23pts, 2rbs, 6stls, 5assts) and Haynes (19pts, 21rbs, 6stls, 2assts) guided their team to the 30 point win in what was a very physical game. Ipswich on the back of a player of the week performance from Courtney Taylor caused a major boil over by defeating the Pirates 69-62.  Courtney was instrumental in helping the Force gain the lead in the third quarter scoring 12 of Ipswich’s 26 points for the quarter. The Force then managed to keep the Pirates at bay in the last to take the win. Taylor finished the match with a week high 31pts and made an astonishing 11-13 from the field. Gladstone with the home crowd advantage will be supremely confident coming into this match, especially as they defeated the Force by over 40 points in their last meeting. However, Ipswich is proving to be a tough opposition in 2010 and should not be written off.

Townsville Flames vs. Brisbane Capitals
Saturday 29th May 6:00pm @ NPA Stadium
Townsville had a forgettable two games in their round four Central Queensland road trip. They took on the Power in the first match, which was expected to be a tightly fought out match.  However, the Power had other ideas and never let the Flames settle into a rhythm and they lost the game 88-58. Kirby Dalgleish tried hard for the Flames and managed 14pts and 10rbs, although the pressure she endured from the Power caused her to concede 12 turnovers. Rocky were the Flames next opponent and in a close game, Rocky were able to hold onto their slender lead and win the game 71-68.  Aroon Edgar top scored for the Heat with 17pts and Kirby Dalgleish put in a big effort with 17pts and 10rbs. Brisbane’s season has been inconsistent so far with the team unable to put together back to back wins. The Capitals record against the Flames in the last three years is not good, with Flames recording comprehensive victories in all three matches. There was a silver lining in their round 4 loss to Mackay, with Lauren McConnell (10pts @ 60%, 4stls) and Natalie Kavago (11pts) stepping up and providing more support for gun imports Crista Ricketts and Rachel Maenpaa. More of this will be needed if the Capitals are to their second match of the round.

Bundaberg Bears vs. Rockhampton Cyclones
Sunday 30th May 12:00pm @ Century 21 Stadium
Bundaberg will be refreshed after their bye in Round 4, and will be looking for their third win of the season. In their last outing the Bears put on an impressive display beating the Clippers 93-75. Round 3 Player of the Week Stephanie Jones guided Bundaberg to victory in her first game of the year with, 31pts, 14rbs and 2assts. Jones received plenty of assistance from Stephanie Rehbein (15pts, 8rbs, 4assts) and Paige Wharton (12pts,6rbs,4assts). This will be the Cyclones third game of Round 5 and Bundaberg should provide Rocky with their most difficult challenge of the trip. Rockhampton’s big name imports Daphanie Kennedy and Tegan Cunningham have showed over the last few weeks that they are valuable additions to the side and will need to leave reserves in the tank after their first two games of the round. Kennedy and Cunningham are helping to compensate for the loss of star players Nicole Romeo to injury and Abby Bishop who has been signed by the Seattle Storm. Rockhampton emerged as the winner when the teams played last played 83-63. But, this is a much different Rocky side and Bundaberg will have both fresh legs and the home crowd support on their side in this Central Queensland match-up.