The Queensland Times

A GUTSY performance from the Ipswich Force men’s team has proven that they can still be finals enforcers despite the loss of centre Tim Behrendorff for the rest of the season.

The Force lost to the Rockhampton Rockets 91-83 at Cotton On Foundation Stadium last Friday night.

Against a title-contending Rockets, the Force was down by just six points at halftime.

Considering they were missing Luke Cann and their last true centre Ryan Stolberg was carrying a niggling back injury, their effort was exceptional.

Utility forward Brad Williams played the house down, scoring 33 points and taking seven rebounds.

He was deadly from behind the arc, nailing six from 14 three-point attempts.

If Williams is healthy when the finals begin in two weeks, the Force will be hard to stop.

Captain Daniel Robinson also found form, collecting seven assists as he formed a productive partnership with Williams.

But the Force struggled to contain Rockhampton’s big man, American import Travis Reed.

Reed dominated the match, scoring 27 points and 13 rebounds.

Force’s interchange impact player Zac Compton continues to impress.

He topped the rebounding charts for the Force while also scoring 11 points.

His minutes will continue to increase over the next month.

While Behrendorff was ruled out for the year, Cann is expected to be back either this weekend or next weekend while Stolberg is likely to push through his injuries and continue playing.

The Force play Maroochydore at home and South West away this weekend in the final round of the QBL 2011 season.

Men’s state league: Rockhampton 91 (Travis Reed 27 pts, 13 rbs; Pero Vasiljeric 23 pts) def Ipswich 83 (Brad Williams 33 pts, 7 rebounds; Ryan Stolberg 18 pts; Zac Compton 11 rbs) at Cotton On Foundation Stadium.