14 SPORT
THURSDAY 10 AUGUST 2023 TORRES NEWS
World Cup looms for Boomers Basketball the winner in close NBL1 finals series
The Australian Boomers have cut their squad from 18 down to 15 ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup later this month, with three more to go. Keanu Pinder missed out,
but Patty Mills and William McDowell-White were still in the mix as the squad left the north for Melbourne this week, ready to play exhibition games against Venezuela, Brazil and South Sudan next week.
In the end only 12 players will be chosen to ‘boom’ in World Cup games to be played in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia from 25 August to 10 September – the 32 participating teams will play 92 games over the 16 days.
BY VELMA GARA The Ipswich Force (Men’s) and Northside Wizards (Women’s) are the NBL1 North Champions. Third placed, Ipswich Force, defeated the favourites, Gold Coast Rollers – two games to one. The basketball grand finals were played last weekend in a best of three games series at the home courts for Rollers (Gold Coast) and Wizards (Zillmere, Brisbane). In the men’s, Rollers won the first game, 100-86, and had to win the following night for the 2023 championship. However, Ipswich had other ideas and came out fired up and levelled the series to play the third game. Force won, 119-98, and then last Sunday afternoon, won convincingly again by about 20 points, 109-85. Rollers centre, Tidjane Diop, played consistently off the bench until he was
ABOVE: Pinder (left) & McDowell-White (right) in NBL action in Cairns late last year. RIGHT: Patty Mills in Cairns last month at the ICBL Qld North launch. Pics by Christine Howes.
Celebratory moment of Tidjane Diop (#33) with his Rollers teammates during the Grand Finals series. Pic @trent.schwartz. injured in Game 3. Just before the end of third quarter, whilst guarding Deng Deng, Diop injured his left shoulder. He didn’t return to play. Collectively over the three games, Diop had 17 points, 9 rebounds and one block. Wizards women’s team won their grand final series against Rockhampton Cyclones in two games – (87-52) and (70-59). The North Champions will be heading to Joondalup, West Australia, to compete in the NBL1 National Championship on 18-20 August 2023. They will play the winners of NBL1 East, South, Central and West.
Top scorers for the men’s series: Game 1 – (Rollers)
Todd Blanchfield 27p and 14r. / (Force) Nathan Sobey 22p and 6r.
Game 2 – (Rollers) Todd
Blanchfield 40p and 8r / (Force) Nathan Sobey 39p and 6r.
Game 3 – (Rollers) Todd
Blanchfield 20p and 15r / (Force) Deng Deng 41p and 13r.
Top Scorers for the women’s series: Game 1 – (Wizards) AJ
Johnson 23p and 8r / (Cyclones) Tia Hays 13p and 3r. Game 2 – (Wizards)
Courtney Woods 23p, 7r and 10assists / (Cyclones) Lara McSpadden 20p and 12r.
Huge crowds enjoy double blockbuster in Townsville NRL STORY & PICS BY ALF WILSON Waiben rugby league follower LJ Shibasaki was amongst an invasion of Torres Strait Islanders from around North Queensland who converged on Townsville for the double header NRL games between the Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos last weekend. LJ, a highly respected Waiben resident, was a hard working secretary of the local Kaiwalagal Rugby League competition for many years. The Torres News unexpectedly saw LJ, her sister Florence Mills and husband Fred Mills from Mount Isa at the Cardwell Choice Roadhouse on Friday 4 August. It was the day before the NRL women’s and men’s blockbuster matches between the Cowboys and Broncos at Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium. “We are really looking forward to the games,” LJ said. Also there was Cairns resident Don Bowie, the father of Cowboys ladies co-captain Tallisha Harden. They caught up with a relative Lilian Bosun, who has worked at the roadhouse for seven years.
“It was really good to see them,” Lilian said. LJ has many relatives in Townsville, including her nephews Gehamat and his younger brother Jamal Shibasaki. The brothers were travelling away from Townsville for the weekend, with Gehamat on the team for the Queensland Hostplus Cup Blackhawks team taking on the CQ Capras at Rockhampton’s Browne Park. Jamal was in the Blackhawks Hasting Deering Colts side also meeting the Capras in Rockhampton. Torres News also met up with Cape York family Alfred Bond, Tessa Bosuen, Geraldine Kris, Kaylene Jawai and Alayah Bond in the Townsville CBD, all ready to get to the games. “We have come down from Napranum and Weipa,” Tessa said. They caught up with young Townsville girls Tahliyah Jawai and Miriam Kris as they watched the drum beat for the hundreds who marched from the Cowboys League’s Club in the CBD to the stadium. Mackay’s Julie Tass was also heading off to the football, she was related to Isaiah Tass, a star back for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Cape York family Alfred Bond, Tessa Bosuen, Geraldine Kris, Kaylene Jawai & Alayah Bond.
Tahliyah Jawai & Miriam Kris marched to the ground.
At Cardwell heading to the Cowboys games were Fred Mills, Florence Mills, Lilian Bosun & LJ Shibasaki from Waiben.
Julie Tass from Mackay was also heading to the game.
