Champion Mackay point guard Isaac White is racing the clock to be fit for this Saturday night’s NBL 1 North Basketball Conference quarter final showdown with South West Metro Pirates at Brisbane’s Hibiscus Sports Stadium.
The mercurial White was a late withdrawal from the Meteors side that tossed Red City Roar 102-84 at Mackay Basketball Stadium to clinch a finals berth but is hopeful he can overcome a torn quadricep injury to lead the club in a do-or-die fixture.
On the final night of the preliminary season the Meteors narrowly missed securing a top four spot but enter the play-offs from fifth position and with winning momentum.
The fourth placed Pirates staved off a challenge from North Gold Coast Seahawks to register a 103-99 victory.
In the absence of White, talented forward Christian Maran and guard Tyler Williams stepped up with classy performances as Mackay ended the season with an 11-8 record.
Maran showed his leadership qualities to contribute 23 points, six assists and four rebounds for the Meteors while the skilful Williams posted 23 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Other Meteors players to impress were 18-year-old St Patrick’s College whiz Amarco Doyle who made the most of his valuable court time to nab 14 points, nine boards, three assists and two steals; the flamboyant Isaiah Lee (13 points, eight assists and seven steals) and DJ Baptiste (10 points, 12 rebounds and four assists).
American power forward Jaylen Key posted 22 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for Red City with Kane Bishop adding 18 points, seven boards and five assists.
Red City pushed the Meteors all the way with the home side ramming home their advantage in the final quarter.
MACKAY Meteorettes ended their 2023 campaign on a winning note after toppling wooden-spooners Red City Roar 84-77.
Fielding one of the youngest lineups in the North Conference, the Meteorettes finished the season with a 4-15 record but proved competitive against the competition’s more experienced sides.
Red City led for most of the match until Mackay surged in the final quarter with the gifted Davida Dale (19 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals), Charli Bliss (13 points and two boards), Denesha Bobongie (11 points and five rebounds), Courtney Virgo (11 points, nine boards, four assists and three steals) and Brittany Reeves (10 points, 20 rebounds and four assists) all producing top displays.
The Roar were best served by classy guard Lilly Rotunno (28 points, four rebounds and four assists), Donica Cosby (20 points, seven boards, three assists and two steals) and Angela Beadle (17 points, six rebounds and two assists).
Photo credit: Chris Karas
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