Shooting to win

By Barry Rollings
Volume 48, No. 12, July 13, 2006

STAR PLAYERS: LACW Belinda Walters readies for the rebound while LT Arriana Keys shoots against Singapore.

LACW Belinda Walters stamped herself as a player of the future, and women’s captain FLGOFF Fiona Harris used her height to good effect, as the inaugural tour of Singapore by the ADF men’s and women’s basketball teams from July 1 to 10 proved a resounding success.

The men won all five of their games and the women won three of five.

The men, captained by BDR Matty Jones, were too strong for the smaller Singapore national side, muscling their way to five straight victories.

The ADF women played four games against the national team and one against the national junior women’s team.

Although the Singaporean sides were speedier, the ADF dominated the competition with their height. The women, in particular, captained by FLGOFF Fiona Harris, had a distinct height advantage against the Singapore national team.

“It was a fantastic tour,” men’s coach WOFF Michael Kearney said. “The games were very physical, fast and of a high standard.

“The young players in the men’s side learnt how to play at the higher level, using a different skill set.

WOFF Kearney said the standout players for the men were centre and captain BDR (Bombadier) Graeme “Matty” Jones and small forward LCPL Aaron Marsh.

Women’s coach, FSGT Bill Lawrie, was very happy with results achieved on tour.

“The key player over the five games was our high scorer PTE Kelly Nelson. Others to show out were FLGOFF Fiona Harris who used her height well and was good on the rebound in defence; ACW Karen Herbert who handled the ball well and provided good distribution to players, and the very athletic CAPT Deeann Jackson (Army), who cut hard to the basket.”

After training sessions totalling only four hours in Singapore before a tight opening game, the ADF women lost by a point – 54-53 in overtime, after it was 49-all at the end of regulation time.

Game two was a more decisive 68-50 win for the ADF after a huge third quarter in which Singapore was outscored 28-7.

Providing a contrast was game three, fast and low-scoring with fewer fouls than the first two matches, before ADF won 51-38.

The Singapore under-18 national team provided the opposition for game four, which the ADF women won 80-78 in overtime.

ADF women encountered a typical Asian tempo game for the tour closer and lost 54-65 against the Singapore seniors, who produced a physical game and exerted pressure on the ADF guards up the court.

The Singaporean men’s side had their best chance of beating the ADF men in their first game. Singapore led for most of the game before the hot hand of CPL Aaron Marsh (Army) and the muscle under the basket of LCPL Lucas Tanis helped ADF to an 81-74 win.

The result in game two was similar, ADF winning 53-46.

The final three games in the men’s competition were physical - one member losing a front tooth – and were won convincingly by ADF by an average of 20 points.

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