Round 2 of the WNBL season will showcase a competitive match up of cross-town rivals, the Southside Flyers and the Melbourne Boomers, a highly anticipated new Sydney Uni Flames team and a UC Caps team looking to bounce back after a couple of tough games in Round 1 which saw them lose two key players to injury.
Adelaide Lightning vs. Townsville Fire, 7pm, Townsville Entertainment Centre, Friday 11, November
The Adelaide Lightning will take on the red-hot Townsville Fire who had an insane Round 1 performance. The Lightning are not without a chance and will be eager to rebound from their first loss, so this should be an entertaining game between two evenly matched teams.
Bendigo Spirit vs. Sydney Uni Flames, 7pm, Red Energy Arena, Saturday 12, November
The Bendigo Spirit have had two comfortable wins and will be looking to continue their fine form against the Sydney Uni Flames on Saturday. It will be a battle of the Froling sisters and the rebounding count will be key to determining the winner of this game.
Perth Lynx vs. UC Capitals, 9:30pm, Bendat Basketball Centre, Perth, Saturday 12, November
Both the Perth Lynx and the UC Capitals will be after their first win of the season, after the teams suffered two losses each in Round 1. The Lynx should be able to capitalise on the Caps disrupted playing structure without Jade Melbourne and Gemma Potter.
Melbourne Boomers vs. Adelaide Lightning, 3pm, Melbourne Sports Centre, Parkville, Sunday 13, November
The Melbourne Boomers and the Adelaide Lightning will both have to recover from their tough first games against the Flyers and the Fire respectively, before matching up on Sunday to end Round 2. The Boomers are undermanned but showed that wasn't an issue against the Lynx. The Lightning will need all players to step up in this one.
GAME OF THE ROUND - Flyers vs. Boomers, 6:30pm, State Basketball Centre, Wednesday 9th, November
It's a rivalry as old as time, two of the competition's best teams will face off on Wednesday night at the State Basketball Centre in a blockbuster game. Featuring the potential match ups of Maddy Rocci vs. Kristy Wallace, LJ vs Cayla George and Bec Cole vs Tiff Mitchell... it's sure to be an intense game showcasing members of the Opals squad vying off against one another. It's tough to pick a winner, it will likely come down to who plays the best defence. Another factor may be the depth of each team, the Flyers currently going a little deeper with the likes of Sara Blicavs, Aimie Rocci and Abby Bishop in their rotation.
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UC CAPS NEW GAME PLAN
Losing young gun Gemma Potter in Game 1 to a season ending injury was always going to be a big blow. She will be missed both on offence and defence with her speed, athleticism, and length. The Caps were already in trouble early in their second game of the round, allowing the Fire to score 41 points in just the first quarter. It could be argued that the Fire were just having a game for themself, but there were promising signs shown by the Caps as they brought the deficit down. This stopped, however, when star player Jade Melbourne went down in what looked like a nasty ankle injury. Losing these two players (Jade in the immediate future at least) is going to force the Caps to adapt quickly if they don't want to fall too far behind. Shaneice Swain exhibited her skills on the guard front and will add likely gain confidence with more minutes, and if imports Dekeiya Cohen and Rae Burrell continue to impress then all is not lost for this team.
SYDNEY UNI FLAMES' FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON
The Flames have had the advantage of watching their opponents play in Round 1 and will be rearing to go this Friday night against Bendigo away from home. The exciting duo of Shyla Heal and Tiana Mangakahai will hit the floor in the WNBL for the first time together and will likely switch shifts from knocking shots down from across the floor. Defence will be key to the flames snubbing the undefeated Spirit and it will be a tense battle if they are going to stop Anneli Maley and Kelsey Griffin, whose hustle resulted in lots of rebounds and steals during their first two games. This game is also a personal one, the Froling sister will go head-to-head as Keeley tries to put an end to twin Alicia's winning streak.