Quarter-final victory over Chinese Taipei secured the Rollers’ passage, recording an emphatic 73-24 win to setup a semi-final showdown with Japan today. The Rollers made light work of their quarter-final opponents, racing to a 20-7 lead before closing out the game with a 49-point final margin.
The Gliders booked their place in the final of the tournament and their place at the IWBF Women’s Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Canada after a semi-final demolition of Thailand 67-3 today. (Full coverage to come)
Australian Rollers Head Coach Ben Ettridge said while the team has achieved their main goal in Bangkok, there is still plenty to play for over the coming days.
“We’re happy to have completed our primary objective, which was qualification to the 2014 World Championships,” Ettridge said.
“Our next goal is to qualify as the number one team in the Asia-Oceania Zone. We expect a hard fought game against Japan as they are playing very well at the moment, so we must ensure we come out ready to play.”
As the reigning World Champions, the Rollers have been dominant at both ends of the floor throughout the tournament, posting monster numbers on the offensive end while restricting their opposition to scores consistently below 30 points.
Tristan Knowles had 15 points in the quarter-final win, finding support from the likes of Justin Eveson (14 points and four assists), Shaun Norris (10 points) and Luke Pople (six points and six assists).
The Australian Gliders completed the preliminary rounds, holding off a determined Japan 44-38 to go undefeated through the group stages.
In a tight contest, the Japanese gave the Gliders a scare, coming from 11 points down at the final change to close the gap to single digits. However, the Gliders showed their poise to extend their winning streak to six games and lock in a semi-final against host nation Thailand.
Cobi Crispin was back to her brilliant best, dropping a team-high 16 points (and five rebounds) in the win, while Sarah Vinci posted eight points and Clare Nott had seven rebounds and four assists.
For all the latest news and results from the 2013 IWBF Asia-Oceania Zone Championship be sure to visit the BA website at www.basketball.net.au.
