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NEWS:  PHOENIX HOPE THIRD TIME’S A CHARM |
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March 11th For their third successive season, the Phoenix Basketball Club will contest the FNQ Super League Grand Final. For the team it’s hopefully a case of third time lucky. In the last two season’s the Phoenix team has stormed into the Grand Final only to see defeat at the hands of the Cairns Taipans Academy in 2007 (75-51) and Timberwolves in 2008 (77-63). The team hopes that 2009 will bring a different ending to the season. In the off-season the team recruited heavily bringing in big-man Rowan Gray to fill their second restricted player spot after Joel Khalu was ruled out for the season through injury. Gray joined older brother Luke and the pair combined to form the most intimidating frontcourt in the FNQ Super League. The pair enjoyed a hugely successful season with Luke (16.1ppg) and Rowan (15.8ppg) stepping up when needed to lead the Phoenix club to a 12-3 regular season finish and a second seed going into the playoffs. Rowan admitted though the season means nothing without winning the Championship. “This is my first trip to the Super League Grand Final and I want to win this thing pretty bad,” Gray said. “And if I want to win bad you can just imagine how bad guys like Luke (Gray), Curt (Ahwang) and Jacob (Pilot) want to win considering this is their third trip and still haven’t won. There’s a positive feeling amongst our group though and we’re confident that this could be our year.” Phoenix guard Curt Ahwang leads the team in scoring with 17.9ppg but has stepped up in other areas of his game and claimed the League’s Most Valuable Player Award. Ahwang’s back-court partner Jacob Pilot also poses a huge threat and was on fire in the their semi-final victory scorching Atherton for 31-points. Phoenix showed during the regular season that could defend anybody holding teams to a league-best 70 points per game, while scoring 90-points of their own. However Timberwolves got the better of them in two out of the three occasions when the teams met.
Gray acknowledged that the Grand Final this Sunday was going to be a battle. “They have a pretty deep team and everybody can score, so we have to lock into our defensive assignments and continue to stay with our game plan. I think it will be a very physical game,” Gray said. The Grand Final between Phoenix and Timberwolves tips off at 4pm this Sunday (March 15) at the Bendigo Bank Basketball Centre, with free entry for all. 2008-09 PHOENIX FNQ SUPER LEAGUE ROSTER #1 Curt Ahwang (vc) #3 Mark Moseling #4 Jacob Pilot #7 Gausa Arnold #9 Ryan Cetinich #10 Rowan Gray #11 Shannon Roberts #13 Luke Gray (c) Coach: Cedric Gray & Joel Khalu |
.Mar 10:.Snakes race is on! . |
For General Enquiries: email info@savethetaipans.com or call the Cairns Basketball office on (+61) 7 4041 2145. All messages will be answered.