THE Ipswich Force men have made a powerful statement to open their NBL1 North campaign, producing a commanding 109-79 victory over the South West Metro Pirates to headline a dominant double-header at Ipswich Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.
Led by a sensational performance from Sam McDaniel, Ipswich set the tone from the outset and never looked back.
McDaniel opened the scoring before exploding in the first quarter, pouring in 19 points, including five three-pointers at a 63 per cent clip, as the Force surged to a 31-22 lead at the first break.
The hosts blew the game open in the second term, overwhelming the Pirates with relentless offensive pressure to take a commanding 66-42 advantage into halftime.
McDaniel was unstoppable, racking up 30 points in the first half alone, while captain Jason Ralph controlled proceedings with six assists.
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished after the break, with Ipswich maintaining their intensity to cruise to a 30-point victory in a one-sided affair.
McDaniel finished with a game-high 41 points in a standout display, while Lachlan Anderson and Will Mahoney each added 17 points.
Ralph, known as the “Mayor” of Ipswich, capped off a strong all-round performance with seven points, five rebounds and 12 assists.
Earlier, the Lady Force laid the foundation for the clean sweep with a composed 75-59 win in their season opener under new coach Dean Aspland.
American import Valerie ‘Sunshine’ Huerta led the charge with a dominant all-round performance, finishing with 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
She was well supported by captain Olivia West (six points, three rebounds, two assists).
The Force will now head down the M1 to Carrara to take on the Gold Coast Rollers on Sunday.
