THE Ipswich Force men survived a tense second-half grind to defeat the South West Metro Pirates 86-77 at Hibiscus Sports Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
After an entertaining opening half where both sides traded baskets at a frantic pace, Ipswich found another gear after the main break, restricting the Pirates to just 23 second-half points to seal an important NBL1 North victory on the road.
The Force trailed narrowly early before exploding offensively in the second quarter, piling on 31 points to take a 54-49 lead into halftime. While the outside shooting was inconsistent from both teams, Ipswich dominated inside the arc, finishing at an impressive 66.7 per cent on two-point attempts.
Samuel McDaniel was outstanding for the Force, producing a game-high 27 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in a commanding all-round performance.
Lachlan Anderson also delivered a monster double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting a perfect 7-from-7 at the free-throw line.
Ipswich also capitalised at the foul line, converting 20-of-22 free throws at 90.9 per cent compared to the Pirates’ 66.7 per cent.
The Force now line up for a bumper double this weekend with a clash against the 12th- placed North Gold Coast Seahawks at Runaway Bay Stadium this Saturday before hosting the 10th-placed Rockhampton Rockets at Ipswich Basketball Stadium on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, the Ipswich Force women were unable to contain a red-hot South West Metro Pirates outfit on Sunday afternoon, going down 74-61 at Hibiscus Sports Stadium in NBL1 North action.
Despite remaining within striking distance for much of the contest, the Lady Force struggled to generate consistent offence late.
Ipswich matched South West Metro through the opening half, trailing by just one point at quarter time before heading into the main break down 34-33 after a tightly contested opening 20 minutes.
Rowan Anderson
