THE title defence was on a downhill spiral for the Ipswich Force Men until they took the scalp of a local rival in Logan Thunder on Saturday night, turning in a dominant performance 90-71.
The Ipswich men led at halftime 46-37 with a handy buffer at JBS Arena in Bundamba.
The recruitment of big man Deng Deng has begun to pay dividends for Ipswich as he sank 29 points, 12 rebounds and five steals in the win.
The win proved that this squad is more than a one-player team, with star signing Nathan Sobey not playing a single minute and Deng in the starting side.
The ever-trusty bulldog Michael Fleming put in a great performance from the bench with 12 points, two rebounds and three steals.
The squad now sits 10th with five wins and nine losses, and although the wins that have come have been strong team efforts, it still appears to be far too little too late when it comes to returning to the NBL1 North playoffs.
That was the last home game for the defending champions as they head down the M1 this weekend to take on the North Gold Coast Seahawks, with tip-off scheduled for 5pm on Saturday.
The Ipswich Lady Force also scored a win, beating Logan Thunder 79-74.
The Lady Force took a three-point lead into the main break and coach Brad George would have been pleased with the first-half effort.
American guard Kahlaijah Dean stood up when needed, starring with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Fellow American Amanda Cahill also flirted with the double-double, finishing with 22 points and eight rebounds.
The ladies now sit 11th with three wins and 11 losses and in the same position as the men.
The next game against the Seahawks will see them face off against the duo of rebound American queen Mik Ruef and favourite for the women’s MVP, Miela Goodchild in a huge clash.
