Rollers Complete Busy Continental Clash Campaign
The Australian Rollers have had an intensive test of their Paralympic credentials after competing at the Continental Clash in the UK over the past week.
The Rollers played five matches across three days, completing the tournament with four wins and one defeat as they prepare to finalise their Paralympic squad of 12 athletes for Rio.
Triple Paralympian and WAIS scholarship athlete Shaun Norris was named in the Continental Clash All-Star five at the culmination of the tournament, where he was joined by teammate Tristan Knowles.
The Australians set up a hard fought win over Japan in their opening match, by virtue of a 17-9 advantage in the opening quarter, before engaging in a even scrap across the remaining three quarters.
With coach Ben Ettridge rotating his bench to maximise the squad’s preparations for Rio, Shaun Norris and Tristan Knowles led the scoring against Japan, with 11 points each despite featuring for only 20 minutes on court.
The reigning World Champions faced another stern challenge on day two, trailing by six points early in their clash with Great Britain, before Brett Stibners (20 points, seven rebounds) led his team back into the contest. Stibners was ably supported by Bill Latham (19 points, seven boards) and Knowles, who hit a game-high 22 points with six assists as Australia rounded out a 75-70 win.
The Rollers bolted to a 16-point quarter-time advantage in their match against the Netherlands, to make it three wins from as many matches as they posted a 62-54 win in another physical encounter.
Norris drilled four three-pointers in that opening term, including connecting on a four-point play, to set the tempo, before Brad Ness and Latham continued to dominate the opposition in the paint.
Australia’s winning streak was halted in their fourth match, falling to a 62-78 defeat against the USA. The Rollers led by three at quarter-time, but lost touch in the third term, losing the period by 11 points as the game opened up for the Americans.
Team Manager Leigh Gooding said the Rollers would review the defeat, with a showdown against the same US outfit expected towards the business end of the Paralympic Games.
“The game will serve as a little wake-up call for the Rollers squad and provide some important information about their key opponents for Rio while also identifying some key areas of improvement,” Gooding said.
Australia was able to bounce back quickly from that defeat to overcome the 2012 Paralympic gold medallists Canada in their final game of the tournament with a 71-53 victory.
The Rollers did not lose a quarter as Knowles shot at 50% from the field for 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists, whilst Norris (12 points) and Latham (ten points) were also effective.
Ten players hit the scoreboard overall with their bench out-scoring Canada’s by 20.
Shaun Norris was joined in action by fellow WAIS scholarship athletes Brad Ness and Adam Deans, with the final Australian Rollers squad set to be announced later in the month.
Australia will now return home to play two curtain-raisers at Hisense Arena on Tuesday July 12 and Thursday July 14 in the Farewell Series for both them and the Boomers before the final team for September is chosen.
– BasketballAus