The Townsville Crocodiles built on their narrow three-quarter time lead to comfortably defeat the Cairns Taipans 89-76 at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on Saturday night.

Russel Hinder (18 points), Brad Williamson (17), and Corey Williams (15) were the chief destroyers for the Crocodiles which have their sights set on a championship.

Dusty Rychart (17), Gary Boodnikoff (14) and Julien 'Skip' Mills (12) were the only threats for the Taipans who are left second last on the NBL ladder.

The home side won the second quarter 22-11 but conceded the third quarter to the visitors 24-13 leaving it just three points in front at the final change.

Townsville took an early lead in a lightning first term with captain Hinder leading the way with a radar-like shooting performance.

Hinder hit four consecutive three-pointers to propel the home side short of a double-figure lead.

Cairns struggled to match the intensity with only Aaron Grabau enjoying minor success against a frantic defence.

Grabau drove hard for three lay-ups but the visitors were left trailing 23-27 at quarter-time.

The Crocodiles returned with a 13-6 run with Williamson nailing a three-pointer from left of the arc.

Williamson sunk four field goals and a second three-pointer for 10 points for the term.
 
The Taipans chipped away at the margin with Rich Melzer dropping two well-measured field goals but they were outscored 12-22 for the quarter.

Melzer's four points were the most among the visitors who were left behind 35-49 at half-time.

Cairns returned with an improved defensive effort to force several turnovers and cut the deficit to just seven points.

Mills found his touch after a quiet start with a long three-pointer.

Townsville was clearly rattled, with Michael Cedar left to steer a wavering ship, and was outscored 24-13 for the quarter.

Cedar made a late three-pointer and field goal to stay in front 62-59 at three-quarter time.

The Crocodiles killed off any momentum with Williamson nailing a huge three-pointer from down town.

Hinder was barged off the court as the physicality increased but picked up two easy free-throws.

The Taipans were in need of a miracle to save the match which was out of reach with two minutes on the clock.

Williams hit a run-away slam dunk and was followed up by partner-in-crime Rolan Roberts with another run-away slam dunk to seal victory.

Townsville 'McDonald's' Crocodiles 89 (Hinder 18, Williamson 17, Williams 15)
'Skytrans' Cairns Taipans 76 (Rychart 17, Boodnikoff 14, Mills 12)
@Townsville Entertainment Centre 06/02/10. Attendance: 4,313

Where and When: Saturday 6 February, Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre, 7.30pm (local)

Past Five Games:
Crocs: WLLWL
Taipans: WWLLL

Past Three Head-to Head:
Cairns Taipans 87-81 Townsville Crocs, Round 17, 2010 Townsville Crocs 73-64 Cairns Taipans, Round 11, 2009 Cairns Taipans 70-85 Townsville Crocs, Round 8, 2009

Season Series:
Townsville Crocs 2-1 Cairns Taipans

Current Standings:
Crocs 14-11 (3rd), Taipans 11-15 (7th)

The last time these two sides met, Townsville missed a golden opportunity to further enhance its claims for a finish on top of the ladder.

This time around, the Crocs will be desperate not to make the same mistake as the battle for top spot reaches its crescendo.

If the Crocs did what everyone expected them to do and beat the Taipans last time, percentage could very well be the only thing separating themselves from the top of the ladder right now.

However, they dropped that match 87-81 and, while finishing on top of the ladder is not out of the question, are now battling it out for a top-two spot.

That result might be looked back on as a potentially season-defining one for the Crocodiles and was a timely reminder for all title challengers not to take any matches for granted in this competition, especially so close to the playoffs race.

But with finals around the corner, the Crocs are in somewhat of a rut.

They have only won two of their last five matches and avoided a three-match losing streak by the skin of their teeth last weekend when they snuck home against the freefalling Adelaide 36ers 88-87.

This concerning Townsville trend will ensure the Taipans, already on a high courtesy of their recent form, are quietly confident heading into this match - especially with the last meeting between these two sides firmly at the front of their minds.

After four consecutive losses, Cairns has responded with two stunning victories in a row against championship contenders Perth and Townsville to lift itself off the bottom of the ladder.

And the Taipans, who are out of playoffs contention, would love nothing more than to continue their giant-killing ways against fierce state rival Townsville on Saturday and again when they meet New Zealand, which is also battling for a top-four spot, on February 13 in what will be Cairns' season finale.

But it should be remembered that Cairns has struggled for consistency all season and has only strung together three wins in a row twice this whole campaign.

For it to complete another hat-trick exclusively against top three teams would be one hell of an achievement.

Townsville has had Cairns' measure this season and there are no prizes for guessing who has caused it the most grief in each of their three encounters.

Corey Williams has averaged just over 21 points a match against the Taipans in 2009/10 and if he cuts loose again in front of the Crocs' home crowd then Cairns can expect to return to losing ways as Townsville strives to reach the top of the NBL mountain.

Sportal Tip: Crocs by 10

The Townsville Crocodiles have maintained their reputation as the NBL's road warriors while consigning the Adelaide 36ers to the bottom of the ladder with their fifth successive defeat and a possible first-ever wooden spoon with a nail-biting 88-87 victory at The Dome on Saturday night.
 
The Crocs, after leading for much of the first three quarters, looked gone when they suddenly found themselves 11 points in arrears midway through the fourth quarter following an inspired 26-9 burst from the home side.
 
But the visitors, minus star playmaker Corey Williams, who fouled out with a mere six points at 29 percent, scrapped away and uncorked a 10-0 run in the space of 90 seconds to go from trailing by seven to leading by three, 88-85, with 55 seconds on the clock.

Matt Burston hit successive free throws with 46 seconds left to reduce the gap to one point before a Townsville shot-clock violation gave the Sixers another chance, which they were unable to execute.

Burston's rushed jumper at the death from an equally-frazzled Groves pass drawing iron.

The 36ers tried four different opponents for Brad Williamson, but ultimately had no answers for the talented shooter (21 points at 70 percent including six-of-eight threes - all after quarter-time), while bustling big man Rolan Roberts scored nine of his 15 points in the frantic final quarter.

For the home side, Burston (17 points) and Groves (16 points, nine assists) led the way but were unable to finish at the death, while Adam Ballinger was steady (14).
 
Skipper Ballinger started well but the majority of the opening period was on Townsville's terms, the visitors, after a slow start, jumping out to a 19-11 advantage on a Stephen Hoare triple, which capped a 16-5 run as all 10 Crocodile squad members saw first-term on-court action.

The Sixers pegged the buffer back to three at the first change, 23-20, largely through the skill of Nathan
Herbert (seven first-quarter points) and hustle of Brad Hill (five boards).

Williamson opened the second stanza with a three-point bomb and stroked another trey shortly after.

The sharp-shooting guard scored 11 points (4-of-5 from the floor, 3-of-4 from three-point territory) for the term and along with Russell Hinder (nine points for the quarter) would score all but two of the Crocs' second-term points.
 
Darren Ng's 10 third-quarter points (including two big threes) kept Adelaide within striking distance but the hosts could not wrest back the lead, Townsville up 45-40 at the main interval.

The third quarter looked like going down much the same path of the second, the 36ers battling hard and attempting numerous charges but the Crocs, with their superior shooting percentage, particularly from the perimeter, held sway as Peter Crawford found his range.

That was until a 12-2 Adelaide run, behind which Groves and Hill were the catalysts, which gave the 36ers their first lead since the opening three minutes of the match.

Groves, who had eight points and four assists for the period - after being held to just two points in the first half - finished the quarter with a nice finger roll with a second left to give the Sixers a 66-64 three-quarter time lead.
 
Adelaide played some inspired ball to commence the final period, its 12-3 start coupled with a 14-6 finish to the third giving the home side an overall 26-9 run and an 11-point lead with 6:48 remaining.

But an 8-0 flurry by Townsville followed by an even better 10-0 burst late in the term, highlighted by a clutch Roberts free throw and Michael Cedar triple, handed the lead back to the Crocs, which Adelaide was unable to rein in at the death.
 
The Crocs' triumph gives them a 14-11 record, including a league-best 6-7 away from home, while the Sixers slump to 10-16.

Townsville 'McDonald's' Crocodiles 88 (Williamson 21, Roberts 15, Hinder 12)
'Hood Sweeney' Adelaide 36ers 87 (Burston 17, Groves 16, Ballinger 14)
@ The Dome, 30/01/2010. Crowd: 6,991.

Where and When: Saturday 30 January, The Dome, 7.30pm (local)

Past Five Games
Sixers: LLLLW
Crocs: LLWLW

Past Three Head-to Head
Townsville Crocodiles 100-88 Adelaide 36ers, Round 10, 2009/10
Adelaide 36ers 90-89 Townsville Crocodiles, Round 3, 2009/10
Townsville Crocodiles 128-105 Adelaide 36ers, Round 18, 2008/09

Season Series
Adelaide 36ers 1-1 Townsville Crocodiles

Current Standings
Sixers 10-15 (7th), Crocs 13-11 (3rd)

The Adelaide 36ers crashed out of play-offs contention when they lost 95-85 against Melbourne on Wednesday night.

Captain Adam Ballinger continues to battle on and scored 25 points while Nathan Herbert (13 points and five rebounds) and Matt Burston (12 and 12) were handy too.

But despite the competitive effort, the Sixers will be shattered with their position. It wasn't that long ago they were 9-8 and in the mix and now they are 10-15 after losing seven of their past eight matches.

And they'll enter their remaining games without their most dangerous player John Gilchrist who suffered a sickening season-ending knee injury against the Tigers.

Townsville is in a much stronger position with 13 wins for the season but will be keen to bounce back after losing two matches in a row - the first in overtime against Cairns and then on Wednesday New Zealand beat them by five points.

Peter Crawford hit five three pointers to score 21 points, Rolan Roberts recorded a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Corey Williams chipped in with 12 but his three of 13 from the stripe was costly.

Adelaide is always competitive at home but who will step up and deliver the big plays now Gilchrist is on crutches? Townsville will be keen to secure its play-offs spot and will be keen to kick the Sixers while they're down.
 
Sportal Tip: Crocs by 9.

I am DJ Rod, I do the game night music for the Townsville McDonald's Crocodiles and also am the webmaster for www.crocodiles.com.au, our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and eBay sites.  I'll be keeping a daily blog of the Crocs Supporters Tour of Adelaide as 52 of us take on almost 7000 36ers supporters.

I had a 5am wake up call this morning for a 6am flight to Brisbane and forwarding plane to Adelaide.  I've been told the team will not be joining us on this plane as they'll get the 11am flight.  No surprises there - they boys like a sleep in!

Our flight to Brisbane was a typical one; I got to sit next to Glenn & Toni Betts from Global Welding Supplies.  They have been supporters and sponsors since day 1, this is actually not a rare thing... most people on this tour are long time supporters, faces I've seen a lot before but never really had the opportunity to meet.

As we flew into Adelaide the first thing we noticed was the sunshine and blue skies.  Leaving a night where we had almost 200mm of rain, to not a cloud in the skies, was weird!

We have some free time now to do as we please, so I'm going to get a Vili's Pie which come highly recommended by 6ers coach, and former Crocs Assistant, Scott Ninnis.  Then I'm going to catch up with Brett Maher and Kevin Brooks who do an online TV show called 'Inside The Game'.

Oh just an update: I sat next to Linda Crawford, mother of PC in the bus on the way to our hotel, she told me the players had a training session at 9:30 this morning... Coach Gleeson runs a tight ship!

Tomorrow we have a wine tour, hosted by Rob & Patricia Rose, then off to watch the Townsville Fire game at 5:30pm and the Crocs game at 7:30pm... Can't wait!

FIRE UP & GO CROCS GO!

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Saturday Morning - 30th Jan 2010

Last night was a big night! The group all went our separate ways, most out to dinner along Gouger st, which is right next to the Hilton Hotel, where we are staying.  Others then went to the Casino, whereas I went to a few night spots with ex NBA & NBL Player Kevin Brooks.

I watched the live internet TV show, Inside the Game, as mentioned above, and if you haven't heard of it, do yourself a favour and check it out.  It's the only NBL TV Show out there!  They had interviews with a journalist from the West Australian Newspaper, Shayne Hope and also from our own Antony Stewart from the Townsville Bulletin.

Adelaide is such a beautiful, historic city.  Rundle St Mall was brilliant and the churches and old buildings are extaordinary.

I've just come back from a beautiful breakfast with some of our group, the Fosters, Nugents, Judy Stanbrook & Robyn West... these guys are just hard core supporters and can't wait to experience the atmosphere of The Dome.

We have been rubbing shoulders with the big names here at the Hilton, the Tour of Adelaide cyclists have been staying here, the band, Grinspoon rocked up in their van last night and this morning we had breakfast with AFL superstar, Nathan Buckley and Leader of the Liberal Party, Tony Abbott.

Now onto the wine tour, hosted by Rob & Patricia Rose... this should be interesting!!!

FIRE UP & GO CROCS GO!

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Saturday Afternoon - 30th Jan 2010

We’ve been through the McLaren Vale wineries all day today, on a tour led by Rob & Patricia Rose.  This wine region is simply world class and right on Adelaide’s doorstep.  The tour group have tasted close to 100 different wines and had lunch overlooking an amazing vineyard.

36ers legend Mike McKay joined the group and gave us a small insight into Adelaide’s culture and history… well actually he just solved a mystery we had arguing over all day; why are the Adelaide basketball team called the 36ers?  The city was founded in 1836!

During the day it was great to be able to mix with some more people on the tour like Rodney & Catherine from Coca Cola Amatil, Kylie & Catherine from Jupiters Hotel & Casino, Sue & Bernie Burns from Global Welding Supplies and Justin & Courtney from Mt Isa… yes, Mt Isa! (more on these guys later)

We’re now on the bus on the way to the Townsville McCafe Fire game which is the curtain raiser for the Crocs game.  We are meeting some Fire supporters at the game to make one big section of Townsville fans!  This is very exciting to go on the road in a big group like this; if you ever get the chance to come on a trip like this, or even just to Cairns, please do it!

Most people are actually quite tired at the moment, we’ve been on this tour since 9am and the first cork was popped on the bus at about 9:01! It has been a long day but hopefully we can get 2 wins to take home with us!

Fire Up & Go Crocs Go!

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Sunday Morning - 31st Jan 2010

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!!

What a night!  We witnessed two very close games, the Fire going down by 3 and the Crocs escaping with a 1 point win after being down by 11 in the last quarter.  Unbelievable!

When we got there and started watching the Fire play the Adelaide Lightning, I noticed we were all very quiet.  I think the wine tour had caught up with us and we all needed a nanna nap!  The game wasn’t the best spectacle either, with both teams missing a lot of shots.  Rohanee Cox looked determined to take the game over in the 2^nd half and had two 3 pointers in the last 20 seconds to force overtime but missed.  Her second one was her best chance but just didn’t knock it down.

In the break I went for a walk around the arena and quite liked what I saw.  Adelaide is steeped in tradition and displays that well with Championship Banners, a wall of team posters from their past, retired jerseys and also a pewter cast of Mark Davis’ head at the front door.

Their corporate boxes are around the top of the arena in ‘Sky Boxes’, they have a restaurant which serves over 200 pre game meals every game and catering facilities all around the arena. 

They also have something called ‘Hollywood Seats’ which is 2 seats right next to our bench, literally right next to Lyndon Brieffies.  The 6ers had given these seats to us as a prize for the Supporters Tour.  Ian Smythe drew out a lucky winner, which was Rodney Millet from Coke… he graciously gave the tickets to Justin & Courtney Wilkins from Mt Isa.

Justin manages the Buffs Club in Mt Isa and was invited on the tour by Rodney.  They are massive Crocs fans and both played basketball in their younger days so maybe they were offering some tips to the coaches in the 4th quarter?  What an experience it would have been!

When the Crocs were introduced, our group gave them a massive cheer and you could tell the boys were very happy to hear the support.  As I said before, we were down by 11 points in the last quarter before Rolan Roberts took over, Brad Williamson hit his 6^th 3 pointer and Michael Cedar pulled up on a fast break to knock down his only triple.

All of this was without Corey Williams as he was fouled out with only 6 points but Cameron Tovey stepped up to finish with 10 points and 11 rebounds.  His defense was also a stand out.

Now I’m not going to say that I had given up on them, but… I HAD!  It made the celebration so much better, and what a celebration!!!  We met the team back at their Hotel for some drinks and snacks.  When Russell Hinder addressed the group and told us that they would not have come back from such a deficit without our support, it was all worth it!

BOXSCORE  GAME STORY

Some of us joined a few players at the Casino afterwards to continue celebrating… some more than others but what a great day it had been! 

FIRE UP & GO CROCS GO!!!

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Sunday Night - 31st Jan 2010

We are home and VERY tired, but everyone had an absolute blast!  Adelaide was an excellent destination and the win made everyone very happy. 

There was some talk of it being the very first win on a Crocs Supporters Tour, surley not, maybe someone out there can let us know...

We were all very impressed with the people of Adelaide, the 36ers fans, the Dome (even though it went into receivership) and the atmosphere of almost 7000 fans, so thank you 36ers fans!

While I am on thank yous, I have to thank Ian Smythe and Victoria Page for organising the whole trip and also Rob & Patricia Rose for taking us on the Wine Tour... oh and thanks to the players for winning!

I looked back over the stats and saw that we were down 11 - 78-67 with 6:08 to go; from there, Rolan scored 9, Mick had 2 3's, Rusty had 3 and Brad had 3... what an effort. A short highlights video here.

I have just finished compiling the Crocs Supporters Tour Video so please watch and enjoy.

If you ever get a chance, go on a Crocs Supporters Tour, you'll never regret it!

FIRE UP & GO CROCS GO

 As a Crocs fan and season ticket member, we want to provide you with the first opportunity to be at The Swamp to support your team in the Finals Series and retain your seat(s).

 We also would like to advise that this season we will not be passing on the NBL Finals Levy and season members will be able to purchase their seats at the season member’s regular season pricing.

While the final playoff positions are yet to be determined, tentative dates for the finals have been scheduled and I have taken the liberty of including a brief overview on how the playoff system works. No one can be certain who will play or when they will be at this stage and a completed schedule will be assembled and distributed via our web page and newsletter as soon as possible in the future.

Due to the timing of the first round of finals, we may only have a very small window of time to coordinate home finals, with no opportunity to provide further correspondence. Therefore, we would like to draw your attention to the ticketing options available to our members as outlined below.

There are two options available for members to purchase finals tickets: 

Option One –  Finals Season Pass

Option Two – Game by Game Purchasing

Tickets will be available for purchase by the general public the day after the member’s game by game purchasing day.

For more information please see your finals renewals pack or contact the Crocs on 4778 4222 or admin@crocodiles.com.au

For more information on Understanding the Finals please see http://nbl.com.au/index.php?id=137

The New Zealand Breakers have continued their resurgence defeating the Townsville Crocodiles 91-86 at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night.

Kirk Penney (20), Oscar Forman (19) and CJ Bruton (14) caused the damage for the Breakers while Peter Crawford (21) Corey Williams (12) and Rolan Roberts (11) starred for the Crocodiles.

It was an even affair for most of the night until the visitors pulled out its big shots late in the quarter which the homeside could not match.

It marked the third win in a row for New Zealand as it climbs back up the table and the second loss in a row for Townsville after a over time defeat at the hands of the Cairns Taipans.

New Zealand skipped to an early 8-4 lead with Kirk Penney stamping his presence with two quick three pointers.

Townsville responded to a 12-10 lead with Peter Crawford showing he too could sink form beyond the arc with a pair.

Crawford snuck in a third long-ranger on the shot clock buzzer and in the final minute to keep the homeside in front 22-19 at quarter time.

It was a sloppy return to the court with both teams guilty of air-balls and turnovers as the scoreboard ticked over.

The Breakers capitalised to close the gap 32-33 with CJ Bruton and Tony Ronaldson making nine free throws.

The Crocodiles muscled up with Cameron Tovey dominating the paint to tip in two easy baskets to stay in front 40-39 at half time.

New Zealand levelled the scores before taking a 53-47 lead with CJ Bruton gifted baskets from a technical foul and  Kevin Braswell following with a three-pointer.

Townsville held on with Crawford getting back in the action after a scoreless second quarter to add 10 points to his tally and slash the visitor’s margin to 68-65 at three-quarter time.

Rick Rickert hobbled off the court at the start of the final term but he would return with five minutes on the clock.

The Crocodiles grabbed the lead back 72-70 with Corey Williams delivering a precise jump shot over a stacked defence.

The Breakers clicked into gear with Bruton delivered two three-pointers when it mattered most before Penney followed suit to close the game 91-86

New Zealand Breakers 91 (Penney 20, Forman 19, Bruton 15)

Townsville Crocodiles 86 (Crawford 21, Williams 12, Roberts 11)

@Townsville Entertainment Centre 08/01/10 Attendance 3,480

The Cairns Taipans have won a thrilling North Queensland derby 87-81 in over-time against their archrivals Townsville at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday night.

With Cyclone Olga knocking on their doorstep, more than 4,000 screaming fans were treated to a pulsating match.  Dusty Rychart was the main star, single handedly pulling the Taipans back into the match when it threatened to drift away early in the third term.  He was well supported by Rich Melzer, Skip Mills and Phill Jones who each contributed with big plays at key times.

Even inside the final minute of normal time it looked like another valiant effort that would come up short for the Taipans until Mills almost lifted the roof draining a huge triple from the top of the arc to send the game into over-time.

When over-time arrived the Taipans were at their best.  They were never headed and went on to record their most cherished win of the season.

The hosts burst into action from tip off and held a comfortable 23-15 lead at the first break.

The Crocs hit back and dominated the second term on the back of some excellent offensive rebounding and strong defence.  While the Taipans offence fell stagnant Townsville exploded scoring 19 of the last 23 points of the term to take a 43-37 lead into half-time.

Russell Hinder drained a big three to open the second half.  When Rolan Roberts followed up with a dunk the lead was out to 11 at 48-37 and the Taipans looked to be in a big hole.  But up stepped Rychart who drilled eight of the next ten points as the Snakes went on a 10-0 run to close the gap to one.

The big partisan crowd were on their feet with a minute to play in the third when a Jones lay-up on the fast break gave them the lead outright again at 55-53.  A lead they held going into the last break 57-54.

Both teams went basket for basket to open the final term before a Brad Williamson triple grabbed the lead back for the Crocs 62-61.

Melzer then exploded with five points in two plays as the Taipans opened up a four-point lead.  But in stepped Peter Crawford to drilled back to back triples and the Crocs lead again 68-66 inside five minutes to play.

Just when it looked like the Crocs were making all the key stops, Rychart again stepped up nailing a huge three from the baseline to put the hosts within two, and after Williams and Mills traded free throws the Crocs lead 73-71 inside the final minute.

The Taipans made the stop on Corey Williams but when Mills turned it over it all looked lost after Williamson had added an extra free throw.  But Mills quickly turned hero hitting the clutch three from the top of the arc to level it up with 12.4sec on the clock.

The Crocs set up for one last play.  ‘Homicide’ Williams drove to the hole, but as the ball rimmed out, over-time beckoned.

The hosts made the running in the opening two minutes of over-time with Mills opening the scoring and then Jones converting his own intercept on the fast break.  When Rychart hit a couple from the stripe the Snakes lead by 6 and looked to skipping away with it. (80-74).

The Crocs got on the board with a free throw, but were right back into it with three-pointers to Michael Cedar and Crawford split only by a Rychart basket bought it back to a one point game at 82-81 with a minute to play.

The hosts owned the final minute and went on to record their sweetest victory of the season.

The Taipans lift their season to 10-15 and now have a ten day break before hosting Perth.  The Crocs slip to 13-10 and will host the Breakers on Wednesday night.

Cairns Taipans 87 (Rychart 21, Mills 16, Melzer 14)
Townsville Crocodiles 81 (Crawford 16, Williams 13, Williamson 11)
Overtime @ Cairns Convention Centre, 23/1/2010, Crowd: 4123

Where and When: Saturday 23 January, Cairns Convention Centre, 7.30pm (local) 
 
Past Five Games:
Taipans: LLLLW
Crocs: WLWWW

Past Three Head-to Head:
Townsville Crocs 73-64 Cairns Taipans, Round 11, 2009
Cairns Taipans 70-85 Townsville Crocs, Round 8, 2009
Townsville Crocs 123-92 Cairns Taipans, Round 20, 2009

Season Series:
Cairns Taipans 0-2 Townsville Crocs

Current Standings:
Taipans 9-15 (8th), Crocs 13-9 (2nd)

Cairns' playoffs dream might be over but it would love nothing more than to throw a spanner in the works of state rival Townsville's post-season plans in this Queensland derby.

But in order to do so, the bottom-placed Taipans are going to have to overcome a diabolical streak which has seen them lose four matches in a row by an average of 19 points.

And when one considers the kind of form second-placed Townsville has been in recently, winning five of its last six matches, then the enormity of Cairns' task becomes apparent.

In fact Cairns not only has its current formline to grapple with but it also has to contend with recent history if it aims to cause an upset on Saturday night.

The Crocs have won their last five matches against the Taipans and haven't lost to them since February 2008.

And it comes as no surprise that Corey Williams has been Cairns' most lethal antagonist in its two meetings with Townsville this season.

Williams is the NBL's leading point-scorer in this campaign (435 at 19.8 per game), third for assists (89 at 4.0), fifth for steals (29 at 1.3) and is on track for his first MVP.

Homicide has scored 43 of those points against the Taipans this season while the star import has also recorded a total of eight rebounds, seven assists and six steals in those two outings.

It would be fair to say that a lot of Aaron Fearne's preparations will be centred on the brilliant American.

But Williams aside, the fact that Townsville's last three wins have come against fellow top-four teams Wollongong, Gold Coast and Perth underscores how well Trevor Gleeson's men are travelling at present.

It would take an enormous effort for Cairns to beat the Crocs and Townsville, on track for a top-two finish, has far too much to play for to let this match slip.

Sportal Tip: Crocs by 15

The Townsville Crocodiles nipped the Wollongong Hawks 73-59 at the Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre on Friday night.

Corey Williams (25), Stephen Hoare (13) and Brad Williamson (8) ensured retribution for the Crocodiles after an 86-93 loss to the visitors on Wednesday.

Cameron Tragardh (10), Mat Campbell (7) and Glen Saville (7) threatened for the Hawks, but their horror road form of two wins from nine attempts continued.

It was the first win for the Crocodiles over the Hawks this season after three straight losses to the Wollongong outfit.

It was an ugly encounter with the sides lacking momentum and polish, but the home-side managed to grind the visitors in a low scoring third-quarter to create the winning margin.

Wollongong stretched to an early 8-2 lead courtesy of Larry Davidson despite a comical start to the game which included five turnovers and a player hitting the timber in the first two minutes.

Townsville clawed back with Jeff Dowdell and Michael Cedar nailing consecutive three pointers to end the first quarter trailing 15-16.

The Crocodiles caught the visitors napping after the break, surging to a 21-16 lead with Brad Williamson joining in the long range shooting-fest with a pair of three pointers.

The Hawks responded sharing the ball around with nine players on the scoreboard to level with five seconds on the clock, but a Williamson buzzer-beater left them trailing 38-40 at halftime.

Townsville ground out four of the next six points in just as many minutes after the break to lead 44-40 as the scoring began to dry up and momentum slowed.

Wollongong could only manage another two points and were stung by another buzzer-beater with a three-pointer from Stephen Hoare ending the third quarter 53-44.

The Crocodiles picked up where they left off after the break, extending the margin to 56-44 with another Hoare three-pointer from down the middle.

The Hawks had nothing left in the tank besides a wild air ball or two as the home side found the key to the floodgates to run away 73-59.

Townsville Crocodiles (Williams 25, Hoare 13, Williamson 8,)
Wollongong Hawks (Tragardh 10, Davidson 8, Saville 7)
Attendance: 4,067 at Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre