Basketball On The Internet.

GONNA get in early here and boldly predict Dandenong Olympian Jenna O'Hea will be this round's WNBL Player of the Week.

OK. It's really not that bold.

With 35 points at 65 per cent, six rebounds, six assists, O'Hea had one of the standout performances of the year - let alone the week - as her Rangers turned Sydney's Flames into a puff of smoke 102-79.

Cedric Jackson claiming another Player of the Week in the NBL?

Of course.

CONGRATULATIONS are due again across the Tasman where Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis and star playmaker Cedric Jackson (there he is again!) respectively (and respectfully) have been named NBL Coach and Player of the Month for November.

Expect big things from both on Saturday when Lemanis coaches the South Stars and Jackson opens at the point against Gordie McLeod's North.

Kudos to Gordie's Hawks outfit too. Down Larry Davidson and still minus Tim Coenraad and Tyson Demos, they somehow managed to reverse their road loss of a week earlier to Perth by winning at The Sandpit.

Not so fortunate 24 hours later, they went down battling to Sydney in overtime, the Kings continuing to make a mockery of all pre-season predictions and starting to actually put a little space between themselves and the teams outside the four.

TERRIBLE blow for 36ers tyro Mitch Creek who ruptured an Achilles with just 6:11 to play in the loss to Townsville.

Creek had surgery yesterday and is expected to be out for between nine and 12 months.

Playing with great energy, enthusiasm and aplomb - his three to close the third quarter gave Adelaide a 58-57 lead going into the last quarter at Adelaide Arena against the Crocs - his absence will acutely be felt.

Fingers crossed for a speedy and successful recovery for a fine young athlete and potential future Boomer.

Tigers second-generation swingman Bennie Lewis is his replacement in the All Star Game's Slam Dunk Contest.

REVIEWS

Fire v Spirit (W)

IN my preview for this, I said Townsville had stealthily made its way back up the table from a slow start but until it actually beat a genuine top-four contender, it could not really be seen as a play-off threat.

Well, how does beating the top and most in-form team in the WNBL sound?

Not bad, you say?

How about doing it without Mia Newley (injured), who has consistently been one of their major producers?

Hmm. Time to take the Fire a little more seriously it seems, this 56-52 win built on a defensive foundation, and Jess Adair with a 10-10 points-boards double.

(*NBL teams please note, despite the low final score, neither team had a single quarter where it scored in single figures.)

Breakers v Taipans (M)

NEW Zealand just continued along its merry way, doling out a 97-76 rout of Cairns and making last week's loss to the Kings appear an aberration.

Cedric Jackson had a quiet night with 32 points on 11-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, eight assists and three steals. A nice day at the office for Jacko after taking a bullet from Corin Henry last week.

Said it a few weeks ago, I've lost my belief in the Taipans. Much has been and continues to be said but I'd still prefer to see the players do their talking on court.

For example, Alex Loughton last week with: "I’m excited about it. In the last two weeks of training, there has been a consistency and we’re playing well. Dubbs (Jamar Wilson) has been making plays, I’ve been hitting shots. It needs to carry over now,’’ he said.

Loughton was 2-of-10, 1-of-6 from three-point range - get inside for God's sake - for five points.

Less talk, more production.

Waves v Capitals (W)

NO offence intended here to West Coast but how badly is Canberra suddenly travelling now when it can lose this and the Waves have their best player, Deanna Smith, out for the rest of the season?

That said, all due credit belongs to the Waves for delivering this monumental and steadily constructed 75-62 win over a team which, just a few weeks ago, was seemingly entrenched in the top four.

An 18-point, 15-rebound double by Lisa Wallbutton was huge - still cannot believe Lightning didn't play her a few seasons ago - and Natalie Burton got into a groove for 14 points at 70 per cent.

Darcee Gabin is going to be a player in this league, too.

Brigitte Ardossi battled gamely for the Craps, er ... Caps, with a 15-12 double-double, Jess Bibby with 18 points.

Hawks v Wildcats (M)

AURYN McMillan come on down.

With Shaggy off looking for ghosts with Scobby-Doo, Tim Coenraad searching for additional vowels to add to his surname and Tyson Demos reviewing potential new tattoo designs - "I think I'd like one of Saint Gordo"- Wollongong looked a little light on for the onset of the Perth juggernaut.

Enter "Roarin Auryn" ready to make the most of his 22:23 with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, four boards and two steals. But this wasn't about his numbers. It was about enthusiasm and energy and fearlessness. And how it impacted his teammates, too.

Not to mention the crowd.

Rhys Martin with 16 points, five boards and three assists also was better than his numbers reflect, Lance Hurdle with 18 points as Wollongong grafted back from a 15-point deficit in the third on a 23-9 period.

Michael Dunigan grabbed 16 boards for the Wildcats as these teams produced their second great game against each other two weeks in succession, 10 Perth third quarter turnovers critical in the post-game debrief.

Boomers v Flames (W)

YOU knew going in Sydney would be feeling good about itself after stoning the Caps by 46 last week.

But injuries to Bulleen bigs Elsye Penaluna and Emma McDonald opened the door for the Flames and they burnt it down, albeit only 79-75.

Inserted into Bulleen's starting quintet, Rebecca Allen had a great game with 19 points and 12 rebounds, Hollie Florance stepping up with 12 and 11.

But Flames guard Katie-Rae Ebzery, with 23 points at 69 per cent, was the difference in this result, which saw Bulleen drop out of the four and Townsville go up.

36ers v Crocodiles (M)

GARY Ervin started like a house on fire but Peter Crawford delivered the coup de grace as Townsville came from behind in the last quarter to inflict Adelaide's fourth straight loss.

Ervin had 15 points without a miss in the first quarter, including a three at the buzzer which could have broken the 36ers. He had Jason Cadee's number and was already well on a roll when Mitch Creek was swung onto him.

But instead of folding, the Sixers rallied in the second and grafted ahead, Creek providing the impetus.

Adelaide continued to come back, had Luke Schenscher winning his "Look, it's Luke-Luke" match-up with Luke Nevill and when Stevie Weigh and Daniel Johnson struck successive triples in the last, it was ahead by seven.

Creek's injury did not help, then Crawford, relishing the freedom he now had with Adam Gibson switched to defend Ervin, went off with 13 of his 15 points in the second half of the last quarter.

The game was still up for grabs with 10 seconds left, but it was Jacob Holmes who made that "grab", his offensive rebound after two missed Michael Cedar free throws, then two freebies from the stripe, leaving the 36ers needing a great final play to save the game.

That never happens, Townsville inflating the margin from the stripe at the end to 80-75.

Rangers v Flames (W)

O'HEA? Oh hell.

That was it for Sydney as they ran into Jenna in full "next Penny Taylor" mode, her London Olympic teammate Kathleen McLeod backing O'Hea's season-high 35-point haul with 22 as Dandenong gave Sydney another 102-79 black eye.

Sydney's last two recruits, April Sykes and Ro Cox delivered but Dandenong had just too many weapons, its defence also creating 22 turnovers.

Lauren King also went missing but she sure wasn't an orphan.

Kings v Hawks (M)

KEEP saying it because I truly believe it: Sydney has been No.1 in the NBL this season for maximising what it has and making the most of its opportunities.

The Kings are not as talented as many, but they won't be beaten on work ethic and I have to doff my Indian headress to Big Chief Little Wampum, Shane Heal, for what he has achieved with his roster so far.

If Adelaide, Melbourne, Townsville or Cairns - the wannabes drooling over that spot in the top four - were drawing the most from their talent anywhere near as well or as often as Sydney, then ladder standings would probably be different.

But they haven't been and the Kings have.   

They were travelling along pretty well here too against Wollongong, holding it to two-quarter returns of 13 and 9 heading into halftime.

Still 12 up during the third, Sydney had to weather a typically gutsy Hawks fightback, Adris Deleon stealing the ball at the death and fouled by Ian Crosswhite, the Kings up 56-55.

Deleon missed his chance to be a hero when his first free throw didn't drop, his second good to force overtime.

Corin Henry and Ben Madgen then stepped it up, Sydney winning 70-63, its fourth win from its past five games taking the record to 9-5.

Thunder v Spirit (W)

HAVING dropped a game on the road in Townsville, league-leading Bendigo was not about to let this one go, though Logan stretched it out before the Spirit held it at 69-61.

The Thunder got cracking early and still were ahead going into the final period.

But Bendigo stepped it up with a 24-11 quarter, Gab Richards with 17 and 14, Kelsey Griffin 15 and 12.

Natalie Taylor fought hard for the home team with a 21-point, 11-rebound double.

Tigers v Taipans (M)

CHRIS Goulding put together an NBL career-quarter with 17 of his 27 points in the second period as Melbourne posted up and stamped Cairns with the "Fragile" sticker, winning 83-77.

The Tigers went 30-16 in the second, with Goulding showing his full range - dunks, threes, and even a "did-he-just-do-that?" reverse lay-up.

Johnny Flynn got a piece of this too, with 20 points and six assists, Adam Ballinger with 14 points and Lucas Walker with 10 and 8.

Jamar Wilson went down scrapping with 26 points and five assists and Aaron Grabau was a perfect 3-of-3 threes.

Alex Loughton again was MIA. It seems as he goes, so goes the franchise.

Lightning v Capitals (W)

TAKE out Suzy Batkovic (neck) and Angela Marino (ankle) from the Lightning, then lose back-up Hannah Bowley after just 2:20 of action (to cconnccuussssiioonn - yeah, she was seeing double), and have starter Steph Talbot foul out in eight minutes against Canberra and what have you got?

A 70-52 Adelaide win, that's what.

Nadeen Payne, Amy Lewis, Laura Hodges and Jenni Screen all relished their action and back-up playmakers Kelsey Ireland and Lauren Mansfield also shone.

It was Mikaela Dombkins with 2:13 left in the first quarter who scored Canberra's first field goal. Adelaide then held the Caps to just 7 second quarter points.

The Caps were never going to save it from there but a 9-0 run orchestrated by Hodges and Mansfield to close the third made sure of it.

BEEF of the WEEK

Stroganoff.

The Big Winners/Losers

WOLLONGONG was the round's big NBL winner, proving to itself and to its fans that you are never a measure of who is missing but a measure of who is playing.

Beating Perth, then only losing in overtime to Sydney were a couple of performances which will act as the foundation of where the Hawks finish in Glen Saville's swansong ... and it will be highly.

CAIRNS pips Adelaide as the round's biggest loser, going down twice and not showing nearly enough to suggest it has a play-off run in its future.

TOWNSVILLE is the WNBL's biggest winner after toppling top side Bendigo and doing it without Mia Newley, to jump into the four for the first time this season.  

CANBERRA's struggles continue and it is getting hard to see if LJ - if and when she might or might not return - will be able to help salvage this season. The round's biggest loser? You bet.

PS

ADELAIDE 36ers icon Brett Maher, who before the NBL season tipped-off said the 2012-13 line-up was the best Adelaide team since the 1998-99 champion, has amended that again to the 1981 West Adelaide WNBL team.