It may only be two games in, but the Yowies have made a name for themselves as a force to be reckoned with after a 15-point win over rivals the Wagga Wagga Blaze at home on Saturday.
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The Yowies held a high shooting percentage all night and maintained strong defensive pressure to overcome a physical Wagga outfit.
Queanbeyan hit the ground running with good movement in offence- securing a decent 25 to 17 lead going into the first break.
The Blaze missed a number of opportunities and had a high number of turnovers, showing they were clearly feeling the pressure in the second.
Wagga only managed to score a dismal eight points as the Yowies etched out to a 22-point lead at half time.
Yowies coach Christine Higgisson made use of all of her players, rotating often and executing an efficient press in the second half.
Queanbeyan's press and double-team caused a high number of interceptions and turnovers in the third, but Wagga still managed to win the quarter and reduce the lead to 19 points at the final break.
Higgisson used the Yowies lead to give younger players a run in the final term and the team were patient in offence, not forcing the shot, but waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.
The final score read 82 to 67 and although the Yowies lost the last half, Higgisson said the first half, high shooting percentage and consistent pressure had put the victory within reach for the home side early.
"It was a pretty good win- we were expecting a tight and physical contest and we got that," she said.
"We had disciplined play and strong offensive and defensive structures.
"We mixed up the defence to try and rattle them and it worked.
"I was really happy and we got great support from the crowd."
Higgisson said she was not concerned with slower final quarters in the past two games, but said they were used to give opportunities for younger players.
"In the last quarter I rotated the girls a lot more and had a lot more constant subs than in the first three quarters, so it's always hard to get momentum when you're subbing new girls in as often as I was," she said.
Annie La Fleur led the team on and off the court and Kirsten Langhorn was strong on boards, top scoring with 25 points.
"Annie compliments Belinda Turk well and they both lead the team well," Higgisson said.
"Kristen Langhorn did a good job at keeping her hands out, she had three good fouls and she did well to shut down Wagga's top scorer Breanna Arbuckle (15).
"She can also score out of a broken play and unusual plays, she creates her own opportunities and makes it look easy.
"Julie Ticehurst (5) and Olivia Simpson (6) also had some good open shots."
The Yowies will travel to Minto on April 11 to tackle Coffs Harbour, Tamworth and Newcastle and Higgisson is hoping for the team's first win or three on the road.
"I'm always confident and I'm not a good loser," she said.
"We had parts of undisciplined play against Wagga and we rushed a bit, but we're a well-rounded group.
"Having Queanbeyan Premix Concrete on board as our sponsor has actually helped the girls to not have to worry about fundraising and just playing, as funny as that sounds."
