Dragons breathe fire on helpless Crocs

Fresh off a big upset over Sydney on Monday night, the South Dragons have strung together another impressive victory, clinically disposing of Townsville 121-110 at Vodafone Arena tonight.

Led by the inimitable Shane Heal and veteran import Kavossy Franklin, the home side used a stunning 38-26 third quarter as the catalyst for the win, cruising home in front of an excited crowd in the final term.

Heal netted 27 points, including seven three-pointers, and added seven assists, while Franklin added 25 of his own, almost matching Heal’s output with five treys of his own.

Jacob Holmes had 20 of his own, while import Rosell Ellis muscled his way to a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds.

For the Crocs, exciting swingman Brad Newley played almost a lone hand with a game-high 31 points – like Heal draining seven from downtown – while Larry Abney was subdued, but still finished with 16 points and seven boards.

The Dragons signaled their intentions early, racing out of the blocks as the first term became a shoot-out, with Franklin and Newley scoring 13 points apiece, the home side 35-29 up at the first change.

Townsville struggled to contain its opponents on the boards and at the defensive end, and South soon opened up an 11-point lead midway through the second quarter, before a timeout from fuming Crocs’ coach Trevor Gleeson seemed to have the desired effect, a fightback ensuring the scores were tied at 59 halfway through.

However, enter the third term, with Franklin signaling his intentions early with back-to-back triples, while Ellis got the crowd going with a halfcourt shot to end the period, stretching the margin out to an even dozen with one to play.

It got out to 18 in the fourth as the score threatened to get ugly, but a late comeback from Townsville saw the margin briefly in single figures, before the final total of 11.

Both teams now have a week off, with the Dragons traveling to Sydney to face the Kings again, while the Crocs take on Wollongong at home.

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