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Offense modification is the key to team restart: Niigata & Akita match preview
Queen Bees will play against Niigata Aranmare Akita from today at Takasaki Arena in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture.
In the previous match between both teams, although they won the first match, they lost the next day’s match, resulting in a record of 1 win and 1 loss.
Since then, Niigata has improved their winning streak and is currently in 3rd place with 7 wins and 5 losses, while Aranmare Akita is in 4th place with 6 wins and 6 losses. The Queen Bees, on the other hand, are in 5th place, below both teams, with 4 wins and 8 losses.
With only a few games remaining, these two days will be crucial for gaining an opportunity to move up the standings.
Head coach Sachiko Ishikawa and captain Momoko Inoue, who I spoke with before heading out on the road, focused on the team’s issue of offense.
Today’s match against Niigata will be a toss-up at 17:00, where attention will be focused on how to rebuild the stagnant offense.
To all our fans and boosters, please give us your enthusiastic support today and tomorrow at the venue and on live streaming!
Head coach/captain statement
Sachiko Ishikawa Head Coach
Niigata is a team where everyone has the ability to score. Among them, the players who should not be allowed to ride the waves hold the key. Also, since rebounds have the power to create second chances, it is important to thoroughly suppress rebounds. If we can do this, we believe we can advance the match in our favor.
As for Alanmare Akita, I feel that his individual skills have caused him to break down, and that his poor rebounding and foul management are issues. The key to victory is not allowing the same player to score repeatedly. First of all, we want to play well in the match against Niigata and create a good flow.
Currently, I feel that the team’s defense is in good shape, but the issue is that there are many situations where this doesn’t lead to points. The first priority is to make sure to take easy shots, and we need to create a situation where players who are good at three-pointers and drives can be utilized to the fullest.
Momoko Inoue
Niigata and Akita are both opponents that finished with 1 win and 1 loss in their previous match. Since we both know what we want to do and who the key people are, the points we need to keep in mind are clear. If we can defend this as a whole team, I think we can significantly limit the opponents’ points. The first task is to maintain this defense for 40 minutes.
Another issue is our lack of scoring ability. Looking at the league as a whole, there are many games with scores in the 50s and 40s, and very few games with over 60 points. I feel that this is due to the adjustments we have made over the course of the match, and the fact that our opponents are taking their time to prepare properly due to the small number of teams. How should we attack in this situation? It is important to aim for one-on-one situations and to faithfully perform pick plays. I also believe that spacing and coordinating the movements of attacking players and those around them are important.
I think we need to make accurate judgments about the situation during the match, and think and make decisions on our own about what we can do better next time. Although the situation continues to be difficult, we will come together as a team and focus on the match against Niigata and give our all.
