Toowoomba Mountaineers men suffer QSL basketball double-header losses to end season

The Toowoomba Mountaineers men’s side took to the floor for the final time in 2024 over the weekend for a pair of clashes which ultimately reflected the season as a whole. Details here.

Adam Gehrig runs the floor for the Toowoomba Mountaineers. Picture: Kevin Farmer

An underwhelming QSL basketball season for the Toowoomba Mountaineers season reached its finale on the weekend, with a pair of losses at home to the Southern Districts Spartans and Brisbane Capitals.

In many ways the weekend perfectly summed up Toowoomba’s season – plenty of promising moments and glimpses of quality shown, but poor execution when it mattered most.

Check out the biggest talking points from the clashes below.

Heartbreak after blistering start

In their opening clash of the weekend against the Spartans, the Mountaineers stormed out of the blocks to take a 13-point lead after less than five minutes.

Toowoomba maintained its ascendancy throughout much of the first half and briefly led by as much as 15 points late in the half.

However, for not the first time this season, Toowoomba struggled to manage the game while in a winning position and allowed their opponents back into the contest.

The Spartans did not take the lead once in the opening three quarters but managed to come from behind in the last to take a 76-67 win as they held the Mountaineers to just six points in the last quarter and 22 for the second half.

Fouls hurt Mountaineers again

One of the major reasons Southern Districts was able to claw its way back into the contest was the poor discipline from Toowoomba.

For not the first time this season, the Mountaineers found themselves in the bonus early in quarters and had a massive deficit in free throw attempts.

Toowoomba had 11 free throw attempts, scoring just three of them, while the Spartans attempted 34 free throws and scored 23 of them.

Toowoomba made 25 fouls in the clash at an average of one foul every 96 seconds, while their rivals made just 12 fouls for the game.

Captain courageous

With the Spartans in the hunt for a top-two spot, the visitors were in need of a hero when they trailed by double-digits and it was captain Sam Korst who rose to the occasion.

Korst was unstoppable and he used his size and shooting ability to dominate the paint on offence and find easy mismatches.

He took 35.9 per cent of his team’s field goal attempts and made his mark on both ends with an impressive 30-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Third quarter run guides Capitals to victory

During the clash on Sunday, the Mountaineers had resiliently fought back to be within one point of the Capitals early in the third quarter.

However, a stunning 17-point run from Brisbane put a dagger in Toowoomba’s hopes of ending their season on a high.

From there, it was all smooth sailing for the Capitals as they cruised to a 99-78 win.

The Toowoomba Mountaineers bench reacts to a basket. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Bench shows promise for next season

With the Mountaineers out of finals contention, coach Sean Connelly turned to his bench to for game time for the last match of the year.

The bench combined for 42 of the Mountaineers’ 78 points, with Zachary Collins leading the way with 12 points.