Canberra Capitals skipper Abby Bishop continues to set a frenetic pace in the best season of her WNBL career, but her team's finals hopes are in danger of being squashed before Christmas.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bishop fired on all cylinders and scored a career-high 35 points to give Canberra hope of beating title favourites and ladder leaders Townsville on Sunday, including a 20-point burst in the first half.
But as injured superstar Lauren Jackson watched from the bench, the Capitals faded in the second half and the Fire went to work to secure a 92-81 win at the AIS Arena.
The clash against the Fire was supposed to be Jackson's comeback appearance after a frustrating 10 months of injury woes, but swelling on her knee put her out for at least one more week.
Jackson trained for 30 minutes on Saturday without any problems and hasn't been ruled out of the last two games before Christmas at the weekend.
But with no firm indication of when the four-time Olympian will be back on the court to give Bishop much-needed support, the Capitals' play-off chances are dangling close to disaster.
They have won just four of their 11 games this season and face a daunting holiday period with a road trip to Perth and Adelaide this weekend before a return clash against Townsville in Queensland on January 2.
"It was a step in the right direction and we've showed we can match it with the best," Bishop said.
"Even though we lost we've got a lot of confidence going into this road trip and knowing how important it is will help us get over the line.
"Being the only post in this team at the moment, I've had to take more responsibility. I don't like losing so I'm trying to pull the girls over the line and doing whatever I can. At the moment that's taking 20-plus shots a game."
A decision on Jackson's potential involvement against Adelaide and West Coast will be made early this week.
Bishop has stepped up in her first season as captain, dominating the competition in scoring, and it's widely thought she is already the favourite for the league's most valuable player award.
She led the charge in challenging Townsville in the first half, guiding Canberra to a first-quarter lead and holding on for a 44-44 half-time deadlock.
But the break changed the momentum as the Fire charged to a 14-point lead while the Capitals struggled to find any rhythm at either end of the court.
Rising star Stephanie Talbot did her best to support Bishop with 18 points and when Bishop nailed a three-pointer with five minutes left in the match, the Capitals trailed by just five points and still had a chance to win.
But Townsville veteran and former Capital Suzy Batkovic stepped up to the plate to destroy Canberra's hopes of an upset win. Bishop finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists.
"To be honest I didn't pencil [the game against Townsville] as a win, it would have been a bonus," said coach Carrie Graf.
"Our season wasn't on this game. There's a long way to go and we have to find a way to win these next two games. We lacked a bit of poise at times ... I thought we had great improvement.
"With Lauren out and Kristen Veal, this team is building. I don't think the margin against Townsville reflected the bulk of the game."
The Capitals' play-off plans have not completely been abandoned and they sit just a few wins outside the top four teams in the competition.
Bishop has been largely a one-player band this season, scoring more than 30 points in two games and has scored 244 points in 10 games this year.
The spread was much more even against Townsville with three players in double figures and Talbot, Sam Norwood and Hanna Zavecz taking the rebounding pressure of Bishop.
"We haven't spoken about finals, but at the back of our minds we've got to keep pushing forward to make them," Bishop said.
AT A GLANCE
TOWNSVILLE FIRE 92 (Suzy Batkovic 24, Cayla Francis 21, Mia Newley 13) bt CANBERRA CAPITALS 81 (Abby Bishop 35, Stephanie Talbot 18, Jess Bibby 10) at AIS Arena on Sunday.
