Words By Cameron Tenardi. Image By ADFX

The USC Thunder took on the North Brisbane Cougars in the Ruby Series on Sunday afternoon at USC Stadium.

The Thunder and the Cougars had an intense and high-quality battle through the opening quarter with the home side falling only one short of sharing the bonus points heading into the first break.

A quiet second quarter saw defence take centre stage as only 21 points were scored over the entire 15-minute period. Cougars picked up the bonus points after bettering Thunder by 5.

The cougars came out firing in the third, scoring 11 points to Thunder’s 5 mid-way through the quarter. Thunder were creating opportunities but struggled to convert, allowing the Cougars to take advantage. Thunder rallied towards the back end of the quarter to slow down the oppositions scoring, but the Cougars again took the bonus points as they headed into the three-quarter time break.

A frantic start to the fourth quarter saw 13 points scored in under five minutes. Both sides were scoring quickly with Thunder behind 5 points to 8. The remainder of the quarter had the teams score 8 points apiece, allowing the visitors to take the bonus points again and claim the victory.

Q1: Thunder 15 – Cougars 16

Q2: Thunder 23 (8) – Cougars 29 (13)

Q3: Thunder 36 (13) – 49 (20)

Q4: Thunder 49 (13) – Cougars 65 (16)

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Sapphire Series or its clubs