LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter

THE JAMAICA Defence Force (JDF) have started the 2008 KFC National Basketball League (NBL) on a streak - a losing one. They'll be aiming to end their three-game skid this afternoon when they face Tivoli Wizards at the National Stadium court at 5:00.

The army men, who are in their second spell in the NBL, had two close losses to Arnett Gardens and Runnin' Rebels, but coach Jonah Atkinson says his team will be prepared for Tivoli as they seek their first win.

"We know we have to get stops and if we play a zone that will help to slow Tivoli's fast breaks," said Atkinson.

"We also have to rebound the ball because we didn't rebound well in the last game," he said.

JDF, led by Feurtado Clarke, Denroy Barnaby and Raymond Francis, have been playing competitively for the past three months as they were active in the Southern Conference Division One league before being promoted to the NBL after the merger of Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town Wizards. JDF are also the all-island champions.

Mental problem

If the game does go down to the wire, Atkinson is hoping his team will find the mental strength to prevail.

"We can't seem to finish games," he said. "We lost two close games and I know it's not fatigue, it's more a mental thing."

Tivoli will be looking to rebound from their 62-60 loss on Monday to Port Royal Bulls - their second in four games.

While coach Dennis Hutchinson is admitting that his team's two losses were a result of fatigue, Tivoli won't be taking it easy.

"We'll be attacking them offensively," said Hutchinson. "But, of course, we'll be balancing that out with defence.

"I don't believe we are fit right now because in the last game we were leading but could not maintain it down the stretch," he said.

Hutchinson added that he will be looking for his supporting cast to step up.

"We normally get good input from (Anthony) Farquharson and Dwayne Harris," he said. "If we get two or three more players to support them we'll be in good shape."