After going down behind the Lynx by 15 points in Round 5 in Perth, the re-match between the second- and third-ranked teams allowed the Spirit to reclaim their champion status, demolishing the Lynx by 29 points in Traralgon on Sunday afternoon.
The beginning of the match saw strong competition from both teams, with the first points on the board being notched by co-captain Marianna Tolo (10 points, five rebounds), as she entered the court with energy on her 250th game. Alongside co-captain Kelsey Griffin, also celebrating 250 WNBL games, the pair confidently led their team as they chipped into Lynx’s game.
The opening term offered a glimpse into the beginning of another outstanding game produced by Isobel Borlase (26 points, five rebounds, five assists), accruing 18 points in just the first half. Following consecutively sunk three-pointers from the Leagues’ second-highest scorer Borlase and Abbey Wehrung, the Lynx fall into deficit after a five-point lead at the first buzzer (16-20), rounding out the first half with Spirit in front, (37-33).
Lynx remained tough to beat, with efforts and hard playing from recently-appointed WNBL Life Member Ally Wilson (16 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Anneli Maley (nine points, 11 rebounds), keeping the Lynx in the loop for the first half of the match.
Term three saw the Spirit dominate the court, as Borlase, Megan McConnell (12 points, seven rebounds) and Georgia Booth (11 points, four rebounds) presented a masterclass for the Traralgon crowd, screaming ahead to close the third quarter with a 17-point lead, (60-43).
The Spirit’s incredible group effort and defensive onslaught saw them confidently claim match victory, with a final tally of 87-58 allowing Bendigo to hold the Lynx to their lowest score since November 2020, knocking them down a notch on the ladder.
An extremely proud Spirit coach, Kennedy Kereama, spoke of the cohesive skill presented by his team post-match.
“The girls did an exceptional job. They were aggressive, assertive and very clearly executed the game plan. The defence was exceptional – I couldn’t ask for anything better. “
With 500 WNBL games between them, Griffin and Tolo were elated with the skills produced by their team as a whole.
“This team is full of such great people. The young players are so inspiring. Everybody came onto the court today absolutely firing – and we couldn’t have asked for a better performance for this milestone match.”
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