WNBL: Perth keep up good form, Dandenong bank 2 wins

Round 9 kicked off with a thrilling match with Sydney hosting the Adelaide Lightning. The visitors got off to a great start, paving the way for a crucial 3-point win. It was a hot game with a fast and intense pace, kept close with a lot of great offense.

Sydney never gave up, and despite being down 28-19 in the first quarter, fought their way back to make a game of it. Jennifer Hamson was fantastic for the hosts, leading the scoring with 25 points and 17 rebounds.

However it was Adelaide’s reliable stars who got the job done, with Nicole Seekamp leading the way with 22 points and 6 assists. Abby Bishop was again crucial for Adelaide, with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Aimie Clydesdale also impressed with 17 points, 5 assists and 2 steals.

Asia Taylor (19 points, 7 rebounds) and Katie-Rae Ebzery (17 points) were two of Sydney’s best for the game.

In a surprising turn of events, Dandenong were able to hold what was the equal top placed Townsville Fire to their lowest score of the season in a thumping 78-59 win. It was a great lifter for the Rangers who are recovering from the loss of Sara Blicavs and a dismal score of only 49 points during last week’s game.

It was an all round effort from Dandenong’s stars, with Carley Mijovic leading the way with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Captain Steph Blicavs was also brilliant with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Laia Palau (13 points) and Tessa Lavey (12 points) were also impressive for the Rangers.

https://twitter.com/JaycoRangers/status/935805459654520832

Suzy Batkovic continues to wind back the clock, with a total of 19 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Mia Murray was the Fire’s next best with 16 points, but there wasn’t much else to be excited about for Townsville. They couldn’t buy a shot as they finished on just 32% shooting from the field.

Despite a great start from Canberra in Perth, the hosts continued their winning ways and fought back to claim an 89-76 point win.

The Capitals were brave at the start, and won the first quarter 27-19. They continued that momentum right until the main break, but Perth came out hitting their straps in the second half. They kept Canberra to just 7 points in the final term, allowing them to take the win.

There was plenty of slick shooting from both teams on the court, but the star was Courtney Williams who dominated with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Williams work was complimented by Sami Whitcomb, scoring 22 points and Kayla Standish with 14 points.

The Capitals tried hard to get the win, without star import Mistie Bass they were led by shooter Jordan Hooper who scored 20 points and 6 rebounds. Abbey Wehrung tried hard with 13 points, and scoring 8 points a piece was young star Ezi Magbegor, Lauren Scherf and Rachel Jarry who returned back to the court after a 4 week break from concussion.

The Lynx kept up their impressive form as they ventured to Adelaide, taking home an 89-74 point win and making them the new in form team of the competition.

The defensive intensity allowed Perth to control the match, and their even spread of contributors allowed them to maximise plenty of opportunities.

Williams again was the standout performer, scoring 22 points and 7 rebounds. Whitcomb was damaging again with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Kayla Standish (17 points) and Alice Kunek (16 points, 5 rebounds) were also impressive for Perth.

Nicole Seekamp continued her good form, providing 14 points along with Abby Bishop who scored 12 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Fire were able to get back on the winners board after a close, thrilling 3-point win against Sydney.

It was a high intense match with plenty of fierce play by both sides. Suzy Batkovic led all scorers with a dominant effort of 26 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Cayla George was also great for Townsville with 14 points. Darcee Garbin and Sydney Wiese produced 13 points each as Townsville had a great spread of performers. It was Mikhaela Donnelly who had two huge plays in the final moments, grabbing a massive rebound scoring a basket inside against 2 Flames players, and stealing the ball in Sydney’s attempt to get back in front.

Katie-Rae Ebzery scored 21 points, leading the way for Sydney followed closely by Alex Wilson on 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Bendigo put up a brave battle against the Rangers, kicking the game off in great style and leading the first quarter. However Dandenong’s array of stars were able to pitch in and ensure the game wasn’t lost, taking away a 75-67 point win. Dandenong’s intensity of the defensive end caused too many turnovers for the Spirit, which in turn gave the Rangers a few too many opportunities to get in front.

Steph Blicavs was the Rangers best with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Carley Mijovic was again impressive with 16 points, and Kayla Pederson had some big moments with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Tessa Lavey was also good with 12 points.

Betnijah Laney was Bendigo’s best with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Both Rachel Banham (16 points) and Gabe Richards (13 points, 8 rebounds) tried hard for the Spirit.

The Boomers impressed their fans in a 92-72 point victory on their home court against Canberra. The game looked ugly for the Capitals at the start, as they were kept to just 6 points in the first quarter and 20 points for the first half compared to Melbourne’s 51 points at the main break. However Canberra came out of the main break with momentum, and took the third quarter at 28-13. But Melbourne were just too good, and Canberra could not provide an answer to Liz Cambage and they stayed in front to claim the win.

Cambage led all scoring with a massive 38 points and 13 rebounds. Maddie Garrick and Jenna O’Hea were solid contributors with 13 points each. O’Hea added 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals to her game. Rebecca Cole was also impressive with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Nat Hurst was brilliant for the Capitals, leading the momentum shift in the third quarter with her brilliant shooting and defensive intensity. She finished on 21 points and 4 steals. Mistie Bass tried hard with 10 points, and the young Maddison Rocci and Ezi Magbegor were solid contributors off the bench, providing some sparks for the Capitals with 8 points each.