WNBL Round 12 Review
Last week, another exciting round of sensational basketball was played in the WNBL, and in this article, we have the review of Round 12 highlighting the performances of 5 encounters in the past week.
Credit Geoff Tripp for photography.
Logan came back from a 12-point buffer on Friday night in Canberra to defeat the Canberra Capitals by 4 points. Emma Langford was the top scorer for the Thunder with 18 points and 3 rebounds. Tegan Cunningham completed a superb double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling in 12 rebounds, while Hannah Zavecz filled the stat-sheet with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals to her name. Abby Bishop played another out-of-this-world game, cementing her spot as one of the league's best with an easy 27 points and 15 rebounds. Carly Wilson was Canberra's only other double-digit scorer with 15 points and 6 rebounds.
Logan pushed the Capitals for the first quarter, going 26-15 ahead into the break with a key 17-4 run to give them the lead. Abby Bishop scored 10 in the quarter. However, Canberra would dictate the flow in the second quarter, controlling the pace of the game and went to the half up by 10 points. Despite Abby Bishop scoring 17 and rebounding 11, Canberra took a 61-49 lead into the last quarter, and looked like they would comfortably take out this encounter. Logan suprised Canberra and the Capital home crowd by going on a 13-2 run to start the fourth, before Carly Wilson snagged a crucial 3. Sarah Graham tied the game with a minute to play and then gave the Thunder the lead with a pair of free-throws which saw them take out the game.
Bendigo won yet again, this time against the league's second best team, the Dandenong Rangers. Gabe Richards (15 points, 7 rebounds) and Elyse Penaluna (15 points, 4 rebounds) both top-scored for the Spirit. Kelsey Griffin (14 points) and Chelsea Aubry (11 points) both scored in double-digits shooting over 50% and Kristi Harrower had 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Lellani Mitchell scored 20 points and also contributed with 3 rebounds and 3 assists, while Jenna O'Hea had another big game with 20 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Not to forget, Kayla Pederson had an impressive 12-point, 11 rebound performance.
After leading the rebounding count 12-5 at the first break, the dominance on the boards paid off on the scoreboard with the Rangers leading 29-18. Sara Blicavs and Elyse Penaluna combined to force a Spirit comeback which was shorthanded as Lellani Mitchell went on a tantalizing 14-point performance in the quarter, keeping her side ahead by 6 at the long interval. Bendigo got as close as two points early in the third thanks to Gabe Richards and Kelly Wilson making baskets, but Dandenong fought right back, extending their lead back to 10 thanks to Lellani Mitchell. The Rangers took a 5 point lead into the final term but Bendigo fought back to win by 7. With the conclusion of this game, the Spirit's unbeaten streak against the Dandenong Rangers extends to two years.
Townsville bullied the West Coast Waves into a thorough beating of young side by 32 points. Suzy Batkovic scored 21 points in 21 minutes alongside 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Micaela Cocks scored 15 points and had 5 rebounds, while Kayla Standish was impressive with 12 points and 8 rebounds (3 offensive). Antonia Edmonson continues to impress, notching 20 points, 6 rebound and 3 assists in an otherwise disappointing performance from the Waves. Gabriella Clayton had a big game off the bench, scoring 13 points, 10 points more than her average per game in the season.
Townsville started strong at 10-2, but Antonia Edmonson brought the score back to 14-8. However, Townsville dominated from there on out, and with a 9-0 run to end the first, Townsville were up 27-12. Suzy Batkovic inspired her team to keep pushing in the 2nd, extending the lead to 21 midway through. The young Waves dynamic duo, Gabriella Clayton and Darcee Garbin, excited the home crowd by bringing the lead back to 11 before the lead reached 18 at half-time. Townsville kicked off in the third and continued to extend their lead. Antonia Edmonson persisted in keeping her side from reaching a 40-point+ deficit. Townsville cruised towards a 32-point lead to end the game.
Sydney was clicking on offense, knocking down 11 3-point shoots, beating the Logan Thunder 93-75. Alicia Poto was instrumental in the Sydney win. She knocked down 6/8 three's, while shooting 8/13 from the field. Poto finished with 22 points and 4 assists. Katie-Rae Ebzery also performed well, contributing 15 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Kathleen Scheer scored 11 points and had 5 offensive rebounds from the bench. Emma Langford played a terrific game for Logan. The rising star in the league scored 22 points and was crucial for the Thunder on the boards with 7 rebounds. Hannah Zavecz had 14 points and 5 assists, while Kristen Veal had 11 points and 5 rebounds.
LeSondra Barrett was terrific to start the game, scoring early points to put the Flames in a crucial winning position early. Alicia Poto contributed with some big three's, leading her team on a 10-0 run to end the quarter. The Flames went on another 10-0 run and completely outplayed a fatigued Logan side coming off a game the night before in Canberra. Katie-Rae Ebzery and Langford both played terrifically in the third, going basket for basket, and the Flames eventually pushed their lead to 22 points. The Thunder came back in the last quarter, but it was a case of too little, too late. Sydney won by 18 points.
Townsville made it 2/2 this weekend, defeating the Adelaide Lightning by 8 points away from home. It's fun to see Suzy Batkovic back in MVP-esque from, putting together an insane 30-15 game which saw her drop 4 from range. Rachael McCully scored 16 points and her 4 assists. Jess Foley top-scored for Adelaide with 18, while Angela Marino made a nice 11 point, 5 rebound contribution. Laura Hodges only scored 4 points for the Lightning, but had 11 rebounds.
Adelaide defended their home court with ease, leading 26-13 at quarter time with Jess Foley making a buzzer-beating three. Adelaide was stagnant on offense in the second, allowing Townsville to make their way back into the game by narrowing Adelaide's 13-point lead to 5 points at half time, credit to Suzy Batkovic and Rachael McCully taking over in that quarter. Batkovic scored an amazing 17 points in the third, completely turning the game around. The Fire took control of the game and lead by 3 with one quarter to go. Townsville extended their lead to 8 in the last quarter which they maintained till the final second, thanks to Batkovic's efforts.
Round 12 Results
Canberra Capitals 68 (Bishop 27, Wilson 15) defeated by Logan Thunder 72 (Langford 18, Graham 17, Zavecz 15)
Bendigo Spirit 79 (Penaluna 15, Richards 15, Griffin 14) defeated Dandenong Rangers 72 (Mitchell 20, O'Hea 19, Pedersen 12)
West Coast Waves 56 (Edmondson 20, Clayton 13) defeated by Townsville Fire 88 (Batkovic 21, Cocks 15, Standish 12)
Sydney Uni Flames 93 (Poto 22, Ebzery 15, King 11, Scheer 11) defeated Logan Thunder 75 (Langford 22, Zavecz 14, Veal 11, Graham 10)
Adelaide Lightning 67 (Foley 18, Marino 11, Shegog 11) defeated by Townsville Fire 75 (Batkovic 30, McCully 16, Cocks 10)
Stay tuned for more WNBL reviews, previews and news!