IT was a season to remember in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) for the 2023/24 fixture, with an extremely tight season capped off with a marvellous finals series.

For a large portion of the season, most of the teams in the competition were in the hunt for a top-four spot. In fact it came down to the final round to determine which sides would advance to the postseason in a thrilling finish.

In the end, the Southside Flyers emerged champions after defeating the valiant Perth Lynx 2-1 in the Grand Final series.

With the season now wrapped, Rookie Me Central will be dissecting the performance of each club in the 2023/24 fixture, putting all 10 teams under the microscope now that the dust has settled.

The final team to unpack in the first week of the series are the Adelaide Lightning, who were slightly behind the pace when it comes to the finals race, but still upset the apple cart with some boilovers.

Adelaide Lightning

2023/24 record – Eight wins, 13 losses
Ladder position – 7th

HOW IT HAPPPENED

The Lightning got off to a solid start in Round 1, defeating the eventual wooden-spooners in the UC Capitals by three points, but the results became more inconsistent from there. A win over the Flyers was a highlight, but each victory was often followed up with a loss the next week. At their best, the Lightning could hold the opposition to extremely low scores, clamping up defensively while holding their own down the other end. However, it was not a weekly showing and the Lightning fell short of participating in the finals race.

MVP – Brianna Turner

Although other players may have been more prominent on the scoring front, Turner made her presence felt everywhere. The forward was an impactful player on both ends of the floor, and had a consistent season in what was an inconsistent campaign for her side. She averaged 8.5 points, 13.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 blocks and 2.2 steals per game in a stat-stuffing year. Turner did whatever was required to get the team to victory and can hold her head high after the 2023/24 season.

THE COACH – Nat Hurst

The seven-time WNBL champion was in the first of her two seasons in last year’s contract extension, and showed signs of being able to lead this team to more success moving forward. Adelaide’s defence was a big positive for the team, and it is evident that Hurst has put an emphasis on that side of the team’s game. Getting the most out of young gun Isobel Borlase was also excellent and crucial for the franchise in the future.

WHERE TO?

The Lightning looked a step behind the other teams on the offensive end, so getting some more scoring power onto the roster is crucial, although the development of Borlase may solve that problem. The talented youngster has another season of development under her belt, which will be integral to any success Adelaide has in the future.