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 penultimate team in this series are the runners-up in the Lynx, who delivered a brave performance after sneaking into the postseason.

Perth Lynx

2023/24 record: 11 wins, 10 losses
Ladder position: 4th
Postseason result: Eliminated in game three of the Grand Final series

HOW IT HAPPENED

It was a whirlwind of a season for the Lynx, who stormed home in emphatic fashion to pull off one of the most miraculous championships in WNBL history. After a shaky campaign that was riddled with injury to key players, Perth got going in the back half of the season, and booked the final postseason spot with a win in the final round. Facing off against the reigning champions and title favourites in the Townsville Fire, the Lynx delivered a sweep, advancing to the grand final. Although they fell in the big dance, it was still a strong performance.

MVP – Aari McDonald

The import could have won the league MVP award if not for a mid-season injury, and was one of the most productive players in the competition. The guard was fantastic at orchestrating the offence for Perth, and was responsible for getting her side over the line on a number of occasions. Her absence was sorely missed when she was on the sidelines, and she was the most important piece of the team’s success. McDonald posted averages of 20.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

THE COACH – Ryan Petrik

Petrik may have been dealt a cruel hand on the injury front at times, but was excellent when facing the best sides in the competition late in the fixture. The most impressive facet of his coaching was the level of belief he instilled in the team in the postseason. Despite coming up against more talented sides, Petrik did his homework and tactically defeated the reigning champions and pushed the eventual winners.

WHERE TO?

The Lynx will be eager to retain McDonald, who will be certainly receiving offers internationally after a dominant campaign. If they can keep her around and add some solid young Aussie players around her, they should be in the conversation again.