WYNDHAM has remained the superior side in the Big V Women’s competition, taking down one of their biggest competitors in McKinnon to the tune of just four points when the top two sides in the league went head-to-head at Eagle Stadium on Saturday night.

It was slated as the match of the round, given there has been no better team than the two that hit the court in this game. Although both sides have the capacity to post big scores on a weekly basis, it was a relatively low-scoring affair, and looked like going either way for much of the contest. The deciding factor proved to be a mini-run from Wyndham in the third quarter, as it was able to hold on to close out the game, despite a fast finish from the opposition.

The win sees Wyndham go one win clear on the ladder, with a record of 15 wins and just three losses good enough for top spot. The home side also further strengthened their championship credentials, taking down their biggest threat so far this season. They will take some serious stopping to close out the home and away fixture, and Saturday echoed that. Meanwhile, McKinnon will now need to keep winning if it is to get another shot at stealing top spot on the ladder, now a game behind Wyndham.

Leading the way for Wyndham was Amanda Paschal, who was able to contribute whatever her side needed throughout the game. Offensively, she was the team’s highest scorer, finishing with 22 points, making half of her shots (10/20 FG) and tormenting the opposition defence with the ability to find the bottom of the net. When the ball was in the air, Paschal was also the standout for the victors, pulling down nine boards of her own, with eight of those coming on the defensive end and ensuring the opposition would not secure another possession. To top it all off, she was terrific at finding her teammates, delivering a game-high seven dimes and creating plenty of scoring opportunities with her terrific vision.

Despite the tough loss, McKinnon was also dragged over the line by its starters, with three players scoring 14 points or more in a balance scoring performance. Rosie Fadljevic (15 points), Morgan Ili (14 points) and Katie Bluzer (14 points) were all terrific for the visitors, and the high number of contributors meant the Wyndham defence could not shut down the offence at times. All three were instrumental in the last-quarter fightback, but unfortunately fell short.