THE SEMI FINALS have begun in the WNBL, with the Southside Flyers holding off a Tiffany Mitchell scoring masterclass to down the Melbourne Boomers and take game one of the series.

In the first of a maximum three matches between the two sides, the Flyers produced a balanced offensive performance en route to an 84-76 victory.

After a tight start to the match, Southside opened up a 10-point lead at quarter time, rallying behind the likes of Kayla Thornton and Rebecca Cole to take control of the match.

Although Melbourne fought back in the last to draw within two points, the Flyers were held in good stead by Sara Blicavs, who led the team to an eight-point triumph.

Despite not getting over the line, the Boomers could not ask much more of Mitchell, who put the team on her back in an attempt to conjure a remarkable comeback victory.

She was essentially a one-woman show for Melbourne on the offensive end for much of the match, and was the sole reason why the Boomers stayed in the match until late in the game.

Southside Flyers (84) def. Melbourne Boomers (76)

Tiffany Mitchell – 36 points, six rebounds, three assists

On the big stage, the star guard showed she is built for the spotlight with a dominant scoring performance.

Clearly her 36 points were the most of anyone, shouldering the offensive load for Melbourne as best she could, identifying that some of her teammates were struggling from the field.

It was a remarkably accurate performance, with Mitchell draining 15 of her 21 shots from the field, delivering a perfect balance of inside and outside shot attempts.

She usually does her best work from inside the arc, and while she excelled from that range again on Wednesday (11/16 2PT), the import showed that she can be an offensive threat across all three levels.

From three-point territory, Mitchell shot 80 per cent, nailing four of her five attempts and displaying plenty of confidence in her ability to drain shots from range.

While it has been an area of concern at various stages throughout the fixture, the All-WNBL Second Team member was in some serious scoring form against the Flyers and could not be stopped.

The timeliness of her baskets also stood out, dragging the Boomers back into the match with some excellent shot-making in the fourth quarter. Although the Flyers were too strong overall, Mitchell’s offensive performance was one of the best of the season.