THE NBL1 finals often bring out the best performances from the biggest names, and in the Sydney Comets’ win over the Newcastle Falcons in the East Women’s, it was none other than Shyla Heal who stood up.

Heal’s Comets faced a serious task when taking on the Falcons in an elimination game at Newcastle Basketball Stadium on Saturday night. Newcastle had firmed as one of the biggest threats to the title and entered the postseason in second spot with a record of 19 wins and just three losses.

On the other hand, the Comets had snuck into seventh place with 11 wins next to their name, and heading to enemy territory, required a fairly significant upset to keep their season alive.

Sydney certainly showed intent to start the game, but the class of the Falcons was too much in the opening quarter, as the home side took a six-point lead into the first change. The Comets managed to keep the margin around the same mark heading into the main break, but Newcastle had shown second half dominance in the past, so things still threatened to get out of hand.

However, the visitors delivered a defining third quarter, outscoring the Falcons by nine to take a three-point lead into the last 10 minutes of play. The Comets continued to deny the opposition any fluid offence, and held on to claim a nine-point win and eliminate the Falcons in stunning fashion.

The Comets could not have done it if not for the performance of Heal, who was the biggest factor in Sydney’s most impressive triumph of the season.

Newcastle Falcons (76) def. by Sydney Comets (85)

Shyla Heal – 43 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Heal was electric for the Comets, carrying the team’s offence and accounting for over half of her side’s points.

Her 43 points were the difference in the match, shooting an excellent 16/26 from the field. Heal has shown terrific scoring capabilities at both NBL1 and WNBL level, and Saturday marked one of the best performances in her short career.

The Falcons defence had no answers for Heal’s exhilarating scoring ability, as the guard exploded in the third quarter to guide her side back into the game and eventually take the match-winning lead.

She drained five threes on eight attempts in another accurate facet of her performance, with the defence unable to maintain coverage on Heal around the perimeter.

She played all 40 minutes in a tireless performance, always looking to create scoring opportunities despite the eventual fatigue that came as the match wore on. Heal was simply locked in as she single-handedly drove the Comets to a remarkable upset. If she can keep up a similar level of production, who knows how far Sydney can go in 2023.