BASKETBALL fans across the fans were treated to a nail-biting clash at Melbourne Sports Centre on Saturday night. The eighth round of the Women’s National Basketball League has been in full swing over the weekend, and the clash between the Melbourne Boomers and the Southside Flyers was no exception. In what was a back and forth affair, proceedings went down to the wire with the match ultimately decided with the last shot of the match. Each lead that was earned was shortly taken away, with both sides being forced to claw their way back into the match at various stages. In the end, it was the Boomers who took home the chocolates, holding on in the closing minutes of the match to claim their fifth win of the season.

FIRST QUARTER:

The match opened in close fashion, with the two sides trading baskets throughout the first term. The lead went back and forth, with neither team able to break away and gain true ascendancy in the opening minutes. There was scoring all over the court, with both sides able to create shots off the dribble as well as score inside the paint as the players took no time to get their mojo going on the offensive end of the court. By the time the first break rolled around, the Boomers held a two-point lead, as it appeared evident that this match would provide plenty of entertainment for fans of the sport.

SECOND QUARTER:

The scoring of the Boomers slowed down quite a bit in the second period of the match, with the Flyers making the most of their opponents poor accuracy. Southside’s Rebecca Cole was terrific in this term, giving her side some serious offensive output during this 10 minutes. She scored seven points in the final three minutes of the quarter, as her side looked to break away from their struggling opponents. The reigning premiers were able to turn their quarter-time deficit into a seven-point lead at the main break, with the match threatening to get away from the Boomers in the third quarter.

THIRD QUARTER:

The third period saw the tables turn from what we saw in the previous term, with the lead once again changing hands. The Boomers must have had a remarkable half-time speech from Guy Molloy, with the side coming out and drastically improving their performance to dominate the Flyers. Southside’s scoring dried up in this term, and they were unable to slow down a red-hot Melbourne side. The Boomers outscored their opponents 23-10 in this time, and their remarkable performance in this time saw the scoreboard once again finish in their favour, taking a six-point advantage into the final period.

FOURTH QUARTER:

The final term saw both sides hit their stride with ball in hand, with this being the highest scoring quarter of the match. The Flyers gave it their all to produce yet another fightback, but they ultimately just short of claiming an unlikely win. The contest went right down to the wire, with the final margin sitting at just one shot from behind the three-point line. The Flyers had a few cracks at equalising things in the last minute of the match, but their attempts were wayward, and the Boomers held on for a slim, but important win.

CLOSING THOUGHTS …

For the Boomers, the duo of Tiffany Mitchell and Eziyoda Magbegor were both impressive in giving their side some crucial offensive output. Mitchell finished with 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists as she controlled the tempo of the offense and gave her side some serious spark. It was clear she knew when to find open teammates and when to put up a shot herself. Magbegor poured in 16 points herself, with the most impressive factor of this being her accuracy, as she made eight of her nine attempts from the field. For the Flyers, Cole and Abby Bishop each finished with 17 points as they tried to drive their side to victory.