THE Melbourne Boomers kept their Grand Final hopes alive in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) on Saturday night, defeating the Southside Flyers by 21 points at Melbourne Sports Centre in Parkville.

With the Flyers up in the series after a win in game one, the Boomers looked to bounce back and level the series, forcing proceedings to a decider.

After a tightly contested first half, the Boomers took over in the final two quarters, emerging 88-67 winners in front of a sold out crowd.

Coming into the match, the Boomers were dealt another injury blow, with Sara Blicavs ruled out of the rest of the WNBL finals series and season due to a foot injury, while Penina Davidson was still sidelined with her calf injury.

Melbourne Boomers (88) def. Southside Flyers (67)

The game kicked off with both teams struggling to hit their shots, ball movement was stagnant due to the pressure applied defensively. Whilst the Flyers had momentum initially, the Boomers also had a scoring run of their own late, taking a two-point lead at quarter time.

In the second period, the Boomers won the quarter 21-17, producing second chance scoring opportunities on the boards. Melbourne had the upper hand in terms of defensive boards (19-15) as well, and maintained a six point lead at the main break.

Keely Froling, Naz Hillmon and Aimie Rocci combined for 22 points, all playing their role inside the post and around the perimeter, whilst Rocci stepped in a played a huge influence in the guard position.

Building from an important second term, the Boomers kept rolling in the third quarter, winning the period 27-23, getting stops defensively and lifting their ball movement on the offensive end to take a 10-point buffer at the final break.

The Boomers finished the game strongly, winning the last quarter 26-15, which resulted in a 88-67 victory.

Hillmon was on song from the perimeter, finishing with 22 points and nine rebounds. League MVP Jordin Canada had 21 points, five rebounds and five assists, Akiene-Tera Reed played a crucial role coming off the bench, giving the team a spark with 12 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Froling produced 12 points, three rebounds and one assist, whilst Rocci finished with 11 points and two assists.