A TREMENDOUS offensive performance from Rebecca Cole has helped the Southside Flyers to a big win over the Bendigo Spirit in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on Wednesday afternoon.

The clash kicked off the week’s action in Australia’s premier basketball competition, and it was a big match for the home side in the context of the season. Southside is pressing for a spot inside the top-two, which would secure a home final in the coming weeks. Wednesday’s match was important in said quest, given the Perth Lynx are currently a game ahead, so the Flyers needed to get the job done against the Spirit.

It was just about the perfect start from the home side, who stormed out of the blocks with a completely one-sided showing in the opening minutes. Remarkably, the Flyers scored the first 14 points of the game, getting into an extremely comfortable position on the scoreboard before the Spirit even got on the board. With the margin sitting at 17 points after five minutes of play, it was hard to see Bendigo fighting back. Although the visitors had solid patches throughout the game, it was all Flyers as Southside cruised home to a 27-point win.

Cole was the standout for the Flyers, orchestrating the offence in masterful fashion and showing her on-court smarts in a big way.

Southside Flyers (84) def. Bendigo Spirit (57)

Bec Cole – 17 points, five rebounds, seven assists, one steal

In a strong team performance from Southside, Cole was the standout in terms of offensive output, doing a bit of everything and showing why she is one of the most important players on the team.

She top-scored with 17 points, making six shots from the field on 10 attempts in a reasonably efficient showing. Cole did most of her damage from behind the arc, shooting 75 per cent (three makes on four attempts) and stretching the defence for some handy points.

The guard exploded for 11 points in the third quarter alone, helping put the finishing touches on the match with her shooting from behind the arc.

Not only did Cole find the bottom of the net herself, she also helped create for her teammates. A game-high seven assists was reflective of how much she was sharing the ball and finding her teammates in scoring positions. The likes of Carley Ernst (15 points), Maddison Rocci (12 points) and Leilani Mitchell (11 points) were beneficiaries of Cole’s excellent vision throughout the match.

It was one of Cole’s best performances of the season, and a true reflection of how well she leads an offence and what she is capable of as the Flyers surge towards a home final.