IN a powerful performance in the most important Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) game of the season, Jasmine Dickey stood up for the Southside Flyers as they claimed the 2023/24 championship over the Perth Lynx.

The Grand Final series went to three games after the Flyers travelled to Perth to force a deciding clash in dramatic fashion. It was shaping up as an enthralling battle, as Southside did have home court advantage, but Perth stole one on the road in the opening clash.

The game saw a dominant win from the home side, cruising home to a massive victory. Despite the Lynx getting out to an early-five point lead, the Flyers were simply too efficient over the course of the entire match.

Perth’s biggest strength throughout the postseason was its ability to knock down shots from behind the arc, but that did not eventuate in game three, while the Flyers splashed home over half of their attempts from both the field and simply could not be stopped on their way to a 34-point smashing.

While it was an excellent team performance, with all five starters registering 10-plus points, it was Dickey that stood above the rest with an outrageously efficient scoring performance.

Southside Flyers (115) def. Perth Lynx (81)

Jasmine Dickey – 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal

Having proven herself as an impactful performer off the bench, Dickey saved one of her best performances for last in a cracking display of scoring ability, outshining the starting lineup with an offensive explosion.

She nailed six shots on seven attempts en route to a game-high 19 points in just 18 minutes of court time, and proved too much for the Perth defence to handle.

Dickey checked into the game for the first time with just under three minutes remaining in the first quarter, and made an instant impact by drawing a foul after pulling down an offensive rebound and knocking down both free throws to put the Flyers up once again.

She kept involved the next offensive possession, getting open under the hoop and finishing the wide-open lay-up after a timely pass from Carley Ernst. Dickey continued to be a key part of Southside’s offensive sets, and drew even more contact, this time from Emily Potter on a lay-up attempt and was again perfect from the charity stripe.

Dickey’s shotmaking ability continued to be a weapon in the second quarter, as she stayed on the court and combined with Ernst again to finish at the rim. Her hands remained active on the defensive end, stripping the ball from Perth skipper Amy Atwell and creating a transition basket for her her team before heading to the bench for a well-deserved rest.

After four minutes on the pine, Dickey returned to the court and picked up exactly where she left off, driving inside for another easy basket to keep her side in control of the match. It was evident that the defence was concerned at how easily she was getting into a scoring position under the basket, and Atwell fouled her on the eve of half time, with Dickey’s perfect record from the free throw line remaining intact at the main change.

The third quarter belonged to the Southside starters, who put the game away with a dominant stretch of seven minutes. Dickey checked back into the game with just under four minutes on the clock, and immediately repaid Ernst by finding her on the perimeter with a nice pass, and the latter knocked down the triple.

Dickey’s ability to finish at the rim was still present with another lay-up in the final minutes of the period, and the Flyers were in full control of the match at the final break.

Once again, Dickey started the final quarter on the bench and came in for another productive patch of play. Back to back pull-up jumpers from mid-range helped cap off a fantastic performance from one of the team’s key players.