TOWNSVILLE Fire sent an ominous warning to the rest of the competition with a commanding 23-point victory over Perth Lynx in a top-of-the-table clash to end the 2023 calendar year. While the result may suggest a one-sided result, the Lynx were missing star talent Aari McDonald and remained in the game until midway through the fourth term.

The Fire suffered a shock overtime loss to Sydney Flames two days earlier, while the Lynx had strung together four straight wins heading into the match. Whilst the majority of the first half was a grind defensively, the Fire went on a 10-0 scoring run late in the third quarter to secure the victory, 87-64 victory at the Townsville Entertainment Centre. 

Both teams shot the ball at a high percentage from the field, with the Lynx doing bulk of the rebounds from the defensive end, 9-8.

The Lynx started the second quarter strongly, going on a 6-0 scoring run, finding contributions from the bench and doing the work on the defensive end in the steals category, finishing the half, 6-2. 

The Fire were able to find contributions from Sami Whitcomb and Courtney Woods, who both had solid performances, getting key stops and finding the open space to get the ball to the right players at the right time, helping the Fire maintain a one-point lead at half-time. Whitcomb finished the half with 15 points, four assists and two rebounds.

For the Lynx, Alex Ciabattoni had an impact off the bench, finishing with nine points and one assist. Whilst the Fire shot the ball well from the field, 15/34 at 44 per cent, compared to the Lynx, 15/42 at 35 per cent. Both teams were relatively even in the assists category, 10 all. The Lynx were able to look after the ball well, forcing the Fire to seven turnovers in the first half. 

The Fire had momentum in the third quarter, with Steph Reid, Zitina Aokuso and Mikaela Ruef all finding their groove, while the Lynx responded by making mini scoring runs of their own. 

Going on a 10-0 run towards of the end of the third quarter, the Fire won the last quarter scoring wise, 24-6, scoring 27-13 for the overall quarter to secure the victory. 

Whitcomb finished as the top scorer for the Fire, finishing with 26 points, five assists and three rebounds while Woods (21 points, five assists, two rebounds and one block) and Aokuso (11 points, seven rebounds and three assists both chipped in. Ruef finished with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, as well as three assists and two steals. 

For the Lynx, Anneli Maley finished as the top scorer with 18 points, also managing a double-double with 13 rebounds and two steals. Amy Atwell had a solid contribution of 15 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks.