THE North Gold Coast Seahawks have claimed a thrilling five-point win over the Mackay Meteorettes in the NBL1 North Women’s over the weekend, thanks to an explosive and important performance from Alexa Held.

In one of the first games of Round 15 of the 2023 season, the two sides locked horns at Mackay Basketball Stadium on Friday night. The Seahawks are currently locked in a battle for the finals, but this match loomed as a danger game. The Meteorettes had only managed three wins for the season, but glimpses of strong play over the course of the fixture was enough to worry North Gold Coast, so its best was needed to get the job done.

The home side showed they came to play in the first quarter, matching the scoring power of the Seahawks and kept it to a two-point game at the first change. Things changed as North Gold Coast got on top in the second quarter and took a hefty lead into the main break. The script was flipped once again as the Meteorettes cut the deficit back to just five points at the final change, but could not do any further damage as the Seahawks showed their class late in the game to hold on for a 95-90 win.

Held was the star of the show in North Gold Coast’s gritty win, delivering big basket after big basket and steering her side to an important win.

Mackay Meteroettes (90) def. by North Gold Coast Seahawks (95)

Alexa Held – 37 points, one rebound, three assists, three steals

Held was nearly unstoppable at times throughout the game on Friday night, taking over the contest with her unmatched ability to find the bottom of the net.

She scored over one-third of her team’s points, finishing the game with a total of 37. From the field, Held was in her element, getting to her shot with ease and often punishing the opposition for not providing adequate coverage.

A total 14 of her 22 field goal attempts against the Meteorettes were good (64 per cent from the field), finding the most success from inside the arc. Held went 10/12 from two-point territory, using her crafty ball-handling skills to get into the paint and finish past the defence with lay-ups and floaters. Many of her shots came from self-creation, breaking down the defence and finding space off the dribble to put up a high-percentage look.

The guard tried her hand at three-point shooting for a large chunk of the match too, putting up 10 triples with four finding the bottom of the net. Although Held was more accurate inside the perimeter, her ability to occasionally hit the scoreboard from downtown made her a more well-rounded threat and made life difficult for the opposition.

Held was the premier scorer of the match, proving the difference in a must-win clash for the Seahawks. She delivered one of the best offensive performances of any player this season, and will continue to play a crucial role for North Gold Coast as it looks to make a big push for the postseason to close out the regular season.