IN a thrilling way to close out the round in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), all-time great Lauren Jackson was instrumental as the Southside Flyers snuck past the Melbourne Boomers by two points at the Melbourne Sports Centre in Parkville.

Coming into Sunday’s game, it was reasonably high stakes for both sides, with a spot in the top two on the line. Given Townsville Fire has essentially locked in top spot after another dominant campaign, the Flyers and the Boomers are currently wrestling for second position and a home final in the postseason throughout the coming weeks.

It was a match that lived up to the hype, with plenty of see-sawing excitement in a classic affair. However, when the game was on the line, it was the Flyers that delivered down the stretch, claiming their third win in a row and in turn, moving up to second spot on the ladder.

Melbourne Boomers (82) def. by Southside Flyers (84)

The two Melbourne-based sides traded blows in a memorable match in front of a vocal crowd, but in the end it was Southside that held on.

The Flyers stormed out of the gates, finding their offensive rhythm early in the match more consistently than the Boomers, and as such, leading by seven points at the first break.

However, Melbourne returned serve, taking just five minutes to tie things up into the second term, making things extremely interesting on the eve of halftime. Some timely baskets from Southside’s big guns ensured the Flyers still led by five points at the main change, and in a game with such tight action, it was a valuable buffer.

Southside took the momentum into the second half, executing their offensive sets tremendously and poking holes in Melbourne’s defence. The Flyers led by as much as 15 points, a margin that was whittled down to nine at three quarter time.

It was an enthralling final term, with the Boomers producing an exciting, yet predictable comeback in front of a fired up crowd. Melbourne even took the lead on multiple occasions, but it was the Flyers who answered through Leilani Mitchell‘s three-pointer, and never surrendered the lead. The Boomers had multiple opportunities to win the match, but both their three-point attempts were wayward.

Defying age, 42-year-old Lauren Jackson was a towering figure within the match, posting 20 points on 7/13 shooting. Her pure talent was on show and she displayed that she is still capable of producing impactful performances ahead of the Olympic qualifiers. Mitchell was also impressive with 19 points of her own.

For the Boomers, import point guard Jordin Canada was terrific with 21 points and eight assists, orchestrating the offence extremely well after quarter time. Naz Hillmon also caught the eye by producing 20 points and nine assists on 9/14 shooting.