DESPITE trailing by 16 points late in the third quarter, the Perth Lynx clawed their way to victory in a stirring win over the Southside Flyers in the fourth round of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) over the weekend.

It was a dramatic result, with the Flyers leading for basically the entirety of the match and looking a true chance of pulling off the upset from fifth position. However, the Lynx hit the front with two minutes to go, and held on for a famous three-point triumph when the two sides went head to head at Perth’s High Performance Centre on Sunday.

It was a true challenge for the Lynx, who have been touted as a championship contender this season, but they managed to overcome a strong fight from the Flyers to still get the job done in front of their home audience.

Perth Lynx (79) def. Southside Flyers (76)

The first quarter belonged to Isabelle Bourne, who poured in 10 points in the first 10 minutes to lead the way for Southside and set the tone in enemy territory. She was looking extremely aggressive with ball in hand, and led the Flyers to a four-point buffer at the first change in what was a promising start for the visitors.

Southside continued its strong form in the second quarter, scoring the first six points of the term to push the margin out to 10 points. However, the Lynx began to fight back in the final minutes of the half, with some big makes cutting the deficit down to just three points at the main change in a positive end to the quarter for the home side.

The third quarter again belonged to the Flyers, with Bourne and Maddison Rocci the main culprits for Southside. The visitors were dominant on the offensive end, while the Lynx found themselves in the midst of a scoring drought as the margin ballooned out to 16 points late in the frame, with the home side left with plenty to do in the final frame.

A 7-0 scoring run to the Lynx breathed some life into the home side and Perth HPC, and suddenly, the pressure was back on the visitors after they led for most of the match. Anneli Maley starred for the Lynx and they remarkably took the lead with two minutes to play in a barnstorming finish. Although the Flyers tried to answer down the other end, Perth did enough to claim a three-point comeback victory.

Maley was immense in getting the Lynx back in the game, playing a captain’s game as she finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Amy Atwell (16 points) and a masked Alex Wilson (14 points, 11 rebounds, four assists) also proved crucial in sparking the comeback.

Bourne was extremely damaging on the offensive end for the Flyers despite the result, finishing with 22 points after her blistering start to the match, while Rocci almost recorded the first triple-double of the WNBL season as she posted 15 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.