THE Melbourne Boomers are the 2021/22 Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) champions. After a powerful finish to the season, the Boomers have claimed the ultimate prize, defeating the Perth Lynx in game three of the grand final series to the tune of 18 points at Melbourne Sports Centre – Parkville on Saturday night. After a dramatic finish to game two, Melbourne has made it two in a row in the best of three series, demonstrating their place at the top of the standings. It was a terrific display from the home side, as they emphatically took apart the Lynx in the third term with a magnificent performance. They stormed away with a big lead in the first three quarters, and despite Perth’s best efforts in the final period, were able to cruise home to the most important of wins.

Melbourne Boomers (84) def. Perth Lynx (66)

It was a strong start to the game from the Boomers, as they outworked the Lynx in the closing minutes of the first term to take a five-point lead at quarter time behind the strong work of Tiffany Mitchell, who controlled the tempo with ball in hand. The form continued into the second term, with the starters continuing to steer the Boomers to a nice lead. The likes of Mitchell, Eziyoda Magbegor and Tess Madgen hitting the scoreboard and proving too much for the Perth defence. Unable to keep up with the scoring output of their opponents, the Lynx found themselves trailing by a whopping 16 points at the main break.

The Boomers were not done yet, inflicting further pain on the visiting side with a dominant third term. It was a period of superiority that was set up by some excellent work on the defensive end, with the Lynx unable to get off a clean look for much of the term. Melbourne was also able to do so without compromising their output on the offensive end, still scoring 20 points and heading into the last up by a whopping 27 points. The fourth quarter largely belonged to the Lynx, who finally managed to get their offence rolling. However, it was likely that the Boomers had put the game in cruise control, as they rolled home to a big win and claim the WNBL championship.

For the victors, import Lindsay Allen was the recipient for the Rachael Sporn Medal for the grand final’s most valuable player, with the guard producing 14 points and seven rebounds, while putting in some impressive work on the defensive end. Teammate Cayla George recorded a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Magbegor followed suit with 17 points and 11 rebounds of her own. For the Lynx, Jackie Young fought bravely to finish with a game-high 18 points despite the loss.