YOUNG GUN Jade Melbourne has finished the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) season in style, dropping a career-high 40 points to lead her UC Capitals past the minor champion Bendigo Spirit at AIS Arena in the final round.

The game was a dead rubber, with the Capitals ruled out of making finals after the Sydney Flames locked in the last spot in the penultimate week of the regular season. On the other hand, the Spirit had already locked in top spot, but were looking to use the matchup to stay in form heading into a postseason where they will enter as title favourites.

It was an entertaining clash throughout the match, with the lead changing hands on countless occasions throughout the first three quarters. At the final change, the hosts held a one-point lead, and the match was shaping to go down to the wire. However, the Capitals got their noses in front, holding a five-point buffer with 90 seconds to play, and the Spirit could not answer down the other end, with Canberra sealing a nine-point win at the free throw line.

It was a career night for Melbourne, who once again put her name in lights with another starring performance to maintain claims that she is a big part of the future of the sport in Australia.

UC Capitals (83) def. Bendigo Spirit (74)

Jade Melbourne – 40 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals

It was a superstar-calibre performance from the young gun, who capped off an All-WNBL Second Team campaign with her best outing to date, helping knock off the ladder-leaders in a showing that should have Caps fans excited for the future.

She got off to a red-hot start, making her mark in the first quarter with some deep three-pointers and clever assists to help the Capitals get off the mark. Although Bendigo remained in the contest, a buzzer-beater to Melbourne saw proceedings tied at the first change.

She was productive again in the second term, knocking down some big shots in the context of the match. Her eye was in from behind the arc, and she splashed home a big three-pointer on the eve of half time to give the Capitals a one-point lead at the main break.

The Spirit began to make a charge in the third quarter, but Canberra’s captain was again around to save the day. She nailed a fading, turnaround jumpshot in a true display of her skillset, with Bendigo bewildered at her ability to find the bottom of the net despite some solid defence.

She ticked past the 30-point mark early in the fourth quarter with a crucial bucket, before nailing a deep triple to truly give the Capitals momentum deep in the contest. Melbourne was composed down the stretch, nailing her free throws to seal the result and cap off a magnificent night.

In the end, she shot 14/25 from the field, 5/8 from behind the arc, and 7/9 from the charity stripe, which was an efficient performance considering her high usage rate. She crashed the defensive glass to record a double-double with 10 rebounds, while seven assists came on the back of her creativity and excellent ability to control the tempo.

Although it is now season over for the Capitals, Melbourne certainly finished the campaign on a high, and showed that she has some big performances to come in the future.