THE NORTHSIDE Wizards have had the perfect start to the NBL1 North Women’s competition for the 2023 season, claiming two wins on the weekend to go 3-0.

The Wizards set the tone for the weekend with a commanding win over the Logan Thunder first up, emerging 27-point winners at Northside Indoor Sports Stadium on Saturday evening in an emphatic display.

It was a tightly contested first half of play, with the Thunder actually leading at the main break after some strong work on both ends of the court. However, the Wizards got going in the final two quarters to outperform Logan in a significant way with a powerful performance, storming home to snatch an 86-59 win.

The standout of the match was Courtney Woods, who has started the season in fine form and kept that trend rolling against the Thunder, showcasing her class and skill, as she played a vital role in the Wizards’ second half resurgence.

Northside Wizards (86) def. Logan Thunder (59)

Courtney Woods – 28 points, nine rebounds, seven assists

As she has done on multiple occasions to start the season, Woods stuffed the stat sheet with yet another telling performance that altered the result of a game.

28 points was the highest total of any player on the court, and she was consistently looking like conjuring a score. The defence tried to slow Woods down with ball in hand, but to no avail.

She was helped to this total by an efficient shooting performance from the field, hitting 12 shots on just 19 attempts. Most of her success came from inside the arc, where she tormented the opposition defenders with her ability to slice through the defence and either pull up from mid-range or attack the rack.

Woods has shown scoring ability at WNBL level with the Townsville Fire and even at collegiate level in the United States, and it has served her well to start the season in the NBL1, emerging as one of the competition’s best offensive players to start the season.

At 183cm, Woods is not the tallest player on the court, but her reading of the ball allows her to still crash the boards and lock a possession for her side. Most of these were on the defensive end, swooping as the taller players jostled for position under the hoop.

Woods was also the match’s premier playmaker, taking full advantage of her excellent passing skills to still generate offence even when the defence looked to trap her. She drew in the double team and kicked out to her teammates who were left wide open.

Woods proved that she is still a serious offensive threat with her ability to score at a high clip, but also getting her fellow Northside players involved, and is an early season candidate for league MVP.