THE FIRST two and a half rounds of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) season has seen the Bendigo Spirit emerge as the form team of the competition, largely on the back of some MVP-level performances from Sami Whitcomb.

Coming into Round 3, the Spirit held an unbeaten record of three wins from three matches, and looking tough to match up against. Bendigo opened its account for the week with a clash against the Sydney Flames on Wednesday night, and the latter were looking to bounce back following a loss in Round 2.

The Spirit set the tone early at Quaycentre, outscoring the home side by 11 points in the opening term and showing more of the offensive cohesion that had delivered several wins in the weeks prior. That lead was stretched out further in the second period, with Bendigo taking a huge 20-point buffer into the main break. Although Sydney managed to stop the bleeding in the second half and slow down Bendigo’s output, the climb was too steep and the Spirit claimed a 19-point win.

The Spirit have rallied behind some seriously good form from Whitcomb to start the season, with the veteran leading the MVP race early in the fixture.

Sydney Flames (71) def. Bendigo Spirit (90)

Sami Whitcomb – 23 points, six rebounds, five assists

Entering the match as the form player of the WNBL, Whitcomb continued that trend with another standout showing in the win over the Spirit, leading from the front and proving a reliable scoring option who can also do a bit of everything.

After posting 55 points across two games in Round 2, she added another 23 to her tally in the win over the Flames. She knocked down eight shots on 16 attempts from the field, and four of her eight triples to shoot 50 per cent overall.

She played a huge role in the Spirit getting off to a red-hot start from the field, posting a whopping 14 points in the first quarter including four three-pointers. She was just about unstoppable in the first 10 minutes of the game, tearing the game open with her ability to find the bottom of the net from long distance.

Although she was quieter as the match went on, with the Flames adjusting their defensive schemes to deny her the ball wherever possible, she still troubled the scorers for another nine points and became more active as a passer en route to five assists for the match.

Whitcomb is now averaging 26.7 points, seven rebounds and 4.3 assists across her four games and has shown no signs of slowing down at 36 years of age. Given her rich vein of form, it is hard to see the Spirit stumbling in the coming weeks, and it has all started with their captain.