WNBL Grand Final: Fire clinch Game 1 over Southside in dominant performance 

March 18, 2023 | WNBL news

The JCU Townsville Fire brought the heat in Game 1 to clinch a 94-63 win over Jayco Southside Flyers at the Fire Pit (Townsville Entertainment Centre) tonight.  

Townsville looked dangerous from the first whistle, suffocating Southside’s offensive attempts and shooting at 54% from the field in what was a solid team performance.   

Tianna Hawkins and Shyla Heal proved to be a deadly combination – collecting 43 points between them. 

Southside turned on their defensive pressure in the third term as we saw glimpses of some impressive plays with Bec Cole once again leading the way, finishing with 20 points to her name.  

But the Fire could not be stopped, holding on to a commanding lead for the entire game, and coming away with their 15th victory in a row!  

Top performers:   

Shyla Heal (Townsville): 23pts, 1reb, 1ast, 1stl  

Tianna Hawkins (Townsville): 20pts, 5reb, 2ast  

Bec Cole (Southside): 20pts, 4reb, 1ast  

Sara Blicavs (Southside): 11pts, 6reb  

Southside will host Townsville in Game 2 of the Cygnett WNBL Grand Final Series on Wednesday, March 22 at the State Basketball Centre.  

Southside must answer back on their home turf, while Townsville will be on their hunt for the Championship. The game will be streamed via ESPN, and tickets are available to purchase here.