WNBL24 Southside Flyers Cygnett WNBL Champions
Southside Flyers Soar to Victory: Clinch Cygnett WNBL 23/24 Championship
Written by Jayden Rosanowski
In the decider of the Cygnett WNBL 23/24 Championships, the Southside Flyers have come out on top over the Perth Lynx, clinching the title with a 115-81 win in Game 3. Held at the Melbourne Sports Centres – Parkville, the match drew an attendance of 2,986 fans who witnessed a high-scoring and action-packed game.
The Southside Flyers, known for their exceptional teamwork and field goal accuracy, displayed a performance that outshined their regular-season prowess. With a regular-season average of 18.9 assists per game, they had increased this to 21.2 assists per game in the finals. Their field goal accuracy also saw an increase from 44.3% during the regular season to 45.4% in the finals, underscoring their efficiency in scoring.
On the other hand, the Perth Lynx, who led the league with 84.1 points per game in the regular season, found themselves outscored in this decisive game. Despite their historical performance of reaching 100 points in a finals game twice in the same season and showcasing an elevated three-point accuracy of 45.8% during the finals, they couldn’t replicate their high-scoring antics against a well-prepared Southside defense.
The game was a high-scoring affair, reflecting the trend of the 2023/24 WNBL finals where teams averaged 89.9 points per game, a significant increase over the regular season average. Southside‘s victory marked a historical achievement as they became the first team to play a semi-final game 3 and a Grand Final game 3 in the same WNBL season.
The box score reveals the depth of talent in the Southside Flyers‘ roster, with contributions across the board leading to their dominant win. Players like Bec Cole, Leilani Mitchell, and Maddi Rocci were pivotal, combining for 46 points, while Jasmine Dickey off the bench added 19 points with an 85% shooting efficiency. The team’s defensive effort was also commendable, significantly limiting Perth’s scoring opportunities.
Final Score Southside Flyers (115) defeated Perth Lynx (81)
Top Performers
- Bec Cole – 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists.
- Leilani Mitchell – 14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists.
- Mercedes Russell – 13 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks.
- Amy Atwell – 22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals.
- Aari Mcdonald – 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists.
Game Stats can be found here
Game Highlights
Mercedes Russell named the Grand Final MVP and the recipient of the Rachel Sporn Medal
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