Ally Wilson awarded MVP in first year as a Lynx
In her first year at the Perth Lynx, Ally Wilson has won the club’s top individual honour, being named the team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) across the 2024/25 Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) regular season at the club’s annual Awards Night.
Despite being new to the Lynx environment this season, Wilson took to the system like a duck to water, putting up career highs in both scoring and rebounding. Wilson finished the season ranked sixth in the League for assists (96), with impressive stats of 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
Co-captain, Anneli Maley, was recognised as the Runner Up MVP for her outstanding contributions on the court. Praised as a fierce competitor who leads by example, Maley finished second in the League in rebounding whilst also adding another layer to her game this season, putting up a career-best 35% from behind the three-point line.
Kiara Waite, who turned 18 during this season, was named Rookie of the Year. Representing Western Australia at Basketball Australia’s recent National Championships, Waite has shown immense potential and promise, juggling both a WNBL contract with underage team representation. Most notably, Waite put the League on notice when she notched nine points in just 10 minutes of play against Townsville in the teams’ second meeting of the season.
The final award of the evening went to Miela Sowah, who was awarded the Lynx on the Rise award for her continuous improvement and dedication. Lynx head coach, Ryan Petrik, recognised Sowah as a player who has continued to go from strength to strength in the Lynx environment, with her hard work paying off with a season that included career highs in minutes played, scoring, rebounds per game, field goal percentage, and assists per game.
Coach Petrik expressed his pride in the individual award recipients’ seasons, which had helped contribute to another successful regular season on-court for the Lynx.
“Ally, Anneli, Kiara and Miela have each shown incredible dedication and growth this season. Their hard work and commitment to the team has been truly inspiring. I am proud of what we – as an entire team – have accomplished together this season, and excited for what is to come in the playoffs beginning this weekend.”
After a big week of individual accolades being celebrated, the team’s focus will quickly shift to the 2024/25 WNBL playoffs, which begin in Perth this weekend.
The Lynx will host the Townsville Fire in a best-of-three semi-final series, with game 1 being held at Bendat Basketball Centre on Saturday evening.
Tip-off will be at 5pm AWST, with tickets available through Ticketmaster.