FLYERS FAMILY CHAMPIONSHIP
The Flyers go BANG!
It was a ‘teal tsunami’ on and off the court at Parkville on Sunday. The Flyers blew Perth Lynx away in the Grand Final decider on the court, with an emphatic 115 to 81 victory in front of the near capacity crwod, many decked out in their teal colours.
The Flyers put on a clinic in the biggest game of the season with seven players scoring in double figures and nine players hitting the scoreboard. A hard fought first period, as expected in the championship game, ended with the Flyers up 28-27.
It was during the second period when the Flyers started to show their dominance and by the half Jasmine Dickey, Maddy Rocci and Leilani Mitchell were in double figures as the Flyers took a 52-39 lead.
While fans had memories of the quick scoring by Lynx in the previous game at the venue a week earlier and may have been a little nervous, the players certainly showed no signs of looking back. The demolition job was in full swing in the third period. Whenever the Lynx tried to work back into the game and get back to back baskets, the Flyers answered with more. When Carley Ernst hit three three-pointers late the period, the ‘GOAT’ let here game face drop for a moment with a smile on her face as she ran back in defence. The Lynx scored the last 4-points of the period but at the end of the third period the Flyers enjoyed a 20-point lead.
After three periods, the Flyers were shooting at nearly 57% from the field and an incredible 76.9% from the three point line, making 10 of 13 attempts from beyond the arc.
While there can be a slowing down in the final period with such a good lead, the Flyers were not going to let the Lynx back into this championship game. As the lead extended, the frustrations for the away team were clear to see as they racked up nine fouls in the final period. It didn’t stop the Flyers completing the demolition job as they blew the Lynx off the court, finishing with a 115-81 victory.
The dominance on the scoreboard was reflected on the scoresheet with the Flyers leading the rebound count 51-34, assists 26-12 and having four less turnovers for the game. Mercedes Russell was named the Grand Final MVP, winning the Rachael Sporn Medal.
Jasmine Dickey top scored for the Flyer with 19-points, Bec Cole has 17, Maddi Rocci and Carley Ernst 15, Leilani Mitchell 14, Mercedes Russell 13 (and 13 rebounds) and Lauren Jackson 12.
