WNBL: Perth Lynx hold on for 80-77 win over Geelong United

Geelong United may have lost their captain for the season but managed to still put up their best performance against a WNBL big three in narrow loss.

Geelong United’s Alex Sharp shoots against Amy Atwell of Perth Lynx during their round 11 WNBL battle. Picture: Mike Owen/Getty Images

Geelong United coach Chris Lucas believes his players are “stepping up to the plate” with added minutes in the absence of two key experienced figures.

United pushed top-two Perth within three points on Sunday in their second game with injured captain Keely Froling and Monique Conti, while Daniel Raber didn’t see minutes off the bench as a precaution to a minor injury.

“If we played her (Raber) there was a risk we wouldn’t have her next week, so we’ll just see how that goes through the week,” Lucas said.

With Froling sidelined with a season-ending knee injury and Conti’s return to the line-up still a week-to-week prospect, Lucas said others had stepped up in their absence, first in their come-from-behind win against Southside Flyers last week, and again in Sunday’s close defeat to Perth.

Chris Lucas is pleased with the progress made in Geelong’s past two games. Picture: Mike Owen/Getty Images

“You lose your captain out of your rotation, it’s a pretty big hole, but I think Sharpy’s (Alex Sharp) holding her own taking up those minutes, Hannah (Hank) had her moments today and really pleased for her,” Lucas said.
“We can’t change it, we’ve lost Keely for the rest of the season so I think we need to embrace the opportunity for other players and I think they’re taking their opportunity.”

Sharp had her best game for Geelong on Sunday with 16 points and 10 rebounds, one of four to play more than 30 minutes alongside Jaz Shelley, Elissa Brett and Gemma Potter as Haley Jones (24 minutes) and Hank (15 minutes) battled foul trouble.

Geelong United’s Jaz Shelley (right) gets a shot up over Perth duo Amy Atwell and Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard. Picture: Mike Owen/Getty Images

Shelley followed up her matchwinning performance against Southside with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals against Perth.

Lucas said Shelley had embraced stepping up as floor captain for Froling, who continues to lead as captain off the court despite her injury.

“I think it’s put responsibility on her and she’s taken that on board,” Lucas said of the 24-year-old Shelley.

“She’s playing a lot of the point guard spot which is not her natural position but she’s starting to do really well.”

Meanwhile, development player Dakota Crichton has been given more minutes in recent weeks, the 19-year-old forward playing 10 minutes against Perth for four points.

“We want to keep getting better, keep getting more minutes into our young players which we’re doing,” Lucas said.

“(Dakota) 19-years-old, getting her opportunity and she grabbed it with both hands I thought, these are all valuable minutes for our players moving forward in the program.”

Earlier: United fall bitterly short to WNBL title contender

Geelong United pushed WNBL title contenders Perth Lynx within three points in a show of confidence for the new franchise on Sunday.

Down seven points with 25 seconds left on the clock, consecutive three point daggers from Jaz Shelley and Gemma Potter cut the margin to one with 9.3 seconds to give the home side a sniff of a chance.

But a foul to Potter saw Perth draw three clear via the foul line before an Elissa Brett threeball attempt bounced off the ring to deny Geelong the leveller, the final score 77-80 to Perth.

Despite the loss, the performance should give Chris Lucas’ side heart considering it was a stark turnaround from their 25-point loss to the Lynx on December 23, and their best result against a top-three team this season.

“Last performance against Perth was unacceptable, we made some huge adjustments... I’m pretty pleased with the team to be quite honest,” Lucas said post-match.

“It’s a huge effort to a second to top team but it’s still a loss.”

Geelong’s Alex Sharp and Gemma Potter double team Perth’s Ally Wilson. Picture: Mike Owen/Getty Images

After going 1-3 on the road, United returned to Geelong Arena for the first home game in a month brimming with some confidence after a spirited come-from-behind win last week against Southside Flyers despite injuries to captain Keely Froling and Monique Conti.

Despite Froling sitting out the rest of the season and with Conti still sidelined on Sunday, United managed to pick up where they left off from the Flyers’ game, confidently

converting in the paint early when scoring had been an issue in recent weeks.

First-year forward Hannah Hank banked six of Geelong’s first 10 points, before several others got involved to spread the load as Geelong’s field shooting percentage peaked as high as 50 per cent in the first half.

Geelong United’s Hannah Hank. Picture: Mike Owen/Getty Images

Trailing by five at quarter time, United cut it back to one by the main break, Gemma Potter hitting a timely three to end the quarter.

But the second-placed Lynx put the foot back down in the third – Lucas later labelling the term the difference – as they raced back out to a seven-point lead, the star power of Perth import Laeticia Amihere (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Opals Anneli Maley (11, 11) and Amy Atwell (22 points) on show on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.

United just as quickly flipped the switch early in the fourth, cutting it back to one in the opening 70 seconds with points through Sarah Elsworthy, Haley Jones, and Jaz Shelley while Gemma Potter laid an important block to deny Perth.

But a classy Lynx outfit found another gear, executing a series of plays to extend the lead back out to eight late in the game, before umpire calls went against United’s favour, Jones fouled out of the game with just under three minutes in a major blow to their chances.

Perth Lynx coach Ryan Petrik was frank in his post-match assessment of his disappointed in his team’s play despite the win, adding that was “credit to Geelong”.

Originally published as WNBL: Perth Lynx hold on for 80-77 win over Geelong United