Big V Basketball: Warrnambool wins Division 1 women’s grand final series
Warrnambool has claimed the Big V Women’s Division 1 title with plenty of praise for the Finals MVP and two young guns from the coach.
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Warrnambool always believed it could get the job done and now it’s a reality.
The Mermaids are Big V Basketball Division 1 Women’s champions for the first time since 2017.
Lee Primmer’s side proved too good for the Sherbrooke Suns on Saturday night winning 66-61 to complete a clean sweep of the grand final series.
The premiership medals and trophy were recognition for all of the hard work over the past nine months.
“I said to a few people you probably don’t realise how much work goes into it all until the end of the season,” Primmer said.
“You put together a team in about January and February with the hope of playing finals and to be here now is a terrific achievement. I’m really proud of this group.
“Our last three games were against Sherbrooke, the second semi-final, and two grand final games, and we managed to hold them to 61 points in all of those. I always thought we had more than 60 points in our side.
“Ariel (Hearn) was an absolute star for Sherbrooke, we didn’t mind if she had 25 points a night, it was about limiting the opportunities of other players.”
Katie O’Keefe again produced a dominant display with 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals playing every minute of the series.
She was named Finals MVP and the competition’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, Louise Brown lit the game up off the bench with 18 points on 6-11 shooting.
“She’s (O’Keefe) outstanding,” Primmer said.
“It was no surprise to see her named the best defender in the league because that’s what she is.
“Louise has a massive impact for us, she’s a class act. She’s played college basketball in America and in the WNBL with the Bendigo Spirit. There had been signs of her best in recent weeks and she really brought that on the weekend.”
Primmer also praised young guns Matilda Sewell and Mia Mills who played important minutes in the starting five.
“They’ve only both just turned 16 so they’ve got bright futures ahead of them,” he said.
“They’ve soaked up the finals atmosphere over the last month so hopefully there’s more success for them in the future.”
GAME ONE REVIEW
Warrnambool is just one win away from being back on top of the mountain.
The Mermaids landed the first blow in the Big V Basketball Women’s Division 1 grand final series on Saturday night after coming out 69-61 winners on the road against Sherbrooke.
Now the series will return to the state’s southwest this weekend with the Mermaids set to potentially claim the title in game 2.
A third game would be played on Sunday if the Suns were to spoil the party.
The Mermaids led at every change to come away with the eight-point victory which has them on the brink of their first premiership since the Division 2 success in 2017.
Coach Lee Primmer said a second semi-final victory in the same venue had given his side the confidence they needed to take game one.
“We started the game really well and that put us in a strong position,” he said.
“In the semi, we started slowly and were forced to work our way back into the game which made it really difficult. In the lead up to the game we spent time focusing on our start and the starting five was able to deliver.
“When you’ve got to get on a bus for four hours then play your best over just an hour later it’s a big challenge and I was happy with how we handled it.
“It was quite an even team performance by the girls.”
Matilda Sewell led the way with 20 points for the Mermaids while Amy Wormald (19 points), Katie O’Keefe (14) and Molly McKinnon (10) were also in double figures.
The Mermaids shot 36.76 per cent from the field — in the end it was the difference between the two sides.
Sherbrooke shot just 27.78 per cent as Ariel Hearn led the way with 23 points in 37 minutes of action.
“(Alicia) Carline and Hearn are both great players so you need to throw everything at them,” Primmer said.
“In the last two games we’ve mixed it up on defence with man-to-man and zone and it seems to be working. When we play good defence we’re often in games for a very long time.
“And in my experience if you’re shooting around 40 per cent at this level you’re going to be winning most games.”
With their home crowd now behind them, the Mermaids will look to close out the series.
“The ideal scenario for any coach in this position would be to get it down in two games but that’s not always the case,” Primmer said.
“If it goes to three, I’m confident the way we’ve been playing will be enough for us to get it done.”
SERIES PREVIEW
It all comes down to this — Sherbrooke against Warrnambool.
The Suns and Mermaids are set to battle it out for the Big V Division 1 Women’s title in a best-of-three series starting this weekend.
Game one will be played at Bell Real Estate Stadium, Upwey High School at 6pm on Saturday.
Here’s a look at what’s ahead.
WHAT THE COACHES SAID
Sherbrook, Chad Burton: “The girls have played really well this year. When we played Warrnambool the other week, we were down on player power due to a few issues and we’re confident we’ll be better this time around. We like to run up and down the floor and move the ball quickly as possible.
“They got the better of us with a zone defence last time we played but we’ve been working on that in the past week or so to improve as well. I think it’s really important we get a win in game one because Warrnambool are so well supported and will have great crowd when we go down there next week.
Warrnambool, Lee Primmer: “Every coach puts together a team at the start of the season to play finals and we’re no different. The girls have come together really well to put us in this position to potentially win a title, they’ve really clicked as a group. We’ve had some issues along the way after we lost Alana Strom to an ACL and Liv Fuller to AFLW commitments. From there, we’ve probably had a steady group of nine with a good group of youth and experience.
“The team we’re playing have been the form team of the competition all season. Back in mid-May they beat us by about 20 but we’ve only lost once since then. It’s been a really good run of form we’re going to be looking to continue.”
THE STARS OF THE SHOW
Ariel Hearn, Sherbrooke
Hearn has been a revelation for the Suns this season and finds herself right in MVP contention. She is the competition’s leading scorer with over 26 points per game and will be determined to lead her side to a title.
Katie O’Keefe, Warrnambool
An absolute star for the Mermaids all season long and O’Keefe will be desperate to carry her side to championship glory. Leads Warrnambool in several different stats highlighting just how important she is to this team.
THE X-FACTORS
Alicia Carline, Sherbrooke
It might seem an obvious choice but Carline’s importance to this Suns outfit can’t be understand. Her presence in the paint makes her a joy to watch for lovers of defensive masters. She can also hurt opposition teams on offence after averaging 16.29 points.
Amy Wormald, Warrnambool
What Wormald is able to do on the boards will play a big role in the outcome of this series. She’s her side’s leading rebounder, apart from Olivia Fuller, and looks set to go head-to-head with Carline.
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