Bendigo Spirit defeats Townsville Fire 2-0 in WNBL championship series
Bendigo claimed its first WNBL championship in over a decade with a clutch 63-55 victory over Townsville in front of 5,400 fans inside a heaving sold-out Fire Pit.
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Bendigo claimed its first WNBL championship in over a decade with a clutch 63-55 victory over Townsville in front of 5,400 fans inside a heaving sold-out Fire Pit.
After nine years without a playoff appearance, the Spirit surged past Sydney and Townsville in straight sets to cap off a year for the history books.
Bendigo’s veteran class shone through when it counted as the Spirit latched onto the lead in the second half and refused to loosen their grip.
The deafening home crowd got right behind their team as the Fire cut the Spirit’s lead to just four points down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough to get Townsville over the line.
Even veteran diamonds weren’t impervious to the grand final pressure with now five-time WNBL champion Kelsey Griffin uncharacteristically missing a number of open shots, collecting just 11 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute.
Townsville’s Texan big Lauren Cox had a game-leading 13 points through the first quarter but only managed two more baskets for the rest of the contest as the Spirit’s defence clamped down.
Courtney Woods was kept as quiet as a mouse, giving up 10 turnovers and only scoring 10 points.
Fire coach Shannon Seebohm said superior defence earnt Bendigo the win.
“They defended us really, really well,“ Seebohm said.
“(They) took our best players out of games, made it hard for us to get through things – apart from probably the two first quarters in the series, we didn’t generate the flow that we wanted.
“A lot of that comes back to Kennedy (Kereama) and his staff’s plan and obviously their players’ experience to be able to execute that.”
WHITCOMB GETS HER RING
Bendigo veteran Sami Whitcomb has made no effort to hide her burning desire to cap off a sensational WNBL career with a championship, and this season’s MVP has finally got her ring.
The ex-Fire player showed no hesitation in breaking the hearts of her former club with another stellar showing, finishing the match with 26 points and four steals.
The 36-year-old guard led her team by example and her passion was evident throughout.
KING KEREAMA’S DREAM TEAM
Bendigo coach Kennedy Kereama’s first WNBL finals run as a head coach ended in success with his first championship.
This was the former New Zealand Tall Ferns coach’s sixth full season at the helm of a club after three years with the West Coast Waves (now the Perth Lynx) and two games in charge of the UC Capitals as interim coach.
Now after three seasons with the Spirit he will bring home the championship banner to prove his value.
Recruiting the competition’s dream team of veterans surely helped, but Kereama deserves all the plaudits he receives.
Seebohm applauded his adversary for a tremendous season.
“Credit to Kennedy and his staff, credit to Bendigo. They’ve been the best team all year,” Seebohm said.
“We knew they were going to be a very tough opponent coming into this final series.
“They’re the most experienced team we’ve probably ever come across in my time here in Townsville, and I think that experience showed out.”
EXPERIENCE BEATS YOUTH
You can’t ignore the more than 1000 games of experience Bendigo has over Townsville this year.
The Spirit’s squad this year was a who’s who of the WNBL’s greatest talents and that experience counted as the grand final went down to the wire.
The Fire only have one championship player – Courtney Woods – while Bendigo’s Marianna Tolo, Kelly Wilson and Kelsey Griffin now have five WNBL rings each.
Townsville has already locked in Woods, Cox, Alicia Froling, Alex Fowler and Abbey Ellis for next season and knowing coach Shannon Seebohm, the campaign for the Fire’s fifth championship begins tomorrow.
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Originally published as Bendigo Spirit defeats Townsville Fire 2-0 in WNBL championship series
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