Liz Cambage, Jenna O’Hea seek more WNBL success

Opals stars Liz Cambage and Jenna O’Hea have designs on repeating their WNBL title-winning success of seven years ago.

Opals Liz Cambage and Jenna O’Hea have designs on repeating their WNBL title-winning success of seven years ago but a formidable Perth roadblock stands in their way.

Centre Cambage and guard-forward O’Hea were part of the Bulleen Boomers championship team in 2011.

With that pair reunited and leading the way, the club, which almost folded two years ago and was rebranded Melbourne Boomers, has finished the regular season in fourth position.

They host minor premiers Perth Lynx tonight in game one of their best-of-three semi-finals series. Defending champions and second-placed Sydney travel to Townsville for the opening game of their series tomorrow.

Coaxing Cambage back to the WNBL had the Boomers pegged as title favourites by many ­people before the season started, but the team had injury issues.

Cambage said: “This season has been a real rollercoaster ride, with some amazing victories and hard-fought losses.’’

Cambage leads the league in points (23.74) and rebounds (10,47) and is a leading MVP­ ­candidate.

Boomers’ coach Guy Molloy said his team’s guards needed to take their share of the scoring load, rather than leave most of it to Cambage against a Perth team who enjoyed a 14-game winning streak before dropping their last two.

“Lizzie is a dominant force in the league. She’s an MVP candidate and she’s a big strength for us,” Molloy said.

“In games this year where our guards have shot really well, we’ve been brilliant and we’ve had a few games where the guards haven’t shot well and it creates extra pressure.”

Perth won two of their three regular season games with the Boomers, though Cambage missed the most recent clash just before Christmas due to a groin issue. She notched 20 points and 10 rebounds in the Boomers’ final regular season fixture against local rivals Dandenong last Saturday.

Both teams have injury issues.

Lynx co-captain Sami Whitcomb, (wrist) and import centre Amanda Dowe (knee) and Melbourne’s Rebecca Cole (knee) are all battling to be fit tonight.

• DeMar DeRozan scored a team record 52 points as the ­Toronto Raptors won their 12th straight home game with a 131-127 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday.

DeRozan shot 17 of 29 from the floor and made all 13 of his free throw attempts for Toronto, who are a league best 14-1 at home.

He is the third Toronto player in history to score 50 or more points, joining Vince Carter and Terrence Ross, who each scored 51.

“When you come out here and you’re in those moments, you’ve got to make the best out of them,” DeRozan said.

AAP, AFP