Toowoomba Mountaineers beat Brisbane Capitals to book place in QSL 1 Basketball women’s grand final

A gritty and determined Toowoomba Mountaineers are through to the QSL 1 Women’s grand final with victory over the Brisbane Capitals. Here’s how they got the job done in a semi-final thriller.

Mia Stower for Toowoomba Mountaineers against Brisbane Capitals in QSL Division 1 Women semi final at Clive Berghofer Arena, Saturday, July 5, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Pretty and gritty is an apt way to describe Toowoomba Mountaineers QSL 1 64-58 semi-final win on Saturday night.

There were periods where the women’s team performed exactly how you would expect the No. 1 seed to play.

For long periods however they were scrappy, forced into the trenches by a Brisbane Capitals side who refused to back down.

The Mountaineers led at every break but a five minute period in the fourth, where Capitals took and held their first lead of the game, almost derailing the home team’s grand final dreams.

Mountaineers coach Matt Cox admitted nerves got the better of his team in the opening half.

“It was certainly a reality check for all of us,” Cox said.

“The hype in the community and the media, the expectations and pressure we heaped on ourselves. It did get to us, there were some nerves and a little hesitation in how we played – it wasn’t our natural game.

Toowoomba Mountaineers coach Matt Cox talks with the team at quarter time against Brisbane Capitals in QSL Division 1 Women semi final at Clive Berghofer Arena, Saturday, July 5, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“We came through. The heart, passion, determination we’ve played with all season it shone through when it mattered.”

Mountaineers were once again led by their dynamic duo Mia Stower and Gracie Stugart.

Stower produced her typical double-double scoring 13 points and pulling down 16 rebounds.

Shut down in the opening half Stugart battled her way into the game finishing with a tally of 22 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.

Cox praised the duo who stood tall under pressure but stressed the role his whole squad played a role in the win.

“At halftime we sat down and pulled apart our performance,” Cox said.

“We looked at the stats particularly around how many offensive rebounds they were getting and where we needed to improve.

“We made a pledge, there was no way we were going to let this game go, we were going to win.

“The whole team came through, everyone played their part and got the job done.”