WNBL Final today...

WNBL Showcase Sunday

The 2011-2012 WNBL season culminates today in Melbourne when the Dandenong Rangers face off against the Bulleen Boomers. The action kicks off at 3pm and will be televised nationally on the ABC network.

Expect a close on as the biggest margin in the three Bulleen wins this season was 10 points.

The all Victorian affair is sold out and the crowd will be raucous. Prediction wise, I will pick Bulleen in another close one.

Sorry this is a short one but other commitments have kept me from blogging much lately but you can find other grand final related articles linked on my bolg soon.

WNBL Grand Final this afternoon

Bulleen hoping for charm of third time

The Bulleen Boomers will face the Canberra Capitals in the WNBL Championship for the third consecutive season today. The Boomers are looking to reverse their fortunes of the last two and get over the hump. Meanwhile Canberra, holder of a number of championships will be looking for their first three-peat.

The teams split their two regular season matches before Bulleen pulled out a 71-67 win in the First Semi Final of the playoffs. Canberra gained posted an 83-78 win over Bendigo last week to earn a return match today.

Bulleen will as always rely on the play of Elizabeth Cambage in the post to lead their efforts. Cambage averaged 22.6 points per game for the season to go along with her stellar rebounding and inside defence. The Boomers are hoping to have Kylie Reid and Rachel Jerry healthy for the match.

Canberra is hoping to have a healthy Susie Batkovic to battle Cambage inside. The trio of Carly Wilson, Jessica Bibby and Mariana Tolo will need to again step forward if the Capitals are going to three-peat.

Prediction:

I should probably say “kiss of death” for the team I pick to win with the way my predictions go but I will pick Canberra to win 70-64 and gain their third straight title.

The action starts at 3pm AEST on the ABC Network  

WNBL Action

WNBL Prelim Final on tap

The hotly contested WNBL season is nearing a crescendo as Canberra Capitals face off against the Bendigo Spirit for a chance to play Bulleen’s Boomers for the 2010-2011 WNBL Championship on 13 March 2011. To get to this point, Bendigo disposed of the Logan Thunder 74-53 last weekend while Canberra dropped a 71-67 heartbreaker to Bulleen.

On paper, Canberra should breeze through this one after 64-53 and 87-59 romps over the Spirit in the regular season. Suzy Batkovic, Marianna Tolo and Carly Wilson have led from the front for the Capitals all season and should do so again in this game. Bendigo will need a boost from key players Tess Madgen, Kristi Harrower and Gabrielle Richards to be competitive.

The action can be viewed live from 1500 (AEST) Saturday on the ABC network.

Back 4 Real this time

Canberra Capitalises on chance and grabs title #7

In an epic championship battle, the Canberra Capitals grabbed their seventh WNBL crown with a 75-70 win over the Bulleen Boomers on Saturday before a packed house at The Cage in Melbourne.

The atmosphere was electric and took place in front of Australian Basketball royalty with legends Andrew and Lindsay Gaze in attendance. The basketball talent was not restricted to the court as each team had legends or future legends on the sideline in the form of Tom Maher, Gary Fox, and Michelle Timms on the Boomers bench in opposition of Carrie Graf patrolling the sidelines for the Capitals.

Initially the action was furious and defensive and after one quarter Bulleen held a narrow 14-12 lead. Canberra opened the second quarter with seven unanswered points with Lauren Jackson leading the charge after a slow start. The momentum was stalled though as Jackson ran into foul trouble picking up her third before half time. Bulleen steadied their ship to hold a tenuous 33-30 lead at the halfway point.

Bulleen jumped out to a brief eight point advantage to start the second half thanks to a Sharon Milner three pointer and a Jenna O’Hea block that was quickly converted by young gun Liz Cambage. Threes from Nat Hurst and Ms. Jackson pulled the Capitals back into the battle with the teams finishing an evenly balanced third term that had Bulleen clutching to the same three point margin 56-53 going into the championship quarter.

Marianna Tolo began a remarkable defensive run with three blocks of the 203cm Cambage’s shot while Carly Wilson bombed a three to cut the margin to one. From there it was back and forth until an Abby Bishop bomb from beyond the arc put Canberra up 72-70 with a little over two minutes remaining. Down the stretch, Bishop made one of two from the line; Jackson missed a three followed by a miss from Bulleen before Jackson was fouled with less than five seconds left. Jackson drained both free throws to provide the final 75-70 margin.

Natalie Hurst’s 21 points and 3 assists led the way for the Capitals with Lauren Jackson (18 points/15 rebounds), Carly Wilson (12 points), Abby Bishop (12 rebounds) and Marianna Tolo (8 rebounds/6 blocks) all contributing in major ways.

Jenna O’Hea (26 points/7 rebounds/5 assists/2 blocks) paced Bulleen with help from Cambage (16 points/11 rebounds) and Elyse Penaluna (10 rebounds).

Overall the coverage from the ABC network was commendable and could very well show the NBL a thing or two about free to air coverage.

For more stories from the WNBL and All-Star selections please visit the WNBL website.

Aussie Report

Down Under Wrap

On the Aussie Hoop scene, “Sir” Julius Hodge returned to Aussie shores as a Melbourne Tiger and promptly went to work with a 22 point, 9 rebound, 7 assist and 3 steal debut in leading the Tigers to a 98-91 win over Townsville. The Crocs suffered from indifferent form in going through a one win, two loss week after being blown out by the Gold Coast on the heels of winning the NQ derby over Cairns.

Table toppers Perth and Wollongong suffered losses last week but remained on the top two ladder spots.

There are only four games on the schedule for this week but the matches on Wednesday and Friday nights in North Queensland should be interesting as John Rillie returns to the area with the New Zealand Breakers looking to consolidate their form as the season reaches the midway point.

The last week in the WNBL has seen the resignation of coaches in Perth and Dandenong while on the court, Eva Afeaki lead the Sydney Flames to a fourteen point thumping of Bulleen, the leagues final undefeated team. Elsewhere, Perth gained their first win of the season at the hands of the winless students from the AIS. This week’s action culminates in a huge matchup in Bendigo as the Spirit welcomes Sydney.

By all means get out and support the local product if you are in areas hosting games.

Boomer named WNBL Player of the week for Week 1

From press release supplied by: www.basketball.net.au

OPAL PENALUNA NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Bulleen Boomers centre Elyse Penaluna has been named Player of the Week for her match winning performance against Canberra in the opening round of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL).

The 193cm Broadmeadows junior tallied a game high 13 rebounds and led Bulleen with 22 points and four blocks in the 88-73 win over the Capitals in a rematch of the 2008/09 Grand Final.

Penaluna made her Opals debut in May this year and her time at the top level showed on the court as she dominated both ends of the floor in the ABC TV Game of the Week.

“I thought I started off a bit slow, a bit nervous because it was the first game but as the game went on I got a bit more confidence and my teammates had more confidence in me to pass me the ball and I just went out and had some fun,” Penaluna said.

Despite the shaky start Penaluna said she has grown in confidence since last season.

“I definitely feel like I have more confidence in my game and with what I need to get done on the floor,” she said.

“[Former head coach] Cheryl Chambers helped me with that a lot last year but now having Tom Maher as Bulleen’s coach and being in the Opals with Carrie Graf I’ve just jumped up the next level with my confidence in the game.”

Although Penaluna and her Bulleen team were impressive on Saturday, the 21-year-old said the 15-point win could not make up for the 2008/09 Grand Final loss to the Caps.

“Nothing’s going to feel any better than getting into the Grand Final and winning it. Hopefully we’ll meet them in the Grand Final again this season and we go that one better.”

Close behind Penaluna in the vote was her Opals teammate Jessica Foley who led Adelaide Lightning over early championship favourite Sydney Uni, 86-73.

The Adelaide Captain had a near flawless game with 25 points, shooting 11-of-20 from the field, including 3-of-6 from the arc. She added seven rebounds and four assists without committing a single turnover.

Other noteworthy performances from Round 1 included:

AIS: Former Townsville Fire guard Jillian Haughton led the Institute in both outings, posting 8 points and 3 assists against Logan to go with 11 points and 2 rebounds against her former club.

Adelaide Lightning: Angela Marino supported Foley and Adelaide’s team effort with 15 points and 8 assists.

Bendigo Spirit: Fresh off a plane from the WNBA playoffs, Kristi Harrower led Bendigo with 23 points and 6 rebounds while Kelly Wilson added 20 points and 8 rebounds in support.

Bulleen Boomers: Hanna Zavecz shot 7-of-9 from the field to post 19 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in her club debut.

Canberra Capitals: After making her Opals debut earlier this year Natalie Hurst continued her sparkling form with 25 points to lead all scorers against Bulleen, shooting 10-of-17 from the field. She added 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

Dandenong Rangers: Great Britain international Megan Moody impressed on debut with 18 points and 7 rebounds for the Rangers.

Logan Thunder: New import Marta Dydek delivered the goods with 17 points and 3 blocks in her WNBL debut.

Perth Lynx: American Takia Starks posted a team high 15 points, adding 5 assists and 3 rebounds while former Bendigo junior Ashley Gilmore bagged a double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Sydney Uni Flames: Opals centre Suzy Batkovic-Brown went for 29 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists against Adelaide in her first WNBL appearance in 7 years. Captain Natalie Porter tallied 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 steals against Perth before pouring on 21 points in the second half against Adelaide, also pulling down 9 rebounds.

Townsville Fire: Seven Townsville players scored in double figures with Amy Lewis leading the pack with 21 points, 2 steals and 2 assists. Rachael Flanagan added 19 points, 4 assists and 2 steals and NZ Tall Fern Aneka Davis led the rebound count with 12 boards and 12 points.

Bulleen strong in Opening round of WNBL

The Bulleen Boomers have put themselves near the top of the heap as the team to beat in the WNBL this season. The Boomers easily accounted for defending champions Canberra 88-73 in Saturday afternoons feature match of the round.

Size was a huge advantage for Bulleen in the form of Opals Elyse Penaluna and Elizabeth Cambage. The two combined to dominate from the inside and limited the effect of the Capitals centre Tracey Beatty who fouled out of the match and had a total of only ten minutes court time.

The win gained a measure of revenge for Bulleen after last seasons title game loss to the Canberra crew.

Penaluna led the Boomers with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Cambage added another 4 blocks to go with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Hanna Zavecz 19 points/9 rebounds, Sharin Milner 12 points/9 assists and Jenna O'hea 9 points/7 rebounds were also key contributors to the victory.

For Canberra, Natalie Hurst popped in 25 points with support from Jessica Bibby who provided 15 points. Marianna Tolo battled gallantly on the inside and finished with 6 points and 7 rebounds to go with her 7 points.

Oh yes it's Ladies night....WNBL season kicks off tonight.

The 2009-2010 WNBL season gets underway tonight with Dandenong hosting Bendigo, Logan hosting the AIS and Sydney visiting Perth.

At Dandenong captain Caitlyn Ryan returns from shoulder problems to lead the charge for the Rangers when they match up with the visiting Spirit. These two always play intense matches with each other so prediction wise, I'll go with the home team in a close one by 3.

The Logan thunder will debut a good sized "Thunder Stick" tonight when Marta Dydek from Poland takes the court against the AIS. All-Rounder Kirsten Veal will be there to keep the lightning in the Tunder attack. I'll go with the Thunder by say 18+ in this one.

In the nights final match up, Perth host the Sydney Flames. The Lynx are looking for improvement this season and are ready to pounce on any visitors who see them as an easy road win. That said, I don't think the Flames will be the first victims this week, Sydney by 8.

The always exciting Saturday afternoon match has the Canberra Capitals defending the home turf against Bulleen. Carrie Graf's squad will be hungry for a positive start to their title defense and features one of the deepest teams in the comp. Bullen will have to settle for using the game to gauge how much work they need to do. I see the title holders winning by 12 or more.

The Ais and Sydney are the weeks "double" teams as the students travel to Townsville where Rohanee Cox and the Fire lie in wait. No happy endings for the AIS here, Townsville by 25 or more. Sydney's Flames will complete their double at Adelaide where they will be in for a tussle with the Link. These teams are fierce rivals and always bring out the best in one another. Can't split them so I'll go with the home standing Link by 2.

If you are near any of the home coursts this weekend, get out and watch some entertianing and exciting basketball action.

While we are on the womens game, here is a story from http://www.basketball.net.au featuring a couple of Aussie ladies going well in the USA.

Opals star as Mercury top Fever

Australia's Penny Taylor played a starring role as her Phoenix Mercury secured a crucial 1-0 lead in the best-of-five WNBA Finals series against Indiana on Wednesday, writes James Dampney for AAP.

In the highest-scoring game in WNBA history, Opals stand-out Taylor scored an equal team-high 23 points in the Mercury's 120-116 overtime victory at the US Airways Center in Phoenix.

Phoenix and Taylor are chasing their second WNBA championship in three seasons and host game two on Friday before the series shifts to Indiana.

Starting Fever point guard and Taylor's Opals teammate Tully Bevilaqua also had a solid night, scoring 14 points and dishing out four assists, but Indiana fell just short of stealing home court advantage in the series.

In a see-sawing encounter that featured 19 lead changes and 13 ties, Indiana's Katie Douglas hit a three-pointer with 7.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

But Mercury guard Cappie Pondexter, who matched Taylor's 23-point haul, scored seven points in the extra period to guide Phoenix home.

Douglas led all scorers with 30 points, while teammate Ebony Hoffman stepped up big time with a career-high 27 points.

But they couldn't contain the deep Phoenix line-up, with six Mercury players finishing with double-figure scoring.

Diana Taurasi, who was named league MVP before the game, tallied 22 points and nine boards for the Mercury.

And Taylor kept them in it midway through the game when her teammates had gone cold, hitting 7-of-10 shots from the field overall, including 2-of-3 from three-point territory and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.

The 2006 world championships MVP also added two boards, two assists and two steals in just over 27 minutes on court.

"I know with Cappie, (Taurasi) and Penny, there is no such thing as pressure," Mercury coach Corey Gaines said.

"They've played in big games their whole life."

The match-up was supposed to be a contrast between Phoenix's high-octane offence and Indiana's vaunted defence, but that didn't eventuate in game one.

"It wasn't the defensive-versus-offensive game people were expecting, clearly," Taylor said.

"Anyone who saw this game could tell you that.

"It was just amazing displays of talent, especially down the stretch."

Prior to this game the league's highest-scoring contest was Phoenix's 111-110 victory over Houston in triple overtime in a regular-season contest back in 2006.

The Mercury and Fever both scored more points than any team previously in league history, with the previous best Phoenix's 115 in an overtime win over Sacramento on June 13 this season.

PHOENIX 120 (Penny Taylor 23, Cappie Pondexter 23, Diana Taurasi 22) btINDIANA 116 (Katie Douglas 30, Ebony Hoffman 27, Tammy Sutton-Brown 19)in overtime at US Airways Arena, Phoenix, Arizona, USA Phoenix leads best-of-five series 1-0. Image courtesy wnba.com