WNBL Round 3 wrap

The Canberra Capitals stand alone atop the WNBL ladder as the only undefeated team following their double header triumph in Canberra over the weekend.

Before that, in the first game of Round Three, the Bulleen Boomers defeated the AIS 83-64 at the AIS Arena.

Bulleen coach Cheryl Chambers had the luxury of resting most of her starting line-up for the second half in an effort to conserve energy for Saturday’s top of the table clash with Canberra. All players thus spent 10 or more minutes on court.

Bulleen’s Hollie Grima led all scorers with 20 points and seven rebounds and was supported by Desiree Glaubitz (18 points and three rebounds). Marianna Tolo meanwhile continued her solid start to the season, posting 15 points and five rebounds for the AIS.

In the second game of Friday’s double header at the AIS Arena, Carrie Graf’s Capitals comfortably accounted for the Perth Lynx 90-60.

Like in the first two rounds of the Capitals’ season, Natalie Hurst (18 points, six rebounds), Abby Bishop (17 points, 12 rebounds), Jessica Bibby (13 points, three rebounds) and Peta Sinclair (13 points, five rebounds) were the cornerstones in the victory.

Round Two Nivea Player of the Week Carly Wilson turned in another gritty performance for Perth, posting 16 points and eight rebounds, but nine first quarter turnovers proved too costly for the Lynx to overcome.

In the third game on Friday night, a spirited Dandenong Rangers side adopted a never-say-die attitude to register a gutsy 70-67 maiden win over Sydney Uni after trailing for all but the final two minutes of the game.

Led by seven-time Defensive Player of the Year Emily McInerny and the combined sharp shooting of Jenna O’Hea (23 points) and Caitlin Ryan (15 points), who dropped the match winning three-point bomb from several metres behind the arc, the injury plagued Rangers vaulted off the bottom of the ladder.

In the opening game Saturday’s double header, Perth snapped their winless start to the season by defeating the AIS 76-58.

The Lynx held a soul-searching group meeting after their fourth straight loss opened the season against Canberra on Friday night, and unfortunately for the AIS the Lynx responded to come out with all guns blazing, jumping to a 45-27 lead at half time.

Carly Wilson continued to post great numbers for the Lynx, top scoring in the game with 25 points and eight rebounds, while the wide spread of points for the students continued with ten players scoring four or more points, with Cayla Francis in front on 13 points.

The arena then warmed up for what could possibly be a finals match-up between Bulleen and Canberra – and they weren’t disappointed. With scores tied, a Tracey Beatty buzzer-beater broke the deadlock with three seconds remaining. It garnered the Capitals a valuable 64-62 win over the Boomers and maintained their undefeated start to the season.

Canberra’s point scoring trio of Kellie Abrams (17 points), Tracey Beatty (16 points) and Jessica Bibby (nine points) were again the backbone of the attack, while world champion defencejobs Opal Hollie Grima, under intense defensive pressure, stamped her claims for MVP favouritism by amassing 27 points and nine rebounds.

The Townsville Fire moved to a two-and-one season record with a solid win over the Dandenong Rangers 86-69 at SeaFM stadium in the final game of Round Three.

Undervalued Townsville centre Jennifer Crouse was outstanding for the Fire, posting 19 points and 15 rebounds while receiving solid support from guard Renae Camino, who backed up her 27 points against Perth last week with 22 points and five rebounds.

Larissa Cavanagh turned in her best performance for the season posting 21 points, four rebounds and four assists, while 19-year-old Jenna O’Hea continued to impress the League by netting 17 points.

The Adelaide Lightning had the bye.

Round Three results and top scorers

Friday Night:

Bulleen 83 – Grima 20, Glaubitz 18, Ashby 12
AIS 64 – Tolo 15, Ezbery 13, Manou 8

Dandenong 70 – O’Hea 23, Ryan 15, Downie 12
Sydney 67 – Musselwhite 14, Porter 13, Dombkins 12

Canberra 90 – Hurst 18, Bishop 17, Bibby 13, Sinclair 13
Perth 60 - Wilson 16, Marino 12, Boyd 9

Saturday Night:

Perth 76 – Wilson 25, Marion 11, Hays 11
AIS 58 – Francis 13, Schatz 7, Manou 6

Canberra 64 – Abrams 17, Beatty 16, Bibby 9
Bulleen 62 – Grima 27, Ashby 10, McKeeken-Ruscoe 8

Townsville 86 – Camino 22, Crouse 19, Cox 17
Dandenong 69 – Cavanagh 21, O’Hea 17, Ryan 8, Datson 8