Must-see TV: Fire vs Lynx for home court

• Bendigo Spirit are runaway WNBL25 minor premiers
• Perth, Townsville and Sydney will also feature in the WNBL playoffs
• There is just one round remaining in the WNBL regular season

With one round left to play in the 2024-25 WNBL regular season, the four teams who will be taking part in the postseason have been set.

Whilst the Bendigo Spirit, Perth Lynx and Townsville Fire had locked in their finals spot weeks ago, the Sydney Flames became the fourth and final playoff team after defeating Canberra on Sunday.

The Flames were on a mission in the nation’s capital and came through when it mattered most in a 32-21 fourth quarter blitz, which also ended the Capitals’ finals chances.

Canberra, Adelaide and Geelong all bowed out of the finals race in Round 15, and now the only score left to settle is the fight for second, with Perth (15-5) and Townsville (14-5) having it all on the line heading into the final round.

Second spot, and with that comes home-court advantage in their semi-final series, will be crucial and with the season series between the two teams currently tied at 1-1, their clash in the final game of the season will decide who finishes second if Townsville gets the win over Sydney tonight.

Perth boasts a well-rounded team, with five game-changers in Laeticia Amihere, Amy Atwell, Anneli Maley, Miela Sowah and Ally Wilson. They are an up-tempo beast, who get out and run at every opportunity.

While Woods is the leader, Lauren Cox has been everything they could’ve hoped for in an import big, and recruits Alicia Froling, Abbey Ellis and Alex Fowler have all had terrific seasons.

Sydney’s win over Canberra to clinch their playoff ticket was made all the more impressive by the fact they were without their leader and former league MVP Cayla George, who was a late out due to a foot injury.

Other needed to step up and step up they did! Isabella Bracatisiano had the game of her life as she played lock down defence and annoyed the life out of Jade Melbourne, who critically fouled out in the fourth quarter after struggling with foul trouble all game. Her defence was elite, but the offensive outburst she provided was unbelievable, finishing with a game-high 26 points (eight triples), as well as seven rebounds and four steals. She delivered timely bucket after timely bucket all afternoon and produced the game of her life when the Flames needed it most.

Sydney has done well to qualify for finals, having been hit by injury for large parts of the season as Emma Clarke and Mikaela Ruef have only played nine and seven games, respectively.

The Flames reward for making the finals is a semi-final clash against the Spirit, who have been a class above the competition for much of the season.

Sami Whitcomb will surely add a league MVP trophy to her resume next week, while the depth and star power of the roster continues from there.

Veronica Burton has been one of the best imports this season, Kelsey Griffin is Kelsey Griffin, Marianna Tolo has been fantastic in her return to the league, while Kelly Wilson, Casey Samuels and Abbey Wehrung just thrive in their roles on this powerhouse team.

Sydney will have to fight fire with fire, and they do have the offensive weapon in Shaneice Swain, who we’ve all witnessed take her game to new heights this season.

It’s going to be difficult for Sydney, and they’ll absolutely need Cayla George back to have any chance, but Guy Molloy will have his team ready to cause an almighty upset.

All this suggests that you must watch WNBL games this last round before what promises to be a hotly contested postseason. Sit back and enjoy the show!

About the Author

Hayley Wildes is passionate about all things Australian women’s basketball and loves to highlight the stories of players from all levels and competitions across the globe. From our own backyard in the WNBL, to the WNBA and the Opals, and everything in between, Hayley has you covered.