By Marcus Uhe
Life after Lauren Jackson has begun well for the Southside Flyers, who recorded a six-point win over the Bendigo Spirit on Saturday night in Geelong.
In a seesawing battle, the lead for either side never grew beyond eight points as Southside secured their 13th win of the year, 75-69.
Both teams traded baskets to open the game, as Kayla Thornton scored the Flyers’ first five and Sara Blicavs added seven of her own.
Speedy Spirit guards were getting into the paint successfully as the adjustment without Jackson experienced some teething pain, but the Flyers took a two-point lead into the first break.
The second quarter became a three-point battle as both sides let the ball fly from beyond the arc.
Bendigo’s accuracy allowed them to open an eight-point lead before Thornton went to work once again.
The forward had a six-point run of her own to cut the lead to two, and grabbed an assist and offensive rebound along the way to stamp her authority on the game.
Scores were tied at the half, as both sides would have felt in a position to score a crucial victory with the season coming to a close.
The tight-tussle continued in the third as neither could mount much of a charge.
Bendigo’s reliance on the three was evident again, but the Flyers had an answer each time.
Scoring eventually got harder for the Spirit, with 15 points their lowest scoring quarter of the game, compared to the Flyers’ 20, their equal most.
A critical offensive rebound to Maddison Rocci led to a layup just before the three-quarter-time buzzer, a gut-punch in-front of the Spirit bench, to give them a five-point gap heading into the last quarter.
A clever step-back jump shot from Sara Blicavs gave Southside an eight-point lead early in the term, and it appeared that the Flyers would run away with the contest.
But like they did all day, the Spirit would return fire themselves, tying the scores at 61 on the back of hustle plays on defence and offensive rebounds, and claiming the ascendency with four minutes remaining at 66-65.
With a victory in sight, Bendigo began to crank-up the intensity on the defensive end.
But their aggression would prove their downfall as it led to multiple open shots that Southside capitalised on.
A savvy cut from Blicavs to the basket forced two defenders to rush Rebecca Cole on the three-point line, leaving Carley Ernst open in the corner for a big three.
On the next play, pressure on Thornton nearly forced a turnover, and again drew a double-team on the perimeter.
This time it was Cole who was left unguarded and made the Spirit pay, to give her side a five-point lead with one minute remaining.
Cole’s basket would ultimately prove the dagger on the heart of Bendigo, who were forced to foul and hope that the Flyers missed at the line, and were ultimately unsuccessful.
Thornton once again led the way for Southside with 19 points and seven rebounds, while 12 points and four assists was a welcome return to form for skipper, Rebecca Cole.
The Flyers sit third on the WNBL ladder and host Perth at the State Basketball Centre at Wantirna’s State Basketball Centre on Sunday 19 February.
