By Marcus Uhe
A 25-point thrashing of Bendigo at the State Basketball Centre has lifted the Southside Flyers to a hat-trick of WNBL wins.
Defence was the key to the result as the Flyers held Bendigo to just 51 points, tying for the lowest score to date in the WNBL season on just 25 percent field goal shooting in the 76-51 win.
The defensive intensity was on show early, with the Spirit held to just seven points in the opening quarter after conceding the first eight.
A triple-team as the shot clock ticked away on Bendigo’s Kelly Wilson showcased the intent from a swarming Flyers defensive group, as Lauren Jackson made a return to the starting five and earned the accolade with the blocked shot on that particular play.
Adding salt into the wound for Bendigo was a remarkable quarter-time buzzer beater from Bec Cole, heaved in desperation with a defender smothering her available passing lanes.
While Bendigo lifted their output to 14 points in the second, they struggled to keep pace with a rampant Southside side keen to continue their solid recent form.
Nyadiew Puoch was proving a threat to the Spirit, using her pace and length to drive the lane and finish at the rim time after time among the bigger bodies, while also showcasing her passing abilities when the moment called.
Bendigo shifted to a zone defence during the second period but the change in approach did little to slow the Flyers down, who were simply too big and too strong for their visiting opponents.
The margin reached 18 points at the half and continued to grow in the third, peaking at 28 with a 61-33 scoreline thanks to a 10-0 run early in the period.
With heads constantly on a swivel for cutting players, any five-player combination the Flyers used reaped rewards as their passing game came to the fore, slicing through the defensive mechanisms the Spirit unsuccessfully attempted to deploy.
The vast margin allowed for end of bench players in Klara Wischer, Dallas Loughridge and Emma Nankervis to see some valuable playing time alongside some of the Flyers’ stars, including Mercedes Russell, as the game continued into garbage time.
Only 13 points were scored on both sides by each respective team, but the margin mattered little with the result so far beyond doubt.
The mauling on the scoreboard was replicated on the stat sheet, Southside winning the rebounding battle 50-27, points in the paint 38-14 and three-point shooting percentage 40 per cent to 20.
Four players scored in double figures for the Flyers, led by Puoch’s season high 17 points and nine rebounds.
Russell continued to display sublime consistency, finishing with a fourth double-double from seven contests.
At a 5-2 win-loss ratio after seven matches, the Flyers sit third on the WNBL table, trailing last season’s champions Townsville (first) and Melbourne (second).
Townsville make the trip to Melbourne to face the Flyers on Thursday night, before Southside head to Bendigo for another clash with the Spirit on Saturday night.
