It came down to the final day of the WNBL regular season, but the postseason seeding is set.
The No. 1 seed Townsville Fire (14-7) will face the No. 4 seed Perth Lynx (11-10) and the No. 2 seed Southside Flyers (13-8) will face the No. 3 seed Melbourne Boomers (12-9) in the semi-finals. The Flyers-Boomers best-of-three series will tip off on Wednesday, while the Fire-Lynx series is set for Thursday.
Townsville Fire vs. Perth Lynx
The Townsville Fire (14-7) should be the heavy favorite in their semi-final matchup against the Perth Lynx (11-10). The Fire hold the best record in the league, and defeated the Lynx by double-digits all three times the teams faced off this season.
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The Fire have five players who average double digits led by Sami Whitcomb, who’s averaging 14.5 points per game and was just named to the All WNBL Second Team. Whitcomb will face her former team in this matchup. Courtney Woods also has been outstanding for Townsville, averaging 13.4 points on 51.3 percent shooting, along with 4.5 rebounds per game. Stephanie Reid (12.7 points per game), Zitina Aokuso (12.2 points) and Alice Kunek (11.2 point) round out the Fire’s top scorers. The group has meshed well this season, with head coach Shannon Sheebohm receiving Coach of the Year honors.
The Lynx are led by Amy Atwell and Aari McDonald, both of whom were named to the WNBL Second Team. McDonald has averaged 19.8 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting and 5.5 assists per game, and containing her will be key to the Fire’s efforts to dominate the Lynx. Atwell also has had a strong season, averaging 17.9 points per game on 40.7 percent shooting. At full strength, the Fire have been tough to beat all season, and should be tough for the Lynx to overcome. However, if Atwell and McDonald continue their strong play, the Lynx should have a chance to upset the defending champions.
Regular season results:
Nov. 25: Fire over Lynx, 92-76
Dec. 31: Fire over Lynx, 87-64
Jan. 3: Fire over Lynx, 104-91
Southside Flyers vs. Melbourne Boomers
In a rematch from last year’s semi-final, the No. 2 seed Flyers will once again face the No. 3 seed Boomers. This one should be a close one, as all three games between the two teams were decided by single digits this season. Melbourne took the first two, with Southside coming out on top in the most recent matchup on Jan. 20. Last year, the Flyers defeated the Boomers in three games, but then proceeded to lose 2-0 to the Fire in the Grand Final.
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The Boomers have been led by Jordin Canada, who was named MVP for the 2023-24 season. Naz Hillmon also has been huge for them, contributing 15.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Keely Froling has added 12.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. For the Flyers, Mercedes Russell—15.2 points on 56.7 percent shooting and 9.5 rebounds per game—and Bec Cole—13.3 points per game—have been excellent. Who comes out victorious in this one is a toss up given how tight all three contests were this year. If Canada continues her standout season, she could help the Boomers get revenge for last year’s playoff exit and come out on top.
Regular season results:
Nov 4: Boomers over Flyers, 77-70
Jan 3: Boomers over Flyers, 67-61
Jan 20: Flyers over Boomers, 84-82
The winners of each series will face off in the best-of-three Grand Final. All postseason games are available to stream for free through the WNBA App.
WNBL Awards
On Sunday, WNBL awards were announced, with Jordin Canada of the Melbourne Boomers taking home the biggest honor of the night: MVP. Canada, who completed a sign-and-trade to the Atlanta Dream earlier this month, is averaged 15.2 points and 7.6 assists per game during the regular season
The rest of the award winners were:
Sixth Woman of the Year: Leilani Mitchell, Southside Flyers
Defensive Player of the Year: Lauren Nicholson, Sydney Flames
Breakout Player of the Year: Alex Sharp, UC Capitals
Coach of the Year: Shannon Sheebohm, Townsville Fire
Fan MVP: Jade Melbourne, UC Capitals
All WNBL First Team:
- Jordin Canada, Melbourne Boomers
- Jade Melbourne, UC Capitals
- Lauren Nicholson, Sydney Flames
- Isobel Borlase, Adelaide Lightning
- Mercedes Russell, Southside Flyers
All WNBL Second Team:
- Sami Whitcomb, Townsville Fire
- Naz Hillmon, Melbourne Boomers
- Amy Atwell, Perth Lynx
- Aari McDonald, Perth Lynx
- Didi Richards, Sydney Flames