The perfect season of the Bendigo Braves is complete after they claimed the NBL1 South championship with Amy Atwell brilliant and Megan McKay huge late but the Waverley Falcons pushed them all the way.
The Braves had won all 24 games so far this season coming into Saturday's NBL1 South Grand Final at the State Basketball Centre, and the Falcons threw everything at denying them, but ultimately Bendigo prevailed 83-78 with Perth Lynx WNBL star Atwell named the Grand Final MVP.
NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | SATURDAY PRELIMINARY FINALS
NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | FRIDAY PRELIMINARY FINALS
WOMEN'S GRAND FINAL
Megan McKay had a Grand Final to forget up until she delivered huge rebounds and buckets in the fourth quarter to show her MVP quality as the Bendigo Braves secured the NBL1 South championship beating the Waverley Falcons 83-78.
The Braves had put together the perfect season to get to a second straight Grand Final after losing last year's decider to the Ringwood Hawks.
Bendigo won all 22 games of the regular season before then beating Waverley in the first round of the finals in a tight contest and then overcoming the Mount Gambier Pioneers in a remarkable preliminary final.
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— NBL1 (@NBL1) August 12, 2023
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However, the Falcons were always going to be tough opposition led by the class and experience of Bec Cole and Carley Ernst. They had already pushed the Braves in the qualifying final before then beating the Eltham Wildcats and Geelong United Supercats to reach the Grand Final.
The Braves then could potentially see the signs of dropping their first game in the Grand Final when MVP Megan McKay had three fouls before half-time, and then picked up a fourth to start the third.
It was Amy Atwell who ensured Bendigo handled her absence but McKay showed why she was the MVP this NBL1 South season with huge rebounds at both ends in the final period, some huge buckets and then the championship clinching free throws.
The Braves secured the championship with the five-point victory to make it 25 wins for the season and to make up for the pain of last year's loss, and to book in a place at the National Finals next week in Perth.
Amy Atwell capped off her season with the Braves before preparing for another WNBL campaign with the Perth Lynx by being named Grand Final MVP on the back of 36 points, eight rebounds and two assists on 12/22 shooting from the field, 5/11 from downtown and 7/8 at the foul line.
Cassidy McLean also delivered 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in the win for the Braves while the remarkable Kelly Wilson became a championship captain with another 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Megan McKay only played 23 minutes because of the foul trouble but ended up with nine points, five rebounds and a steal while Kasey Burton added four points and seven boards, and Madeline Sexton four points and two rebounds.
While it's never fun to lose a Grand Final, Waverley deserve to be proud of the performance they delivered led by 31 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals by Maddi Utti who shot 12/18 from the field, 2/4 from downtown and 5/9 at the foul line.
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— NBL1 (@NBL1) August 12, 2023
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Bec Cole added 14 points, three rebounds and three assists for the Falcons, Carley Ernst 12 points, five assists and three boards, and Amelia Todhunter 11 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
It took almost two minutes for the first score of the Grand Final and it went the way of Maddi Utti for the Falcons. She hit the game's second bucket too and then Renae Mokrzycki gave Waverley the stunning 6-0 start in the first three minutes and 20 seconds.
Another 20 seconds later and Waverley's lead was 8-0 thanks to Bec Cole, and then another 30 seconds after that and it was 10-0 with Carley Ernst scoring off a Braves turnover.
The unbeaten Braves were suddenly up against it less than five minutes into the Grand Final before Amy Atwell got them on the board with a pair of free-throws.
Kelly Wilson then knocked down a three-pointer for Bendigo and when Atwell scored going to the rack, it was the Braves who had scored seven straight points to be back within three.
Cassidy McLean then hit a triple as well and Bendigo had hit 10 straight points to tie scores up and by quarter-time, it was Waverley narrowly leading 21-19.
The Braves opened the second stanza with a three-point bomb from Atwell and she had a hot start to the quarter with another triple soon after, and then a putback from an offensive rebound to help Bendigo back to a two-point lead.
Ernst hit a three-point play to restore Waverley to the lead but it was Atwell who was catching fire spectacularly for the Braves. She knocked down two more three-pointers to help her team lead by five.
However, the Falcons closed the first half strongly help by Bendigo forced to sit MVP Megan McKay with foul trouble and by the break were leading Bendigo 41-40.
Waverley was able to stretch that lead out to four again early in the second half following McKay picking up her fourth foul a minute into the half after being called for an offensive foul.
Atwell wasn’t going to let Bendigo slip out of the contest, though, even with their MVP sitting down at least until the start of the fourth quarter. Atwell kept her hot form going to keep things close and then Cassidy McLean nailed a three to put the Braves back on top.
She completed a three-point play straight after to see that lead grow to four and Medeline Sexton pushed it to seven heading towards three quarter-time, but again Waverley answered started with a triple from Utti.
Amelia Todhunter also landed one from downtown to bring the margin back to four and that's where it stayed with a quarter to play.
McKay was back to start the fourth quarter for Bendigo with her four fouls and made an immediate impact with a score inside on the pass from Wilson to extend the Braves lead to five once more in response to another Waverley triple from Utti.
Utti was having a significant impact on the contest for Waverley and when she hit another mid-range jumper with 4:30 to play, it was a two-point ball game once more.
However, it was time for the MVP to put her stamp on the contest. McKay pulled down a strong offensive rebound and put it back in with 3:45 to go to keep the Braves in front by four.
The Falcons still kept coming, though, and another three ball from Todhunter had them back within one before another strong finish inside from McKay.
Things were getting tense and both teams had a couple of turnovers but ultimately it was the Braves able to force a shot clock violation on the Falcons.
McKay was then fouled with time running out up the other end and extended the Bendigo lead to five at the charity stripe, and the Braves had completed the perfect season with the championship and to make up for last year's defeat.
Madeline Sexton with a ROCKET of a find ?
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