Featured image: Taylor Earnshaw
Kelly Wilson was dazzling, Megan McKay made a dominant return and the defence of the NBL1 National Finals for the Bendigo Braves is in full swing with the first up 89-81 win over the Rockingham Flames.
The 2024 National Finals on the Sunshine Coast got underway on Friday afternoon and the first match up at UniSC Arena saw the Braves begin the defence of their national title last year against the NBL1 West champion Flames.
The Flames scored 21 of the last 23 points last Saturday to secure their conference championship at RAC Arena against the Cockburn Cougars while the Braves were playing their first game since winning their last regular season game against the Kilsyth Cobras on July 13.
The Braves missed the NBL1 South finals but the absence in the second of the season of Megan McKay along with Amy Atwell and Ally Wilson ending up being Olympians meant it was tough to get the momentum flowing again.
However, Bendigo arrived on the Sunshine Coast with McKay back in the line-up and ready to fire and with Wilson running the show expertly, they produced quite the one-two punch to start off in winning fashion.
Going inside was working well early for Bendigo with Wilson finding McKay and the Braves opened up an eight-point lead, but Rockingham did well to hit back and tie scores up at 26-26 by the end of one.
Things remained tight throughout the second term with Bendigo managing to outscore Rockingham 27 points to 23 to go into the main break on top 53-49.
The Braves then threatened to open up a match winning advantage with another eight-point lead, but then Emma Gandini steadied the Flames with a three-pointer. Robbi Ryan then hit two from downtown of her own and suddenly Rockingham had grabbed the lead.
The momentum swings continued and Bendigo took back over and this time it was for good in the fourth quarter with the defending National Champions opening up the game's first double-figure lead on the way to the eight-point victory.
The win puts Bendigo in a strong position to defend the title it won last year in Joondalup and the duo of Megan McKay and Kelly Wilson are going to take some stopping.
In her first game since May 8, McKay was a dominant force with 35 points and 18 rebounds on 13/15 shooting from the floor and 9/12 at the foul line.
Wilson was brilliant running the point with a triple-double consisting of 16 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds while playing every second of the contest.
Madeline Sexton added 13 points, six rebounds and two steals for the Braves, Cassidy McLean 10 points, seven boards and five assists, and Kasey Burton seven points, six rebounds and four assists.
"I think coming back off the season we've had, to come up here and play great basketball, and to find our mojo was something we're really proud of," McKay said.
"It's good to be back and I think I'm lucky I get dimed so perfectly I don't get to show everyone how rusty I am. I'm very, very lucky to have Cass, Kel and the girls that I do. They make my job look very easy."
Rockingham did arrive without championship winning captain and Grand Final MVP Alex Sharp, but still had a team full of stars on the high of a title six days earlier, but couldn’t quite stick with the Braves.
Robbi Ryan ended up with 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals with Nes'eya Parker-Williams fighting hard up against McKay with 20 points, 14 boards and five assists.
Georgia Pineau provided 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Jess Jakens nine points, three assists and two boards, Emma Gandini nine points and three rebounds, and Shani Amos four points, seven assists, five boards and two steals.
BENDIGO BRAVES 89 (McKay 35, Wilson 16, Sexton 13)
ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 81 (Ryan 26, Parker-Williams 20, Pineau 10)
