Panousis leads first-time club to Finals

Feature image by: @DiscoveryOne_Photography

The Sydney Comets are preparing to put pressure on the Newcastle Falcons ahead of their Elimination Final clash tonight. 

Despite going 0-2 to the Falcons this season, the regular season for the Comets ended with an outstanding 101-95 overtime win over the Albury-Wodonga Bandits. Panousis said that that win has sparked a flame under the Comets to try to take the win over the second-seed Falcons in Newcastle. 

“We’ve lost two of our games during the season against them, so I feel like we have no pressure on us,” Panousis said. 

“We’re not putting too much pressure on ourselves, we know how good we are and we know how much work we’ve put into this season.”

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The WNBL knows how tough playing in Newcastle can be, saying the team is ready to fend off the crowd. 

“We know it’s going to be extremely tough, especially playing in Newcastle," she said.

"They have a really good fanbase and they can get pretty rowdy, so we know what to expect.”

win or lose, it will be a historic moment for the club as their inaugural season will see the women's team make the NBL1 East Finals. 

Panousis grew up playing basketball as a Comets junior, this game means a lot to her -- becoming a true full-circle moment of her career now as the captain of the team.

“It’s massive for me, playing for the juniors from 12s to 18s with the Comets, and now being able to play in the inaugural season for the NBL1 has been a dream come true,” she said.

“When you see younger kids watching you, you know that they’re taking in a lot of what you’re doing, your body language, and the way that you present yourself. I think that’s really important.

“When I was younger I used to always go to the ABA games and look up to those ladies playing in our ABA teams. Now for me to be able to play and having the younger girls come to our games and are inspired to be like us one day is a pretty cool feeling." 

Panousis has played all over the world, with four years in college and multiple seasons playing professionally in Greece. Her experience has helped her lead the young Comets roster to the Finals and her leadership as set the tone for the upbeat Comets going into this Final. 

“The vibes are really high right now and we’re excited and we’re going to give it everything that we have,” she said.

The Comets face the Falcons tonight in a must-watch finals clash. Tip-off is 6:00pm AEST, watch the game live and free via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App.