Bendigo Women finish the season in style

The Champions IGA Bendigo Braves Women ended their NBL1 season in textbook style away at Kilsyth on Saturday night, turning in a vintage performance at both ends of the court.

Needing a win to keep their finals hopes alive, Bendigo jumped out of the gates for one of their best starts in the past two months.

With Amy Atwell back from Opals duties, but Alex Wilson, Meg McKay, and Cassidy McLean unavailable, Bendigo shot at 80 per cent in the first few minutes to jump to an early lead.

The Braves were up 28-20 at the first break, with Atwell and Caiti Richardson both on nine points and Bendigo’s shuffle offence causing massive headaches for the Cobra’s defense.

Kilsyth managed to slow the game down at the start of the second quarter, reducing Bendigo’s lead to three after three minutes of play.

Then Madame Bendigo stepped up. Kelly Wilson hit five points in a row and had a hand in a few more to push Bendigo’s lead out to a then-game-high 13 at the main break.

When Bendigo’s half-court offence was stifled, it simply stepped on the gas and opened its iconic fast transition play.

A 6-0 start to the third quarter, and eight straight points later in the term to young gun Lavinia Cox, saw Bendigo up by 28 at the final break.

Bendigo cruised to a 90-67 win with Atwell (24) Cox (23) Wilson (13 points and 14 assists), Kasey Burton (13) and Richardson (10) sharing the scoring.

Burton was pivotal on the glass with 13 boards as Bendigo won the rebound count easily against a much taller opposition.

Bendigo also dominated the other two key stats that have made the side the dominant force in the league over the past three seasons – points in the paint (48-26) and fast-break points (12-2).

For coach Mark Alabakov, ending the season on such a good note was a reward for the hard work his team has had to put in during a disruptive season.

“We have played with at least three starters missing in 16 out of our 22 games this season,” he said.

“So, to end the year with a 12-10 winning record is a credit to the players who have been amazing.

“Most of our players have had to change the way they play and change their mindset. Re-training can be a big thing at this level

“They took a while to break out of their instinct, but they showed on Saturday night how professional they are and what they can do.”

Alabakov said Saturday night’s form had been building forweeks.

“We have been number one in forcing turnovers for the past six or so games. We have turned over more than 20 per cent of our opposition’s possessions,” he said.

“We have been number one for free throws per possession, which has also been a goal of ours.

“And we kept Kilsyth to four offensive rebounds and two second-chance points in the second half. They are great numbers.”

Despite the win, other results didn’t go the Braves’ way, meaning the next time they take the court will be to defend their National Championship in Queensland in mid-August.

Photo - Craig Dilks Photography