
15 Jul WNWBL Round 2 Wrap
A 56-point haul from Amber Merritt was the cherry on top of a very sweet weekend for the Perth Wheelcats.
Perth won all three games against the Sydney Uni Flames and continued their unbeaten start to 2024.
Merritt’s season high haul on Saturday night followed a 30-point, 10 rebound performance in Game 1 which Perth won 65-59.
The two-time Paralympian’s 56 points in Game 2 came from 26/34 shooting and also included 8 rebounds. The Wheelcats put together a decisive 24-14 second quarter that left the Flames playing catch up for the rest of the game.
But the match was far from a one-woman show, with the rest of the Perth team in sync to help put Merritt in the right spots.
“Perth are very strong with a heavy contingent of Gliders, they are very disciplined and consistent in their execution and play a very tough full court press game which was very difficult to break down,” said Sydney Uni’s Lisa Edmonds at the conclusion of the weekend.
The Wheelcats’ teamwork saw everyone get a piece of the scoring in Sunday’s third game which the Wheelcats won 80-56.
The Flames stayed with Perth in the first quarter with the score tied at 20-all but again it was in the second quarter where Perth made their move, outscoring the hosts 18-6 to take a decisive advantage at the main break.
“I thought the experience and tenacity of the Flames, we managed to create opportunities through sheer grit and persistence to the final whistle,” said Edmonds.
The Wheelcats had four players in double figures (Merritt 31, Ebony Stevenson 13, Sarah Vinci 12 and Taishar Ovens 11) while Georgia Inglis played facilitator with 23 assists along with 9 points of her own.
“Amber is supported by a good team who work together very well, she not only takes the heat and scores but puts trust in her teammates to do the same,” said Edmonds.
Sydney Uni were led by Annabelle Lindsay who averaged 24.6 points and 11.3 rebounds across the weekend and was one assist off a triple double in game one along with Hannah Dodd who had 16.6 points and 5.3 assists per game.
In Queensland, the Comets got their chance to play in front of a vocal home crowd at Mt Warren on a weekend that coincided with the Southern Challenge 2024, a tournament for up-and-coming junior wheelchair basketballers.
“There were many new and young Queensland players who were able to see this level of Women’s Wheelchair Basketball for the first time. There’s very much a focus of creating and maintaining a pathway for female athletes,” said Comets coach Nick Such.
On the court the Sydney Blues were too strong for the developing Comets, winning by an average margin of 49.7 points per game.
Georgia Munro-Cook averaged 39.3 points per game while Kylie Gauci had 15 assists in game one and 15 points in game two while Maryanne Latu (12 points 5/8 shooting) and Shelley Matheson (10 points, 5/6 shooting) were part of an impressive supporting cast in game three.
“All players played significant minutes and got opportunities to showcase their skill within the Blues system,” said Blues coach Troy Sachs.
“The weekend was great preparation for round three against Perth.”
Meanwhile the Comets continue to take heart from the valuable minutes their emerging crop is getting at the top level.
“Gorja Ebert is playing large minutes for a rookie and handling the task well,” said Such.
“Gorja came into the Queensland junior program this year. She is proving to be a hard competitor, massive motor, and an incredibly intelligent player who reads the game well.”
“She uses her position well when working with the ball handler or scoring options.”
All four teams will descend on the Sydney Uni Sports and Fitness Centre for Round 3 on July 20th & 21st with Sydney Uni taking on Queensland and Perth playing the Sydney Blues.