Townsville Fire and Melbourne Boomers battled it out in a nail-biting match on Saturday night, with the Boomers emerging victorious. The Boomers dominated the court which gave them the 76-86 victory in a tense away game in Townsville.

Melbourne ended their stellar year on a high note in the final WNBL game of 2022. The game had been highly competitive but ultimately did not reach its expectations as Townsville bottled it in the last two quarters. 

Though the Fire was in the lead after the first two quarters, the visiting Boomers, turned the match in the final two periods.

The first quarter of the match saw the Fire come out strong, holding a 7 points lead over the Boomers 22-15. However, by halftime, it was clear that Melbourne had gained the momentum as they trailed by only 2 points, 40-38. 

Melbourne managed to get a 5-point lead with incredible team efforts in both offensive and defensive and went into the fourth quarter as a favourite to win the game.

Cayla George caused plenty of headaches for the Townsville offence. She dished 5 assists to go with her 16 points and 13 rebounds, in a partnership with Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who contributed with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. 

Kristy Wallace had a match-high seven assists and scored 18 points to go with three rebounds, while Boomer’s top scorer of the match, Tiffany Mitchell, scored 22 points with 4 rebounds and 5 crucial assists.

Among the Townsville players, Stephanie Reid (21), Mikaela Ruef (17), and Lauren Nicholson contributed 52 points to their team’s total 76 points. 

With this win, the Boomers are now at the top of the table, while Townsville is fourth. In the next game week, Fire will play against the Adelaide Lightning, while Melbourne will host Southside Flyers.