The Boomers’ unstoppable lead continued as the CYGNET WNBL24 round 4 concluded with a fixture between the Boomers, and Canberra Capitals at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium. Boomers won with an 87-81 score, but it was the dominant performance by Naz Hillmon that undeniably masked the opponent’s side star, Jade Melbourne,  denying her a perfect chance to celebrate her Victorian homecoming in style. 

The stadium was in the ideal mood with about 1100 fans making it into the stands to catch the action live, especially with the Melbourne Boomers seeking to extend their winning streak to 5 straight matches. 

Jade Melbourne, the UC Capitals so far stand-out player for the season, didn’t disappoint. She dropped a memorable 24 points and 7 assists, and on many occasions went out of her way to defend against the Boomer’s super-charged forwards. 

The Melbourne Boomers, nevertheless, came out all guns blazing in the first half and their pulverising performance indicated signs of a winning spirit from the word go. Their intense and heavy defense opened up vital spaces upfront to the detriment of their opponents. 

Sara Blicavs and Keely Frooling, the Boomers’ runaway leaderboard leaders continued with their in-form performances and it’s their unrelenting pressure that eventually shook off the Capitals’ defence. They, respectively, managed 7 and 17 points respectively. 

In particular, it was Frooling’s afternoon to remember, as she went on record with a massive double-double for the fixture, 10+ points, and rebounds; thus, leading the charge against an equally formidable side. 

As we alluded to earlier, Naz Hillmon, the Boomers WNBL Star yet again lit up their traveling fans with a star-studded performance that kept Jade Melbourne’s and Alexander Fowler’s spirited moves at bay. 

Equally, Jordin Canada kept her WNBL MVP frontrunner hopes as she kept her cool while leveraging skills, experience, and on-court high IQ to score a whopping 16 points. 

Melbourne Boomers Jordin Canada (R) drives at the basket during the WNBL match between Melbourne Boomers and UC Capitals on November 26, 2023, in Gippsland, Australia.

Well, it would insinuate a one-sided context if we don’t mention the UC Capitals’ undying spirit that pushed the fixture into overtime. 

In general, their defensive marksmanship courtesy of Gemma Potter and Alex Sharp produced a tight physicality unseen in other round 4 match-ups. 

Towards the tail-head quarter of the game, the scores were all tied at 76-76, compelling the fixture to enter into a quick, and nerve-wracking overtime where, unfortunately, Jade Melbourne was fouled in the last seconds and received a technical foul on the sidelines. 

Eventually, the Melbourne Boomers broke off and secured an 87-81 win on what pundits described as a grueling fixture. Consequently, Melbourne Boomers remain the only undefeated team in the WNBL23-24 with 5 wins, and their title-winning race is undoubtedly, on course. 

Their next fixture will be at Boom Box for the famous Indigenous Round on Dec 3, at 3 PM, against their archrivals, Perth Lynx. As usual, your leading Australian basketball news site will be keeping you posted on the developments likely to impact the game’s outcome, including injury updates, coach statements, and fans’ expectations. So keep it here for a holistic outlook of what to look forward to in this and other upcoming fixtures. 

Cayla George’s Impressive Run As She Breaks WNBL Record 

Sydney Flames Cayla George shoots during the WNBL Round 4 match against Bendigo Spirit and at Red Energy Arena, on November 25, 2023, in Bendigo, Australia.

In our other WNBL round 4 news, Sydney Flames Centre player Cayla George broke a record on Saturday, November 25th despite her team losing 66-82 to Bendigo Spirit. 

She is now on the record as one of the WNBL’s consummate athletes of all time with an unbeaten record for most rebounds in the competition’s history. 

During their match against Bendigo Spirits, she collected 13 rebounds overtaking the previous record-holder Rachael Sporin who had 3,229 boards. 

Reacting to the news, Cayla couldn’t hide her blissful face despite the sad Saturday night loss. 

“Becoming the glass leader is pretty bloody cool but I credit my teammates and opponents who have missed over the last 16 years”. 

She continued 

“I knew I might have been close [to breaking the record] as last year I was up there on the leaderboard but I only found out right before the Bendigo game that I was only seven away which was cool because I had been struggling a bit to put one foot in front of the other since coming back from the United State and it allowed me to switch on to the CG of old for a moment and remember who I am.”

Cayla George, now 34 years old has 3236 rebounds in her name and concurs that indeed the good news didn’t initially hit hard until they were in the locker room after the game. Her teammates celebrated the accomplishment with authentic adoration, thus reminding her how big the good news was. 

While stressing the importance of her skills, Cayla posited that rebounds are an effort thing and they don’t find her by the default of her position. She continues that going forward she would be more rebound-focused as this would put her in the best frame of mind before stepping onto the pine.

Her parting shot was that she would keep grinding hard for the Sydney Flames. Over and above that, she reiterates her commitment to positively impact the WNBL in the best possible way to not only bring more attention to the games but to make it better for the next generation coming through and hopefully the female hooper who is going to shutter her record. 

In the meanwhile, Cayla George’s attention and her entire Sydney Flames teammate’s attention is laser-focused on their upcoming fixture on December 6 against Adelaide Lightning at the Adelaide Arena. She’s hopeful the week-long preparation and coach strategies will bring them back to winning ways, especially at a time when they are in the bottom three just above Bendigo Spirit and UC Caps.