Storm heads west for Division One decider

THE Bellarine Storm Division One Women’s side will hope to secure one more win in their quest for a Big V championship, as they head down the Princes Highway to face Warrnambool.

Storm coach Tim Sanderson said the week leading up to the season decider was the same as any other week, following an enthralling overtime finish against Western Port in the preliminary final last weekend.

“It’s always an exciting time leading up to a Grand Final.

“But we’ve seen a massive turnaround in the program since finishing 4-14 last year to playing in the final game of the season in 2024.

“Excitement level is very high, it’ll probably come down to who wins a lot of the battles on the night.”

Bellarine and Warrnambool last met a fortnight ago for a chance to earn the first Grand Final slot, with the Storm blowing a three-quarter-time lead to go down 63-59 to the Mermaids.

Warrnambool’s star pairing in Amy Wormald (20 points and 18 rebounds) and Dakota Crichton (17 points and 11 rebounds) led the way in the last outing between the two teams, capitalising on a 25-14 final quarter to get the win.

“Both are quality players enjoying fantastic season,” Sanderson said.

“There’s a reason why both of those ladies were named as nominees for this season’s All-Star Five and the MVP Award.

“So, the key for us will be limiting them from their main scoring areas, where in previous games we’ve done that in patches, not all four quarters.

“We’ll also need to remain diligent on the boards, which Warrnambool did a terrific job on us two weeks ago.”

The Storm will also need star guard Georgia Varley to be on her game tomorrow (Saturday, August 19) following her 13-point, nine-rebound, and seven-assist performance against Western Port.

Varley also contributed more than 41 minutes of court time in the overtime win.

“There’s no surprises there when it comes to Georgia’s game, you know she’s going to be a threat from inside the paint or from the perimeter,” Sanderson said.

“She’s provided that added punch on the offensive end that we lacked in previous seasons, but she also creates play for others.

“We also have a few guards in the backcourt, which creates more freedom for her, so she has seamlessly joined those ranks and has really excelled as a result this season.”

Tip off for the Grand Final takes place at The Arc Sports Stadium on August 19 from 6.30pm.