Spirit hang tough for three wins in five days

AFTER briefly dropping to third place on the WNBL ladder, Bendigo Spirit is back in second spot following a gritty 77-73 victory over Canberra Capitals in the nation’s capital last Sunday.

Brilliantly led by captain Kelsey Griffin (20 points, 14 rebounds, two steals) and league MVP favourite Izzy Borlase (23 points, six rebounds, four assists), the Spirit’s four-point win at AIS Arena was their second in three days over the Capitals and third in three games this season.

They defeated the Capitals 89-72 in Bendigo on Friday night, giving the defending WNBL champions three wins in the week following a 98-88 victory over Southside Melbourne Flyers in Ballarat on Wednesday.

A three-game winning streak has more than repaired the damage caused by back-to-back defeats against Sydney Uni Flames and Perth Lynx to start the new year.

Victory on the road for Bendigo (16-4) upped the pressure on the ladder-leading Townsville Fire (17-4) as the Spirit sit just one win behind them with a game in hand.

Having scored 75 points in her past two games, Borlase rounded out a huge week with 23 points.

But it was Griffin, who notched up her first double-double of the calendar year, who earned most praise from championship-winning coach Kennedy Kereama for an “exceptional” performance.

“I’m always in awe of a lot of the stuff she (Griffin) does. She just plays in the moment and rises to all occasions and leads the team – and does so with fatigue sometimes,” he said.

“I did look at the time played and I got nearly everyone under 30 minutes and that’s good management from our staff’s perspective.

“I can’t take credit for that; the assistant coaches did a great job of continuing to rotate players.”

A 9-0 Bendigo run during the final quarter proved pivotal to the outcome, allowing the Spirit to stave off a plucky Capitals desperate to keep their finals chances alive and looking to beat one of the league’s top three teams for the first time this season.

Suiting up for their third game in five days, Kereama hailed a “gritty, not pretty” win as a relief.

“Three very tough games this week. You could see fatigue was starting to settle in, and certainly we knew the Caps were going to come out with a different energy, knowing the position they are in,” he said.

“Every game’s vital for them – not different to us; every game is critical for us.

“We weathered a fairly physical game. I think both teams tried to manipulate that to their advantage as best as they could.

“I can’t credit the team enough for being able to play tough and playing through fatigue.

“They just continue to find ways to rise above.”

Import Megan McConnell continued her fine first season with the Spirit, contributing a valuable 11 points, two steals, five rebounds and three assists.

Kereama believed exposure to the final-like atmosphere in Canberra at the end of a long five days for the Spirit would hold the team in good stead come the business end of the season.

“Knowing how to win second games, backing up and making adjustments … I think it’s really important for this group to experience that,” he said.

“But to also experience the environment.

“You come to Canberra – it’s a fantastic atmosphere, the fans are passionate and they really rally behind the Caps.

“This group is starting to get a feel for performing in front of huge crowds.”

The Spirit will again pull double duty this weekend, facing Geelong Venom tonight in Geelong before returning home for a second versus third showdown against Perth Lynx at Red Energy Arena on Sunday.