Venom fall short in tight clash with Spirit

Geelong Venom have continued their competitive start to their debut WNBL campaign, falling just short in a 62–55 Round 2 loss to reigning champions Bendigo Spirit at Red Energy Arena.

The clash marked Geelong’s third outing of the season, and despite the result, it was another performance full of grit and promise. The Venom were again without key players Alissa Pili (ankle) and Shyla Heal (knee), and suffered another blow when Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard was placed in concussion protocols after a hard fall before halftime.

Even with a shortened bench, Geelong battled back into the contest after trailing by 12 in the third quarter. Import Mackenzie Holmes was sensational again, leading all scorers with 30 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in the final minutes. Her dominance at both ends helped spark a fourth-quarter surge that saw Geelong take a brief one-point lead.

“We didn’t reward ourselves at the back end,” head coach Chris Lucas said.

“We held a very experienced team to just 22 second-half points. But 10-of-18 from the foul line isn’t good enough in this league and it cost us.”

A missed three-pointer from Gemma Potter that could have flipped the lead late summed up Geelong’s night — brave but just off the mark. Bendigo captain Kelsey Griffin and Marianna Tolo then stepped up to close out the game for the Spirit.

The Venom now sit 1–2 and will look to regroup quickly ahead of their home clash with Perth Lynx at Geelong Arena this Friday. Tip-off is at 7.00pm AEDT.