In form Falcons end Pioneers run

In the end, the team on the hottest streak in the NBL1 South women’s competition, the Waverley Falcons, have ended the championship dreams of the OneFortyOne Mount Gambier Pioneers.

Played at Mount Gambier’s Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre, the home side was never really able to mount a challenge as Bec Cole and Carley Ernst led the Falcons to a 19 point victory.

The star duo combined for 49 points with their NBL1 South performance coming on the back of the Southside Flyer team mates being part of the WNBL Championship victory.

You could say the two sides had polar opposite seasons – the Pioneers dominating the first half of the season and looking almost unbeatable before fading somewhat in the run home, before their stunning semi final victory, while the Falcons looked set to not even make the play offs given their sluggish start to the season before storming home – the preliminary final their ninth consecutive win.

The Falcons entered the play offs having won 11 of 12 to finish the season, while the Pioneers lost seven of their last 12 before their Knox Raiders victory that earned the home preliminary final.

But in the end, not even the capacity home crowd could get the Pioneers over the line.

Mount Gambier had ended the regular season in fourth spot but had lost seven of the last 12 games coming into the finals before beating the Knox Raiders in the qualifying final to earn hosting rights for the preliminary final.

Waverley led 27-23 by the end of the opening stanza before extending that led to nine at the half.

It was in the third that the Falcons really stamped their authority on the contest, taking it 28-18 and the Pioneers championship aspirations were on shaky ground.

The Falcons got out to as many as a 25 point lead before locking in their grand final place, 92-73, as they look for a breakthrough championship – their first in three decades.

The Pioneers bowed out on the back of another strong performance from club MVP Zitina Aokuso top-scoring with 23 points and 12 rebounds on 11/19 shooting.

Skipper Isa Brancatisano also had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists with Sherrie Calleia contributing 17 points and seven boards, Sam Fatkin nine points, five rebounds and three assists, and Haliegh Reinoehl five points and nine boards.

RESULTS

Waverley Falcons 92 (Cole 26, Ernst 23, Mokrzycki 15) d Mount Gambier Pioneers 73 (Aokuso 23, Brancatisano 17, Calleia 17)