Venom’s third-quarter blitz buries Sydney at HoopsFest

A BLISTERING third quarter has seen the Geelong Venom beat Sydney in convincing fashion to move off the bottom of the ladder.

In the WNBL’s HoopsFest at RAC Arena in Perth on Friday last week, the Venom pulled away in a high-scoring affair to win 105-77.

Following an early run by Mackenzie Holmes to power her side to a 16-4 lead, the Flames steadied and clawed back to take a one-point lead into the first break.

Geelong then put the foot down in the middle two quarters, outscoring their opponent by seven and eighteen points respectively.

Both sides slowed down in the last term, with the large deficit proving too much for the Flames to come back from.

Dominance in the paint was a key factor in the impressive win and was largely thanks to import Alissa Pili, who made her first start since mid-December.

Pili had only played 23 minutes for the season before Friday’s match due to injury and illness, but dominated with 28 points and seven assists in just 24 minutes.

Fellow import Holmes also had 28 points and added 15 rebounds.

While finals is unachievable for Geelong at this point in the season, the victory gives them plenty of momentum for their final three games.

They will take on Adelaide, who dropped to the bottom of the ladder after Round 14’s results, in the league’s Pride Round at the Geelong Arena tomorrow (Saturday, January 24).

The clash will tip off at 3pm.