WNBL 2023 Townsville Fire v Southside Flyers grand final series: Shyla Heal turns up the heat

The Fire Pit was surging with a season-high 3717 boisterous fans in attendance to watch Townsville dominate from the opening tip.

Townsville haven’t lost a game since January 5 and are now just one win away from securing their fourth WNBL championship.

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Coaching in his second grand final, Fire coach Shannon Seebohm showed he is happy to lean on his big guns in big games, playing Tianna Hawkins for every minute of the first three quarters before giving her an early mark.

Hawkins continued to push her case for the team’s MVP, scoring 20 points in her 30 minutes of action.

Southside’s Rebecca Cole was a shining beacon of strength in a losing side, scoring 20 points at 75 per cent from the field and claiming four boards.

Heading into her fifth grand final as a WNBL coach, the experienced Cheryl Chambers will know that a series isn’t won in game 1 and she will surely have her team firing on all cylinders come Wednesday night.

Townsville’s habit of allowing leads to slip was nowhere to be seen as the Fire extended their lead at the end of each quarter.

Karlie Samuelson opened the scoring early with a signature three-pointer, followed by a long-range basket by Steph Reid.

That set the tone for the Fire as they burst out of the gates and shot to a 14-point lead by quarter time.

Shyla Heal was at her energetic best again for Townsville whenever on the court.

Heal entered the game late in the first quarter and instantly got in on the action by draining a three-point shot — her first of three in the game without a miss.

The lively guard has been a revelation since joining the team mid-season from the Sydney Flames, and she has not lost a game since making the move.

Heal couldn’t be stopped as she rained 16 points of pain onto the Flyers in the first half, finishing with a game-high 23 points in just under 20 minutes of playing time — shooting nine from 10 shots from the field.

Seebohm cleared his bench once the game was locked away in the fourth quarter, giving the depth players in his squad a chance to experience the grand final atmosphere in front of thousands of local fans.

Townsville are now 10-2 at home this year and 20-4 overall on the season.

The two teams will face off again in four night’s time at the State Basketball Centre in Melbourne.

Sports Reporter

Patrick Woods is a sports reporter for the Townsville Bulletin, and CODE Sports…. Read more

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