Heading into the last week of the WNBL regular season, the Townsville Fire—led by naturalized Australian Sami Whitcomb—remain the top team in the league, holding a 13-6 record. Whitcomb has put together a strong season for the defending champions, averaging 15.3 points and 4.6 assists per game. She’s one of five Fire players averaging double-digit points.
A peek to the upcoming postseason
The WNBL Semi-Finals—a best-of-three series—are slated to begin next Wednesday, Feb. 28. The top four teams will look to hold onto their seeds in order to earn a spot in the postseason.
If the playoffs were to start today, the No. 1 Fire would match up against the No. 4 Sydney Flames. The Flames have three players averaging at least 12 points per game—Lauren Nicholson (16.7), Cayla George (12.8) and Didi Richards (13.0). George, who has won three WNBL championships and was last year’s MVP, recently joined the league’s 350 games played club.
On the other side of the bracket, the No. 2 Southside Flyers, led by Mercedes Russell, will face the No. 3 Bendigo Spirit, if nothing changes over the next week. Russell is averaging 15 points per game on 55.8 percent from the field, while also grabbing 8.7 boards per game. Kelsey Griffin, averaging 15 points and 6.9 assists per game, has been the best player on the Spirit for much of the season.
The winners of each side of the bracket will face each other for the Grand Final, scheduled to start on Mar. 10. Last season, Townsville defeated Southside in two games to take home the championship. If everything holds, a Grand Final rematch could take place.
With just over a week remaining in the WNBL regular season, the standings are as follows:
- Townsville Fire (13-6): Seattle Storm guard Sami Whitcomb
- Southside Flyers (12-7): former Dallas Wings guard Jasmine Dickey, Seattle Storm center Mercedes Russell
- Bendigo Spirit (11-9)
- Sydney Uni Flames (11-9): Washington Mystics forward Didi Richards, former Las Vegas Aces forward Cayla George
- Melbourne Boomers (11-9): Atlanta Dream guard Jordin Canada, Indiana Fever guard Kristy Wallace, Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon
- Perth Lynx (10-10): Los Angeles Sparks guard Aari McDonald
- Adelaide Lightning (7-13): Chicago Sky forward Brianna Turner, Los Angeles Sparks forward Stephanie Talbot, Connecticut Sun guard Jocelyn Willoughby
- UC Capitals (4-16): Seattle Storm guard Jade Melbourne
A shout out for standout players
Aari McDonald, who was traded from the Atlanta Dream to the Los Angeles Sparks earlier this month, remains the leading scorer in the WNBL. McDonald is averaging 19.3 points per game for the Perth Lynx. At 10-10, the Lynx are likely out of the playoff race, but McDonald has put together a strong individual season.
Sharpshooter Amy Atwell, also a member of the Perth Lynx, is averaging 17.7 points per game and shooting 36.1 percent from downtown. Atwell signed a training camp contract with the Phoenix Mercury last week, so she’ll join a decorated list of WNBL athletes who will have the opportunity to play in the WNBA. Other players near the top of the WNBL in scoring are UC Capitals guard Jade Melbourne (16.8 points per game), the Sydney Flames’ Lauren Nicholson (16.7) and the Capitals’ Alex Sharp (15.9).
Chicago Sky forward Brianna Turner, meanwhile, has solidified her spot as the league’s best rebounder; the Adelaide Lightning player is grabbing 13.9 boards per game. In a win over the Melbourne Boomers last week, Turner put together a 17-point and 17-rebound double-double performance.
On the defensive end, Jordin Canada, playing for the Boomers, leads the league in steals with 2.9 per game. The new member of the Atlanta Dream also leads the league in assists per game, averaging 7.8. Jade Melbourne is a close second, putting up 7.4 assists per game.
With just over a week remaining in the regular season, it should be a close race for postseason contention. You catch all the WNBL action on the WNBA App.
