WNBL Awards 2009-2010 - Jun 14, 2010
Coach of the Year: Tom Maher of Bulleen Boomers Rookie of the Year: Tayla Roberts (191-F/C-93) of AIS Top Shooter Award: Suzy Batkovic-Brown (193-C-80) of Sydney Uni Flames All-Star Five: Kristi Harrower (166-G-75) of Bendigo Spirit of Bendigo Spirit Suzy Batkovic-Brown of Sydney Uni Flames Elizabeth Cambage (203-C-91) of Bulleen Melbourne Boomers Jenna O'Hea (185-G/F-87) of Bulleen Melbourne Boomers Deanna Smith (179-G-80) of Sydney Uni Flames WNBL: Canberra Capitals claim seventh championship! - Mar 6, 2010 It was a performance worthy of a championship bout and the Canberra Capitals stood up and claimed the 2009/10 WNBL title 75-70 at in Melbourne on Saturday. The defending champions also claimed the title as the most successful club in the history of the WNBL, winning their seventh championship. The Caps fought back from an eight point deficit to steal the championship from the host team the Bulleen Boomers. Point guard Natalie Hurst (163-G-83) led the Caps all game but it was Marianna Tolo's blocks on Elizabeth Cambage (203-C-91) in the dying minutes that Canberra coach Carrie Graf said made the difference in the end. Tolo just made Cambage eat it four or five times in a row, that was huge, Graf said. Lizzies going to be a star, I mean that kid can play Tolo showed in the clutch why she was the shot-blocker of the season, shes done it all year but to do it in the final against someone 68 it was monumental. Carly Wilson (181-G-82) shots down the stretch, we recruited her to be a perimeter scorer and a defender. I think she battled tough at the end on OHea and it was count for count; they hit a big one, we hit a big one. I think Hurst won the battle of the point guard, Milner was tough but she wasnt Hurst; Hurst made things happen, she controlled our tempo, I mean it was just a classy WNBL match. Graf also paid tribute to the team's ability to stay calm in the clutch moments. It was our poise; weve been in this situation many times,' Graf said. 'Weve got a huge amount of finals experience, big game experience. Unlike in the regular season game where we total lost our poise, lost our momentum, I think in this game we stayed on our goals to focus on the moment for 40 minutes. We didnt get flustered we maintained our composure. After an inspiring Preliminary Final performance Capitals point guard Natalie Hurst once again led the Caps to victory with 21 points, three assists and three rebounds. Canberra's star signing Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81) had a quiet first quarter but nearly took over the game in the second half with 18 points and 13 rebounds to be named Grand Final MVP but dedicated the award to her teammates. Graf also said there were a number of standout players on the day. Anyone who says it a Lauren Jackson show theyre out of their minds,' Graf said. 'She knows that, our team knows that; shes going to win us some games and shes going to make your team better, she makes them better at practice, she makes them better on the court but you saw tonight she gritted it out she got triple-teamed and she stayed on it, came up with possessions, a couple of big shots when we needed it. She draws so much attention but Wilson gets open for three, Hurst gets open for three She said it herself, Lauren cant win championships and gold medals alone its about the team with her and around her.' Bulleen guard Jenna OHea (185-G/F-87) led all scorers with 26 points, and added five assists and seven rebounds, Elizabeth Cambage added a 16 point, 11 rebound double-double, but the Boomers ran out of steam in the final quarter. It didnt take long for both teams to settle in. After going coast-to-coast a couple of times the crowd finally got involved when Elizabeth Cambage got her first touch of the ball and went to the basket. She was fouled but nailed the first free throw to open the scoring. Nat Hurst got the Caps firing, making some tough shots but Canberra was not clicking offensively. Jackson had two fouls within the first three minutes and was sent to the bench allowing Cambage to rack up some points but the former Dandenong junior soon earned her own second personal foul and was also benched. Bulleen blanketed the Caps defensively and Abby Bishop missed an open layup on the buzzer at quarter-time allowing Bulleen a 14-12 lead. The second quarter started at a furious pace and the defending champions scored the first seven points of the term to open up a 19-14 lead. Jackson finally got on the score board a minute and a half into the second term and fired up the Caps. The game started to get physical as Bulleen worked to stop the Caps scoring run. A Jenna OHea 3-pointer midway through the term slowed the pace somewhat and when the Boomers hit the front again a minute later Canberra Coach Carrie Graf called a timeout to regroup. The Caps hit back immediately from the timeout but OHea continued on a rampage, finishing with nine points for the quarter and earning a 33-30 lead for Bulleen. Bulleen point guard Sharin Milner opened up with a 3-pointer to start the second half and after OHea blocked Kellie Abrams shot attempt Cambage converted at the other end for an eight point lead. Canberra started clamping down on OHea and after consecutive triples from Nat Hurst and Lauren Jackson Bulleen coach Tom Maher had had enough and called a timeout with the Caps ahead by two. Jackson hit one from range before the players turned on a shooting display with OHea, Hurst and Bulleene Kylie Reid all hitting from long range. With 4.4 seconds remaining in the quarter the Caps did all they could to shut down the Boomers final play. The leagues best shot-blocker Marianna Tolo swatted away OHeas attempted but Bulleen veteran Desi Glaubtiz pulled in the rejected shot and nailed a 2-pointer on the siren. The home team held a 56-53 advantage at the start of the final term and when OHea hit her third 3-pointer the Boomers were out by six. Tolo took the job on Cambage and blocked her first three shot attempts, drawing the foul on the 203cm in the third instance and Cambage was called to the bench. Carly Wilson iced a triple to bring the Caps back within one point. Abrams was awarded her fifth foul with five minutes remaining leaving Graf in a dilemma as to whom could match OHea but the coach said it also worked in their favour. In a roundabout way when Abrams fouled out it forced us to put our three bigs on, which wed practiced during the week but we hadnt pulled the trigger on it much and I think when we went with that big lineup Tolo made stops and Jackson and Abby Bishop with Tolo the size for us helped us down the stretch. With the rain pelting the roof and the Bulleen faithful in full song the teams traded baskets in the final minutes Bishop triple 72-70 2:13 then was fouled at the other end, and with Bulleen in the bonus, she went to the free throw line and drained 1-of-2 attempts. Jackson missed a pointer with 25 seconds remaining and the Boomers and 20 seconds to make something happen. Jarry missed the equaliser and as the Capitals grabbed the rebound, the contingent of Caps fans made themselves known. Bulleen fouled with 3.7 seconds on the clock, sending Jackson to the line, she drained them both, and the game was over. Our goal was to try and keep them under 65,' Graf said. 'They made some huge shots, OHea step back threes they made some good shots against great D, it was classic great play but we knew if we could keep them around that 65 mark we had enough tools to try and get it done. Courtesy of WNBL (www.wnbl.com.au) WNBL 2009/10 All-Star Five named - Mar 9, 2010 The Womens National Basketball League (WNBL) is pleased to announce the selection of its All-Star Five for the 2009/10 season. The All-Star Five members were presented at halftime of yesterdays Grand Final at The Cage, Melbourne. The All-Star Five is determined by a poll of the head coaches, assistant coaches and team captains from all WNBL teams at the completion of the regular season and aims to recognise athletes for their on-court achievements. Coaches and Captains are not permitted to vote for members of their own teams. 2009/10 All-Star Five: Kristi Harrower (166-G-75) Jenna OHea (185-G/F-87) Deanna Smith (179-G-80) Elizabeth Cambage (203-C-91) Suzy Batkovic-Brown (193-C-80) Kristi Harrower Bendigo Bank Spirit Harrower is named in the WNBL All-Star Five for the second consecutive year. The Bendigo point guard led the league with five assists per game and was the second best scorer in the league, averaging 23.8 points per game. Harrower was among the top ten players in four other statistical categories - 3-point percentage (3rd with 40%), foul shot percentage (4th with 83.4%), defensive rebounds (7th with 5 per game), and field goal percentage (10th with 48%) and tallied a WNBL career high and equal league-wide season high of 40 points on February 7. The spiritual leader and on-court general of the Spirit, Harrower was the driving force behind Bendigos push into the finals. She was named Player of the Month for October and Player of the Week twice in the 2009/10 season. Jenna OHea Global Metals Bulleen Boomers OHea returned to the WNBL in 2009/10 after a season in France and she impressed with her all-round game. She averaged 12 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game and was amongst the top ten athletes in the league in assists (3rd), foul shot percentage (3rd with 83.6%) and defensive rebounds (10th with 4.6 per game). OHea was the spiritual leader of the Boomers and stepped up in the clutch moments for the minor premiers. The Bulleen guard earned the Player of the Week Award twice this season, in Round 15 and 18 when she led the Boomers past the Townsville Fire and Canberra Capitals. Deanna Smith ACUVUE Sydney Uni Flames Smith settled into her new role with the Flames after signing with the Sydney-based club following a season with the Perth Lynx. Despite having to adjust to a new club, Smith went on to average 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game in the regular season. Her 16.6 points per game was the fifth best average in the league and Smith was one of the leagues best players in another six statistical categories; foul shot percentage (2nd with 84.3%), 3-point percentage (2nd with 40.5%), field goal percentage (4th with 50%), offensive rebounds (5th with 3 per game), assists (9th), and steals (10th). Smith scored in double figures in 18 of 22 regular season games and was named Player of the Week in Rounds 11 and 16. This accolade is the second All-Star selection for Smith after she was also named in the All-Star Five in the 2008/09 season. Elizabeth Cambage Global Metals Bulleen Boomers After two seasons at the Australian Institute of Sport Cambage had a breakout year with Bulleen. The 203cm centre won two statistical awards this season, Best Field Goal Shooting Percentage Award for the second consecutive season and Leading Rebounder. Cambage converted 169 of 286 attempts from the field at 59.1 percent, rating 3.2 percent higher than the next player. She was the most consistent rebounder in both the offensive and defensive categories to claim the overall rebounding award with 9.6 rebounds per game at the end of the regular season. Cambage tallied 10 or more rebounds in 12 of her 22 games this season. Her biggest rebounding haul in a single game was in Round 10 when she grabbed 17 boards against the Perth Lynx. Cambage set a new personal career high of 36 points which she tallied against Dandenong in Round 17. The 18-year-old earned two Player of the Week accolades this season in Round 10 and 13. Suzy Batkovic-Brown ACUVUE Sydney Uni Flames Batkovic-Brown missed the last two rounds of the regular season with a knee injury but had been a standout for the Flames throughout the season averaging 24.6 points per game across 20 games. The 193cm centre was the key offensive weapon for Sydney Uni and provided other teams with a difficult matchup. Batkovic-Brown was named the leagues Leading Scorer after scoring 20 or more points in 17 of her 20 games, and 30 or more points in five outings. She recorded a season high of 35 points and was twice named Player of the Week. The Beijing Olympian also posted averages of 8.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.8 assists, and 1.7 blocks over 20 games. Batkovic-Brown was ranked second in defensive rebounds (7 per game), second in steals (1.9), second in blocked shots (1.7), fifth in total rebounds (8.8), ninth in field goal percentage (48.6%), tenth in foul shot percentage (73.6%). Courtesy of WNBL (www.wnbl.com.au) |
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Canberra claim seventh WNBL championship (Photo:wnbl.com.au)
Graf
