Tara Murray
Wyndham got a much needed test in the Big V women’s state championship division on Saturday night.
With a gap between the top and the bottom sides, Wyndham welcomed the top of the table challenge against the Bulleen Boomers.
The two teams were locked at 16-apiece at quarter time, before the Boomers led by three points at the main break.
Wyndham took the lead in the third quarter and led by a point heading into the final quarter.
A 24-20 final quarter, sealed the 81-76 win.
Wyndham coach Gerard Hillier said it wasn’t the greatest game, but they did enough to come away with the points.
“It wasn’t too bad, we didn’t play anywhere near our potential,” he said.
“We’re finding a way to win and we did that last [Saturday] night. Bulleen is a strong team and they challenged us from the get go.
“We got the win in ugly circumstances, but we will take it.”
Amanda Paschal top scored with 32 points for Wyndham while Dyani Ananiev scored 18 points coming off the bench.
The win keeps Wyndham undefeated and at the top of the table.
Hillier said at times it had been hard to get a real read on their form.
“There is a really big gap between the three and the rest of the competition,” he said.
“The reality is the top teams don’t get competitive games every week. Sometimes it can lull you into a false sense of security.”
While happy with the season so far, Hillier said they are nowhere near their best basketball.
“We’ve just got Lauran Jones back from college,’ he said.
“Zoe [Zwerling] has missed the last four rounds with illness. We’re still a few weeks out from our best basketball.
“We’ve still managed to win all our games so far. It has been frustrating not having our full side to get the structures right.”
As part of trying to get the connections right, Hillier has made some changes to the starting line up.
Ananiev has come off the bench in recent rounds.
“It’s been about helping other players get a bit more experience,” Hillier said.
“We’ve put Lauren Jones into the starting five to fast track the gelling side of things.
“It’s a tough match up with Dyani coming off the bench. It’s about exposure and finding our best starting five.”
Wyndham this week faces the Sunbury Jets on Sunday afternoon before the King’s Birthday weekend bye.
Wyndham’s men’s side fell just short against Melbourne University in the state championship division on Sunday.
It was a topsy turvy game with both sides having periods of dominance. A 25-16 final quarter would prove the difference with Melbourne University winning, 99-92.
The loss results in Wyndham dropping from first to fourth.
