Unbeaten Panthers extinguish Flames’ effort

Reigning premiers Panthers remain unbeaten in the Albany Basketball Association women’s A-grade competition after cruising to a 25-point win over Flames in their round 3 fixture on Tuesday night.

A fast start had Panthers out by eight points early in the piece and at half-time they led by 10 points in a game that lacked real spark.

Tayeesha Weeden reduced the deficit to single figures with the first points of the second half for Flames but they could never get a substantial run to eat into Panthers’ advantage.

Emerging centre Jade Dimer was terrific in the opening half and despite a quieter second half, her teammates Tully Lane, Kayla Thomas and Kasey Warren ensured their side would chalk up two wins in a row.

Lane and Warren were able to negate Flames’ height in the keyway and both contributed strongly on the offensive end.

It was another productive night at the office for Thomas, as she controlled the floor and added 10 points in her side’s emphatic 55-30 victory.

Dimer top-scored in the game with 11 points, while Lane (10 points) and Warren (6) provided strong support.

Alyssa Ward worked tirelessly and finished with 6 points and Brittany Mariah contributed 9 points but their side lacked polish in attack and were sloppy on the defensive end, giving up easy points in the keyway far too often.

Magpies made light work of the Raiders’ under-18 development squad in the other match, with Macy Lane recording a game-high 13 points.

Trio Jasmyne Jones, Nardia and Narelle Humphries were also key figures in the 52-23 win as they each chipped in with 9 points.

Thomas doubled up to play with Raiders and was their best scoring avenue with 7 points but lacked support.