Southside spoil Tasmania's first away game with dominant second half
A week removed from the first game in their history, which they won at home against Geelong, the Tasmania Jewels flew over the Bass Strait, hoping they could win their first ever away game and improve their record to 2-0.
In their way were the Southside Melbourne Flyers, who were ready to make amends after a narrow 73-77 loss against Sydney in their season opener.
It may have been a Flyers home game, but, as they already proved with the Jackjumpers in the NBL and in multiple other sporting codes, Tasmanians show up for their team. Despite being played on a weeknight, there were a noticeable amount of Jewels fans in attendance, hoping to see the visitors leave with a victory.
They'll certainly have enjoyed the first quarter, as the Jewels pulled away to a 28-17 lead at quarter-time. Stephanie Reid led the game in scoring early on for Tasmania with seven points, while teammate Darcee Garbin contributed with six points and a game-high four rebounds.
Despite this, the Flyers wouldn't give up without a fight. Much to the delight of the home crowd, Southside managed to claw their way back throughout the second quarter, even briefly holding the lead. The Jewels were able to finish the first half on top, leading 46-45, but with the Flyers holding all the momentum, there was every chance of Tasmania's lead slipping in the third quarter.
Yet, no one could've seen the third quarter being as one-sided as it was. Much to the dismay of Jewels coach Claudia Brassard, the Flyers began the third quarter on a 17-2 run, as Tasmania went over five minutes without a basket. The final three minutes were slightly better for the visiting side, but with Southside holding a 74-60 lead at three-quarter-time, it was beginning to feel like Tasmania had let the opportunity to win their first ever away game slip through their fingers.
By the end of the game, Tasmania's dominant first quarter felt like a distant memory, with Southside winning 91-77.
Hannah Hank led the way in scoring for the Flyers with 23 points, while Tess Heal also impressed with 21 points, four rebounds and five assists.
This game marks the first win for new Southside coach Sam Mackinnon, and he couldn't be happier with how his team played, specifically in the third quarter.
"Against that team, you don't want to call too many timeouts, so it was nice for us to go on a run. We attacked a few of their bigs and started to run over the top. It was nice to go on that little run like that because I know we're capable of it. For us it's trying to play that 40-minute game and really having fun trying to do that."
Equally, MacKinnon was nothing but complimentary of Tasmania, believing that the WNBL's newest franchise will be end up being a brilliant addition.
"It's super exciting, the team they put on the floor is amazing for a first up. We play them twice in Tassie, so I'm not looking forward to that too much with their home crowds, but I think it's really exciting to have Claudia (Brassard) back in the league as a head coach. You see Steph Reid do her thing and Darcee Garbin coming back off having a baby. They've got some really talented players there, so it's great for the WNBL."
It's a short turnaround for Southside, who travel down the highway to play Geelong this Saturday, while Tasmania have time to recover with a nine-day break before hosting Sydney.
