BENDIGO Lady Braves have come up nine-points shy of a first SEABL national championship in 10 years following a gut-wrenching loss to Geelong Supercats tonight.
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The Lady Braves were unable to withstand a courageous second-half fight back from the Supercats, who won 76-67.
It was their third-consecutive win over the Lady Braves this season and delivered the Lady Supercats their first SEABL championship.
The Lady Braves were fast out of the blocks and, with import Chante Black in great touch, led 21-12 at quarter time.
They were able to extend their lead to 14 at half time, outscoring the east conference champion Supercats 19-14.
So often their downfall this season, the Lady Braves relinquished control of the contest in the third quarter, with Australian Opals star Sara Blicavs the architect behind a strong challenge, which pulled the Supercats within one point at the final break.
With Ellen Kett (17 points and six rebounds) and Bendigo Spirit WNBL youngster Ebony Rolph (14 points and seven rebounds) at their best in the second half, the Supercats outscored the Lady Braves 25-15 in the last quarter to score a nine point win.
Blicavs, who spent two seasons with the WNBL Spirit, led all players on court with a game-high 23 points and 13 telling rebounds.
Second-year import Black led the Lady Braves with 15 points and nine rebounds, ably assisted by point guard Kelly Wilson (12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists).
Ashley Rininger scored 12 points and had eight boards for the Lady Braves, while Carlie Smith finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
The Lady Braves had been chasing their first national championship since 2017.
They entered the grand final in top form following a south conference championship win over Launceston Tornadoes and an earlier finals win over top-seed Dandenong Rangers.
Their aspirations of a national championship looked to be on the cards at half time, when they led by 14 points, but the Supercats were able to hold their nerve under pressure to first work their way back into the contest and then put the lid on a polished second-half performance.
