Glasscraft Wannerroo Wolves are now one win away from making the WSBL Grand Final after defeating minor premiers Southlands Boulevarde Willetton Tigers in Game One on Saturday night.

The 74-68 victory sees the fifth-seeded Wolves take an early series advantage as they look to make their first Grand Final appearance since 1997, while two-time defending champions Willetton will have to come from behind to make the title decider.

Rebecca Mercer continued her impressive form for Wanneroo to lead all scorers with 19 points, while Shani Amos and Ainsleigh Sanders were next best with 12 points apiece. For the Tigers, Jasmine Hooper was their best with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Melissa Marsh contributed 16.

“I’m pretty proud of the girls tonight, we stuck to our process. We know they will come back at us though,” Wanneroo coach Craig Friday said.

“To keep Willetton under 70 points, I’m pretty happy with that."

Coming off a Quarter Final series win over the Mandurah Magic, the Wolves also celebrated veteran Sue Williams’ 450th game which took place last week away from home.

Zoe Harper looked to get the top seeded Tigers off to a fast start as she quickly gained the advantage over her opponent Sanders with some strong post play in the first few minutes. However Wanneroo’s full court press forced Willetton into turnovers and resulted in easy baskets for the Wolves and an early 10-4 lead.

Hooper was the standout early for the Tigers connecting on numerous outside jump shots. Wanneroo’s defence kept playmaker Marsh quiet in the first half and forced her into some tough shots. Marsh scored her first basket with just over three minutes remaining in the second quarter and shot only one from nine for the half.

The Tigers tightened their defence in the second quarter and forced the Wolves into some bad passing, with Hooper helping Willetton stay close. They were let down, however, by allowing the Wanneroo guards offensive rebounds and second chance opportunities. Amos was particularly effective on the offensive glass and Megan Lee provided some spark with her aggressive attacks on the ball underneath the ring.

Despite a quiet first half, Kate Malpass began to find her touch as she made consecutive jumpshots for the Tigers, but Williams provided the highlight of the first half with a three pointer right on the buzzer to give the Wolves a 34-29 lead at the main break.

Hooper led all scorers at the half with 13 points, while Wanneroo had each player who stepped on the floor make the scoresheet.

The second half started positively for both Marsh and Malpass as they each made two early shots. Meanwhile the Wolves appeared to lose their shooting touch as they started the half cold. They regained momentum however after Sanders came up with a huge block on Harper and then converted a three point play on the next possession.

Sanders continued on her way as she stole the ball at half court and raced the full length of the floor to draw a fourth foul on Harper and send her to the bench. Marsh then narrowed the gap back to two points after a last second shot to end the third quarter.

With both Harper and Malpass on the bench with four fouls, it was up to Marsh to lead the way for the Tigers. She managed to keep the Tigers close as an Ebony Antonio three pointer brought the margin back to one. Foul trouble would continue to haunt the Tigers as Marsh and Hooper both picked up their fourth fouls. Malpass fouled out soon after and was joined by Hooper and Marsh not long after.

The Tigers were in the penalty for much of the quarter and the accurate free throw shooting of Wanneroo saw their lead extend further. Mercer, playing in her final home game for Wanneroo, stepped up with a three pointer to push the lead out to nine. From there the task proved too much for the Tigers as the Wolves held on for the victory.

“We had really good practice last week playing against Mandurah, they have the same calibre of guards and bigs as Willetton so we were lucky to play a similar team,” Mercer said after the game.

“We all take pride in our defence and that’s the only thing that goes on the board for us."

Game Two of the series takes place next Friday night at the Willetton Basketball Stadium, and if necessary Game Three will occur on Saturday night. The victorious team will face the winner of the series between East Perth and Perry Lakes, which the Eagles lead one-nil.

Article by Nathan Winch at Joondalup Basketball Stadium

Photo by Wayne Wright (Wayne Wright Photography)

Follow the SBL on Facebook