KILSYTH COBRAS

Wins - 2
Losses – 13
Standing – 6^th  
2016 result – 4 wins, 12 losses

THE GOOD

While it was a tough season for Kilsyth and their win/loss record was disappointing, their future still looks bright with Teisha Shadwell leading the way. She earned the Best New Talent award, averaging 9.8 points (second for the Cobras) and 7.9 rebounds per game. Bree Mellberg and Jamie Villalon also impressed throughout the season and Shelley Chaplin finished third for assists (7.7) and was a machine from the free-throw line to help her to nine points per contest. The club’s most successful weekend came in Round 2 when they recorded wins over Queensland and Red Dust to put them in the top four temporarily.

THE BAD

After finishing the 2015 season unbeaten, Kilsyth have managed to collate just six wins over the past two years. They finished the season on an eight-game losing streak which led them to the worst overall defence in the league and they only had one player average double-figure scoring which was the lowest mark in the competition.

STANDOUT PERFORMER

Leanne Del Toso led the Cobras with 16.9 points (also placing her third in the league) while recording 10.3 boards and 5.3 assists (fifth in the league) per game. She finished as one of only six players to average a double-double, collecting four in a row to finish the year in style while in her last game, she fell just an assist short of a triple-double. Playing a full 40 minutes in all but one game, Del Toso shouldered a heavy load for Kilsyth in 2017 but further proved her leadership qualities.

NEXT YEAR

The Cobras are building their young group and will be hoping to reap some rewards next season. They had a healthy range of scorers in 2017 but still need more offensive production to help out Del Toso at that end of the floor while some stronger bodies defensively will help keep opposition scores to a manageable total.