Grand final repeat as Stateside heavy favourites to complete title hat-trick over Olympians

The more things change, the more they stay the same ... at least for Geraldton women’s basketball as Olympians and Stateside will meet once again in Friday’s grand final. As with last season, the Scorpions have done most of the running, finishing as the minor premiers two games clear at the top of the table, while Olympians overcame Pumas to finish as runner-up. However, as they head into the same match-up as last year’s decider, the only difference so far is that Pumas have gotten closer to Olympians, while Olympians have not appeared to close the gap to Stateside. Indeed, Pumas are the only team to have defeated Stateside more than once this year. That is not to say Olympians aren’t without a chance. They are the only other team to beat Stateside this season in round nine, while they led for most of the night in the qualifier before they were done in by a late burst. The two teams play very different game styles, with Olympians possessing two of the best three-point shooters in the league in Gemma Dix and Sharnee Williamson. They are happy to hit lobs from deep rather than drive through to crack open defences. Stateside are the complete opposite. Abbie McDonald is this year’s top scorer in the league, averaging 21 points per game, but she has hit just seven threes in that time. Their other main weapon, Charlotte Kennedy, has hit 10 and their whole line-up combined has not hit as many shots from deep as Dix and Williamson. Instead, in McDonald and Kennedy they possess the tallest and most dominant centre and power forward in the league. They are happy to use their size and strength to run through defensive structures while they use small Shannelle Jetta as a sharp shooting bail-out option. It’s that combination that has brought them success in recent years and it will be hard for the Olympians to contend with. Olympians are the biggest foulers in the league, with four of their starting five in the top five worst foulers this season. Undersized as they are against Stateside, it will be hard for them to not keep giving up free looks at the basket. It’s telling that when they beat Stateside in round nine, their two best players, Williamson and Dix, kept out of foul trouble. If the Olympians can keep their noses clean and their big guns play near to their best, they have a chance to use their superior shooting to keep out of reach of the Scorpions’ sting. But it’s a tall order and Stateside will be confident they have enough dynamism in their game to get the job done yet again.