Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
The Adelaide Lightning have dug deep to end their wait for a first WNBL win as they overcame the Southside Melbourne Flyers 84-74.
The South Australians had lost their opening three games of the season and were desperate to get their campaign off and running at Victoria’s State Basketball Centre on Sunday.
American guard Shay Ciezki was at the centre of the victory as she underlined her importance with a season-high 25 points, which included 11 from 11 free throws.
Opal Zitina Aokuso was also an inspiration as she recorded another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Steph Talbot had a quieter game (four points, three assists) because of minute restrictions and injuries.
It wasn’t an easy victory for the Lightning even though they led by 10 points at halftime with the Flyers firing after the main break to pull themselves firmly into the contest.
Adelaide tried to put some breathing room between them and their opponents, but the youthful Southside Melbourne continued to up the ante to trail 68-65 midway through the fourth quarter.
From there, Ciezki led a Lightning 6-2 run to create a seven-point lead which the visitors couldn’t pin back.
“To tell you the truth, it doesn’t feel that much different than the losses. We’ve got work to do. We’re going to keep building,” coach Aja Parham-Ammar said.
“We didn’t execute everything we spoke about this week, but we executed that (free throws), and it was what got us over the line.”
For the Flyers, they were looking to bounce back from a five-point loss to the Geelong Venom last round, and 17-year-old Madison Ryan continued to show why she is one of Australia’s brightest talents by registering 16 points and five rebounds.
Point guard Tess Heal was also busy with 19 points and four assists, but the Flyers’ poor shooting from three-point range (13 per cent) hurt their chances of claiming a second victory.
“Madi’s in year 11. She’s got a lot going on in the basketball world, and has limited ability to train with (us),” coach Sam Mackinnon said.
“You can see the impact she has on the game. It’s really positive.
“Today is one of those games where … we probably missed half a dozen layups. I thought we turned down too many open threes for tougher shots.”
