The Southside Melbourne Flyers travelled to Townsville over the weekend for the Inaugural Townsville Tip-Off, the WNBL’s first stand alone pre-season tournament.
Ready to put their pre-season learnings to the test, the Flyers started strongly against the Perth Lynx in game one of the tournament with a convincing 102-74 win on Friday night. The Flyers off-season recruits Cayla George, Issie Bourne, and Makenna Marisa gelled on the court to combine for 58 points between them. Bourne showed why she is an emerging Australian talent and a player to keep a very close eye on this season, recording a near tripled ouble, finishing the game with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Fresh off a silver medal with the Gems at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup, Manny Puoch was strong off the bench with 12 points and 4 rebounds and is a young talent on the Flyers roster you won’t want to miss this season. The team travelled to Townsville without Maddy Rocci, however, Haylee Andrews stepped into the starting point guard position to have a standout game. Andrews finished the game with 9 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds.
On Saturday night, the Flyers came up against some familiar faces (Kerryn Mitchell and Dallas Loughridge) when they took on the Adelaide Lightning in their final game of the Townsville Tip-Off. With bragging rights on the line to win the tournament, the Flyers started strongly again and got out to a 44-17 lead at half time. The Lightning were able to slow the scoring of the Flyers in the second half, however, they weren’t able to slow it down enough as the Flyers recorded their second win of the tournament, 67-48.
Issie Bourne had another dominant performance and showed how versatile she can be on both ends of the floor, recording 14 points and 7 rebounds. After a quiet game one scoring wise, Tera Reed stepped up to have a standout performance in game two finishing with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Heading into her second season in teal, we are predicting Reed will play a much bigger role in the team, and is another talent to watch this season. Flyers import Makenna Marisa had a consistent performance in game two and finished the game with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
The Flyers were unable to claim the inaugural Townsville Tip-Off, however our tournament ended with rising talent, Issie Bourne being awarded the Tiana Mangakahia Award as the MVP of the Townsville Tip-Off. Named in honour of the late Tiana Mangakahia - a much-loved figure in basketball who recently passed away at the age of 30 following a courageous battle with breast cancer - the award represents the same grit, determination and passion which defines Tiana's legacy.
With two strong performances in Townsville, the Flyers have set the tone for an exciting season ahead. Fans can look forward to seeing Issie Bourne’s versatility, Cayla George’s leadership and inside presence, and Tera Reed’s confidence and playmaking when the Flyers take the court for the WNBL season opener at John Cain Arena on Saturday, 18 October. With Maddy Rocci back in the lineup to steer the offense, this is your chance to witness the Flyers’ new-look roster in action from the very first tip-off. Secure your tickets now through Ticketek here and be part of the action!
Become a Flyers member today and guarantee your seat for every home game, including the season opener at John Cain Arena. Join the Flyers family and rise with us all season long here.
