Myrtleford’s women’s basketball side’s season came to an abrupt end on Saturday at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre, knocked out of the North East Women’s Country Basketball League competition. Taking on Wodonga Wolves, the Saints fought hard for the first half but ultimately came up short, 75-26. The Saints finished the season third overall but were the underdogs coming into the semi-final against the Wolves, having not beaten them all season. With margins of 18 points and 16 points already between them this year, the Saints would need a near-perfect game to come out on top. The match started well enough for the Saints, able to match Wodonga point for point through the opening quarter, the scoreboard deadlocked at 15-15 early. The second term saw Wodonga start to pull away, able to penetrate Myrtleford’s defence and put up 23 points ahead of half-time. Myrtleford stayed in the hunt however, only trailing by seven points, 31-38 at the major break. While the Saints upped their scoring after the half, Wodonga radically improved their own. The Wolves were putting up three pointer after three pointer, and started to pull away and widen the margin through the third term. While they fought valiantly throughout the match, ultimately the Saints came up 21 points short of a chance to defend their CBL title. Coach Kory Batt said in the end the Wolves were just that bit more polished. “The girls fought right to the end, but Wodonga was just too good,” he said. “We had a really good first half, but in the third we probably just dropped off our intensity on the offensive end, and Wodonga capitalised on making some big shots. “From there, we were playing catch up and it's very hard to do that when you come up against a quality side.” Taylah Reidy was exemplary, finishing with 30 points (three three pointers), while Matilda Preston (16pts, three threes), and Evie Hughes (10 points, two threes) also had major impacts. While they fell short of ultimate success, Batt said it was a very successful run. “Credit to the women though, it was another fantastic season,” he said. “It's not easy making finals in this comp. “I would like to thank all our supporters that came along Saturday night and created a great atmosphere. “We really do have the best support crew.” The 2025 NE Women CBL title will be contested between Albury Cougars and Wodonga Wolves, while Seymour Blasters and Wallan Panthers will contest the men’s title.
