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The 2024-25 WNBL regular season is complete and only four teams remain: No. 1 Bendigo Spirit, No. 2 Perth Lynx, No. 3 Townsville Fire and No. 4 Sydney Flames.
The playoffs begin on Feb. 22, with the second-place Lynx playing the third-place Fire in the first game of their best-of-three series. A day later, the league-leading Spirit kick off their best-of-three matchup against the fourth-place Flames. The Spirit, undoubtedly, were the best team of the season, losing just three of 21 games in total.
And the best player on the team was just named league MVP. Sami Whitcomb, who at the beginning of the month signed with the Phoenix Mercury, averaged 21 points and five assists. The veteran guard will be a nice addition to the revamped Mercury roster. Before then, though, there’s still one order of business remaining: winning the WNBL Finals.
To get there, Whitcomb and the Spirit first have to play against the Flames, who were 8-13, but may pose a surprising challenge for the Spirit, as Shaneice Swain’s shooting ability makes the Flames a threat to any team. The Spirit, though, are the favorites, likely to meet in the finals with the last year’s runner-ups, the Lynx.
Two of Lynx players, Laeticia Amihere and Ally Wilson, made the All WNBL First Team and two, Anneli Maley and Miela Sowah, made the All WNBL Second Team. Rarely do four players from one team make the league top 10, but the Lynx are that good and that balanced. They will play the Fire, who feature Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Cox. The Fire also are team without superstars, which could advantage them against a well-balanced squad like the Lynx.
WNBL Semi-Finals schedule
Games are available for streaming on the FIBA Basketball YouTube channel.
No. 2-seed Perth Lynx vs. No. 3-seed Townsville Fire
Game 1: Saturday, Feb. 22 at 4 a.m. ET
Game 2: Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 3:30 a.m. ET
Game 3 (if required): Saturday, Mar. 1 at 4 a.m. ET
No. 1-seed Bendigo Spirit vs. No. 4-seed Sydney Flames
Game 1: Sunday, Feb. 23 at 11:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: Thursday, Feb. 27 at 3 a.m. ET
Game 3 (if required): Sunday, Mar. 2 at 11:30 p.m. ET
