In what started as a less-than-ideal season for the women, their Championship win was a result of a true team effort, the grit and determination each player showed all contributed to the final win.
A midseason coaching change, and the loss of multiple players made for a challenging experience, but the team found themselves in good hands. The experienced and Melbourne University legend, Amelia Smith, and the passionate, up and coming coach of Kyle Ogden were ready to step up to the plate.
Despite facing a series of adversity throughout the year, the Black Angels women rallied and were able to just sneak into finals, thanks to a game winning lay up by Katie Harrington – her highlight clip blowing up online with over 500,000 views on Instagram. This would act as the catalyst for advancing to the final dance.
After taking out Blackburn, they went on to defeat RMIT Redbacks and then the Surf Coast Chargers. Phina Newton lead from the point in the absence of Emma Schmidtke who suffered a season-ending ACL injury, young gun Katie Harrington was unstoppable in her ability to get to the rack, Lara Essex found her form from the three-point line, and the twin towers of Hana Bektas and Meera Coburn were a constant headache for their competition. Colby Rough (the name speaks for itself), sharp shooters Julia Gnocato and Ariyel Edwards, the pesky Bonnie Holmann, Amisha Russell, Brianna Kline and Ruby Lomas-Mee often forced to play in positions other than their own, provided value off the bench – each steal, point and rebound contributing to the team’s success.
Making the trip out to Wallan to a sold-out stadium, they faced a strong Wallan Panthers team that were brimming with confidence, backed by their home crowd. It was a fierce contest, and in the fourth quarter the Black Angels found themselves down with the Panthers on a run. However, with a final surge and some clutch manoeuvres from Grand Final MVP, Meera Coburn, they were able to swing the momentum and finish the game up by two points. It was an emphatic finish and an emotional celebration for the team, who had faced battles on and off the court throughout the season but were now able to call themselves Champions and earn a spot in Division One, where they rightfully belong.
