Mackenzie Holmes edged Cayla George in a battle between two of the WNBL’s biggest stars to help deliver the Geelong Venom a second consecutive win for the first time since December 2024.
The Venom overcame Southside Melbourne Flyers 66-54 after a fourth-quarter blitz and solid defensive showing at Geelong Arena on Friday night.
The Victorian derby was headlined by the clash between American Holmes and Opals veteran George.
Holmes registered her seventh consecutive double-digit scoring game (20 points) while George (16 rebounds, seven points) fell short of securing her fourth consecutive double-double.
It was George’s 376th match, moving her up to fifth on the WNBL’s list for most games played.
Jaz Shelley (15 points, four assists) and breakout star Lilly Rotunno (11 points, four assists) also helped steer Geelong to improve to a 3-4 record.
“She’s (George) a very talented player, has a lot of experience in the basketball world, so I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me,” Holmes told reporters after the match.
“I knew she was going to hit some tough shots that she did, but I worked on not getting too down on myself and just continued to make everything she did as difficult as possible.”
The derby was an opportunity for Southside Melbourne to beat Geelong for the first time since its semi-final victory in March 2024.
But conceding 24 turnovers from the Venom’s pressure proved costly, as the Flyers went down for a second straight match, slumping to a 2-3 record.
Haley Peters registered 10 points and nine rebounds, while the in-form Issie Bourne produced a game-high 21 points.
Southside Melbourne coach Kristi Harrower said she had flashbacks to how her team lost its previous game against Perth, when it conceded 27 points in the final quarter.
Geelong held Southside to just seven points in the final term while scoring 17.
“Twenty four turnovers are a killer. It’s ridiculous that at this level, you have that many turnovers,” Harrower said.
Bourne and Rotunno started hot, scoring a flurry of points as Southside Melbourne created a one-point quarter-time deficit.
After an early second-quarter stalemate, the Flyers went on a 7-0 run before Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard and Alex Sharp helped Geelong lead 34-30 at half-time.
The Venom continued its momentum into the third quarter, producing a seven-point lead before Maddi Rocci and Bourne gained the ascendancy to bring the deficit to two.
Shelley and Holmes imposed themselves in the fourth quarter to create the unassailable lead.
