The Falcons have knocked off the Tigers to win the State Youth Championship Women title in a brilliant display of team basketball, led by a first year coach Elias Palioyiannis...

Waverley has put away the Melbourne Tigers in straight sets to claim a famous championship victory at the Veneto Club.

The signs weren’t good early for Melbourne as the Falcons offense was clicking while the Tigers floundered, unable to gain rhythm.

The second quarter saw the Tigers begin to find their feet and it was Waverley’s turn to shoot poorly. The Tigers maybe should have capitalised more in this period, but still pegged the margin back to 3 points at the main break.

From there, defence went out the window as both teams began to heat up from the field. The Falcons were more efficient though and pushed the lead back out to 7 points heading into the last quarter.

In the last quarter of the SYCW season, the Falcons dominated the boards and held their nerve at the foul line in the biggest
game of their lives. Despite shooting poorly in the term, they held on for a famous win.

Grand Final MVP Taylor Dickinson was inspirational in the win, posting 16 points, 10 boards and 3 blocks as she continually provided her team with second chance opportunities to score.

Hindle, Clarie Ioannidis and Nikolitsis all contributed, posting double figure points while Melbourne’s Ellen Kett did all she could, putting up 15 points, 6 boards and 6 assists.

After a brilliant season that has seen them improve week by week, the Falcons can now bask in championship glory for the
entire off-season.

Waverley 76 - Melbourne 64

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