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The Flames returned to the winners circle on Saturday evening after a convincing game against the West Coast Waves, winning by 25 points, 80 – 55.

This was a must win game for a team who showed their capabilities earlier in the season winning five of their first six games, only to hit a rough patch over the Christmas period, playing some of the toughest opponents in the competition.

The team looked like a completely re-energized outfit on Saturday, returning to their team game philosophy after their defeat last weekend to Dandenong. The Flames shared the scoring with ten players contributing points throughout the game. The return of Rohanee Cox rounded out the team’s line-up and assisted with some tough match ups.

The Flames, who were dominant early, came out firing in the first quarter to take the lead 22- 14. The away team seemed to struggle to find any offensive rhythm (shooting at 29 per cent) as the Flames rattled their opponents with their full court pressure. The West Coast Waves were also missing Louella Tomlinson who averages 12 points and 6 rebounds per game which added to their woes.

Katie Ebzery lengthened the margin to 10 points with a jump shot to open up the second quarter. This period saw the Flames consolidate their lead. The team was efficient shooting from a good clip, with some of the Flames younger stars contributing big three pointers throughout the term.

The third quarter was patchy for both sides, each team committing a number of turnovers and each only adding 14 points to the scoreboard.

Some commanding basketball in the dying minutes of the quarter however sparked a Flames resurgence as Paris Johnson made a great back to back play which saw her commit a huge block on her opponent and then make a basket at the other end of the court.

This momentum carried into the fourth quarter which saw the Flames outscore West Coast 21 -8 to come out victors by 25 points with the Flames leading all statistical categories.

For the home team it was Casey Samuels who led the offensive charge from the bench with 15 points to top score for the game. She made three vital three pointers throughout the match to extend the teams lead at crucial times. For West Coast it was former Sydney Uni Flame Deanna Smith who top scored, adding 13 points for her side.

The Flames will no doubt be looking to build upon this strong performance as they face both Canberra and Melbourne this week and vie for a place in the top four.

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