A sour way to end an impressive season.
The Pakenham Warriors Championship Women came up short against Bulleen in the preliminary final on Saturday at Cardinia Life, bringing the campaign to a close.
Poor shooting plagued the Warriors again in the prelim, shooting below 33 percent from the floor and just 15 percent from deep.
On the other end, the Boomers swung and moved the basketball, dishing out 25 assists on 31 made field goals.
Despite the difference in shooting percentage, Pakenham hung around in the contest and was able to momentarily hit the front in the late stages.
With six minutes to go, Grace Graham stepped back and knocked down a triple to give the hosts a seven-point buffer before a 16-2 run in response from Bulleen gave the game its final twist.
Boomers skipper Catelyn Van Es put the dagger into the Warriors by nailing back-to-back threes late in the fourth to cap off a true captain’s performance as she ended the day with 37 points and nine rebounds on 12/17 shooting.
The visitors took the 88-77 result on the road to head into the big dance against the formidable Bellarine Storm this week.
Graham top scored for Pakenham with 25 points while Eliza Hollingsworth provided 22 points and 17 rebounds.
Skye Rees was impactful off the bench again with 18 points and four assists.
Warriors head coach Elli Gibson was open about the loss but reflected extremely proudly on her side’s season.
“We played some really good basketball all season but didn’t play at our best when we needed to, that’s the story of it,” she said.
“I’m really happy and impressed with the development of the girls at an individual level and as a group.
“If you look back to round one and two and look at where we were at the end of the season and the basketball we were playing, we just had immense growth from everybody at an individual level and as a collective.
“As a coach, that’s what you want and what you want to see.
“I couldn’t be more impressed with how they were playing at the end of the year.”
Pakenham endured a turbulent start to its season with Gibson stepping in very late in the process, just days before the opening game.
This was after originally-appointed mentor Jono Goodman departed to pursue another opportunity before ever coaching a game.
Gibson was swift on making signings, bringing Rees and Abbey-Lee Wood on board after the Warriors had already started their season.
Still, Gibson guided the team to an 18-4 record and second on the ladder, where it reached the second-last day of the season.
“We had a very disruptive season with people in and out for different reasons, so for us to have made finals is a big achievement considering the things the team went through at the start,” Gibson said.
“Once we started playing our basketball we had confidence that we could make finals and really challenge in finals.
“To have that home final atmosphere against McKinnon with the best supporters in the league was just exceptional, it was such a fun experience and rewarding experience for everyone involved.
“It was amazing to have that community club feel and support, it was a really special night.
“It was really about the positives and the successes we did have this year.”
Gibson also enjoyed working with the young talent coming through at the club, overseeing important development from Youth League-listed players Stella O’Loughlin, Chelsea Schreuder and Kailey Neave.
“We had some youth girls come in and play excellent roles for us,” Gibson said.
“Kailey Neave was in excellent form at the start of the season for us and covered for us so well while Eliza was out.
“You also have Stella and Chels who played in the youth group but also played for us when they could and I thought they just gave us so much energy and punch off the bench and were exceptional.
“I couldn’t be prouder.”
Gibson was recognised for her outstanding first year at the helm; nominated as a finalist for the Big V Championship Women Coach of the Year.
Graham and Hollingsworth were also named finalists for All Star Five, with Graham a strong contender for the league MVP.
Wood is also up for an award, finishing as one of five finalists for Defensive Player of the Year.
While the season didn’t end in the way they wanted it to, the Warriors had an outstanding 2025.
