FURY WOMAN ARE SCOTTISH CHAMPIONS!

SONY CENTRE FURY 49 TAYSIDE MUSKETEERS 46 Scottish National Senior Woman’s Play-Off Final

Fury Senior Woman ended what has been there best ever season with an exciting win against Tayside that earned them title of Scottish Champions. Rebecca Lonsdale was the Final MVP with a stunning set of stats, that saw her score 10pts, grab 14 rebounds and make 6 steals. Down the stretch Jenna Beattie and Alicia McFadden were special for Fury as they poured in 6 and 8pts respectively in the final period, with Beattie netting 6 of Fury’s last 7 points. Fury got off to a dream start, taking the opening period 15-7 on the back of solid defence. Closing 3’s from Lonsdale and Beattie gave Fury the 8pt lead that had seen Captain Jen McLaren start well with key baskets inside early on. Coming in to the starting line-up, Shannon Flippard also had a solid start with 3pts as she replaced the absent Laura Nimmo. Former Kool Kat, Chloe Lodge started Fury’s scoring in the second with a long three, but Fury struggled to score as Tayside came back into the game. A low scoring first half ended with the Falkirk side just keeping their lead at 24-21. The third was no better than the second for Fury who were again held to 9points in the quarter as Tayside took the lead by one point going into the final stanza. In that period Fury fell 5pts behind and the game was on a knife edge. But it was Fury that held their nerve with McFadden sparking Fury with a great driving coast to coast lay-up followed by a three. MVP Rebecca Lonsdale then produced a crucial interception that also helped turn the game in Fury’s favor. Lonsdale and McFadden added further two point plays before Jenna Beattie took over the game with 6 straight points,that included a vital 3pt shot that took Fury clear and two big free throws to win the game for the Falkirk side. Beattie top scored on 14 and added 8 boards to finish an impressive season. Former WBBL player Rebecca Lonsdale’s sensational 10-14-6 stats gave her the MVP title. Hard working Alicia McFadden, who played while not 100% fit, had 10pts, 7 boards , 4 assists and 4 steals in a great all round performance. Captain Jen McLaren had 8pts and 9 rebounds and played a true Captain’s role throughout. Shannon Flippard with 32 minutes, Chloe Lodge, Kim Flockhart and Hannah Murray all contributed in the historic Fury win. Headcoach John Bunyan told Heraldsport – “ This was a really tough game and I am really proud of all the players on the team on the day and our squad throughout the season. While we had defeated Tayside by 20 plus in one of the Championship games we had lost the last two games against them by 4 and 5 points in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final and the Championship, so to come into the Final, not having played for a month and to be without 3 of our squad the win was all the more special. There was some really key plays by our players in that final period and they just never gave up. We played very well in the opening period but struggled offensively in the second and third, but the big key was maintaining defensive focus throughout. The big stat for us was our 15 offensive rebounds to the Muskie’s 6 and the fact we are never afraid to put up shots, putting up 26 threes to their 9. To win both the Senior Men and Woman’s Play-off titles is an exceptional achievement for the players and the club. Connor Martin, like myself has been part of both these titles and he has done a great job assisting me with our Woman’s