How Perth are proving the impossible

The Perth Lynx are proving impossible to keep down after two nail-biting wins in the first two rounds of WNBL26 despite missing three starters.

With Olympian Amy Atwell still on the mend, the Perth Lynx are still somehow managing to win — sitting second on the ladder heading into Round 3.

With superstar Ally Wilson, two-time NBL1 West Defensive Player of the Year Steph Gorman, and 6’11” Chinese sensation Han Xu yet to hit the floor, Head Coach Ryan Petrik has had to dig deep into his playbook — and it’s paid off.

Both wins against the Adelaide Lightning and Sydney Flames had fans on the edge of their seat as they survived a late surge from the Lightning in Round 1 and managed to claw their way back from a 10-point deficit with 6 and a half minutes to go against the Flames in Round 2.

In Round 1, Alex Ciabattoni shouldered the scoring load with a heroic performance of 23 points, while Tegan Graham delivered a defensive masterclass in Round 2, locking down Opal Lauren Nicholson in a statement game.

While his coaching philosophy has not been reflected in their play yet, Petrik knows the early grind of WNBL26 is more about survival than style.

With four of his starting five out, Petrik knows the early grind of WNBL26 is more about survival than style.

“That’s been the glass half full approach… Once Ally gets there, once Steph gets there, we’ll be fine,” he said in Saturday’s press conference.

“I don’t think we’re going to play champagne basketball early, but can we just find wins? We don’t care if it’s ugly… Can we be alive when Han arrives? I think we’ll play much better basketball as the weeks progress.

“You can’t win the Championship in October, but you can certainly lose it.”

To make it to March, Petrik will have to lean on his depth, and Tegan Graham proved she can be a contributing player when it comes to the Finals run.

Holding Opal Lauren Nicholson to five points in the second half in their win over Sydney, Petrik discovered a new tool in his arsenal.

“To lock down Nicholson, one of the best guards in the competition. I thought Tegan’s performance was brilliant,” Petrik said.

While Graham added, "I knew she had 20 of their 42 (at half-time). The coaches let me know, she was the x-factor in this game.”

With Wilson and Gorman expected to return for their double-header Round 3, are the Perth Lynx a sleeping giant for WNBL26?

Perth will start Round 3 in Victoria, taking on the Geelong Venom on Saturday, live from 7:00pm AEDT (4:00 AWST), followed by a Tuesday night blockbuster at home against the Townsville Fire from 6:00pm AWST.

Watch every game this season live and free on 9Now.

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