Canberra Capitals streak snapped by Melbourne Boomers in a 'playoff standard' WNBL showdown

The Melbourne Boomers snapped Canberra's six-game winning streak with a 78-76 victory at the National Convention Centre on Sunday afternoon.

Melbourne overcame a 12-point half-time deficit and held off Canberra's last gasp attempt at snatching a game-winner to set up a tantalising race to the WNBL finals.

The Capitals had made a habit of blowing teams off the court in their six-game winning streak. Their average winning margin since coach Paul Goriss returned to the fold bordered on 24 points.

But it was clear from the outset the Boomers would pose a much tougher task in what loomed as a potential finals rehearsal.

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The Capitals took a 12-point advantage into the half-time break, fuelled by Kelsey Griffin who would lead the hosts with 20 points at full-time.

But Boomers stars Lindsay Allen [29 points] and Cayla George [19 points] refused to die wondering, with the latter dominating the rebound count to keep Melbourne in the contest.

Melbourne slashed the margin to eight heading into the final quarter, reviving their hopes despite having led for just 32 seconds all day. That all changed with three minutes remaining, the Boomers taking the ascendancy to give Canberra the litmus test they needed.

The game looked all but over when Melbourne took a seven-point lead with 12 seconds left. Then Britt Sykes hit a three and Mikaela Ruef added two more. With 6.1 seconds remaining, this game was alive.

Alas, the last play miracle wasn't to be.

"Sometimes you need a loss to give yourself a kick in the pants," Goriss said.

"I don't think it was a bad game. It was two very good teams playing playoff basketball. It has certainly given us some areas we need to get better at offensively.

"As well as we've been playing, we haven't had a really close game like that in a while. Sometimes those kinds of games are good teaching moments for us in regards to what we need to continue to work on and get better at, and being consistent over the 40 minutes.

"That was a playoff standard game, it's going to come down to the last possession or a couple of possessions. That's great leading into playoffs."

The crowd of 1542 was one of the biggest and most vocal the convention centre has seen all season.

Yet the sobering truth is Sunday's game could mark Canberra's last home game of the entire season amid concern the club could have to give up home-court advantage in the finals due to the city's indoor venue shortage.

Capitals officials fear they will not be able to secure bookings at the National Convention Centre during finals games given availability is limited and match dates are not yet locked in.

The AIS Arena has not hosted sport in almost two years, instead being used as a COVID-19 vaccination centre.

The Capitals have held discussions about shifting home playoffs to Wollongong if they cannot secure a venue in Canberra.

First comes a four-game road trip over the next three weeks which will be crucial to Canberra's hopes of a top-two finish.

"We just want to play games, whether it's at home, whether it's on the road. Each and every game is going to be challenging for us. If we don't bring it offensively and defensively, it's going to be a tough night for us," Capitals guard Kelly Wilson said.

AT A GLANCE

WNBL round 12: MELBOURNE BOOMERS 78 (Lindsay Allen 29, Cayla George 19, Tess Madgen 12) bt CANBERRA CAPITALS 76 (Kelsey Griffin 20, Britt Sykes 18, Britt Smart 16) at National Convention Centre. Crowd: 1542.

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