Australian Gliders Looking for Gold in England

After a third place finish at the World Super Cup in Germany the Australian Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team, the Australian Gliders, find themselves in third place again as they head into the finals of the 2017 Continental Clash in England.

Western Australian athletes Sarah Vinci, Amber Merritt and Georgia Inglis were all selected as part of the Gliders squad to travel to Europe to compete in these two international tournaments.

The first day of the 2017 Continental Clash saw the Australians take on Germany and Great Britain before taking on Japan the following day.

In both of their first day matches Australia held a lead heading into the first break.

The clash against Germany saw the team go on to be trailing at three quarter time.

Strong efforts from WA’s Amber Merritt, together with teammates Cobi Crispin and Leanne Del Toso, played a significant role in forcing the match into extra time.

From here Australia carried the momentum right through to the final buzzer claiming a six point victory, 73 to 67. 

Heading into the second term against Great Britain, the Australians’ lead was smaller than they were able to achieve against Germany earlier in the day. 

It was a tough tussle throughout the majority of the game until the final quarter saw Great Britain out score the Gliders 19 to 10, helping them to claim the win.

Japan was another tough game for the Aussies, finding themselves with a seven point deficit at the conclusion of the first term.

Continuous pressure allowed the Gliders to get themselves back into the game taking a seven point lead with just three minutes to go. 

A last minute hit back from Japan saw them tie the match with 40 seconds left.

Amber Merritt and Sarah Vinci were then able to respond, both contributing to the score board helping their side take the win. 

At the conclusion of the preliminary rounds Great Britain, Germany and Australia all found themselves with two wins and one loss, leaving placings to be determined by head-to-head results. 

Finishing in third place will see Australia take on Germany tonight (AWST) in the semi-final.

After one loss and one win to Germany in the World Super Cup and the win against Germany earlier in the 2017 Continental Clash, Australia will be looking to add to their winning tally against their opponents and secure their place in the gold medal match. 

The winner of this match will take on the Winner of Great Britain verse Japan in the gold medal match on Friday at 10:30pm (AWST).