Basketball On The Internet.

PLEASE WNBL television commentators. Enough with the use of "high octane" as a descriptive term - five times in the first half of the Perth-Melbourne rematch, countless times through Round 6. If you're a friend of a TV caller please buy she or he a thesauras for Christmas. (OK, a copy of "A Type of Life" or "Patty Mills: Beyond Basketball" also would be an acceptable gift.) 

But it never ceases to amaze how one phrase like this can catch on and then become something everyone feels obliged to use to show how "up" they are with current terminology.

What the hell does is even truly mean? The team plays an upbeat style? They prefer to play up-tempo?

Speaking of which, Lauren Nicholson played an upbeat style through two two-point Sydney wins and Perth's Aari McDonald banged in 35 points as the Lynx gave Adelaide its heart-breaking second one-basket loss of the round, this time in overtime.

* * *

LAUREN Nicholson blew apart Sydney's lucky escape from the Lightning in Adelaide when she split a 44-44 deadlock late in the third quarter, first with a monster 3-ball, then with a long jumpshot.

When Tess Madgen converted two free throws a minute into the fourth quarter, it was a 51-44 lead on a 7-0 run and Adelaide could have folded along the dotted lines.

Instead, Tayla Brazel and Brianna Turnover, er, Turner, rallied the troops, refusing to blink even when Nicholson hit another triple for a 58-52 buffer, or when Cayla George's sole 3-pointer made it 63-55 to Sydney inside the last five minutes. 

Izzy Borlase scored, Brazel iced a corner three and when Lauren Mansfield knocked down two freebies, astonishingly, it was 62-63.

Even more amazing, when Brazel scored again - she had seven of her career-best 11 points in the final period - Adelaide was in front 64-63 on its game-best 9-0 outburst.

Nicholson (20 points at 53 per cent, 4-of-6 threes) nudged Sydney 65-64 ahead and a Madgen free throw for 66-64 left Lightning with 2.7 seconds to fashion a miracle.

The time-out paid off, the sideline lob giving Borlase a chance to catch and shoot but sadly for Adelaide, she missed and the Flames had escaped unscathed.

Madgen had eight points in a dominant first quarter as both sides shot well in a 21-21 scoring spree. But neither side scored that many points in a quarter again, the Flames grinding out the win.

SYDNEY FLAMES 66 (Nicholson 20, Madgen 16, George 15; George 15 rebs; Madgen, George 4 assts) d ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 64 (Borlase 14, Brazel 11, Bourne 10; Borlase, Turner 9 rebs; Turner 7 assts) at Adelaide 36ers Arena. Crowd: 521

RIGHT from tip-off in Perth, it was evident the real Melbourne was in the building, still smarting from its 17-point home loss to the Lynx last Sunday and seriously focused to do something about it.

The Boomers' defence was stellar as they raced 12-4 clear before Perth enjoyed its best five minutes of the game, Aari McDonald, Anneli Maley, Emily Potter and Alex Ciabattoni - in her best game of the season - conspiring in a 14-2 run to go 18-14 clear.

Ahead by five at the first break, the Lynx were smashed 76-40 the rest of the way, the Boomers' sizzling 27-4 final quarter the best by any team this season.

Naz Hillmon (20 points at 81 per cent, eight rebounds) dominated the paint, Kelly Froling's 16 points accompanied by 10 boards and four assists.

Sara Blicavs had 12 of her 17 points in the first half as Melbourne gained the ascendancy, Tera Reed and Penina Davidson were perfect from outside the arc and Jordin Canada fell two rebounds shy of a triple-double with 10 points, 12 assists and eight boards.

She also had four steals and two of her assists - one per half - were highlight-reel material.

Aimie Rocci though was the Boomers' unsung hero, putting the work in to cut McDonald's influence, completely erasing Miela Goodchild as a factor, then hitting a couple of key baskets to stall any thoughts of a Lynx resurgence.

Amy Atwell was big for the Lynx while Ciabattoni's no-look pass was the best of her four assists and one of the best of the year. 

MELBOURNE BOOMERS 93 (Hillmon 20, Blicavs 17, Froling 16, Reed 13, Canada 10; Froling 10 rebs; Canada 12 assts) d PERTH LYNX 62 (Atwell, McDonald 15, Potter 12, Maley 11; Maley 9 rebs; McDonald 5 assts) at Bendat Basketball Stadium. Crowd: 571

AN amazing 23-5 third quarter by Canberra turned a 32-44 halftime deficit to Sydney into a 55-49 buffer going into the last quarter, the Capitals' first win within its grasp.

Unfortunately for the Caps, Lauren Nicholson (26 points at 75 per cent) and Tess Madgen (21 points) in her milestone 250th WNBL game, had other plans, Nicholson with 10 last quarter points and Madgen seven as the Flames squeezed home 72-70.

Steadily closing the gap on the Caps, Sydney still trailed 63-67 but Madgen's 3-pointer made it 66-67 with two minutes left.

Nicholson from the stripe pushed Sydney ahead but Alex Sharp (14 points, 10 rebounds) tied it up at 69-69 inside the last half-minute.

Starring all game, Nicholson pushed the Flames to 71-69, Jade Melbourne (19 points on 8-of-23 shooting, seven turnovers) with a chance to tie it at the free throw line.

Melbourne missed the second, Lara McSpadden with the defensive board and fouled, creating the final scoreline.

SYDNEY FLAMES 72 (Nicholson 26, Madgen 21, George 11; George 5 rebs; George 5 assts) d UNI of CANBERRA CAPITALS 70 (Melbourne 19, Sharp 14, Potter 11; Sharp 10 rebs; Melbourne 4 assts) at National Convention Centre. Crowd: 1,273

LOOKING to push its mini win streak on to a hat-trick, Bendigo could not have asked for a worse start against Southside Flyers.

Nyadieh Puoch (17 points) split baskets by Bec Cole and Mercedes Russell with four points of her own in an opening 8-0 start that kept the Spirit playing catch-up, especially after mustering a meagre seven-point first period.

Leilani Mitchell's 3-pointer blew the lead out to 38-18 late in the second quarter, and late in the third, her free throws flung this out to 61-33, Southside with its biggest lead.

Winning the boards 56-33 - Russell snaring 11, Puoch 9 and Carley Ernst 8 - the Flyers had this well wrapped, Kelsey Griffin going down fighting for the Spirit with a 16-point, 7-rebound, 3-assist, 3-steal, several flops effort. 

SOUTHSIDE FLYERS 76 (Puoch 17, Cole 13, Mitchell, Russell 10; Russell 11 rebs; Cole 4 assts) d  BENDIGO SPIRIT 51 (Griffin 16, Kraker, Froling 8; Griffin 7 rebs; A.Wilson 6 assts) at State Basketball Centre. Crowd: 1,976

EVEN when Adelaide led incoming Perth by 20 points after a 7-0 start, it never really looked assured of breaking through for a long-overdue win.

Ahead 26-13 after one, Izzy Borlase bumped the buffer to 40-20 during the second quarter after a steal from Amy Atwell.

But it was Atwell and Anneli Maley who dragged the Lynx back and when Aari McDonald stepped up, Perth was steadily back in the game.

McDonald finished with 35 points at 50 per cent and it was her assist to Atwell (17 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks) that set up overtime after the latter stuck a 3-point basket for 88-88.

Maley (22 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists) tied the game at 82-82 with 2:39 left in regulation, Adelaide captain Lauren Mansfield (23 points at 56 per cent, 4 assists) twice hitting big shots to give Lightning its 88-85 lead.

Then came Atwell and then came overtime, Mansfield again with a three putting her team ahead. 

Lightning import Jocelyn Willoughby (23 points at 64 per cent) stuck a free throw to give Adelaide its last lead at 95-94, McDonald then icing a three and Maley a free throw to bring the W home. 

PERTH LYNX 98 (McDonald 35, Maley 22, Atwell 17; Maley 15 rebs; Atwell 5 assts) d ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 95 (Willoughby, Mansfield 23, Bourne 22, Borlase 13, Brazel 10; Turner 13 rebs; Turner, Mansfield, Bourne 4 assts) in overtime {88-88} at Adelaide 36ers Arena. Crowd: 855

IT was inevitable the bold and brave yet ultimately unrequited efforts of the Canberra Capitals would have to come home to roost and sadly for the league's most admirable battlers, it was when the defending champs hit town.

Still reeling and dealing with the one that got away against Sydney, the Caps were again courageous to lead after the first quarter, and be in the game 32-37 at halftime.

But managing just 11 and 12 points in the third and fourth quarters, they were handed their heads by Townsville in a 29-point mauling.

Only Alex Sharp (13) made it into double-figure points, Canberra shooting at 28 per cent to the Fire's 47, the Caps' 21 turnovers also horrific.

Sharp scored the opening bucket of the third term to bring Canberra to 34-37 before a 9-0 Fire flight in which Courtney Woods and Zitina Aokuso thrived, started to put this out of reach.

By the last break, Townsville ahead 62-43, the main interest was in watching Cassandra Brown and new Fire import Amanda Zahui B show off their skill sets.

TOWNSVILLE FIRE 84 (Woods 17, Whitcomb 16, Zahui B 11, Brown, Reid 10; Ruef 10 rebs; Whitcomb 7 assts) d UNI of CANBERRA CAPITALS 55 (Sharp 13, Clark 9, Fowler 8; Sharp 9 rebs; Clark, Melbourne 5 assts) at National Comvention Centre. Crowd: 1,598