The Tornadoes fell short of a major upset but showed plenty of promise in an 85-71 loss to ladder-leader Geelong.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A week after two big losses on the road, things looked dire early at Elphin when the Supercats zipped out to a 17-4 lead, but Derrick Washington's troops were not to be overawed.
Led by returning import Stella Beck (17 points, 11 rebounds, five steals), the Tornadoes reeled the deficit back to six points in the third term before the Cats pulled away once more.
The final seven points of the game reduced the final margin to 14 points - the fourth-smallest of Geelong's 13 wins this season.
"They were taller than us ... they had 53 rebounds we had 46 rebounds so they really didn't out-rebound us, they just had a good start," Washington said.
"They jumped out on us real early and we tend to always come back and be that comeback team, but if we were able to start out a little bit stronger that probably would have put us in the game towards the end."
On a night when Supercat Zitina Aokuso starred with a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds from just 26 minutes of court time, Tornadoes rising star Rebecca Abel enjoyed another stellar performance.
The North-West teen collected 20 points to go with four rebounds, while fellow young guns Sarah O'Neill (eight points, eight rebounds), Brooke Brown and Makala Bingley enjoyed more than an hour of court time between them.
Washington said his side had made huge inroads after a tough couple of weeks.
"The girls were together and sticking to the gameplan, they knew where they needed to be out on the floor, defensively they were talking - I'm just very proud of them because we had a tough road last weekend but we came back and there's always positive signs," he said.
"The girls worked hard, they executed, they were having fun out there which is what I like to see and we're heading in the right direction.
"If we continue to build form this we'll be fine."
The Tornadoes' next task is another home game against Tasmanian rivals Hobart Huskies on June 15.
Know a junior sport star? Make a nomination for our 2019 Junior Sports Awards here.