2020 WSBL season

The 2020 WSBL season was to be the 32nd season of the Women's State Basketball League (SBL). The regular season was set to begin on Friday 20 March, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the season was cancelled.

2020 WSBL season
LeagueState Basketball League
SportBasketball
DurationSeason that was scheduled:
20 March – 24 July (Regular season)
31 July – 21 August (Finals)
Number of games22
Number of teams12

Season that was scheduled

Following a pre-season blitz weekend,[1] the regular season was set to begin on Friday 20 March. Round 1 (13–15 March) was scheduled as a bye round for the WSBL (inline with the MSBL having a small-scale opening round), with all 12 teams making their season debuts in round 2 and playing 19 weekends of competition, concluding on Friday 24 July. In continuing tradition, there was to be Easter Round (5), Anzac Round (6), Women's Round (9), Heritage Round (13), and Mental Health Awareness Round (18).[2] The finals was then scheduled to take place between Friday 31 July and Friday 21 August, concluding with the WSBL Grand Final. Under a revised finals model, the finals was to take place across four weekends instead of five to better align with the NBL1 format.[2][3][4]

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Australia in early to mid March 2020, the season was suspended indefinitely with no games having taken place.[5][6][7] On 14 May 2020, the season was officially cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.[8]

West Coast Classic

To fill the void of a cancelled SBL season, a state amateur competition known as the West Coast Classic was announced on 12 June 2020. Presented by Basketball WA, all 12 Women's SBL teams competed in the 10-week competition. The competition began on Friday 24 July and had all teams playing each other once in a home and away fixture. The top four teams following the regular season competed in the finals, with semi-finals on Friday 25 September and the grand final on Saturday 26 September.[9][10][11][12]

The Joondalup Wolves finished atop the regular-season standings with a 10–1 record.[13] The semi-finals featured the Wolves against the fourth-seeded Rockingham Flames and the second-seeded Warwick Senators against the third-seeded Perry Lakes Hawks,[14][15] with the Wolves defeating the Flames 101–48 and the Hawks defeating the Senators 95–70.[16][17][18][19] In the grand final, the Wolves defeated the Hawks 72–54 behind 13 points and 12 rebounds from game MVP Kayla Steindl.[20][21]

References
  1. "SBL PRE-SEASON BLITZ". SBL.asn.au. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  2. "2020 SBL SCHEDULE". SBL.asn.au. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  3. "A revised SBL Finals Model has been announced for the #SBL20 season!". facebook.com/WA.SBL. 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  4. "NEW SBL FINALS MODEL FOR 2020". SBL.asn.au. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  5. "UPDATE: SBL Games Postponed". facebook.com/WA.SBL. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  6. "SBL SEASON POSTPONED". SBL.asn.au. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020.
  7. "SBL SEASON POSTPONED". SBL.asn.au. 17 March 2020. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020.
  8. "MEDIA RELEASE: SBL 2020 CANCELLED". SBL.asn.au. 14 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020.
  9. "2020 WEST COAST CLASSIC". SBL.asn.au. 12 June 2020. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020.
  10. Garlepp, Josh (12 June 2020). "Basketball Western Australia announce West Coast Classic tournament in lieu of cancelled SBL season". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  11. "WEST COAST CLASSIC - 2020 FIXTURES" (PDF). BasketballWA.asn.au. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 July 2020.
  12. "ROUND 1 WOMEN'S WEST COAST CLASSIC PREVIEW". SBL.asn.au. 24 July 2020. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020.
  13. "Standings for WCC Women 2020". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020.
  14. "ROUND 9 SPOTLIGHT | HOT LIGHTNING NOT QUITE ENOUGH FOR FINALS". SBL.asn.au. 20 September 2020. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. The semi finals are now set for Friday night in the West Coast Classic with the Warwick Senators hosting the Perry Lakes Hawks at Warwick Stadium, and the Joondalup Wolves playing the Rockingham Flames at HBF Arena.
  15. "SEMI-FINAL WOMEN'S WEST COAST CLASSIC PREVIEW". SBL.asn.au. 25 September 2020. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020.
  16. "Wolves vs Flames". FIBALiveStats.com. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  17. "Senators vs Hawks". FIBALiveStats.com. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  18. "SEMI FINALS WEST COAST CLASSIC WOMEN'S WRAP". SBL.asn.au. 26 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020.
  19. "GRAND FINAL WOMEN'S WEST COAST CLASSIC PREVIEW". SBL.asn.au. 26 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020.
  20. "Wolves vs Hawks". FIBALiveStats.com. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  21. "POWERFUL LADY WOLFPACK CLAIM WEST COAST CLASSIC TITLE". SBL.asn.au. 26 September 2020. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020.
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