UPSET OF THE SEASON 2.0: Holmes solves home Fire

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American import Mackenzie Holmes erupted for 30 points and monstered the glass for 14 rebounds as the Geelong Venom stunned the Townsville Fire 88-71 in the last game of WNBL26 Round 12 in Townsville on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

The Venom's win is the third extraordinary upset of the round, starting with the Capitals beating Perth, Sydney Flames shocking league-leaders Bendigo and finishing with Geelong's dominant 17-point road win.

"I’ve never been here before," Holmes said.

"Obviously we know Chris (Lucas) has coached here for a long time so he kind of prepped us for, you know, the environment that we’re gonna be walking into.

"I thought it was a great environment for women’s sports. They had a great crowd, very into the game, very in tune with what was going on, so it was a very fun environment to be in.

"Chris shows up for us every single day. He’s constantly thinking of ways for us to find advantages, and I think that’s just a testament to what he’s been able to do not only for us but in this league.

"Choosing a place to come play, I just knew the experience that Chris had. And we’re just continuing to build a relationship with one another.

"I feel like we’ve gotten pretty close through the adversity, just you know leaning on one another and reminding each other to smile sometimes.

"It’s okay even when we’re losing. I’m just super grateful to continue to learn from him and play for him as he continues to show up for us every night."

And sometimes, the basketball Gods are on your side. Jaz Shelley landed a half-court bomb to end the half to put the Venom up 20 and Holmes banked a three from the wing in the second half.

Geelong Venom guard Shyla Heal poured 25 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists and was +19 in more than 38 minutes.

Both the Venom and Fire have been decimated by injuries. Fire centre Lauren Cox is out for the season with a knee injury and that gave the Venom a match-up advantage as Holmes went to work in the paint. Venom guard Alex Sharp was ruled out with illness, Gemma Potter is out for the season and Alissa Pili still sidelined.

It meant Lucas' starters played major minutes: Holmes (39:44); guard Heal (38:44); Jazmin Shelley (36:33); and Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard (34:38).

"Chris always says next woman up mentality," she added.

"So we knew that um you know one person goes down, we’ve been dealing with people going down all year unfortunately at inconvenient times.

"So we knew that everyone was gonna have to take an extra step up. And it was not just me. I thought Mackenzie Clinch-Hoycard had a great game, played super hard for the whole time that she was out there.

"Same with every single other person – Alyssa, Jaz, Shy, Lily –  every single person. I think took an extra step tonight because of the hole that not having Sharpie had.

Townsville's depth is also being challenged: Courtney Woods (hamstring); Saffron Shiels (ankle); and Cox (knee - season).

The Fire have signed 1.93m Western Australian centre Jessie Edwards as an injury replacement player for Cox.

"We’ve gotta get her (Edwards) on the practice floor," Fire head coach Shannon Seebohm said.

"She only got here last night. Obviously with the window closing today to be able to add another player, you know Jessie was available and she was keen to come, so it’s great to have her here.

"And I’m excited about what she’s gonna give us. I think she’ll add a lot to us on the defensive end. She’s got length and size, she plays hard and she’s physical. So I think that’s gonna be really good for us.

"And then offensively, just another player that’s gonna sprint into screens and roll hard and be athletic and be able to play around the basket a little bit.

"It’s gonna help us too."

The WNBL26 means the Fire has just three days to lament and the Venom three days to bask. Townsville goes on the road to Geelong on Friday night in the first game of Round 13.

"Congratulations to Geelong," Seebohm said,

"They played great. They just started the game really well and they just flowed from there. We didn’t start well. Not a game that we will be very proud of in reflection on the season.

"We’ve gotta go back and look at the game and see what areas we can be better. It’s a quick turnaround. They’ll go home feeling really good about it and be full of confidence, and I’m sure we won’t. We’ve got a couple days to think about it.

The only positive is probably from halfway through the second quarter to the end of the game, we actually won the game in that stretch – only marginally – but we did.

"We need to play much better if we’re gonna have any chance of winning against them on Friday."

Key Details

• Result: Geelong Venom 88 def. Townsville Fire 71
• When: Monday, 6th January 2026
• Where: Townsville Entertainment Centre, Townsville
• Attendance: 2,464
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Mackenzie Holmes (Geelong Venom) starred with 30 points, 14 rebounds and one assist in 40 minutes.
• Lucy Olsen (Townsville Fire) scored 14 points, three rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes.

What Happened

Holmes was absolutely dominant from the opening tip, shooting an outstanding 11-from-16 from the field including a perfect one-from-one from downtown. The towering centre controlled the paint throughout, grabbing six offensive boards and eight defensive rebounds while adding five points from the charity stripe. Her efficiency was matched by teammate Shyla Heal, who contributed 25 points on solid 5-from-11 shooting from inside the arc.

Geelong established control early and never relinquished it, leading for 38 minutes of the 40-minute contest. The Venom opened with a 26-16 first quarter advantage and extended their margin to 56-36 by half-time. Their biggest scoring run of 10 points helped establish the commanding lead that would prove insurmountable for the home side.

The Fire struggled offensively throughout, shooting a poor 36% from the field compared to Geelong's solid 52% clip. Townsville's three-point shooting was particularly disappointing, connecting on just eight-from-25 attempts (32%) while the Venom managed eight-from-23 (35%) from deep. Lucy Olsen provided the lone bright spot for the Fire, adding 14 points and five dimes, while Miela Sowah chipped in 13 points despite shooting just 2-from-9 from two-point range.

Geelong's balanced offensive attack featured four players reaching double figures, demonstrating the full team effort that has become their trademark. Jazmin Shelley orchestrated the offence expertly with eight assists, while Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard added 10 points and eight boards. The Venom's superior ball movement resulted in 18 assists compared to Townsville's 14, highlighting their unselfish approach.

The victory showcased Geelong's depth and versatility, with their bench contributing six points while maintaining defensive intensity throughout. The Venom held Townsville to just 71 points, forcing 13 turnovers while committing the same number themselves. Their dominance in the paint was evident, outscoring the Fire 42-32 in points inside the arc and controlling the defensive glass with 30 defensive rebounds.