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AAP
AAP
Shayne Hope

Perth Lynx douse Townsville Fire to reach WNBL decider

Aari McDonald (l) led Perth to the WNBL grand final, starring in a 2-0 series win over Townsville. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS)

American import Aari McDonald has steered the Perth Lynx to a stunning semi-final series sweep of defending champions Townsville Fire and into their second WNBL grand final in three seasons.

McDonald top-scored for the Lynx with 26 points in their upset 88-87 road win over the Fire on Thursday, and backed it up with a game-high 27 points in a thrilling 108-102 home victory on Sunday.

McDonald also had 20 assists across the two games.

Amy Atwell was another influential contributor with tallies of 24 and 27 points in Perth's 2-0 series triumph.

Townsville captain Sami Whitcomb scored 24 points in each game, fighting hard in a losing battle against her former team.

The Lynx scraped into the finals in fourth place with an 11-10 record and toppled a Fire outfit that topped the regular season ladder in pursuit of a second straight title.

They will meet either the Southside Flyers or Melbourne Boomers in the decider, with the all-Victorian semi-final series locked at 1-1.

The Flyers were 90-86 winners in game one behind Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson's 20 points and 18 from Leilani Mitchell.

The Boomers turned the tables with an 88-67 win in game two, with Naz Hillmon (22 points, nine rebounds) and Jordin Canada (21 points, five assists) at the forefront of their dominance.

The decider is scheduled for Wednesday at Melbourne Sports Centres.

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