Warrnambool Mermaids call on veteran Kate Sewell in Big V loss to Sunbury

The Mermaids were without Abbey Sutherland, Kat Aitken, Olivia Krygger and Grace Rodgers for their round two clash against Sunbury Jets at the Arc on Saturday night.

Their absence was telling. The Mermaids, who were elevated to the championship grade in 2019 but are missing the bulk of their division one-winning roster, suffered a 109-42 defeat.

Brown said the experienced Kate Sewell stepped into help. 

"It was a one-off as we were short on numbers and size but gee she played well," she said.

"She did a lot of little things that the stats don't show. She was a big presence inside the paint.

"We'll see how she pulls up and see if she's keen for a few more games."

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Brown said Warrnambool had drawn three of the competition's toughest sides - Casey Cavaliers, Sunbury Jets and McKinnon Cougars - in the first three rounds.

She expects the Mermaids to settle as the season progresses.

"There's a big division in the competition. The top four or five teams are a fair bit stronger than the bottom five," Brown said.

"I looked at the results last night and there wasn't a game where the margin was under 30."

Brown said Sunbury was "the benchmark of the competition".

"They have won the last three championship grade championships in a row," she said.

"They have a lot of experience and a lot of talent. They have WNBL girls and ex-WNBL girls, good size, good guards.

"They're a balanced team and well coached."

Warrnambool was outscored in all four quarters (26-10, 26-10, 19-14 and 38-8).

Brown said the Mermaids' third term was positive and gave them something to build on.

"A lot of our younger girls have never played Big V basketball before and their nerves might settle," she said.

"Our shooting percentage was very poor and some was down to pressure and some was pressure we put on ourselves."

Captain Amy Wormald top-scored with 13 points and also had six steals.

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