The Opals train has kept on rolling, as they took out a comfortable 17-point win in their quarter-final clash with Belgium.
Belgium came into the match handicapped, lacking their marquee player Emma Meesseman due to a calf injury, and the Opals were able to capitalise on that lack of size throughout the game, scoring down low seemingly at will throughout most of the contest.
Lauren Jackson made her first two-point field goal of the tournament. Then she made her second. Then third, and fourth, finishing with 12 points.
But it was Cayla George who was the star of the show, mixing inside and outside scoring to finish with a game-high 19 points, which she paired with nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
OPALS | What an impact Cayla George had coming off the bench! 👊#AussieHoops #GoOpals #FIBAWWC pic.twitter.com/j7KoYK5RS0
— The Pick and Roll 🇦🇺🏀 (@PickandRollAU) September 29, 2022
George seemed omnipresent for Australia, bailing them out of more than a few tough situations while continuing to be one of the emotional cores of the team, much to the delight of her teammates, including Ezi Magbegor.
"I think it started with Sarah [Blicavs] just in the first quarter she came on and just set the tone for us, Cayla coming off the bench, she was unconscious in that game," Magbegor told reporters postgame.
"We knew she was playing well and getting the ball in her hands and I think that's just a credit to the team, we know we're 12 deep, anyone can step up on any night and that was Cayla tonight."
George seemed to agree with that summation, and was quick to credit the Opals squad for her performance.
"My teammates just instill a heap of confidence in me and when I was hot, I was hot, I guess," George said after the game.
"The Opals squad is really hard to make and then the Opals team for a big event is even harder to make, so we have a lot of depth and we really pride ourselves on that and we have each other's back."
To illustrate that depth, Sara Blicavs had her best game of the tournament, repaying coach Sandy Brondello’s decision to start her with 12 points and nine rebounds, whilst Marianna Tolo continued her consistent play down low, finishing with 13 points.
It seemed like everywhere you looked, there was an Opal playing their role; Steph Talbot and Sami Whitcomb had nine and seven assists, respectively, Ezi Magbegor continued to provide stellar defence, and Kirsty Wallace brought the energy off the bench.
Bec Allen also attempted a return after missing the previous two games due to injury, but exited after two-and-a-half minutes of play for good.
MORE: A tale of two halves as USA book their spot in the semi-finals
There were some bright spots for Belgium - Julie Allemand had 15 points and seven assists, while young star Kyara Linskens gave Belgian fans much to be excited about, but the lack of Messeeman was felt in a big way, and the Cats were unable to keep up with the Opals.
But going forward, the height matchup will do a complete 180, with the Opals set to face off against China in the semi-finals, a team sporting two of the tournament's tallest players in Xu Han and Yueru Li, both of whom stand over 200 centimetres tall.
Again, Cayla George credited her entire team for achieving this semi-finals berth, and acknowledged that it was a long time coming for an Opals squad that has been plagued by uncertainty in recent years.
"It's a pretty incredible feeling, the process to get here has been not an easy one, lots of hard work involved physically and mentally and we've stuck together, we've stayed in our Opals bubble, because at these events you kind of have to," George said.
"There's a lot going on, a lot of outside noise, but we've stuck to our Opals bubble and we've had each other's back, which is essentially what you've got to do to get through this is far and we're not quite done yet, but tomorrow is going to be a really physical battle.
"I don't think they've won a medal since '94 I saw on TV today so you know they're going to be really hungry for it as well.
"They have a lot of fans here, the stadium into their game was really loud, so I think the top will have to be open, it's going to be packed tomorrow it's going to be real rowdy.
"We're just expecting a great showing from China and they're going to be really tough, really physical, but I think tomorrow will be about who wants it more."
After what could be considered a horror start for the Opals, losing to France in the opening game, they have seemingly gone from strength to strength, and are peaking at the exact right time.
Only time will tell if their momentum can carry them past China and into the gold medal match, but regardless, they have truly proved that they deserve their spot back in the top echelon of international basketball.
