Spirited defence locks in crown as Kristi Harrower's Bendigo wins first WNBL title KRISTI Harrower's fairytale materialised yesterday, delivering the women's basketball national championship to the Bendigo Spirit - but the local legend might not be finished yet. Harrower, 39, claimed she was so focussed on winning the grand final - which the Spirit did emphatically, leading throughout to crush the Townsville Fire 71-57 - that she still hadn't decided whether to retire. "It depends on one thing and I don't want to say what," she said, but then gave the game away when she added: "It might take a long time to have a family." If she does not grace the national and international courts again she will go with her head held as high as any athlete could hope to do after an amazing career that has yielded Australia's only world championship, three silver medals and a bronze at four Olympics, stints in four other countries including the US and, now, a second WNBL title 19 years after the first. This one was pretty special, given that it is the bush team's first win - the first by any regional outfit in the WNBL - after six hard years in the competition, and because the coach is her Dad, Bernie Harrower, a long-time resident of Bendigo where he runs a paint shop. Bendigo veteran Kristi Harrower makes her way around Micaela Cocks. With 3000 locals, give or take a couple of hundred Fire fans who made the long trek from northern Queensland, roaring them on, the locals never looked likely to lose despite several momentum shifts. Harrower is the captain, the star and well and truly the face of the team but it wasn't all about her - not on the court, anyway. The starting five - her, American import Kelsey Griffin, Chelsea Aubrey, Gabrielle Richards and Kelly Wilson - all played at least 34 of the 40 minutes and scored all of the points while Griffin was voted most valuable. The other seven girls virtually watched them do it, while every Fire player contributed to their score. Harrower rested only briefly during the second term but while she was on the bench the visitors rammed on six unanswered points, prompting her to leap straight back into the action, mouth going as hard as her feet were. Bernie Harrowewr hugs Kristie Harrower after the fairytale became reality. She was indefatigable, charging up and down the court looking at times as if she owned the basketball, and had run herself to such a standstill as the clocked ticked dfown at the end that she had a dizzy spell. "I was pretty spent," she said. There was so much emotion, so many nerves, the build-up - there was a lot of pressure to lead the team and win it. I like pressure but its different when you're on your home court and not at the Olympic Games on the other side of the world. The Bendigo Spirit players and their support staff after winning their first WNBL title. The team has been through four finals campaigns in its six years of existence but Bernie Harrower said it was still in a lot of financial trouble a year ago. "We were nearly broke but some great sponsorsd and board members saved the club," he said. This year they finished on top of the ladder but were looking so good right from the start that the coach had to be rebuked by the captain. "I'll tell you a story," Kirsti said. After round two we beat Dandenong and I heard him talking to Mum on the phone in the car about the Grand Final. I told him not to get too far ahead of himself _ but he was right. Twitter: @Reedrw