Mooney, King power Scorchers into WBBL final

Beth Mooney's 44-ball 76 and Alana King's three-wicket haul powered Perth Scorchers to an 11-run win over Sydney Sixers in the WBBL Challenger, setting up a final against Hobart Hurricanes on Saturday.

Batting first, Katie Mack (40) and Mooney added 66 for the opening wicket. Mooney hit 11 fours and a six, forging partnerships with Sophie Devine, Paige Scholfield and Maddy Darke.

Amelia Kerr took a couple of middle-order wickets and Maitlan Brown removed Mooney in the 19th over, but Scorchers had already built a strong total. Ashleigh Gardner claimed two wickets in the final over, but Scorchers finished on 183/8.

Sixers' reply began with a 58-run opening stand between Sophia Dunkley and Ellyse Perry, but Alana King broke the partnership in the eighth over. Alyssa Healy fell for 1 to Chloe Ainsworth, and Ruby Strange removed Dunkley soon after.

Kerr and Gardner added 53 off 35 balls for the fourth wicket, with Kerr smashing 42 off 29 to keep Sixers in contention. However, King returned to dismiss Gardner and Maitlan Brown, effectively ending the chase. Sixers finished on 172/6.

Brief Scores: Perth Scorchers 183/8 (Mooney 76, Mack 40; Gardner 3-25) beat Sydney Sixers 172/6 (Kerr 42, Dunkley 41; King 3-17) by 11 runs.