Townsville Fire guard Heal tallied 30 points, seven assists and four steals in her side's 106-93 semi-final loss to the Southside Flyers.

Heal also displayed her toughness, with the 168cm guard not taking a backward step against 203cm WNBA star Liz Cambage.

It immediately drew comparisons to the time Shane Heal stood up to NBA great Charles Barkley in an exhibition game in the lead-up to the 1996 Olympics.

Shyla will be back in action on Friday night when the Fire take on the Melbourne Boomers in the WNBL preliminary final.

The winner will meet the Southside Flyers in Sunday's grand final.

Shyla's dazzling ball-handling skills and hot shooting have been a key part of the Fire's success this season, lifting them from wooden spooners to second on the ladder.

Her performance against the Flyers on Wednesday has strengthened her chances of becoming a round-one selection in the 2021 WNBA draft.

"Her skills are so much better than mine at the same age, it's not even close," Shane said.

"Her handle on the ball, her ability to play with poise, her vision to be able to find people, her ability to be able to defend in the full court - it's a credit to her for all the work she's put in.

"From a young age she wanted to be working out in the driveway.

"I taught her to dribble the ball really hard and really fast - a bit outside her comfort zone and she's embraced all of that and taken those dribbling skills to another level.

"I feel like she can get anywhere on the court, whether it's the Olympics or the WNBA, she's got the skills to be able to play her position like that."

The Boomers secured their preliminary final berth with a 78-68 win over defending champions Canberra.

Boomers centre Ezi Magbegor starred with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Madeleine Garrick (15 points) and Tess Madgen (13 points) were also important.

The Fire's backcourt duo of Heal and Lauren Nicholson loom as the biggest threat for the Boomers with Nicholson also dropping 30 points against the Flyers.

Australian Associated Press