Perth Scorchers have won their way through to a place in the WBBL grand final, continuing their fairytale run through the back-end of the tournament with an 11-run victory over Sydney Sixers.

Star Scorcher Beth Mooney made the Sixers pay after her Australia teammate Alyssa Healy missed a stumping chance when she was on nine, going on to top-score with 76 from 44 deliveries to lead Perth to a total of 8-183.

A brilliant bowling effort led by Alana King (3-17 from four overs) saw the Scorchers defy the traditionally high-scoring nature of North Sydney Oval to limit the star-studded Sixers to 6-172 in response and claim their sixth victory from their last seven games.

Scorchers spinner Lilly Mills — who made a certainty of the result by conceding only five runs in the first five balls of a final over in which Sydney required 21 to steal a win — said King’s ability to push through pain had left her in awe.

“She’s super resilient, Alana. She actually has a busted finger,” Mills said of her fellow spinner, who has played with a broken little finger on her bowling hand for much of the season.

“For her to be able to pull through the pain and perform in the finals, that’s what big players do.”

The result leaves a clash with Hobart Hurricanes in Tasmania on Saturday as the sole obstacle remaining in Perth’s path to a second WBBL title.

Mills said her side would draw great confidence from their strong recent form when they come up against a Hurricanes outfit which has spent the week waiting after securing direct passage to the grand final by finishing atop the table.

“It’s been nice to be able to grab some momentum at the back-end of the season,” she said.

“We’ve got some nice momentum, but we all know it’s nil-all come Saturday night. Hopefully, we come away with the victory.”

The Scorchers took only 18 from their first three overs as Mooney’s opening partner Katie Mack struggled to get going, scoring only 12 from the first 17 deliveries she faced.

But she dispatched Lauren Cheatle for back-to-back boundaries to get into a brisk knock, which ended when she attempted one big shot too many, chipping Ash Gardner to mid-off to depart for 40 from 30 balls.

In the midst of a 66-run opening stand, Sydney missed a golden chance to claim the key wicket of Mooney, who was able to make her ground after Healy fumbled a leg-side wide with the Scorchers’ leading batter outside her crease.

After No.3 Sophie Devine (seven) struggled to get going before holing out to the leg-side boundary, Perth opted to take the power surge in just the 11th over and Mooney promptly swept Gardner for six before running a quick single to bring up her half-century.

New batter Paige Scholfield (14) followed Mooney’s act by dispatching Amelia Kerr for back-to-back sixes but departed attempting a hat-trick, top-edging the leg-spinner into Healy’s gloves.

Neither Maddy Darke (nine) nor Freya Kemp (one) were able to find any rhythm before Mooney’s fine knock ended after she was out lbw to Maitlan Brown attempting a ramp, which left the Scorchers without a recognised batter at the back end of their innings.

The Scorchers departed from their blueprint of starting their bowling innings with pace by having off-spinner Amy Edgar send down the first over, but Ellyse Perry responded by stroking consecutive boundaries to get the Sixers’ chase away to a flying start.

King was able to bounce back from shelling a simple catch, which would have seen Sophia Dunkley depart for 15 by building pressure on Perry (29), whose attempt to break the shackles saw her chip a catch to mid-wicket.

Perth’s seamers followed up on the leg-spinner’s good work, with Chloe Ainsworth producing an in-swinger which bowled Healy for just one and Ruby Strange ending Dunkley’s disjointed knock for 41, courtesy of boundary rider Scholfield holding her nerve under a skied mis-hit.

As the required run rate ascended above 12 an over, the Scorchers offered no easy scoring opportunities for Gardner or Kerr, but the game threatened to turn when the pair took 16 from Sophie Devine’s first over of the power surge.

King was rewarded for continuing to bowl good balls by forcing Gardner (29) into a big shot, which ended in the hands of Devine at mid-off, and sent the dangerous Brown on her way for 14 in her final over to cap off a brilliant showing.

Maddy Darke missed a chance to ice the game by dropping a simple chance offered by Kerr in the penultimate over, but a task of 30 from the final 12 deliveries ultimately proved too large for Sydney, with Mills knocking over Kerr for 42 in the final over to make a certainty of the result.