BIG V returned this weekend after a month long COVID-19 enforced hiatus and Round 14 did not disappoint. There were a number of blowouts with Keilor almost doubling their opponents score while it was much closer between Hawthorn and McKinnon.

Chelsea (106) defeated Western Port (78)

Chelsea raced out of the blocks with a 29 to 19 point opening term to give them the ascendancy nice and early. Western Port upped the ante in the second to reduce the margin to seven points but that is where it stopped. Chelsea came out with a real pep in their step in the second half and did not look like letting up on the lead. In fact they steadily added to the tally with consecutive 27 point quarters to claim a dominant 28-point win.

It was clear that Corey Standerfer came back with a point to prove and was nice and refreshed from the break sinking a staggering 40 points. It did not stop there for Standerfer as he reeled in 12 rebounds, two assists and one steal. Josh Watt was in fine form for Chelsea dropping 25 points at 53 per cent from the field while also amassing five rebounds and two assists. Aaron Frost had no troubles finding the bucket finishing with 18 points to his name shooting at 50 per cent from the field while Nathan Frost was equally as damaging with his 13 points and 21 rebounds, 17 of which were defensive. Scoring was not as easy for Western Port however Bevan Camilleri led the charge with 23 with his ability to convert from down town on full show thanks to his five triples from eight attempts. Matthew Theobald was the next best with his 15 points, four rebounds and three steals. Daryl Corletto found his groove in his 17 minutes on court to hit double-digits thanks to his 10 points.

Wyndham (71) defeated by Casey (94)

Casey got the chocolates in their clash with Wyndham securing a 23-point upset win. Leading from the first quarter, Casey looked to steadily build on their margin and did just that as the game went on. Casey stunned Wyndham in the opening term piling on 30 points to just 18 and while the scoring slowed up for the rest of the game they still managed to maintain the same level of pressure and intensity throughout the clash. The final quarter was just as dominant as Casey shut down Wyndham in offence and poured on the scoreboard pressure themselves.

It was a shared effort from Wyndham as every single player managed to hit the scoreboard. Brandon Watkins topscored for his side with 13 points while he also managed seven rebounds as teammate Cameron Hutton was the sole other player to reach double-figures thanks to his 10 points, four rebounds and four assists. Simon Maker notched up nine points at 57 per cent from the field while Aaron Dolny had an influence both on the boards with six rebounds and scoreboard sinking six points. For Casey it was the efforts of Matt Donlan that stood out as he drained 25 points while Anthony Williams also chimed in with a handy 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Calvin Enge finished with 13 points in his 31 minutes on court as Keith Robinson also had an influence with his 12 points, eight rebounds and four steals.

Blackburn (48) defeated by Keilor (94)

It was a one-sided affair as Keilor Thunder bypassed Blackburn with relative ease as they continued their winning ways. The break did not seem to slow down Keilor who were in scintillating form draining 29 points to 17 in the first. Their defensive pressure came to the fore in the second quarter limiting the Vikings to a mere six points while they went streaming down the other end to keep the tally growing. It tightened up in the third and fourth but Keilor still had the upper hand as they secured an impressive 46 point win.

Keilor showcased their depth and versatility with five players making it out of single digits and Luke Sist proving to be a driving force. Sist was the main facilitator with his 21 points at 44 per cent from the field while he also picked up five rebounds and two assists. Matt Spencer was influential draining 15 points and doing so at a high accuracy while Charleston Long converted at 80 per cent from the field for his 14 points. Nicholas Masunda and Nelson Kirksey managed 10 points apiece in the win along with a combined nine rebounds. It was a tough day at the office for Blackburn as Mark Berezdecky was the only player to hit double-digits with his 10 points while Bul Niop was hot on his heels with nine points and three rebounds. Matthew Scammell also proved to be a handy prospect for the Vikings with his nine points and two steals.

McKinnon (102) defeated by Hawthorn (106)

It was an overtime thriller between McKinnon and Hawthorn with the latter just sneaking over the line by four points. The Magic skipped out to a handy six point lead at the first break before McKinnon answered the call with a dominant second quarter to not only level scores but take the lead at halftime. Scoring tightened up in the third, however Hawthorn ate into the margin by a point. With it all to play for in the final term, the Magic left nothing to chance outscoring McKinnon to draw even at the siren. The Magic showed plenty of grit and determination to prevail in overtime and claim a hard-fought win.

McKinnon had no shortage of scoring dynamos with Jordan Geer paving the way with his 22 points but inaccuracy came back to bite him only converting at 47 per cent from the field. But he did show his strength with his 11 rebounds and five assists. Luke Peynenborg was another solid contributor thanks to his 20 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals. Luke Shelley worked in overdrive for McKinnon posting 14 points, six assists and two steals while Jordan Vandenberg was also in fine form with his 12 points. Although McKinnon shared the points around, the Magic were lucky enough to have Jarrod Molnar who seemed to have the ball on a string posting 38 points at 48 per cent from the field. Molnar also racked up eight rebounds in an all-round dominant performance. Kirk Smith and Joe Furphy imposed themselves with 20 and 15 points respectively as Xavier Evans also made himself felt pouring on 13 points and 16 rebounds to collect a double-double.

Hume (91) defeated Sunbury (80)

The Broncos claimed a ladder defining win against Sunbury on the weekend to solidify their spot inside the top four. The battle was hot early as only point favoured Sunbury but the tables quickly turned as Hume rallied in the second term. They upped the ante both in offence and defence to add some real scoreboard pressure and stop the Jets in their tracks. Up by 10 points at half-time, Hume continued to put the foot down with a dominant 32 to 20 point term and while the Jets fought back in the final quarter it was too little, too late as Hume hung on for a strong win.

Jake Martin wasted no time imposing himself on the contest racking up the points left, right and centre with a game-high 31 at 57 per cent. He also racked up nine rebounds and four assists for his efforts. Shayan Mahboobi also proved to be a handy option with his 15 points while both Lukas Kafritsas and Liam Killey showcased their skills to record 10 points each. Jayce Beasley was the topscorer for Sunbury producing 20 points at 50 per cent from the field while he also accumulated four rebounds. Nathan Baker tried hard to keep Sunbury within touching distance with his 16 points in his 29 minutes out on court while Trevon Clayton also got busy with his 15 points and 11 rebound effort.

Round 15:

The top four battle between Wyndham and McKinnon will generate plenty of excitement while Blackburn will remain on the hunt for their first win up against Chelsea. Sunbury and Hawthorn will do battle while Keilor and Casey will engage in an enthralling contest. The final game of the round sees Western Port host Hume at Somerville Recreation Centre.

Photo credit: Basketball Victoria