IT was a mixed bag of results in Round 4 of the Big V Men’s with a number of blowouts and a couple of close calls. McKinnon and Sunbury continued their winning ways while Keilor Thunder kept the good times rolling with a narrow win over Casey to round out Saturday’s day of action.

Hawthorn (59) defeated by Hume (81)

Hume Broncos made light work of Hawthorn, defeating them comfortably by 22 points. Racing out of the blocks in the opening term to post 25 points to seven, the game was almost done and dusted before half time. Although scoring dried up in the second half with the Magic finding their groove a bit more and the Broncos unable to penetrate their defence as easily, Hume had done enough to secure the points to walk away with their fourth straight win.

Kirk Smith did all the damage for Hawthorn posting an impressive 20 points at 50 per cent from the field. It did not stop there for Smith as he recorded five rebounds, two assists and two steals. He was ably assisted by Ryan O’Sullivan and Jarrod Molnar who both managed nine points apiece to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Although Noah Dempsey was not overly prolific on the scoring front he still managed to reel in 10 rebounds, all of which were defensive, showcasing his strength off the boards while Matt Hallam tried his best with seven points and five rebounds to his name. The scoring was somewhat shared around for Hume as a trio of players hit the double-digit mark, seeing Mackuei Puondak topscore with an impressive 21 points at 58 per cent from the field. Teammate Jake Martin was the next best with a double-double in hand, walking away with 14 points and 11 defensive rebounds of his 13 total. Shayan Mahboobi made his presence felt with 11 points, six rebounds and four steals as Joel Rimes was a menace off the boards finishing with eight rebounds and nine points.

McKinnon (85) defeated Wyndham (71)

McKinnon kept their undefeated record intact with a strong 14-point victory over Wyndham on Saturday night. It was always going to be a high-scoring game with both sides proving their intentions early, as McKinnon knocked back 23 points and only dropped below the 20-point mark in the final term, while Wyndham also found their way to the rim with relative ease. Field goal percentage seemed to be a key difference between the two sides with McKinnon able to take chances when needed to establish the lead and not let go.

McKinnon had no shortage of options when it came to scoring with five players hitting double digits in a showing of versatility and excitement. Jack Wilson took the chocolates as the most dominant McKinnon player on court playing 41 minutes and producing 18 points and nine rebounds to just fall short of a double-double. Luke Shelley was not far behind contributing 17 points to the tally as Matt Tolnai knocked back 16 points of his own. Jordan Vandenberg had a night to remember putting up 14 points and an impressive 11 rebounds as Jordan Geer rounded out the double figure scores securing 11 for the game despite shooting at a lowly 18.2 per cent from the field. For Wyndham it was the ever-reliable Aaron Dolny that took charge, commanding the ball and shooting accordingly thanks to his 22 points and 50 per cent accuracy from the field to accompany his seven rebounds and five assists. Cameron Hutton impressed with his 13 points and four rebounds as Kobe Pearson sunk nine points in his 22 minutes on court. Both Tomi Ayilara and Kane Hynes managed eight points apiece but it was not enough to get their side over the line.

Western Port (79) defeated Chelsea (74)

It was a close finish to the game with Western Port just prevailing against Chelsea by a mere five points. After an even first term of play which saw the sides unable to be separated at 23 points apiece, Western Port started to break the game wide open narrowly edging ahead at half time. With their tails up at the main change, Western Port came into the third term with a real sense of confidence and belief piling on 28 points to 23 to extend the lead. However the game was not over and done with yet, as Chelsea bit back in the fourth to eat into the margin, albeit by two points, but subsequently not enough to alter the outcome.

Once again it was Daryl Corletto that starred and took centre stage sinking 28 points at 58 per cent from the field. His accuracy from long range was also impressive nailing five of 11 attempts. Both Jay Allen and Matt Pollard secured 10 points and four rebounds for Western Port with the latter also notching up three assists. Matt Turner also made his mark with 10 points and a whopping 16 rebounds credit to his clever positioning and defensive nous. Nathan Frost led from the front with a commanding 27 points and scintillating 19 rebounds in an all-round dominant performance despite being in a losing side. Corey Standerfer also imposed himself on the contest walking away with 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists as Blake Newman-O’Brien was the only other player to reach the double-digit mark for Chelsea producing 12 points at 71 per cent from the field.

Blackburn (71) defeated by Sunbury (87)

Sunbury made it four wins straight getting over the top of Blackburn by 16-points in yet another strong showing by the top of the table side. Sunbury had all the control from the opening quarter of play and never looked like relinquishing that dominance grinding out each quarter to claim the ascendancy. By half time the Thunder had established an 18 point lead and while Blackburn worked their way back into the contest in the final term to outscore their opponents 23-20 it was not enough to topple the first placed side.

It is no surprise that Bul Niop did the bulk of the damage for the Vikings producing a team-high 21 points to accompany his four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Jah Soloai worked tirelessly in his 17 minutes on court to get busy and produce 11 points at 67 per cent from the field while Terrance Swayne notched up nine points and 11 rebounds of his own in the loss. Points scoring machine, Trevon Clayton took the game by the scruff of the neck and dominated with 23 points. He recorded another double-double reeling in 10 rebounds while also collecting six assists and four steals. Jayce Beasley hit the ground running with 13 points and a 100 per cent accuracy from the charity strip as Cory Bellman also contributed a handy 12 points to the winning total.

Casey (79) defeated by Keilor (82)

The final game of the round saw Keilor edge out Casey in a thrilling three-point ball-game. Casey got the jump early establishing a handy three-point lead before the Thunder hit back in the second to steal a two-point buffer of their own. The lead continued to ebb and flow with neither side really able to claim any form of ascendancy and assert themselves on the contest. With it all to play for in the final term, it was the Thunder that prevailed, leaving nothing to chance and dominating with a 24-18 final stanza.

Calvin Enge was a menace for Casey recording a team-high 21 points and converting at 69 per cent to accompany his 10 rebounds while Angus Howey effectively plied his trade with 16 points in his 18 minutes on court. Matt Donlan inflicted some scoreboard pain with 12 points as Anthony Williams Jr also kept Casey in the contest with 10 points, five assists and four steals. Michael McInnes was strong off the boards reeling in seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. For Keilor it was Luke Sist that continued his dominant form producing a game-high 24 points at 59 per cent from the field. But it did not stop there, as he reeled in a staggering 15 rebounds to round out a strong performance. Matt Spencer was next best with 20 points while Jeffrey Ofoedu contributed a handy 11 points in 18 minutes.