ROUND 5 of Big V Men’s saw multiple close games with three of the five games decided by five or less points in a showing of great talent. The other two matches were decided by larger margins while Sunbury boast an undefeated record with McKinnon and Keilor hot on the Jets’ tail.

Hawthorn (71) defeated by Wyndham (76)

Wyndham just snuck over the line in their clash against Hawthorn thanks to an impressive fourth quarter of play. Bursting out of the gates in the first stanza, Hawthorn ran out of legs as the game went on and while they sparked up in patches fell away when it really counted. Establishing a 10-point lead early on, they allowed Wyndham back into the contest in the second and while they mounted pressure in the third adding 25 points to 18 their inability to close out the match became evident as Wyndham stormed home. A scintillating final quarter from Wyndham proved to be the game changer as they notched up 29 points and managed to keep the Magic to a mere 13 points as they stole the win.

Joe Furphy and Noah Dempsey were the main contributors for the Magic sinking 17 points apiece in a strong effort. Furphy was influential off the boards securing 11 rebounds with nine of them defensive while Dempsey chimed in with five of his own. Ryan O’Sullivan kept the opposition busy adding eight points to the tally while Patrick McBrearty made his presence felt in his 19 minutes on court dishing up seven points and two assists. Simon Maker was the real game changer for Wyndham nailing a game-high 22 points with teammate Tomi Ayilara also solidly contributing with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Stefan Pomasan also continued his strong start to the season with another 13 points, four rebounds and five assists.

Western Port (66) defeated by Sunbury (69)

Sunbury sealed the deal by a mere three points in an absolute thriller against Western Port. Down for majority of the game thanks to some strong offensive plays by Western Port, the Jets waited until the last minute to strike, laying on 24 points to eight. Capitalising on their fatiguing opponents Sunbury pressed hard to keep Western Port at bay and keep their scoreboard ticking over to not only draw level but bypass them in a thrilling finish.

Matt Turner set the court alight for Western Port pouring on 16 points at an impressive 86 per cent while also lending his hand off the boards with 11 rebounds to his name. Bevan Camilleri was influential producing 13 points but could have had more given his inaccuracy while Matthew Theobald contributed a handy 10 points. Trevon Clayton was well and truly down on his lofty standards only producing six points and nine rebounds as his teammates around him picked up the slack with Nathan Baker leading the pack through his 15 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Namesake Nathan Marshall was also a solid contributor with 12 points and 12 rebounds as both Cory Bellman and Jayce Beasley slotted 11 points each.

Blackburn (69) defeated by Casey (74)

Casey struck against Blackburn running out five point victors, continuing the theme of close shaves. Casey skipped out to a five-point lead at quarter time before the Vikings answered the call in the second with a 17 to nine point term. But that momentum did not last long as Casey came out with a point to prove in the third pouring on 25 points to 15 and although they were outscored in the final stanza had created a substantial enough lead to not lose the game.

Jah Soloai bobbed up for a handy 24 points leading Blackburn for large passages of the game while also reeling in seven rebounds. Neal Mueller was the next best with 11 points in his 27 minutes on court while Bul Niop continued his merry way with 10 points and six rebounds. Casey had a two-pronged attack with Matt Donlan and Anthony Williams Jr combined for over half of their sides points. Donlan proved to have a hot hand with 26 points at 37 per cent while also securing 10 rebounds as Williams sunk 20 points. Calvin Enge played a strong supplementary role nailing 10 points and proving his strength off the boards with 12 rebounds to his name from his 32 minutes on court.

Hume (106) defeated McKinnon (86)

The Broncos strung together a dominant second half of basketball going on a scoring spree to blow McKinnon out of the water. Hume created a two point lead at the first change before McKinnon put on the afterburners to turn the tables and establish an 11-point ball game. However Hume were not content with that coming out of the main break with a real pep in their step to pile on 29 and 38 points in the third and fourth term while keeping McKinnon to a combined 36 points in the second half.

It was hard to stop Mackuei Puondak who seemed to have the ball on a string for the Broncos as he produced a staggering 47 points at 68 per cent from the field. Puondak also managed six rebounds but it was shooting that did all the talking as he consistently attacked the rim. Jake Martin was influential in the win producing 21 points and 18 rebounds as Joel Rimes got busy with 15 points. Jordan Geer was the key playmaker for McKinnon dropping 26 points in 36 minutes but it did not stop there as he also recorded 15 rebounds. Jack Wilson was the other handy name for McKinnon knocking back 17 points as did Mitchell Barry.

Keilor (82) defeated Chelsea (77)

The final game of the round saw Keilor defeat Chelsea taking their tally to four wins for the season. The Thunder were slow out of the blocks facing a four point deficit at quarter time before they flicked the switch in the second to put Chelsea to bed. Although the Seagulls mounted a comeback in the final quarter it was too little, too late with the Thunder doing just enough to hang on and win.

Another day, another impressive performance by Luke Sist after nailing 24 points in his latest outing. Sist also made his presence felt off the boards with 13 rebounds, 11 of which were defensive. Nicholas Masunda imposed himself on the action throwing down 17 points as Matt Spencer got busy with 16 points of his own. David Schaffert was the sole other player to hit double-digits with 13 points in 16 minutes. Aaron Frost was the main trouble maker for Chelsea with a game-high 26 points at 65 per cent while Nathan Frost was hot on his tail with 25 points of his own. They also combined for an impressive 29 rebounds with 21 defensive. Corey Standerfer was also a force to be reckoned with dropping 15 points.

Round 6

Wyndham take on Blackburn on Saturday with Keilor hoping to secure the win at home up against Western Port. Chelsea and Hume will fight it out while a top four clash between Sunbury and Casey will generate plenty of excitement. The final game of the round sees the Magic take on McKinnon who will be eager to get back on the winners list.