THE Big V Women’s returned this week after a couple of weeks off due to the COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria and it did not disappoint. There were a couple of big results as Sunbury and Bulleen continued their winning ways.

Southern Peninsula (52) defeated by Keilor (66)

Keilor Thunder picked up where they left off with a strong win over Southern Peninsula. The Sharks got the jump on the Thunder early before the Thunder showcased their class to work their way back into the contest and steal the momentum. They did not hit their stride until the third term where they piled on 27 points to five highlighting both their scoring prowess and defensive nous.

Tanarly Hood was once again a commanding force for the Sharks, producing 17 points at 54 per cent from the field while she also reeled in eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Raynisha Washington was solid with her 11 point as Ashleigh Wright plied her trade for Southern Peninsula racking up 10 points, seven points all of which were defensive and two steals. But that is where the scoring stopped while for Keilor they had a number of bigtime players. Bianca Babic topscored for the winners with 14 points and three rebounds as Zoe Zwerling made her presence felt sinking 13 points in her 18 minutes out on court. Zwerling was influential off the boards with four rebounds while she also accumulated two assists. Emily Suckling got busy with her 11 points at a lowly 29 per cent from the field as Ally Keating worked hard in the win for her seven points, six rebounds and three assists.

Wyndham (67) defeated Casey (85)

Casey toppled Wyndham by 17 points in what was a seesawing affair. Wyndham had the upper hand in the opening half putting out a scintillating performance in the second term to open up a 10-point lead. But Casey were not about to go down without a fight coming out with a vengeance in the second half. A dominant third term saw them peg back the margin while their final term of 30 points all but left Wyndham in the lurch as they powered home to a big win.

Nicola Handreck was the main scorer for Wyndham finishing with 18 points to her name and could have had more had she been accurate from three-point range only nailing one of her 11 attempts. Courtney Middap was also in the thick of things producing 14 points at 55 per cent from the field along with six rebounds and one steal. Lauren Jones and Georgia Tauschke both managed 11 points apiece with the latter also plying her trade off the boards thanks to her eight rebounds. It was a stunning performance by Rachel Bell who led the charge for Casey racking up a whopping 33 points and eight rebounds in an all-round impressive performance. Shereesha Richards found her groove nailing 20 points at 63 per cent from the field and also picked up 12 rebounds to walk away with a double-double. Taylor Lee was the sole other player to reach double-digits slotting 14 points.

Hume (69) defeated by Sunbury (91)

Sunbury got the job done against Hume claiming a dominant win to keep them in a damaging position on the ladder. The first quarter was close with only point separating the two sides before the Jets kicked into gear and exposed their opponents. The second half was strong from Sunbury as they poured on 41 points to the Broncos’ 25 as Hume simply could not compete for a full four quarters.

Sunbury had a number of players step up to the plate and lead the way with Jacinta Beckley impressing thanks to her 26 points at 60 per cent from the field. She also racked up five rebounds and two assists while Bianca Dufelmeier also had a profound impact with her 18 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals. Orla O’Reilly  showcased her class to rack up 14 points while Emily Conn chimed in with a handy 11 points in the win. Charlotte Lord and Sophie Byrnes shared the topscoring gong for the Broncos with 17 points while Jessica Azzopardi had an impact with her 12 points. Hailey Wynd was down on her scoring output but still managed to have an influence with her 13 rebounds.

McKinnon (89) defeated Hawthorn (44)

McKinnon held the ascendancy from the opening quarter and did not relent throughout as they continued to mount pressure. Establishing a five-point lead at quarter time McKinnon went on a tear in the second term, keeping the Magic scoreless while adding 25 points themselves. It did not stop there as they further put the foot down in the third and while Hawthorn pegged the deficit back marginally in the last it was too little, too late.

McKinnon shared the points around with five players hitting the scoreboard in a big way. Tegan Cunningham had a hot hand with her 18 points and 13 rebounds while Ebony McMillan also played a strong role with 14 points and five rebounds. Both Katie Bluzer and Amelia Todhunter knocked back 13 points with the latter also reeling in seven rebounds and three assists. Bella Niven-Brown was the most prolific shooter for the Magic sinking 15 points at 35 per cent from the field while Amy O’Hara was the next best with her 11 points and 10 rebounds to walk away with a double-double.

Whittlesea (58) defeated Bulleen (86)

The final game of the round saw Bulleen Boomers defeat the lowly Whittlesea Pacers. It was a one-sided affair with the Boomers jumping out of the gates nice and early and not looking back. A 30 point to 13 term set them up for the win as Bulleen steadily added to their total throughout the contest and while they took their foot off the pedal in the final quarter the Boomers had already sealed the deal.

Kate Gaze wasted no time imposing herself for the Boomers draining 32 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals in a complete performance. Kayla Vitale was the next best for the winners sinking 16 points and two rebounds as Louella Tomlinson also shone with her crafty play to amass 13 points, six rebounds – all of which were defensive – six assists, three steals and four blocks. It was the usual suspects for Whittlesea with Saule Kontautaite and Lyndsey Hoogenhout impressing. Kontautaite topped the table with 22 points while Hoogenhout knocked back 12 points as Emily Verey chimed in with a double-double credit to her 14 points and 18 rebounds.

Photo credit: Basketball Victoria