ROUND 16 of Big V Women’s saw some exciting matchups across the round with one game decided by less than five points, and the rest playing host to a couple of blowouts.

Hawthorn (63) defeated Whittlesea (61)

It was a tight encounter between Hawthorn Magic and Whittlesea with the Magic just scraping over the line by a mere two points. Hawthorn had a blistering first term of action as they piled on 23 points, while keeping the Pacers to 14. But the wheels slowly started to turn in the second with Whittlesea upping the ante to eat into the deficit. But the Pacers really applied the pressure in the third term draining a whopping 18 points to the Magic’s eight. With the game on the line it was Hawthorn that came out with a point to prove in the final to prevail.

Georgia McBean led the troops for Hawthorn producing 16 points in her 23 minutes out on court while she also recorded two steals. Sian Gillam was up to her usual tricks for the Magic nailing 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists while Emily Kurkowski was also amongst the thick of things with her 12 points, four rebounds and two steals. Although Amy O’Hara did not have a huge impact on the scoreboard she imposed herself off the boards with 11 rebounds and five blocks. For the Pacers it was Lyndsey Hoogenhout that was up and about slotting 23 points while also chiming in with 14 rebounds in an all-round complete performance. Saule Kontautaite was also a key figure for Whittlesea dropping 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Both Emily Verey and Aydah Assoum tried hard registering eight points apiece but it was not enough to get the side over the line.

McKinnon (78) defeated Hume (65)

McKinnon notched up their 10th win of the season, toppling Hume by 13 points to hold onto third spot on the ladder. It took a while for the Broncos to get going while it was a different story for McKinnon as it poured on the points early to establish a five-point lead. The Cougars inflicted more pain in the second with 24 points to 12 to all but have the game on their terms. But Hume dug deep in the second half to outscore McKinnon 36 to 32 to eat into the margin but not enough to change the outcome of the game.

Tegan Cunningham was in fine form for McKinnon topscoring with 25 points at 58 per cent from the field. She also managed eight rebounds, four assists and a steal in the win. Teammate Amelia Todhunter was also a commanding force with her 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals while the next best was Roise Fadljevic who slotted 10 points in her 30 minutes out on court. Morgan Ili was down on her points scoring total draining just the eight but really upped the ante off the boards with 13 rebounds. Leilani Siamoa was the go to girl for the Broncos with her 13 points and three rebounds while Tashia Overby was also a main contributor thanks to her 12 points at 44 per cent from the field. Hailey Wynd slotted nine in her 31 minutes out on court while also racked up seven rebounds in the loss.

Casey (75) defeated by Bulleen (88)

Bulleen continued its run of hot form recording yet another win this time over the fourth placed Casey. Playing in front of a home crowd, Casey got off to a good start establishing a three-point lead. That momentum was short lived though as the Boomers hit back in the second quarter with a dominant 26 points to 17 term. Not only did they level the scores but so too stole the lead at half-time which continued into the third as they put on an absolute clinic. Casey only managed a mere eight points in the third and while they improved their output in the fourth the game was all but over.

It was once again Shereesha Richards that topped the table for Casey producing 23 points, eight rebounds and two assists as fellow teammate Rachel Bell also hit her straps with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Taylor Lee was influential with her 15 points at 46 per cent from the field as Tegan Fowler also managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over with her 11 points and five rebounds. It is no surprise that Rebecca Cole was in scintillating form for Bulleen registering a game-high 33 points to accompany her four rebounds, five assists and two steals. Louella Tomlinson amassed yet another double-double with her 19 points and 11 rebounds – 10 of which were defensive while the ever-reliable Kate Gaze also chimed in with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Sunbury (80) defeated Keilor (67)

Sunbury Jets got the last laugh with a win over Keilor Thunder in what was a see-sawing affair. The Thunder snuck out to an early two-point lead which was short lived as the Jets rallied in the second with 26 points to 15. They continued that trajectory in the third to push ahead by 15 points and all but secure the win. Although the Thunder mounted somewhat of a comeback in the final term it was too little, too late.

Jacinta Beckley was up to her usual tricks producing 30 points at an impressive 58 per cent accuracy from the field. She also registered six rebounds in the win. Courtney Wragg was another one that featured highly in the points scoring front for Sunbury notching up 18 points including seven straight from the free throw line. Wragg also amassed six rebounds, four assists and two steals in what was a complete performance. Teammate Bianca Dufelmeier was in fine form sinking 12 points in her 22 minutes out on court, while Tess Barnes did not skip a beat picking up six rebounds all of which were defensive. Ellen Kett was up and about for Keilor draining 22 points while she also racked up an impressive 11 rebounds and five assists. Emily Suckling and Ane Aldalur Soto chimed in with 10 points apiece to keep the Thunder in the hunt while Zoe Zwerling also got busy in her 19 minutes out on court with her eight points, two rebounds and two assists.

Wyndham (95) defeated Southern Peninsula (72)

The final game of the round saw Wyndham reign supreme as they toppled Southern Peninsula by a convincing 23 points. Wyndham only sit two places above the Sharks on the ladder but kicked things up a gear in this performance to monopolise the play. it was neck and neck in the first term with neither side able to break free, while the second quarter was just as intense. But things really blew open in the third as Wyndham added a whopping 37 points to 13 to steal the ascendancy. Southern Peninsula simply had no answers and while they upped the ante in the final stanza there was no coming back as they suffered another loss.

There were plenty of options for Wyndham when it came to scoring as four players hit double-digits. Lauren Jones was the most explosive player out on court for Wyndham finishing with 24 points to her name in under 30 minutes as Jessica Scannell imposed herself with 18 points at 60 per cent from the field. Georgia Tauschke had a good day out on court sinking 14 points while also lending a hand off the boards with her eight rebounds and two steals. The only other player to reach double figures was Nicola Handreck who drained 13 points while also picking up seven rebounds. For the Sharks it was Raynisha Washington that paved the way with her game-high 27 points at 65 per cent from the field. Tanarly Hood was influential once again producing 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Ashleigh Wright slotted 12 points in the loss.