THE opening round of Big V Women’s brought plenty of close encounters and exciting performances from players with Round 2 gearing up to be just as exciting. Whittlesea Pacers and Southern Peninsula go head-to-head with the winner of the clash earning their first victory of the season as the contest between Wyndham and Sunbury will leave one side undefeated.

Casey vs. Hawthorn
Saturday, March 20 @ 6pm

Casey are coming in off a dominant win in Round 1 and will be hoping to solidify their standings with another commanding performance against Hawthorn. Boasting a number of scoring options it allows Casey to have a multi-pronged attacking unit that will be raring to go against Hawthorn to make it a two-zip start to the season.

Starring in Round 1 with a scintillating 35 points Shereesha Richards will be the one to stop for Hawthorn on Friday night with Richards proving to have an insatiable thirst once she gets going. Richards is also a menace off the boards reeling in 14 rebounds and posing a real threat, while Taylor Lee is also another exciting prospect for Casey. Rebekka Mawdsley started proceedings last round and will be wanting to up the ante in this outing.

Hume vs. Bulleen
Saturday, March 20 @ 6pm

Bulleen pulled out all the stops in Round 1 with all their big guns firing and announcing themselves as serious contenders. Sharing the points between a trio of a-list players Bulleen proved their versatility and potency something Hume will be aware of ahead of their Round 2 clash. The Broncos failed to get on the winners list last week and will be hoping to flip the script in this outing with some more precise ball movement attacking forays.

The Boomers are littered with stars across the court with Rebecca Cole coming off a 31 point showing and likely to turn that type of heat on, once again to lead her side to victory. Accompanying her is Kate Gaze and Louella Tomlinson with the duo able to effectively ply their trade with their scoring and rebounding ability paramount to the side’s success. For Hume, Sophie Byrnes proved to be a handy option but will need the likes of Nikki Spencer and Jade Azzopardi to step up and given the Boomers something to think about if they are to worry them.

Whittlesea vs. Southern Peninsula
Saturday, March 20 @ 8:30pm

It will be a battle of two winless sides as Whittlesea and Southern Peninsula go head-to-head on Saturday in hope to secure their first win for the Big V season. The Pacers were well and truly covered in their first outing as were Southern Peninsula who went down by 14 points but will be looking to bounce back in this matchup.

Expect the likes of Tanarly Hood to lead the way for the Sharks having topscored last week and also making a name for herself throughout the Country Basketball League. Hood alongside Jayde Popovski and Abbey McNamara could pose a real threat thanks to their combined rebounding ability and skill to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The Pacers have a couple of promising options with Indiana Bodey impressing in the opening game and likely to spearhead the squad once again while the efforts of Saule Kontautaite and Lyndsey Hoogenhout could prove to be the difference in getting Whittlesea over the line.

McKinnon vs. Keilor
Sunday, March 21 @ 3pm

The Sunday game between McKinnon and Keilor will be an interesting one as the two sides fight to make an impact on the competition and claim some early ascendancy. Failing to register a win last round, McKinnon will be eager to make amends for their efforts and notch up that all elusive “W”.

Despite being well beaten in Round 1 the likes of Amelia Todhunter and Rosie Fadljevic still managed to effectively ply their trade and inflict scoreboard pain, a feat they will be hoping to replicate against Keilor. Todhunter was strong on the rebound as was teammate Katie Bluzer finishing with 10 to her name showcasing her strength off the boards which could be a concern for their opponents.

Wyndham vs. Sunbury
Sunday, March 21 @ 1pm

It will be a fiery clash as both Wyndham and Sunbury look to keep their hot start to the season going and claim two wins straight off the bat. The Jets prevailed comfortably against Southern Peninsula but had a sluggish start an area they will want to address heading into the game. Wyndham also made light work of their opponent in Round 1 and will be aiming to keep that fast-paced, scoring mentality going to create some handy ladder separation.

There were three main stakeholders for Sunbury in their opening match with the trio recording double-figure points but will be looking for added depth in this match. In saying that, Bianca Dufelmeier led the charge producing 16 points and will more than likely be the main port of call in the game. Emily Conn and Tahnee Cannan are lively characters as is Nyomi Stowers. It is a similar story for Wyndham who boast another of scoring options as Courtney Middap, Lauren Jones, Jamielee Pearce and Sam Moodie all look to maintain that hot form.