BULLEEN managed to keep its winning streak alive notching up a fourth straight victory in Round 4 of the Big V Women’s competition. The top four battle between Casey and Keilor lived up to the hype with the two plying their trade.

Southern Peninsula (40) defeated by McKinnon (77)

McKinnon dominated in their clash against Southern Peninsula to secure their second win of the season and leapfrog their opponents on the ladder to hold onto fifth spot. McKinnon dictated the terms of the game early creating a handy eight point lead and while Southern Peninsula hit back in the second that was shortly lived, Southern Peninsula were well and truly smothered in the second half only able to register a mere 11 points while McKinnon stacked on 43 points of their own in a white wash.

Tanarly Hood continued her strong start to the season for Southern Peninsula producing a team-high 13 points. She could have had more had she been more accurate from the field only converting at 33 per cent. Ashleigh Wright was a workhorse for her 11 points, four rebounds and four steals as Abbey McNamara also added five points to the scoreboard but it did little to worry McKinnon. The victors looked to both Rosie Fadljevic and Amelia Todhunter to lead the way and put up a competitive total. Fadljevic was the main source of pain knocking back 23 points and 10 rebounds in the win while Todhunter registered 19 and eight steals. Isobel Anstey also made an impact through her 11 points in an impressive shooting display to convert at 100 per cent from the field. Claire Ioannidis also plied her trade to walk away with nine points and three rebounds.

Casey (87) defeated Keilor (68)

Casey got the job done against Keilor Thunder to earn third spot on the ladder and push their opponents down the ladder. It was a strong showing from the opening term for Casey as they peppered away at the basket to create a handy 11-point ball game to commence the first break. This momentum trickled into the second quarter before establishing a 20-point lead at half time alone. Keilor managed to cut into the deficit marginally in the third term but that was short-lived as Casey claimed bragging rights in the final stanza of play and ultimately the game itself to run out 19-point victors.

Shereesha Richards was at her damaging best once again for the winners producing a scintillating 29 points at 77 per cent while also securing 12 rebounds in an all-round impressive performance. Rachel Bell did a lot of the heavy lifting for Casey thanks to her 26 points, five rebounds and six assists. Tegan Fowler was the sole other player able to make it to double-digits thanks to her 10 points to accompany her eight rebounds and three assists. Bianca Babic was the main playmaker for the Thunder side knocking back 21 points at 40 per cent from the field. She also managed five rebounds with only Ellen Kett out-rebounding her thanks to her nine. Emily Suckling was a force to be reckoned with draining 13 points as Ally Keating also kept the scoreboard ticking over for Keilor with 11 points in 30 minutes.

Bulleen (82) defeated Wyndham (71)

Bulleen picked up where they left off downing Wyndham in another convincing performance. The Boomers made all the running in the first quarter to create a five-point lead before Wyndham worked their way back into the contest, outscoring their opponents 22-20. That momentum was only shortly lived as the Boomers came out firing in the second half, playing with some serious conviction to add to their tally and limit the opportunities for Wyndham.

It was a phenomenal performance from Kate Gaze who simply had the ball on a string. Gaze was everywhere and could not be denied scoring over half of Bulleen’s points thanks to a staggering 47-point performance. She single-handedly led her side to victory and while Louella Tomlinson chimed in with a handy 16 points and managed a triple double thanks to her 12 rebounds and 11 assists it was Gaze’s game. Gaze converted eight of her 12 attempts from down town while also reeling in five rebounds and three assists. Kate Sturzaker plied her trade in her 14 minutes on court producing eight points. The efforts of Georgia Tauschke and Courtney Middap did not go unnoticed with the pair producing 17 and 15 points respectively. Jamilee Pearce was a strong option for Wyndham registering 12 points and 10 rebounds with teammate Jessica Slade also chiming in with a handy 10 points but not enough to bypass the Boomers.

Hume (90) defeated Whittlesea (45)

It was a tough day at the office for Whittlesea Pacers as Hume doubled their score to reign supreme and claim their first win of the season. It was a convincing performance by the Broncos leading from start to finish and never giving the Pacers a chance to build any form of momentum. Keeping Whittlesea to just seven points in the first quarter while adding 22 points of their own it was clear that Hume came to play and were going to capitalise on a flailing Pacers outfit. The Broncos outscored Whittlesea every quarter in a real showing of dominance, cleanliness and star power to not give up the chase and intensity.

There were a couple of key figures for Hume that paved the way with Hailey Wynd leading the charge credit to her 19 points. She was a commanding presence off the boards as shown through her 13 rebounds while she also racked up four dimes. Ellen Wright made her mark with 12 points in her 25 minutes on court while also producing seven rebounds. Charlotte Lord contributed nine points to Hume’s winning margin as Leilani Siamoa also posted nine points of her own albeit at 44 per cent. The reliable duo in Saule Kontautaite and Lyndsey Hoogenhout were formidable for Whittlesea with 17 and 11 points respectively. Kontautaite’s game did not stop there recording a double-double with her 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals.