ROUND 6 of the Big V Women’s played host to a mixed bag of results as Sunbury just edged ahead of Wyndham by a mere point while Casey also secured their fifth win of the season. Whittlesea still remain at the bottom of the ladder yet to earn a win.

Southern Peninsula (49) defeated by Hume (65)

Hume Broncos got the job done against Southern Peninsula running out 16-point winners in what was a convincing performance by the visiting side. The Broncos burst out of the blocks in the first quarter piling on 23 points to nine and while the Sharks fought back in the second to eat into the margin they could not get within striking distance. The second half continued down a similar path as the Broncos held the ascendancy in the third and the fourth to secure their second win of the season.

Tanarly Hood was once again the standout player for Southern Peninsula producing a team-high 16 points while also reeling in seven rebounds and two assists. Fiona Darnell was a helping hand with her eight points and six rebounds in her 25 minutes on court while Annaliese Rogers also made her presence felt with six points. The combination between Hailey Wynd and Paige Tawaf caused headaches as they sunk 15 and 13 points respectively. Wynd also got busy with seven rebounds and two blocks as Tawaf also reeled in eight rebounds. Leilani Siamoa continued her strong start to the season nailing nine points and seven rebounds as Ellen Wright proved to be a menace off the boards with her 10 rebounds evenly split in offence and defence.

Keilor (69) defeated by Casey (78)

The top four battle between Keilor and Casey well and truly lived up to the hype as both sides showcased their scoring prowess and ability to lather on the pressure but in the end it was Casey that got the job done. Casey landed the first blow skipping out to a handy nine point lead but Keilor remained in touch in the second to get back within six. The Thunder simply could not emulate that second quarter of play in the third as Casey once again piled on the points and kept them at arms distance.

Keilor had a trio of players that bobbed up in Bianca Babic, Emily Suckling and Zoe Zwerling with the former leading the troops with 15 points in her 31 minutes on court. Suckling shot at a lowly 33 per cent from the field for her 11 points as Zwerling managed 11 points of her own but an improved rate of 44 per cent along with five assists. Ellen Kett and Jess Francke also got busy with nine points with the latter also managing four rebounds. For the winners, Rachel Bell was the gamechanger with her 27 points and conversion rate of 53 per cent. Bell also reigned in nine rebounds all of which were defensive. Shereesha Richards was the next best on court nailing 18 points at an impressive 75 per cent from the field along with nine rebounds as teammates Tegan Fowler and Sarah Parsons produced 13 and 10 points apiece.

Whittlesea (49) defeated by Hawthorn (79)

Hawthorn kept Whittlesea winless as they notched up their third victory for the season. The Magic held the ascendancy early and showed no signs of giving it up as they won every single quarter and did so convincingly. Hawthorn’s best quarter came in the second as they held the Pacers to a mere nine points while adding 20 to their total.

The familiar faces for the Pacers in Lyndsey Hoogenhout and Saule Kontautaite steered the ship in the loss as they got busy on the points scoring front. Hoogenhout topscored with 16 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks while Kontautaite produced 13 points and three assists in the loss. Emily Verey also chimed in with a handy six points and seven rebounds. It was a complete team performance from the Magic as four of the seven players hit double-digits. Gemma Fyffe was a real livewire with her 16 points and five rebounds as Sian Gillam was hot on her heels with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Ella Crump slotted 14 points for the game as Amy O’Hara sunk 13 at an impressive 83 per cent clip along with her nine rebounds.

McKinnon (49) defeated by Bulleen (81)

Bulleen Boomers got back on the winners list after a shock loss in Round 5 to defeat McKinnon in style. After a sluggish start from both sides the Boomers kicked into gear in the second and maintained that level of momentum for the rest of the game, really putting the clamps on in the third term as they went on a scoring tear, shooting 31 points to nine. Although they took the pedal off in the final stanza the damage had already been done as Bulleen claimed a 32-point win.

It was a tough day at the office for McKinnon as only a handful of players managed to effectively hit the scoreboard. Rosie Fadljevic was the most prominent shooter for McKinnon walking away with 11 points for the night along with eight rebounds. Claire Ioannidis and Morgan Ili chimed in with 10 points apiece as Tegan Cunningham made her presence felt through her seven points and eight rebound effort. For the Boomers there was no denying that Rebecca Cole was a standout sinking 30 points at 44 per cent from the field while also amassing six rebounds and five assists. Kate Gaze also got busy with her 22 points and although Louella Tomlinson was not as prominent on the scoring front only registering eight points she dazzled off the boards with 17 rebounds.

Sunbury (73) defeated Wyndham (72)

The final game of the round went right down to the wire as Sunbury just pipped Wyndham at the post in a thrilling one point ball game. The Jets established a four point lead at the first break before both sides put on a tight battle in the second to nail 22 points each. Sunbury just kept their noses in front in the third term outscoring their opponents 21-20 to hold a narrow lead at the final change. But with it all to play for in the final quarter it was Wyndham that brought the heat pegging back the margin to fall agonisingly short.

There were multiple key contributors for Sunbury as Jacinta Beckley dominated with 19 points and six rebounds as partner in crime Bianca Dufelmeier showcased her class and scoring capacity to notch up 15 points at 56 per cent from the field. Tess Barnes and Emily Conn played their roles well registering 13 and 11 points apiece as Courtney Wragg imposed herself in multiple facets of the game with her nine points, eight rebounds, two assists and three steals. Georgia Tauschke led all-comers with a game-high 24 points while both Nicola Handreck and Jamilee Pearce plied their trade with 13 and 12 points respectively.

Round 7

Hume will take on Keilor who will be looking to get back in the winners books while Wyndham will be ruing their chances and hoping to go one better against the struggling Southern Peninsula side. Hawthorn and McKinnon lock horns as the winless Whittlesea take on the high flying and undefeated Sunbury Jets. The final game sees another top four battle as Bulleen and Casey go head to head.