IT is a big upcoming weekend of Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) with a scattered fixture dictating the week, as sides make-up for the lost round due to the championships. With that being said there are plenty of exciting clashes as teams technically head into Round 3 of fixturing with some sides playing two games and the majority only playing one.

Ashe  

Boys:

Only one game of Round 2 of the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) has been completed with Hawthorn getting over the top of Kilsyth (63-52) in the Under 18 Ashe Pool. The Magic had it all their own way in the opening term and while they were challenged throughout patches maintain a level of composure to bypass their opponents. A 20 point lead in the first quarter proved to be the gift they needed and although Kilsyth peppered the basket in the final term outscoring Hawthorn by nine-points it was not enough to overrun them and claim victory. Jarryd Remy had a day out with his 17 points and stayed away from the refs attention only recording one foul for the game. Teammate John Furphy was another solid contributor for the Magic sinking 10 points of his own. Maximus Bakker, Logan Morris and Denzel Timmons all notched up eight points apiece to help secure the win. For Kilsyth, Harrison Adams was potent nailing 23 points, while Wyatt Stewart got busy with nine points.

Still to come is the clash between Sandringham and Hawthorn as Southern Peninsula and Casey face off in Dromana on Friday night. Nunawading are set to play Pakenham while the last game of the round is between Bulleen and Kilsyth.

Girls:

Ballarat and Altona are set to kick off the action tonight as they make-up for lost time because of the championships. Both sides are yet to win a game and will be hoping for strong performances from the likes of Jade Azzopardi and Aseka Ratnayake from the Gators and Laila Lappin from Ballarat. The next game to follow is on Thursday night with Waverley and Sunbury facing off.

Round 3 however commences on Friday night as Hawthorn and Diamond Valley Eagles open the account. Ballarat and Knox are set to get underway at Minerdome Sports Club while Altona and Nunawading will do battle. The contest between Sunbury and Keilor will surely be an enthralling one with the final game of the round between Kilsyth and Waverley.

Watson

Boys:

Much like the Ashe Pool, only a limited amount of games have been won and done in the Watson Pool with both Bendigo and McKinnon coming out on top in their respective clashes.

Bendigo secured a 13-point win against Whittlesea despite the Pacers skipping out to a hot start. The Braves showed plenty of grit and determination to work their way back into the contest after going into the quarter time break down by 10 points. The real game changing moment came in the third with Bendigo piling on 24 points while keeping Whittlesea to nine. That momentum filtered into the fourth as they notched up a handy win. Liam O’Brien was a commanding force out on court for Bendigo nailing a game-high 19 points. He was ably assisted by Josiah Pattinson who sunk 10 points of his own while Lachlan Somerville managed nine. For the Pacers Luke Jeffs led all comers producing 14 points but found himself in some foul trouble with five to his name. teammate Samuel El Ali was important in keeping his side in the game registering 11 points as both Petar Vasilevski and Callum Stojanovic drained six points each in the loss.

The clash between Keilor and McKinnon went down to the wire with the latter just escaping with a narrow five point win. McKinnon claimed the ascendancy early but the Thunder were not about to go down without a fight, answering the call in the second to overrun their opponents and claim the lead. A big final quarter that favoured McKinnon was the icing on the cake as they stole the win. Denver Lund had a game to remember for McKinnon draining an impressive 26 points to single-handedly lead his side to victory. Efforts from Luke Lyngberg and Will Simos-Primerano did not go unnoticed in the win as their nine and six points respectively helped get them over the line. Cooper Colson was the go-to man for the Thunder with 19 points while Nikolas Ellul and Brodie McWhinney made notable contributions in 12 and 11 points each.

The next lot of games is Round 3 with Camberwell taking on Keilor and Knox facing off against Whittlesea. Melbourne are looking to knock off Bendigo who are riding a high while Geelong and Eltham lock horns. The final game sees Waverley and McKinnon battle it out.

Girls:

Three games were completed over the weekend with Frankston and Sandringham securing the win while Casey and McKinnon could not be separated.

Casey and McKinnon finished on 49 points apiece with both sides answering the challenge thrown down to them each time. McKinnon were the frontrunners for the opening half, keeping their opponents to a mere 14 points while putting on 25 points of their own. However the second half of the game was a different story with Casey working in overdrive to score and nullify McKinnon’s offensive play. Jemma Ramsdale and Lucy Dexter were two crucial cogs for Casey producing 14  points each while Emerson Rasmussen was the other contributor thanks to her eight points. Hannah McGillen made her presence felt with 15 points while Romy Price was strong credit to her 12 points.

Frankston made light work of Ringwood comfortably bypassing them by 18 points (54-36). It was a relatively one-sided affair with Frankston controlling proceedings and not letting go of that momentum throughout the entire match. They really romped home the win in the final term as they piled on 16 points to seven. When looking at top performers it is hard to ignore the likes of Zoe Harvey, Mackenzie Mitchell and Georgia Mann with the trio linking up nicely for the winners. Harvey managed 16 points while Mitchell and Mann nailed 14 and 13 respectively. Zoe Servinis was the lead points scorer for Ringwood with 13 points to her name as Ella Grigg produced seven in the loss.

Sandringham Sabres put Nunawading Spectres to the sword with a comprehensive win (72-33). Away from home, Sandringham brought their a-game and did not let up with their relentless pressure and class across the court enabling them to build on their lead every quarter. The most damaging term was the third with the Sabres reducing the Spectres to a mere five points while pouring on 20 themselves. Sarah Stafford had a hot hand with 11 points as Ella Erickson managed 10. Ella Razga was dominant for the winners as was Jaida Reid as they both nailed 13 points each. Madison Sinclair slotted 12 points while Kate Gooden was handy sinking 10 points for the Sabres.

Round 3 sees Melbourne and Sandringham do battle while Casey and Ringwood are locked in. McKinnon and Nunawading play off at Bentleigh Secondary College with Dandenong and Frankston fixtured in for Friday night. The final game is between Bulleen and Camberwell.