ROUND 1 of the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under 18s got underway over the weekend with a number close contests headlining the round in both the boys and girls competitions.

Ashe Pool

Boys:

Round 1 in the Ashe Pool was dictated by a number of exciting clashes with the contest between Casey and Sandringham the most exciting of the lot, finishing in a draw. The two sides were unable to be separated at the final buzzer standing at 66 points apiece in a showing of great intensity and determination.

Casey jumped out of the blocks early establishing a three-point lead before Sandringham hit back in the second to steal the lead back thanks to a 17-11 term. Limiting Casey’s options to the rim, Sandringham managed to pull ahead and claim some ascendancy. That momentum filtered into the third term pushing out a seven-point lead at the final change before the game was completely turned on its head thanks to a determined and gritty Casey side. A scintillating final term of basketball rounded out the game as Casey left nothing in the tank, hitting the scoreboard with relative ease to post up an impressive 22 points while reducing the impact of the Sabres across the court to secure a draw.

Casey had a trio of players that stepped up to the challenge with Ethan Bolton and Ky Taylor making their presence felt with 15 points apiece while Blake Shankland impressed with 13 points. Casey stayed away from foul trouble only registering 17 while their opponents recorded 20. Jensen Bradtke led all comers with 18 points while Fred Hayne was a good support producing 14 points of his own, as Wilson Amos and Aiden McCarthy plied their trade with 11 points each.

Pakenham prevailed in a tight one against Frankston while Bulleen just edged out Southern Peninsula to walk away with a seven point win. Nunawading got the job done against Hawthorn as did Dandenong against Kilsyth.

Results:

Frankston (61) defeated by Pakenham (67)
Casey (66) drew with Sandringham (66)
Bulleen (81) defeated Southern Peninsula (74)
Nunawading (77) defeated Hawthorn (73)
Kilsyth (57) defeated by Dandenong (68)

Girls:

There were a number of blowouts in the Ashe Pool but the game between Hawthorn and Nunawading went down the wire. The two sides played out a thriller with the Magic just edging out the Spectres by a mere two points in a see-sawing affair.

Hawthorn made their intentions clear from the opening term establishing an early lead and looked to have the game on their terms before the Spectres bit back in the second. Nailing 16 points to 11, Nunawading managed to dwindle down the lead to a mere point at half time, setting up an action packed second half of basketball. Neither side could be separated in the third quarter with both sides producing 16 points apiece with the margin still standing at a single point. With the game on the line Hawthorn struck and did just enough to clinch a thrilling two-point victory.

Evelyn Curtis was the main facilitator for the Spectres walking away with 12 points to her name, but the scoring fell off after her with Stephanie Georgantas and Tamsyn Perry the next best with eight. For the victors, Amy O’Hara was the topscorer thanks to her 10 points while Ally Marshall chimed in with nine points but ran into foul trouble with five. Amy Kurkowski added nine to the scoreboard as Sophie Palmer contributed seven points in the win.

Keilor made light work of Altona as Diamond Valley delivered a similar fate to Ballarat. Knox got over the top of Waverley as Sunbury recorded a 13-point win in their clash against Kilsyth.

Results:

Hawthorn (50) defeated Nunawading (48)
Altona (36) defeated by Keilor (67)
Diamond Valley (62) defeated Ballarat (27)
Knox (55) defeated Waverley (37)
Sunbury (56) defeated Kilsyth (43)

Watson Pool

Boys:

Whittlesea and Waverley battled it out in an action packed game at Mill Park Basketball Stadium as the two sides locked horns in an enthralling contest. In the end it was Waverley that proved too strong toppling the Pacers by seven points largely in part thanks to a dominant second term.

The Falcons asserted themselves early on the contest producing 16 points and keeping Whittlesea to 12.  But they dialled it up another notch in the second with their scoreboard pressure increasing, posting a whopping 25 points while limiting the Pacers to 17. The tables once again turned after half time as Whittlesea found their groove and flipped the script to place the pressure on Waverley. The game was not done yet with the Falcons proving to have one last hoorah left in them to power past their opponents and kick their season off in style.

For the winners, Sam Haffenden impressed with his 17 points but found himself in a bit of foul trouble with four to his name. Nemuel Soliven was the next best with 13 points while Harvey Moore also contributed 11 points to the winning margin. For the Pacers, Jack Tatter made his presence felt managing 13 points as teammate Callum Stojanovic did the same with his 13 points. Petar Vasilevski also added a handy 12 points to the tally but it was not enough to get his side over the line.

Knox reigned supreme in their clash against Camberwell while Geelong put on a show against Bendigo running out with a 22 point win. Melbourne just won in a tight clash against McKinnon while Keilor secured bragging rights over Eltham.

Results:

Whittlesea (58) defeated by Waverley (65)
Camberwell (52) defeated by Knox (65)
Geelong (97) defeated Bendigo (75)
Melbourne (75) defeated McKinnon (70)
Keilor (62) defeated Eltham (54)

Girls:

It was a heart in your mouth finish between Ringwood and Camberwell with the latter sneaking over the edge with a narrow one-point win. In a low-scoring affair neither side was really able to break away and if they did they were quickly chased down, showcasing the level of intensity both sides displayed.

Ringwood only managed four points in the opening term while Camberwell countered with eight, as both sides struggled to generate scoring momentum. Things started to turn around in the second as Camberwell sank 13 points to make it a nine-point ball game. Half time could not quick enough for the Hawks who came out a whole different team in the third stanza. Their tenacity increased as did their offensive play to keep the scoreboard ticking over nicely and reduce the buffer. A big final term of play set up a thrilling finish to the game as Ringwood outscored Camberwell by two points but fell agonisingly short.

Zoe Servinis proved too hot to handle with a game-high 17 points as Ella Grig provided ample support with 10 points to her name. Aliyah Bonifacio, Lauren Haydon, Tempest Clarke and Sienna Koh were the only other players to hit the scoreboard for Ringwood. The efforts from Jacinta Li set the tone for the side as she posted 11 points as Amy Dingle also posted nine points herself. Ruby Clark featured with seven points to help her side over the line.

Melbourne notched up their first win while McKinnon also got the chocolates with a win over Frankston. Sandringham starred against Casey as Bulleen claimed a five point win against Dandenong.

Results:

Melbourne (55) defeated Nunawading (46)
Ringwood (38) defeated by Camberwell (39)
McKinnon (48) defeated Frankston (39)
Sandringham (63) defeated Casey (31)
Dandenong (39) defeated by Bulleen (44)