ROUND 15 of the Big V Men’s competition saw a number of close calls and surprise results, as Keilor were handed a narrow loss while the second placed McKinnon closed the gap by securing a hard-fought win.

Wyndham (89) defeated by McKinnon (94)

McKinnon got the chocolates over Wyndham by a mere five points in an overtime thriller. Wyndham got the upper hand to start the game opening creating a handy six point lead before McKinnon ate back into the margin ever so slightly by half time. The wheels continued to turn in motion for McKinnon in the third as they outscored Wyndham 19 to 16 and with it all to play for in the final term, the visitors kicked it up a whole other level. McKinnon sensed their opportunity to take the reigns and put their foot down but with scores levelled at the final buzzer, had to dig even deeper. With the game going into overtime it was McKinnon that mustered a little bit extra to add 12 points to seven and claim the win.

Stefan Pomasan was the top scorer for Wyndham, producing 20 points at 32 per cent from the field while he also dragged down 10 rebounds and seven assists. Makur Jongkuch and Aaron Dolny both managed 19 points apiece with the latter converting at a higher accuracy from the field credit to his 67 per cent clip. Cameron Hutton was the next best for Wyndham slotting nine points but also collecting nine rebounds. Jordan Geer was in fine form for McKinnon draining 32 points while also picking up seven rebounds and four assists as teammate Luke Shelley also got busy with his 21 points in his 30 minutes on court. Luke Peynenborg was the sole other player to hit double-digits with his 10 points and three rebounds.

Blackburn (79) defeated by Chelsea (103)

Chelsea raced out of the gates and did not let up throughout the four quarters to record a hefty 24 point win. The Seagulls monopolised the play in the opening quarter sinking 29 points to 16 and kept their foot on the pedal in the third to push out to a 16 point lead. The Vikings hit back in the third to close the gap by a point before Chelsea rallied in the final term adding another 26 points to 18.

Only three players from Blackburn made it to double digits with Cormac Bohanna, Jah Soloai and Bul Niop leading the way. Bohanna was the leading points scorer with 13 points as Soloai (12 points and 10 rebounds) and Niop managed 10 points to accompany his eight rebounds. Corey Standerfer was the number one points scorer for Chelsea dropping 33 points at 52 per cent while he also picked up nine rebounds, four rebounds and two assists. Nathan Frost was another solid contributor kudos to his 23 points while Josh Watt got busy with is 22 points. Aaron Frost may not have had a huge impact on the scoreboard with his four points but still managed to dominate off the boards with 13 rebounds. 

Sunbury (69) defeated by Hawthorn (93)

Hawthorn continued their winning ways knocking up a handy win over Sunbury. The Magic burst out of the gates claiming a six point lead nice and early and continued to build on that momentum into the second quarter. Their best performance came in the third where they piled on 25 points while keeping the Jets to a mere 16 to further extend their lead and all but secure the win. Sunbury had no answers in the final quarter of action with Hawthorne dominating once again adding 16 points to their total.

Gene Vocale was in hot form for the Jets as he piled on 18 points in his 27 minutes out on court. He led the charge as Jayce Beasley and Nathan Marshall managed to produce 10 points each with all of Marshall’s points coming as a result of free throws. Jeremy Wragg was solid off the boards with his eight rebounds as Trevon Clayton had an impact with eight points, six rebounds and three steals. It was a different story for the Magic as Joe Furphy and Jarrod Molnar got busy with 23 and 22 points respectively. Kirk Smith also proved to be handy with ball in hand in hand draining 14 points at Xavier Evans was one of the most accurate out on court credit to his 16 points and 86 per cent shooting clip from the field.

Keilor (67) defeated by Casey (68)

It was a heart in your mouth finish and heartbreak for the Thunder as they fell to Casey in the dying seconds of the game. Only one point separated the two sides at the final siren with Casey pulling off an almighty final term to steal the victory from right underneath Keilor. The Thunder established a buffer early on and really solidified that lead in the second quarter thanks to a 24 to 18 point term. But the wheels started to fall off in the fourth term as Casey upped the ante in offence and defence piling on 18 points while keeping their opponents to eight.

The scoring load was shared around by Keilor as four players managed to hit double-figures. Charleston Long was the most prolific finishing with 13 points to his name along with 13 rebounds of which 12 were defensive. Nelson Kirksey tried his hardest to keep the scoreboard ticking over thanks to his 11 points while Mitch Lukey and Luke Sist slotted 10 points apiece with the latter also showcasing his class off the boards with 15 rebounds. For Casey it was Calvin Enge that stepped up to the plate with his 17 points at 44 per cent from the field while also reeling in 12 rebounds. Michael McInnes and Matt Donlan were amongst the key contributors with 12 points each while Anthony Williams was also a workhorse with his 14 points.

Western Port (104) defeated Hume (96)

The final game of the round saw Western Port topple Hume Broncos in what was a see-sawing affair. Western Port hit the lead at quarter time and while the Broncos worked hard to peg the margin back in the second quarter were still a fraction off the pace. But they continued to pile on the pressure eventually stealing the lead at the final change only for their hopes to be crushed by a rampaging Western Port outfit. The home side managed 27 points to 19 in the last stanza to put an end to the Broncos’ run and claim victory.

It was a good day to be Daryl Corletto as he slotted a whopping 39 points to accompany his nine rebounds and five assists. The next closest to him was Bevan Camilleri who slotted 17 points at 50 per cent from the field while Matt Turner also chimed in with 16 points and a huge 16 rebounds. Chris Taylor was also influential in the win credit to his 13 points and seven assists. Joel Rimes worked in overdrive for the Broncos putting up 35 points and four rebounds in the loss. Teammates Mackuei Puondak and Dominic Kumosz also found their fair share of the ball with 15 and 14 points respectively as Anthony Dell’Orso got busy with 16 points and nine rebounds of his own.