THE first teams of the Under 16 Boys’ Melbourne United Victorian Junior Basketball League (MUVJBL) have been eliminated from the race to the Under 16 Boys championship division, while four more teams secured their spots in the top grade for the 2019 season. We review how each pool fared in the second phase of grading.
Pool 1:
1st Kilsyth
2nd Latrobe
3rd McKinnon
4th Frankston
In the first pool, Kilsyth gained automatic promotion ahead of Latrobe and McKinnon on the Cobras’ way to the top grade qualification. All three sides recorded two wins in the group, but a higher percentage saw Kilsyth finish top, with Latrobe and McKinnon second and third respectively to head to the Crossover matches. Frankston finished bottom despite being competitive and were unfortunately eliminated from the race.
Pool 2:
1st Pakenham
2nd Geelong
3rd Sandringham
4th Bulleen 2
In the second pool, two draws in the six matches ensured the competition was tight. Both first and second did not suffer a loss, with Pakenham winning two and drawing one, while Geelong only won the one game but registered two draws – including a 53-all draw with Pakenham last Friday. Sandringham finished third courtesy of a win over Bulleen 2, while the Boomers were resigned to last despite a valiant draw with Geelong earlier in the group stage.
Pool 3:
1st Southern Peninsula
2nd Sunbury
3rd Werribee
4th Camberwell
In the third pool, it was another tight contest with the top three sides all winning two games, while Camberwell finished a clear fourth in the group. Southern Peninsula was the lucky side to move through to the championship division automatically, while Sunbury and Werribee qualified for the Crossover matches.
Pool 4:
1st Keilor
2nd Whittlesea
3rd Dandenong 2
4th Diamond Valley 2
The fourth group was more clear cut, with Keilor taking out the pool with three wins from as many games, well clear ahead of Whittlesea, Dandenong 2 and Diamond Valley 2. Whittlesea defeated both the second sides, and although the Eagles pushed Keilor all the way, finished on the bottom of the table, while the Rangers’ win over the Eagles ensured they moved through to the crossover matches.
Under 16 Boys AA Crossover Round:
Latrobe vs. Sandringham
Geelong vs. McKinnon
Sunbury vs. Dandenong 2
Whittlesea vs. Werribee
Qualified for Championship division:
Kilsyth
Pakenham
Southern Peninsula
Keilor
