THE Hume Broncos were led by their starting five to a thrilling win over Wyndham in the Big V Men’s competition when the two sides went head-to-head at Broadmeadows Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.

Wyndham was expected to get the win coming into the contest, given it had only sustained two losses to that point of the season. However, the Broncos had shown some scoring power throughout their first nine wins, and showed that again on Saturday. Hume’s starting five proved to be incredibly damaging and ultimately proved the difference in this game. A barnstorming final term saw the home side just sneak past their opponents to claim a 115-106 victory.

The win sees the Broncos improve to a record of 10 wins and seven losses, now two wins inside the top-four. It was a crucial win in the context of their 2022 campaign, as they now look much more likely to finish either fourth or third come season’s end. For Wyndham, the loss means it will be much more difficult to chase down Sunbury in top spot in the next few weeks, as it is now three wins behind achieving this.

For the Broncos, it was a seriously dominant showing from their starting lineup, with four of the five starters delivering 16 points or more. Anthony Dell’Orso (29 points), Makuei Puondak (28 points, 12 rebounds), Chris Elder (27 points) and Corey Fiddes (16 points, 13 rebounds) all helped tear apart the Wyndham defence throughout the course of the game, with the sheer volume of contribution from a number of sources proving too much.

Kavione Green did all he could for Wyndham, proving to be the most damaging individual on the court. He finished with a game-high 35 points (12/21 FG), and almost produced a match-winning performance, but unfortunately was overwhelmed by the balanced scoring of the opposition.

After a back-and-forth opening three quarters, Wyndham took a slim two-point advantage into the final 10 minutes of play. However, the home side saved their best for last, delivering a 35-24 fourth quarter, which was set up by the ability to share the ball and find scores through a number of avenues. Wyndham simply could not rotate enough defensively, and cover a starting lineup that was firing on all cylinders. In the end, the Broncos overran the opposition and claimed a nine-point victory.

Hume will look towards next week now, as it prepares for a nice matchup against the Western Port Steelers at home on Saturday night. Meanwhile, Wyndham will be eager on getting itself back in the winners’ column when it faces off against Sunbury in a massive clash that same night, in what should be the match of the round.