ANOTHER round of Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) action is here, and in the Under-18 Boys competition, the Frankston Blues will be looking to claim their first win in the VC Championship division when they take on the Melbourne Tigers at Frankston Basketball Stadium on Friday night.

After a promising opening half to season 2022, the Blues have been unable to fire off a shot since the league changed to a new format in which they would be taking on some of the toughest opponents the state has to offer. Yet to secure a win in the new look setup, Frankston has an opportunity to amend that when they take on a Tigers side that is coming off an impressive triumph last weekend.

Frankston Blues vs. Melbourne Tigers
Friday, August 4 @ 9:40pm
Frankston Basketball Stadium

As discussed above, the Blues have not been able to get going in the last couple of months, unable to secure a win in the first five weeks of the VC Championship. In serious danger of missing out on the upcoming finals, Frankston will need to get going in the next few weeks, and that mission starts on Friday night. They have relied on their fast-paced, high-energy style of play, which worked well in the opening half of the season. However, when coming up against the contending sides, they have been exposed a bit in transition, and it has seen the Blues concede winning scores on a weekly basis. Their opponents this week love to move the ball with pace, so the Blues will need to perhaps slow down the pace with ball in hand so they don’t sacrifice too much down the other end. Brennan Dick will likely be amongst the top-scorers once again after a 14-point outing last weekend.

The Tigers have been solid without blowing any minds to start the VC Championship portion of the fixture, breaking even from their six games with three wins and three losses. Their most recent outing saw a tense but impressive win over Ballarat to the tune of just two points. It may serve as a turning point for their season, as their quest for a top-four spot continues against a struggling Blues side tomorrow night. Melbourne’s biggest strength comes in their ability to create an open shot from blitzing ball movement, and while the attempts are not always successful, the opportunites mean they are always a red hot chance of posting a winning total on the scoreboard. In last week’s triumph, Jack Whitbourn was a man on a mission with ball in hand, pouring in a game-high 22 points, so the Frankston defence should pay a bit more attention to him this time around.