TWO top-versus-bottom clashes take place in the Melbourne United Victorian Junior Basketball League (MUVJBL) Under 16 Girls championship division.
Ashe Pool:
Diamond Valley Eagles (4th, 1-1) vs. Waverley Falcons (8th, 1-1)
Ringwood Hawks (9th, 0-2) vs. Hawthorn Magic (7th, 1-1)
Sunbury Jets (10th, 0-2) vs. Dandenong Rangers (1st, 2-0)
Bellarine Storm (6th, 1-1) vs. Kilsyth Cobras (5th, 1-1)
Keilor Thunder (3rd, 1-1) vs. Ballarat Rush (2nd, 2-0)
In the Ashe Pool, a third placed Keilor Thunder hosts second placed Ballarat Rush in the game of the round. Tess Heal has been prominent for the Thunder, sinking 35 points at an average of 17.5 per game, while Jaz Salon has not been too far behind averaging 14. For the Rush, Milly Simpson averages the most in an even spread, finishing her first two games with a combined 22 points. Another game to watch is fourth placed Diamond Valley Eagles taking on eighth placed Waverley Falcons. The Eagles will need to keep a close eye on Liana Kinkela who is the equal competition scorer with 44 points thus far for Waverley, while Sophie Burrows scored 17 points in Round 1, with the Eagles’ scores still yet to be confirmed for Round 2.
In other results, cellar dwellers Sunbury Jets will test themselves against top-of-the-table Dandenong Rangers, Ringwood Hawks face Hawthorn Magic in a bottom-four clash, and sixth placed Bellarine Storm hope to leapfrog fifth placed Kilsyth Cobras with a win.
Watson Pool:
Altona Gators (9th, 0-2) vs. Sandringham Sabres (5th, 1-1)
Bendigo Braves (3rd, 2-0) vs. Melbourne Tigers (6th, 1-1)
Frankston Blues (10th, 0-2) vs. Knox Raiders (1st, 2-0)
Nunawading Spectres (2nd, 2-0) vs. Bulleen Boomers (4th, 2-0)
Eltham Wildcats (8th, 0-2) vs. Southern Peninsula Sharks (7th, 0-2)
In the Watson Pool, equal leading scorer Caitlin Richardson and the Bendigo Braves look to make it three consecutive wins when they face sixth placed Melbourne Tigers. Richardson has averaged 22 points per game so far, while April Eeles has sunk 23 points across her two games. For the Tigers, Amy Kurkowski has been the main point of contact for scoring, also sinking 23 points in the opening two rounds. Meanwhile Altona Gators are looking for their first win of the season, hosting Sandringham Sabres. The top two scorers in this game are Altona’s Cassie Dodemaide and Sandringham’s Jemima O’Toole who have averaged 15 and 14 points per game respectively so far.
In other games, second placed Nunawading Spectres and fourth placed Bulleen Boomers will look to remain undefeated, but only one team will emerge with three wins by the end. Meanwhile, top-of-the-table Knox Raiders travel to Frankston to face the bottom-of-the-table Blues, while Eltham Wildcats meet Southern Peninsula Sharks with one side set to break their winless start to the season.
