COMING into the decisive grand final of the 2025 Under-18 Women’s National Championship, Victoria Metro was the favourite to win it all, and delivered with a commanding 32-point win over South Australia Metro in Queensland on Sunday.

Victoria was the championship fancy throughout the entire tournament, having put just about every team to the sword throughout the week-long tournament, bringing together the best young basketball talents in Australia. Although South Australia Metro had put together a rock solid campaign themselves, Vic Metro were simply too good, and made it a double for the state after Victoria Country took out the Men’s Championship.

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Vic Metro had the ideal start to the match, sparking their high-tempo offence with relentless defence, and scoring in transition. They did not allow South Australia to get into a rhythm on the offensive end, and picked up the opposition full court, forcing several careless turnovers and poor shots as a result. In seemingly no time at all, the Victorians held a double-digit lead and a 19-point buffer at the first change., in what was a clear indicator for how the match would pan out.

Although SA made some adjustments coming out of quarter time to trim the deficit down to single digits in patches, Victoria consistently responded to lead by 15 points at half time. That pattern repeated in the third quarter, with South Australia cutting the deficit to 11 early in the frame, but a 23-3 run slammed the door shut on any sort of comeback, allowing Vic Metro to cruise home to a 111-79 win.

Madison Ryan was the star of the show for Vic Metro, posting a game-high 22 points on 8/12 shooting from the field and 3/4 shooting from downtown, almost posting a double-double as well with nine assists. She also had some of the most active hands of anyone on the court, recording six steals alongside five rebounds in a memorable performance on the big stage.

Madeline Angus had a crucial stint off the bench, posting 17 points in 16 minutes and shooting 5/6 from behind the arc to go with her four rebounds, five assists and four steals. Also catching the eye was Daisy Nousis, who capped off an excellent tournament with 15 points and five steals, while Matilda Trout (14 points, 11 rebounds, 6/7 FG) and Sitaya Fagan (13 points, seven rebounds) also caught the eye.

For South Australia, four of their five starters recorded double-digits in an excellent team performance, with Caitlin Hardin leading the way with 16 points on 4/5 shooting from downtown. Skipper Aspen Crase worked as hard as anyone for her 14 points and 11 rebounds, Annaliese Elliott hit a trio of three-pointers to finish with 15 points, while Keira Gardiner (13 points, five steals) and Sarah Warner (11 points) also fought hard.