THE NUNAWADING Spectres dominated the first half and held on for a 12-point win over the Pakenham Warriors in the VJBL Under 18 Boys VC Watson action over the weekend.

The Spectres came into the clash in strong form, having secured wins in three of their first four clashes prior to the school holiday break, while the Warriors were still searching for their first win of 2025, but may have been boosted by the four-week rest between games.

It was a back and forth contest in the opening stages of the game, with proceedings tied at 6-6 halfway through the first frame. However, the Spectres took control in the final five minutes of the quarter, heading into the first change on a 12-3 run to lead by nine points and take control of the match.

A quick five points from Ryda Devers out of the break ensured the Spectres stayed on top in the second quarter, and the game was slipping out of reach for the Warriors. Suddenly, the margin ballooned out to 20 points, although a late make from Linden Moon cut the deficit to 17, but the game was still completely one-sided.

It was a much better effort in the third quarter from Pakenham, with the visitors cutting the deficit down to just six points in seemingly no time at all, putting the pressure back on Nunawading. However, Devers was again timely with his offensive production, closing out the frame on an individual 5-0 run to get the Spectres’ lead back out to 11 points.

The final frame was the closest of any quarter, with both sides looking potent on the offensive end in the closing 10 minutes of the game. Although the Warriors were still finding the bottom of the net consistently, they never got closer than 10 points as the Spectres cruised home to victory at Nunawading Basketball Centre on Friday night.

It was a balanced team performance from the victors, with four players registering double-digits. Xavier Waderson led the way with a team-high 14 points, while Devers and league-leading scorer Charlie Wilson both poured in 13 points of their own. Spencer O’Shea rounded out the leading scorers for the Spectres with 10 points to cap off a tremendous offensive showing from the hosts.

For the Warriors, Moon was the shining light and helped spark the second half fightback with 17 points, which was the most of any player on the court, although he did foul out late in the piece. Also impressing for Pakenham was Tendai Katanha, who was the only other Warrior to hit double-digits in the scoring column with 11 points of his own.

AROUND THE COURTS

In the other games to take place over the weekend, the Eltham Wildcats held on for a five-point win over the Melbourne Tigers, despite a 20-point performance from Hamish Gordon and trailing by a point at the final change.

The Dandenong Rangers recorded a massive 32-point triumph over the Diamond Valley Eagles at Dandenong Stadium, with Noah Smith posting 23 points and three others recording 13+ points in a dominant display.

The Kilsyth Cobras bested the Ballarat Miners at Kilsyth Basketball Stadium to the tune of 10 points, with Liam Keough starring with 21 points to give his side a great return from the school holiday break through April.

Finally, Geelong United headed to State Basketball Stadium and defeated the Knox Raiders by five points, in a result that was set up by a 22-8 opening frame in favour of the visitors, who held off a fast-finishing opposition.