IN A stirring contest at Dreamstreet Lending Arena on Friday night, the Frankston Blues and the McKinnon Cougars split the points in a VJBL Under-18 Boys VC Ashe Division Round 7 draw.

It was a tough matchup to pick coming in, as both sides had completed similar starts to the fixture after the first month of play. Each with two wins to their name, both the Blues and the Cougars were looking for a win to move up the standings and stay in the hunt for finals in the coming months.

The two teams traded blows in the opening minutes of the game, finding plenty of success driving inside and finishing in the paint before McKinnon’s Tom Darcy was able to nail the first triple of the match. Neither side could truly get on a run as each score was answered down the other end, and proceedings were tied at 17 apiece after the first term.

The second quarter looked to be much more of the same, as when the Blues looked to break away on the scoreboard, the Cougars answered it with a run of their own. However, Frankston’s Thomas Williamson owned the final minutes of the frame, leading his side to a seven-point buffer at the main change, which was huge given the close nature of the game.

McKinnon returned serve in the third term, although the Blues managed to keep their noses in front for much of the period. However, the Cougars took control of the match in the final five minutes of the frame storming out to a hefty lead on the back of a 12-0 run to lead by five points with a quarter to play, silencing the home crowd in emphatic fashion.

A quick triple to McKinnon’s Joshua Weber saw the visitors jump out to an eight-point lead with the opportunity to slam the door shut in the opening minutes of the fourth. However, star Blue Bailey Marshall put the home side on his back, cutting the lead down to one in the closing minutes of the fourth before eventually putting his team in front in the late stages of the match. However, a very late trip to the charity stripe for Max Armstrong ensured McKinnon tied the game and forced the 73-73 draw in an exhilarating finish.

For the Blues, Marshall was the best with 22 points including a near match-winning run in the fourth quarter, continuing a strong season with Frankston. Teammates Denver Warry and Williamson both pouring in 16 points in impressive showings to ensure the Blues were not defeated on Friday night at home.

For the Cougars, Darcy led all comers with 20 points in a crucial display, particularly in the third quarter when McKinnon threatened to break the game open. Rory Collins also impressed with 14 points, while Sam Martin was not far behind with 10 points of his own to round out the double-digit scorers for the visitors.

ACROSS THE COURTS

The Eltham Wildcats completed their road trip in style, defeating the Bendigo Braves by 10 points at Red Energy Arena, after storming home to outscore the home side 22-13 in the final frame en route to an impressive victory.

The Keilor Thunder got the job done at Sandringham Leisure Centre, defeating the Sabres by nine points thanks to a strong final term where they took control of the match for the first time to hold the hosts to just nine points for the period.

The Knox Raiders were simply too good for the Casey Cavaliers despite being in enemy territory, claiming a 22-point win in a balanced team performance, with four players pouring in double-digits in the points column.

Finally, Sunbury was steadfast in its 14-point win over the Casey Cavaliers 2 at Casey Stadium on Friday night, largely boosted by the performance of Sonny Maxwell, who dropped 28 points in a starring role for the victors.