THE MELBOURNE Tigers have continued their winning form in the Big V Women’s Youth Championship, defeating the Diamond Valley Eagles by eight points at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre on Sunday afternoon.

Melbourne Tigers (92) defeated Diamond Valley Eagles (84)

It was the second time of the weekend that these two sides were locking horns, with the Tigers claiming an enormous 47-point win at MSAC on Saturday afternoon in a completely one-sided affair, with Melbourne flexing its muscles with a dominant display.

It would need to be an improved effort from the Eagles if they were to flip the script against the Tigers, but they would have home court advantage this time around, where they have found more success so far this season.

It was clearly a much better performance from the Eagles in the early stages of the match, with Diamond Valley able to match the Tigers’ offensive output and found better luck finding the bottom of the net. Although it was certainly a better showing, the Tigers still found a way to keep their noses in front, holding a one-point buffer at the first change.

The Tigers looked back to their best in the second frame, with a late barrage of jumpshots helping the visitors out to a hefty lead at the main change. Josie Agnew‘s late triple was enough to put Melbourne up by six points at half-time, with the Tigers starting to gain ascendancy in the match, which was worrying for the Eagles given the result of the previous match.

Melbourne’s shooting from behind the arc began to have a true impact on the game, with the Tigers starting to break away and stretch its margin out to double-digits midway through the term. The Eagles’ deficit sat around 11 points for much of the quarter, before a late trip to the free throw line from Lilly Nolen cut that margin to eight, ensuring Diamond Valley remained in striking distance with a quarter to play.

The Eagles drew within four points during the final quarter, giving their all to try and pull off an epic comeback, before the Tigers big guns stepped up down the stretch. Melbourne’s starters were superb in crunch time, holding off a desperate Eagles outfit to claim a mature win.

Agnew was huge for the Tigers, producing an excellent offensive performance and working incredibly hard in the process, playing all 40 minutes in a tireless display. She finished the contest with a game-high 29 points on 12/21 shooting from the field and 4/8 shooting from three to go with her six assists in a tremendous display from an emerging talent.

Also important for the Tigers was skipper Hayley Cumming, who was strong for Melbourne as well, and led from the front with 27 points of her own (9/15 FG, 5/10 3PT) to go with four rebounds and four assists.

For the Eagles, Tayha Watkins was impressive in defeat, doing a bit of everything to finish with 23 points, five rebounds and six assists on 7/13 shooting from the field in a brave performance, and she can certainly hold her head high.

ACROSS THE COURTS

Melbourne (101) def. Diamond Valley (54)
Casey (108) def. Nunawading (84)
Kilsyth (67) def. Sandringham (50)
Ringwood (50) def. by Dandnenong (77)
Bulleen (67) def. Frankston (59)
Altona (83) def. McKinnon (61)
McKinnon (105) def. Pakenham (77)
Bendigo (50) def. by Dandenong (93)
Casey (69) def. Altona (59)
Sandringham (77) def. Ringwood (37)
Waverley (67) def. by Nunawading (72)
Keilor (92) def. Frankston (64)