THE KILSYTH Cobras have booked a spot in the 2025 Big V Youth Championship Women Grand Final after defeating the Sandringham Sabres by 20 points in the preliminary matchup at Kilsyth Sports Centre on Saturday evening.

The Cobras delivered a strong 2025 campaign, booking a double-chance and winning their qualifying final against the Keilor Thunder. This meant Kilsyth got a week off in the semi finals and had the chance to enter the prelim fresher than their opponent. The Sabres on the other hand, took the long way to the matchup, winning their elimination and semi finals and were one of the fairytale stories of the postseason.

Although Sandringham came into the clash with plenty of belief, it was a clinical showing from the Cobras, who showed why they are the championship favourite with a convincing win that has pushed them through to the decider.

Kilsyth Cobras (73) def. Sandringham Sabres (53)

It was a high-scoring start to the clash, with both sides getting their offence rolling early, although as expected, it was the Cobras that were able to get the upper hand first. Kilsyth was firing on all cylinders in the first 10 minutes of play, and jumped out to a nine-point lead in the first half of the quarter. Although the Sabres fought back to stay within striking distance, the Cobras still led by six points at the first break.

The second quarter was much more of a grind, with neither side able to maintain their offensive production from the opening quarter. The Sabres were held to just six points for the entire term as the Cobras put the clamps on defensively, and although the home side was unable to truly capitalise on this level of restriction, they still led by 12 points at half time.

It was a much improved performance from both sides coming out of the main, as Sandringham looked to keep the match tight in the second half in a bid to keep their season alive. Although the Sabres found the going a lot easier on the scoring side of things in the third frame, they were one-upped by the Cobras, who managed to extend their lead out to 14 points at the final change, in the box seat to advance to the Grand Final.

It was another restrictive performance from Kilsyth in the fourth frame, as the game slipped even further out of Sandringham’s grasp in the closing minutes. Although the Cobras were far from at their best themselves offensively, their ability to hold the Sabres to just nine points was crucial in sealing the result, with the hosts not allowing the opposition a sniff and holding on to advance to the big dance.

It was as emphatic a performance as anyone could have asked from Lily Exton, who delivered one of the most dominant performances of her campaign on the big stage, and was a big reason why the Cobras got over the line. Although it was not her most efficient scoring performance (15 points, 5/14 FG), it was her rebounding that proved decisive, pulling down a whopping 25 rebounds, with nine coming on the offensive end as she physically imposed herself in the low block.

Sierra Woolhouse tried her hardest to keep her team in the contest, with the Sandringham gun proving the main source of scoring on a tough offensive night for the team overall. She finished with 12 points and can hold her head high despite the result.

Across the courts

The other preliminary final saw the Keilor Thunder claim an upset win over the Melbourne Tigers at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, knocking off the minor champions in convincing fashion to claim a 20-point win (Melbourne’s third loss of 2025) and continue a remarkable run to this weekend’s decider.