SANDRINGHAM Sabres have put one hand on the 2025 VJBL Under-18 Girls VC Championship trophy after defeating Eltham Wildcats by 22 points in Friday night’s preliminary final clash at State Basketball Centre.

The Wildcats had a tall task on their hands coming into the clash, needing to hand the Sabres their first loss of 2025 if they were to keep their championship aspirations alive. Sandringham has been far and away the best team all season, and it was going to take Eltham’s best if it was to conjure up the boilover.

Although the underdogs did well to keep it within seven points at the final change, the Sabres completely owned the final 10 minutes to seal the win and book a spot in next week’s Grand Final, where they will be looking to complete the perfect season.

Sandringham Sabres (64) def. Eltham Wildcats (42)

There was plenty of physicality in the match in the opening minutes of the contest, with both sides drawing contact and converting at the free throw line. The two teams then traded inside baskets in some exciting back and forth action, and it looked as if the Wildcats were going to head into the first change having tied proceedings. However, a late triple to Makayla Craven gave the Sabres a three-point buffer at quarter time.

Sandringham continued to build on this lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter, stretching the margin out to as much as seven points before the Wildcats steadied to erase that deficit. Once again though, it was the Sabres who crucially closed out the quarter in style, scoring the final six points of the period to reaffirm the upper hand and head into the second half with some momentum over the opposition.

Eltham was not going to roll over just yet, continuing to chip away at the deficit and producing some timely makes every time the Sabres looked to run away with the contest. However, the Wildcats simply could not get the defensive stops required to stop Sandringham from taking a seven-point lead into the final change, but the former was still in the contest against the championship favourites in promising fashion.

Although it was still game on heading into the last quarter, the Sabres were near-perfect in the final 10 minutes of the match, and could not have been more emphatic in how they closed out the contest. Sandringham outscored the Wildcats 22-7 in the fourth, dominating on both ends of the floor and looking as ominous as ever. Eltham simply had no answer, and ended up falling by 22 points in a one-sided finish to the contest.

Madeline Angus led the way offensively for the Sabres, dropping 16 points and playing a vital role in Sandringham’s strong finish to the contest. Also catching the eye for the victors was Craven, who had 14 points of her own and showed plenty of offensive craft on the big stage.

As expected, Sophie Richardson was the driving force for the Wildcats, and was instrumental in keeping them in the contest for as long as they were. The competition’s leading scorer finished her campaign with 17 points on Friday night, and was her typically dangerous self with ball in hand, particularly over the first three quarters.

Friday night also saw Sandringham’s grand final opponent determined, after Dandenong Rangers defeated Kilsyth Cobras by 10 points, with the former storming home with a 25-10 fourth quarter to snatch the victory and set up a decider against the Sabres this Saturday.