IT WAS the perfect start for both the Men’s and Women’s Australian teams at the 2025 FIBA Under-17 Oceania Cup yesterday, with both the Crocs and the Sapphires starting the tournament in dominant fashion.

The Sapphires have shown why they are the heavy title favourite, recording two massive wins over the first two days of the tournament, while the Crocs are on track to do exactly the same at the time of publication.

The women’s team kicked off their campaign yesterday with a massive 93-point win over Fiji in Apia, Samoa to send an emphatic message to the remainder of the tournament. It was a terrific team win from the Sapphires, with every player hitting the scoreboard and seven players pouring in double-digits in the points column.

Eliza Ashby was the match’s leading scorer with 13 points, while Centre of Excellence duo Sitaya Fagan and Olivia Olechnowicz had 12 points each as the Aussies shared the scoring load. On the defensive end, the Sapphires were relentless, holding the opposition to just 17 points over the final three quarters and forcing a bad shot on just about every possession.

The Sapphires backed it up this morning, and were just as excellent with another huge 110-point win over Guam to cruise through to the quarter finals with one hand on the championship trophy. In the first, third and fourth quarters, the opposition were restricted to a combined eight points and just 16 for the match in a sheer display of ruthlessness.

Again there were seven players to hit 11+ points for the Sapphires, with Fagan posting an impressive double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Reece Anticevic had 17 points as the pair led from the front in a dominant offensive display from the Sapphires.

The Crocs were also able to record a big win in their tournament, with the men’s team defeating Fiji by 71 points on Monday morning. The Aussies set the tone early with a whopping 38 points in the first frame to lead by 32 points at the opening change, and simply never looked back.

Australia came into the tournament with a strong team led by impressive young talent Luke Paul, who looms as one of the country’s most exciting talents. In the win over Fiji, the point guard stuffed the stat sheet as he typically tends to do, posting 12 points, five rebounds and seven assists in less than 17 minutes of court time.

Isaac Riddle perplexed the opposition with his scoring ability and finished with a game-high 20 points on an impressive 10/13 shooting from the field, with all of his makes coming from inside the arc. Jai Fa’ale was just as impressive with 19 points of his own on 9/15 shooting as the Aussies demonstrated the scoring depth they possess.

At the time of publication, the Crocs are engaged in a battle with Guam, and should be able to get the job done to continue their charge into the quarterfinals in the coming days.