MUVJBL U18 Boys VC review: Preliminary Finals – Giddey spurs Melbourne into final four
A JOSH Giddey inspired Melbourne side sent Dandenong Rangers out in straight sets of the Melbourne United Victorian Junior Basketball League (MUVJBL) Under-18 Boys Championship Division, while the Bulleen Boomers also advanced to the Preliminary Finals after knocking off Keilor Thunder in a comfortable win.
Bulleen Boomers 72 defeated Keilor Thunder 42
Bulleen Boomers have advanced through to the preliminary finals with the chance to face top-of-the-table Kilsyth Cobras after a dominant 30-point win over Keilor Thunder. The Boomers raced away to an 11-point lead at quarter time and extended that to 16 by the main break. They did not let up throughout with a dominant 38-24 second half to run away with the match, 72-42. They shared the points around with all eight players getting court time and hitting the scoreboard, lead by Owen Foxwell (20 points). Otto Mananov (14) and Thomas Giannatos (11) were also prominent, while Anthony Dell’Orso and Oscar Hyde both sank nine apiece. For the Thunder, Paul Tsapatolis was a lone hand on the scoring end, shooting 24 of his side’s 42 points, with the next highest being Jeffrey Ofoedu and Derhyse Matautia with four points apiece.
Dandenong Rangers 65 defeated by Melbourne Tigers 75
In the closer of the two semi-finals, a dominant first half by Melbourne set them up for a strong 10-point win. The Tigers opened the game with a 24-16 first term, then extended the margin out to 15 by the main break. Dandenong hit back after half-time with 13 points to eight and cut it back to 10, but could not make further inroads into the deficit in the last stanza, losing 65-75. Giddey posted a game-high 27 points, teaming well with Patrick Twigg who delivered 22 of his own. Ezrah Vaigafa and Jordan Adams were also strong contributors, dropping eight points each. For the Rangers, they had three key scorers as Harrison Bowater (18 points), Leyi Adebayo (14) and Mason Perry (10) were all in double-figure points. Zac Taylor (nine points) and Joshua Heywood (eight) were also productive despite the narrow loss.
