IT was another action-packed round of Big V Women’s with blowout performances from Sunbury, Wyndham and McKinnon dictating the round. Whittlesea are still sitting at the bottom of the ladder while Bulleen also secured a handy win.

Hume (63) defeated by Keilor (65)

The clash between Hume and Keilor went right down to the wire as only two points separated the sides at full time. With Keilor sitting higher on the ladder, the Broncos came out with a point to prove and that was that they could mix it with the best in the business. They claimed an early one-point lead and while the Thunder hit back in the second with a 17 to 13 point term the Broncos were not done with yet. It all came down to the final term with Keilor eager to secure the win and throwing everything they had at Hume to steal the narrow victory.

Efforts from Hailey Wynd and Jessica Azzopardi spurred the home side on with Wynd dominating with 18 points. Wynd was the main playmaker for the Broncos shooting at 62 per cent from the field while also reeling in a whopping 19 rebounds, 15 of which were defensive. It did not stop there as she also recorded three blocks. Azzopardi was handy with nine points as Leilani Siamoa chimed in with nine of her own along with four rebounds in the loss. Even contributions from a host of players is what got the Thunder over the line as Ellen Kett starred with 15 points, failing just short of a triple-double with 11 rebounds and nine assists. Emily Suckling was in just about everything to finish with 12 points as teammate Zoe Zwerling found the basket with relative ease for 11 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Southern Peninsula (52) defeated by Wyndham (94)

Wyndham recorded their second win of the season, defeating Southern Peninsula by an impressive 42 points in what was a strong showing. Wyndham blew the Sharks out of the water in the opening term piling on a whopping 32 points to 16 and asserting themselves nice and early. They maintained this level of attacking pressure throughout the game as they looked to build momentum and keep Southern Peninsula on the back foot.

When it comes to top contributors for the Sharks it was Ashleigh Wright that led the charge posting 16 points in her 28 minutes out on court. Her accuracy wavered however, sitting at a lowly 39 per cent from the field. Teammate Tanarly Hood continued her consistent start to the season with another 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals as Fiona Darnell also got busy, finishing with 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals, but it was not enough to worry their opponents. Wyndham had no shortage of contributors with six players all reaching double digits. Courtney Middap was proficient for Wyndham in the win with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals. She was not alone as Nicola Handreck impressed with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Jamilee Pearce was her usual self, producing 14 points as Georgia Tauschke found her groove with 13 points of her own. The final player to reach double figures was Sam Moodie who registered 10 points and five rebounds in her 13 minutes on court.

Hawthorn (60) defeated by McKinnon (83)

McKinnon bounced back after a disappointing Round 6 loss, defeating Hawthorn comfortably by 23 points. McKinnon raced out of the blocks against the lower-ranked Magic and did not relent with their pressure and eagerness to score evident. Although things got tighter in the second and third term respectively, McKinnon put their foot down in the final quarter draining 26 points to 16 to run out with their fourth win for the season.

Bella Niven-Brown proved to have a hot hand for Hawthorn sinking a team-high 17 points while also managing seven rebounds in the loss. Amy O’Hara was the next best for the Magic as she recorded nine points and five rebounds while Sian Gillam worked gallantly for her eight points and seven rebounds. For McKinnon it was Amelia Todhunter that led the charge credit to 22 points at 64 per cent from the field. She also racked up nine rebounds and three steals in the win. Morgan Ili was another strong presence for McKinnon draining a handy 20 points at 73 per cent along with eight rebounds. Claire Ioannidis made her presence felt with 12 points as Isobel Anstey also got busy off the boards to finish with 10 rebounds.

Whittlesea (38) defeated by Sunbury (96)

Sunbury once again proved why they are top of the table with a resounding win over the last placed Whittlesea Pacers. The victory is Sunbury’s seventh straight, with the side yet to drop a game all season while the Pacers remain winless. It was all one-way traffic for Sunbury from the opening stanza and only got better as the game went on, dominating the second term with a 29 to nine point effort. They put the final nail in the coffin in the last quarter as they shut down the ball movement from the Pacers, keeping them to a mere six points while adding 21 to their own tally.

Lyndsey Hoogenhout did the most damage for the Pacers with 14 points but converted at a lowly 32 per cent. Hoogenhout got a hand in just about everything racking up eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Both Lauren Killmister and Jayde Illievski put on six points each but it hardly troubled the scoreboard. For the Jets the effort from Orla O’Reilly could not be matched as she stacked on 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals. Bianca Dufelmeier chimed in with a commanding 22 points at 60 per cent from the field while also amassing three rebounds, four steals and four assists. Hannah Mrakov and Jacinta Beckley both got busy with 14 and 12 points respectively in the win.

Bulleen (84) defeated Casey (72)  

The top of the table battle brought plenty of intensity and excitement as the Boomers got the job done against Casey. Bulleen handed Casey only their second loss of the season while they managed to string together their second consecutive win. Creating an eight point lead at the first break, Bulleen worked hard to maintain it however Casey showed their class to rally and reduce the buffer to four at half time. But that was short lived as the Boomers held onto the momentum in the second half, sinking 29 points to 22 in the third term alone to re-establish that much needed buffer.

Once again the efforts from WNBL stars Rebecca Cole and Louella Tomlinson stood tall and dominated the scoring. Cole nailed 25 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and four steals in what was an all-round stellar performance. Tomlinson also played a vital role with her double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Kate Gaze showcased her skill with 20 points at 50 per cent from the field as Annie Garrick sunk 11 points of her own in the win. Shereesha Richards was her dominant best, single-handedly spurring her side on thanks to her 27 points and 10 rebounds. She received some support from Rachel Bell with 16 points as Alannah Gillespie slotted 14 points.

Round 8

It will be a battle of the bottom sides as Southern Peninsula and Whittlesea lock horns while Casey and Wyndham get proceedings underway at Casey Stadium. Sunbury will be aiming to make it eight straight with a win over McKinnon as Bulleen hope to stay in touching distance of the Jets with a win against the lowly Broncos. The final game of the round sees Keilor host Hawthorn.