THE FINAL game of Round 16 of the Big V Youth Men’s Championship saw the Frankston Blues claim an 11-point win over the Eltham Wildcats in an entertaining clash at Montmorency Secondary College on Sunday afternoon.

The 2025 Big V season is coming to a close, and the Blues are one of the teams to beat this year. Trailing only the Cobras in the standings, Frankston has certainly put its name forth as one of the contenders and will be heading towards finals with plenty of wind in its sail.

The Blues were coming up against a Wildcats side that will also be amongst the action come finals time, sitting fifth in the standings heading into Sunday’s clash and looking to make a statement against a contender.

Although Eltham worked hard to cut the margin down by three-quarter time, the Blues were simply too good, and held on for their 17th win of the season to bounce back following a loss earlier in the round.

Eltham Wildcats (68) def. by Frankston Blues (79)

It was a high-scoring affair in the opening term, with the Blues jumping out to a hefty lead to assume control of the contest and show why they are considered one of the biggest threats to the title. However, the Wildcats were not going to roll over and ended up getting the margin back to just four points at quarter time.

The game got a bit scrappier in the second frame, with both sides struggling at various stages to find the bottom of the net consistently. However, the class of the Blues began to shine through and it resulted in Frankston running away with the match. When the buzzer sounded to conclude the second term, the margin had been blown out to 13 points with the visitors fully in control.

Although they trailed by a hefty margin at the main break, the Wildcats delivered their most productive quarter of the match coming out of half time. Eltham’s offence was absolutely humming in the third frame and the home side managed to get the deficit back to just five points at the final change, and given how easily the Wildcats scored the ball, it was still game on.

Although it was a tight start to the fourth quarter, the Blues were able to steady and deliver the same potent offensive production that had been quiet throughout the third quarter. Frankston was simply too good in the final minutes of the game, and broke away to claim another win in what is proving to be a strong season.

Corey Hastings was excellent for the Blues in the win, leading all comers in the match with 20 points and five assists while shooting 6/8 from the field, 2/3 from long range and a perfect 6/6 from the charity stripe. Blake Jackson caught the eye with 14 points and five boards of his own, while skipper Maddox Parsons (13 points) and Ryan Lane (11 points, nine rebounds) also played crucial roles.

For the Wildcats, Lachlan Wood was immense despite the loss, posting an impressive 19 points and a whopping 18 rebounds, while Mitchell Blackburn was also a towering presence with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

ACROSS THE COURTS

Nunawading (73) def. by Dandenong (79)
Geelong United (101) def. Casey (93)
Wyndham (84) def. by Nunawading (100)
Kilsyth (97) def. Frankston (83)
Keilor (51) def. by Knox (81)
Diamond Valley (84) def. by Eltham (92)
Dandenong (70) def. by Keilor (85)
Keysborough (77) def. by Diamond Valley (97)
Sandringham (90) def. Melbourne (80)
Waverley (117) def. Geelong United (76)
Hume City (61) def. by Kilsyth (95)