YOU could not ask for a better start than three wins from three games. In the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under 18 Girls competition, Bulleen has managed to do exactly that to kick off its 2022 campaign, racking up another win in Round 3 to remain one of two undefeated sides in the VC Ashe Division. It has been a convincing start to the season, with the Boomers racking up wins in stylish fashion. Their dominance proved too powerful for Sandringham in their matchup over the weekend, as they claimed a solid victory on the road.

Sandringham (53) def. by Bulleen 1 (65)

Bullen 1 has continued its good start to the season with a 12-point win over Sandringham at Sandringham Family Leisure Centre on Friday night. The victors have been touted for a big campaign based on how they’ve started the year, and their performance here did no harm to these predictions. It appears they have found a strong method of winning and will likely be tough to stop this season if their showing against Sandringham is anything to go by.

In a low-scoring opening term, Bulleen was able to still get the upper hand in the contest. The Boomers’ work on the defensive end made life extremely difficult for their opponents, as the visiting side took a five point lead into the first break. Scoring increased for both sides in the second quarter, but once again it was Bullen that was able to keep ahead of Sandringham, extending their lead by five before halftime rolled around. The story was similar in the third, and while the home side was showing signs of improvement, Bulleen was still proving a class above its opponents, moving the ball with aplomb and getting their score going once again. Heading into the final term, Bullen’s lead stood at 15, and while Sandringham managed to get some momentum in the final score, much of it was due to the visitors taking their foot off the pedal. In the end, Bulleen was able to cruise home to their third win of the year, further establishing their title hopes.

For the victors, there was no one more impressive than Tabitha Betson, who was extremely damaging on the offensive end. She proved to be a reliable avenue to scoring and finished with a game-high 23 points in a terrific showing. Also catching the eye were the efforts of Lilly Amor, who was solid with 10 points, the only other double-digit scorer for her side. For Sandringham, Hannah Wickstrom continued her solid season with an 18-point outing, as she desperately tried to inject some life into her side.

There were still plenty of other matches that took place across the two divisions, with plenty of action to take out of a cracking Friday night of basketball.

Across the courts

VC Ashe

Keilor (64) def. by Altona (68)
Frankston (73) def. Bulleen 2 (41)
Waverley (49) def. Gippsland United (47)
Knox (73) def. Broadmeadows (40)

VC Watson

Ballarat (62) def. Wyndham (41)
Hawthorn (57) def. Diamond Valley (43)
Nunawading (80) def. Eltham (40)
Melbourne (54) def. by Kilsyth (58)