THE ability to perform in the clutch has come in handy for a number of sides this season in the Big V Men’s competition. There has already been a number of matches that have gone down to the wire and that was certianly the case in Thursday night’s clash between Camberwell and Hume at Balwyn High School. With Round 2’s schedule holding a number of intriguing clashes, it was not exactly the most anticipated matchup of the week, but it still proved to be the most entertaining. Both sides gave it their all, and the game ended up going down to the final seconds, with Camberwell taking home the chocolates, with the margin sitting at just three points.

Camberwell (91) def. Hume (98)

The closest match of the weekend saw Camberwell get the job done in their clash against Hume, albeit in tense fashion with the two sides separated by just one bucket in the end. It was some cracking basketball for fans to enjoy on the eve of finals, with the cream rising to the top as the two teams looked to get the ball in the hands of their best players. Camberwell were too good in the end, just getting on top of their opponents in the last term to claim a three-point triumph on their home court.

In a high-scoring first term, both teams got their offensive structures and execution rolling. There was plenty of ball movement on both ends, and it often resulted in an open look. Hume’s Chris Elder got hot early, sinking consecutive buckets to get his side an early lead. Finding themselves trailing by eight points halfway through the term, Camberwell opted to bring in the bench to try and conjure a bit of an offensive boost, a move that worked wonders. It also created a roll-on effect, with the starters returning and giving their side a one point lead at the first break.

The second quarter saw Camberwell get quite an advantage over Hume, working extremely hard on both ends to create some scoreboard separation. Luke Shelley was the man for Camberwell, proving extremely damaging from behind the arc and giving his team a massive boost on the offensive end. Suddenly, Hume were on the back foot after a promising first term, trailing by nine at half time with plenty of work to do in the second half.

Camberwell looked to further extend their lead to kick off the third quarter, with some impressive work inside the paint seeing the margin balloon out to 13 points in the first two minutes of play. Hume battled to keep themselves in the contest, but the explosive scoring of their opponents was proving too much, with the game quickly getting out of hand. A couple of late buckets saw the lead brought back to 11, but it seemed unlikely that Hume were going to pull off the miracle in the last.

Despite trailing for much of the game, the last term essentially belonged to Hume, as they were finally able to get themselves back in the game. Elder led the charge, getting back to his first quarter form and chipping away at the margin with his lights out shooting from behind the arc. All of a sudden, the pressure was on Camberwell, with their offence drying up for a number of minutes. Remarkably, Hume’s three point shooting saw the game tied with just minutes to play, and given the momentum of play, they were a strong chance to run over the top of their opponents. However, it did not pan out like that, with Camberwell producing a few timely buckets to run out winners.

For the victors, Jay McKenzie led the way with an impressive double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. He worked hard on both ends of the court, also swatting six Hume shots as he controlled the paint on both ends of the court. Also contributing for Camberwell was Brendan Trewalla and Orlando Mein, both of whom poured in 17 points. There was not more Elder could have done, producing a masterful offensive performance to finish with 37 points and almost drag his side over the line.

There was also a number of other matches to take place around Melbourne in Round 2, topping off an entertaining weekend of basketball.

Across the courts

McKinnon (97) def. Chelsea (70)
Sunbury (89) def. Western Port (70)
Blackburn (72) def. by Sunbury (105)
Wyndham (118) def. Western Port (73)