AFTER a long wait, the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) kicked off its 2022 season on Friday night, with plenty of matches taking place across Metropolitan Melbourne. Some of the state’s brightest young basketball talents aged 12-18 got the opportunity to hit the court as the competition prepares for (hopefully) a normal season this year, after COVID-related drama caused a number of disrutpions over the last few years. The round kicked off in style with a number of high-quality matches taking place on an excellent night of action.

Casey (71) def. Frankston Blues (60)

Casey have started their 2022 campaign in style, taking down the Frankston Blues to the tune of 11 points at Casey Stadium on Friday night. It was a win set up by a blistering finish to the first half from the home side, as they cruised home to a strong win in front of their home crowd. They could not have kicked off their season any better, asserting themselves as a side to watch this year.

Obviously, neither side had ideal preparation coming into this match (which was the case for majority of the competition), and this was reflected more so for Casey at the start of the match. The Blues got off to a blistering start, storming out of the gate offensively to break away from their opponents and take a 12-point lead into the second quarter.

The home side was able to amend this in the second period, producing a powerful quarter, especially on the offensive end. They were absolutely clinical at scoring the basketball, as they swiftly erased the deficit built by the Blues in the first term. There was a strong mix of inside and outside scoring from Casey as they grabbed a three-point lead heading into the second half. The final two periods saw the hosts steadily build their lead until the margin proved too much for Frankston in the first hit out of the season for both sides.

Casey’s Ethan Bolton was the standout in his side’s win, leading all scorers with 24 points as his offensive game proved too much for the Frankston defence. He had some good help from teammates Kobe Wilson (17 points) and Lachlan Coverdale (12 points) as Casey found plenty of avenues to scoring. Kynan Phllippe led the way for the Blues with an impressive 19-point outing.

Across the courts

VC Ashe

Kicking things off for the opening round was a clash between Kilsyth and Dandenong at Kilsyth Basketball Stadium on Friday night. It was a close battle for much of the contest, with the result not decided until the fourth term, but it was Dandenong who broke away in the last to claim a 10-point win on the road in impressive fashion.

Bulleen got its season off to a ripping start with a convincing win over Gippsland United at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium on Friday. After a solid first half, the home side managed to make things interesting heading into the fourth quarter. However, Bulleen produced a stunning final term to turn it into a blowout and grab their first triumph of the season.

Nunawading announced itself as a team on the rise this season, claiming a massive 37-point triumph over Southern Peninsula at Nunawading Basketball Centre on Friday. The home side burst out to an early lead and never looked back, thanks to 20+point efforts from Billy Hicks and Oscar Dunn, with the duo giving their side a massive offensive boost.

Sandringham was able to grind out a win when it faced off against McKinnon at Bentleigh Secondary College on Friday night in a low scoring affair. Both sides struggled to get their offensive game going early, but Sandringham managed to slowly build a lead and outlast the opposition to grab a 12-point win.

VC Watson

Wangaratta was unable to keep up with Keilor on the offensive end, falling to the tune of nine points at Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre. It was a low-scoring affair as both sides had to brush off a bit of rust from the long off-season, but the visitors were able to hold off their opponents thanks to quite a strong final term.

The next game on the schedule saw Knox claim a nice victory over its opponents in Bendigo at Bendigo Stadium on Friday night. The visiting side were outstanding on both ends of the floor, outscoring their opponents 45-30 in this time, which set them up for the 12-point win on the road.

Geelong was able to hold off a fast finish from Diamond Valley when the two teams faced off at AWA Alliance Bank Stadium on Friday night. The home side looked to have the result in the bag at the end of the third, but Diamond Valley were determined to close the gap, but fell just seven points short of achieving this feat.

A fast start from the Melbourne Tigers was the difference in their clash against the Camberwell Dragons at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on Friday night. The home side took a 15-point lead into the main break and while the Dragons produced a bit of a fightback in the second half, it was not enough as the Tigers ended the match with an eight-point win.