THE Casey Cavaliers have made their way to the preliminary finals in the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under-18 Girls, after taking down the Knox Raiders by 14 points, eliminating the latter from title contention in doing so.

The semi-final took place at Dandenong Stadium on Friday night, and the stakes were as high as they get, with the loser of the contest knocked out from season 2022, and no second chances given. In a game full of momentum swings, it was the Cavaliers that were able to make the most of some wayward shooting from the opposition and produced dominant second and fourth quarters on their way to a 53-39 triumph on the weekend.

Casey Cavaliers (53) def. Knox Raiders (39)

The game kicked off in remarkably tense fashion, and there was no clear leader in the opening minutes. Any bucket was almost immediately answered down the other end, and it was a true arm-wrestle with some similar styles of play. There was no real leader at the first change of play, and it was the Raiders who held a one-point lead on the scoreboard, looking to claim an upset and extend their season.

Casey lifted in a big way in the second term, turning their slim deficit into a reasonable lead as Knox’s output dropped off. There was a lot to like about the way the Cavaliers went about it, with their defence proving to be ferocious as they gave no room to the Raiders players putting up a shot. At half-time, Casey not only held a six-point advantage, but all of the momentum too.

The third quarter was quite reflective of the first, as Knox managed to match the output of the opposition and keep itself in the contest. Some coaching changes meant the Raiders were able to conjure some buckets in other ways, and it meant the margin was only extended by one more point with a quarter to play, and the result was very much alive.

Unfortunately, Knox’s hard work was undone in the final term as the Cavaliers got the better of it once again, and stormed away to a commanding triumph. The Raiders’ offence came to a near-complete standstill, registering just four points in the entire term. It was a combination of strong defence from Casey and Knox lacking composure with ball in hand.

Some of Casey’s players were well-held despite the win, which gave the opportunity for others to step up and lead the side on the offensive end. In this case, it was Kyra Webb who was the star of the show for the Cavaliers, finishing with a game-high 18 points, while Katelyn Field was important with 10 points of her own.

In a low-scoring performance from Knox as a whole, the efforts of Erica Cid can not be faulted. She worked hard to get her way to 10 points, which was the most of anyone on her side and making her the only Raider to register double-digits in the points column.

The win sees the Casey now scheduled to take on the Bulleen Boomers in the preliminary finals with the chance of a grand final berth on the line.