THE KILSYTH Cobras have made it two from two in the Big V Youth Championship grand finals, after taking out the Women’s title with a thrilling win over the Keilor Thunder in a match that went to double-overtime.

Both the Cobras and the Thunder were emphatic in their preliminary final performances, with Kilsyth getting the better of the Sandringham Sabres, while Keilor was too good for the ladder-leading Melbourne Tigers. These results set up a rematch of the qualifying final clash between the two sides, where the Cobras were far too good for the Thunder, claiming a 33-point win.

It was a much closer encounter this time around, with the two sides unable to be separated after four quarter as well as a bonus period, with the Cobras getting the job done in double OT to claim the ultimate prize.

Kilsyth Cobras (97) def. Keilor Thunder (89)

It was an extremely close start to the contest, with the lead changing hands multiple times in the opening minutes of the clash. Both sides found their eye from behind the arc early in the first quarter in what was a high-scoring way to kick off proceedings. After the Cobras got out to a seven-point lead late in the frame, the Thunder were able to reel the margin back in to four points at quarter time in an enthralling start.

The second term was a bit scrappier on both ends of the floor, with the shots not falling as easily after quarter time in what was a less productive patch of play for both teams. A mixture of stronger defence and unlucky misses saw just a combined 25 points scored for the period, although the Cobras were able to stretch their buffer out to nine points and steadily take control of the contest at the main change.

Kilsyth continued its ascendancy into the third quarter, maintaining plenty of defensive intensity while pushing its lead out even further. The margin was boosted out to double-digits early in the period, and the Thunder simply did not have the offensive firepower to keep up, trailing by 15 points at the final change.

With their season on the line and backs against the wall, the Thunder came alive in the final 10 minutes, delivering a level of scoring potency they had not previously shown in the Grand Final. Keilor came from the clouds to erase the deficit over the course of the fourth term, and with Caitlyn Petersen tying up proceedings at the charity stripe in the final minute, the game headed to overtime.

The first extra period saw the two contenders go blow for blow, as the teams could not be separated with every go-ahead basket answered down the other end. Despite the Cobras holding a two-point lead heading into the final minute of overtime, Jaz Salon immediately replied with a nice pull-up jumper from midrange to tie up proceedings and send the grand final to a second overtime.

Despite the close nature of the previous two periods of play, the second extra frame of play saw the Cobras get back to their form from earlier in the match, jumping out to a hefty lead on the back of an 8-0 run to open 2OT. Despite their best efforts, it was too much for the Thunder to handle, with Keilor falling behind and eventually allowing the home side to sneak home to an eight-point win.

There were several strong performers for the Cobras, but none more impactful than Lily Exton, who absolutely dominated the paint on both ends to record a huge double-double. She was the leader in both the scoring and rebounding columns, finishing with 33 points and 19 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end in a towering display on the big stage.

Also impressing was Olivia Jennings, who stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a tremendously balanced performance, while Georgia McBean (19 points) and Hannah Day (18 points) were excellent on the scoring front.

Salon was Keilor’s best in a strong display that almost dragged her side to an unlikely victory with 21 points, six rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in a stat-stuffing display, while Hayley Courts led her side’s scoring with 22 points.