THE KILSYTH Cobras produced a dominant display in their sole outing of Round 16 of the Big V Youth Championship Women’s over the weekend, handing the Frankston Blues a 35-point loss when the two sides clashed at Kilsyth Sports Centre on Saturday evening.

The Cobras are one of the biggest contenders to the championship in 2025, sitting second in the standings and trailing only the Melbourne Tigers, ensuring Kilsyth is well-placed for a deep run into the finals. With the postseason approaching, there are several teams vying for the top-two spots, so a win over a struggling Frankston side would be crucial.

After steadily building a lead in the first half, the home side put the foot down in the final two quarters to officially turn the match into a blowout and cruise home to their 17th win of the 2025 fixture and lock in second spot.

Kilsyth Cobras (86) def. Frankston Blues (51)

The first few minutes of the match contained some of the best back and forth action of the entire contest, with both teams finding success shooting the ball from midrange and from behind the three-point line in the opening frame. Although it looked as if the Blues were going to be able to match the offensive production of the Cobras, Kilsyth kicked away late in the piece and led by six points at the end of the first quarter.

It was a strong start to the second frame for the Blues, who cashed in with several shots from behind the arc to impressively take the lead in seemingly no time at all. However, the Cobras managed to get back to their best as the quarter rolled on, and the long-range efficiency of Frankston dried up. By the time the buzzer sounded to mark the end of the first half, Kilsyth’s lead had built to 12 points as the home side took control with a scoring blitz on the eve of the main break.

Despite the fact that the Blues were still in the match coming out of half time, that was a short-lived reality as the Cobras pushed the lead out to as much as 20 points in the third quarter. Although it was not Kilsyth’s most productive period, the home side held Frankston to just nine points in the quarter, in a clear demonstration that defence was a priority in the second half.

The fourth quarter was more of the same from the Cobras, who looked at their productive best on the scoring front. The hosts were dominating inside and out, finding consistent offence while the Blues were forced to draw contact and head to the free throw line in order to generate points. In the end, the Cobras cruised home to a hefty win to continue their momentum heading into the postseason.

It was an incredibly balanced scoring performance from the Cobras, with every player hitting the scoreboard and four players reaching 10+ points. Leading the way was Hannah Day, who had 15 points on 6/14 shooting from the field, while Georgia McBean (14 points, eight rebounds, eight assists), Lily Exton (13 points, five rebounds) and Olivia Jennings (11 points) rounded out the double-digit scorers.

It was a tough night at the office for the Blues, but some players never stopped trying, namely Georgia Mann and Jaime Paxton. The pair fought hard all night to try and generate some offence for their side, with Mann posting 12 points while Paxton finished proceedings with 11 points, although both did struggle to find high-percentage shots against a relentless Kilsyth defence.

ACROSS THE COURTS

Nunawading (61) def. by Dandenong (81)
Pakenham (66) def. by Nunawading (87)
Keilor (68) def. Ringwood (40)
Bulleen (79) def. Bendigo (69)
Diamond Valley (83) def. Altona (79)
Dandenong (74) def. by Kilsyth (93)
McKinnon (81) def. Diamond Valley (67)
Ringwood (45) def. by Melbourne (79)
Sandringham (107) def. Pakenham (42)
Waverley (64) def. Bendigo (35)
Bulleen (55) def. by Casey (80)
Keilor (65) def. Frankston (50)