IN the penultimate round of the 2022 Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under 18 Girls season, the Kilsyth Cobras and the Casey Cavaliers played out a thrilling draw that finished at 55 apiece when the two sides went head to head at Casey Stadium on Friday night.

The Cavaliers have been one of the strongest sides of the 2022 season, particularly since joining the VC Championship division at the halfway point of the season. Coming into the Round eight contest, Casey was expected to get the job done and continue its momentum into the upcoming finals series.

That is not how things panned out, as the Cobras fought back from a massive deficit in the first term to end up matching the offensive output of the opposition, and with their season on the line in fifth spot, conjured a vital draw to keep their finals hopes alive.

For the Cavaliers, it was the most usual of suspects in Dakota Crichton that led the way against Kilsyth. The scoring machine was at it again, and recorded a game-high 20 points, an impressive feat given the fact that her side only registered 55 points for the game. Her importance to the team is as big as anyone’s and she is set to play a massive role in the next few weeks as Casey makes a big charge towards the title.

On the other side of the table, the Cobras were kept in the game by the efforts of Georgia McBean and Hannah Day, with the pair doing much of the heavy lifting on the scoreboard. McBean lead all comers on her side with 19 points, while Day was not far behind with 17 of her own. The pair combined for 36 of the team’s 55 points, almost getting Kilsyth to an impressive triumph.

The Cavaliers remain in second spot heading into the final round, but with Melbourne just one point behind in the standings, the pressure is on after being unable to secure a win on Friday. It was a slightly more positive result for Kilsyth in terms of ladder position, as it still remains in the hunt for a spot in the top four come season’s end, trailing the position by just percentage with one more game on the cards.

Casey Cavaliers (57) drew Kilsyth Cobras (57)

The Cavaliers started the match in just about perfect fashion, jumping out to a massive lead in the opening term. After a dominant start to the contest, the Cavaliers held a whopping 24-7 lead at the first change of play. All of the momentum was swinging one way and the Cobras looked dead and buried within the first 10 minutes.

However, Kilsyth ended up producing an impressive fightback over the course of the next three quarters and began to slowly chip away at the deficit. It took some doing, but when they came within three points at three quarter time, it suddenly became a reality. Each side had an opportunity to win the game in the dying stages, but a winner could not be determined, which was a fitting way to close out a seriously entertaining match.