THE NUNAWADING Spectres tried to fight back in the final term, but the Diamond Valley Eagles had already done the damage in the third frame, getting the job done by 12 points in the Big V Youth Men’s Championship.

It was a big clash in terms of shaping the ladder, given both sides sat around the same mark in the standings, with the Eagles coming into the game with nine wins to their name, while the Spectres had managed eight themselves.

After plenty of back and forth action in the first half, the Eagles broke away in the third frame, and despite Nunawading’s best efforts in the final 10 minutes, the visitors held on at Nunawading Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.

Nunawading Spectres (72) def. by Diamond Valley Eagles (84)

It was a close start to the match, with neither side able to truly snatch control of the match as the two teams traded baskets in some contested, scrappy action. After the Spectres got out to a 12-7 lead, the Eagles recovered to trail by just three points at the end of the first quarter and keep themselves right in the contest.

Both sides lifted their offensive output after quarter time in what proved to be a high scoring second frame. The baskets were falling very easily for both sides with a combined 52 points scored for the term in some potent offence on both ends of the court, and the Eagles had managed to cut the margin to just one point by half time in an impressive frame in the context of the match.

The third quarter was where the game was won, with the Eagles putting the foot down to silence the crowd at Nunawading Stadium and take full control of the match. The visitors outscored the Spectres 22-10 coming out of halftime, and looked as dangerous as ever offensively, while the hosts were unable to get any rhythm on that side of the ball, trailing by 11 points at the final change.

It was an improved effort from the Spectres in the final quarter, returning to their second period form and matching the offensive output of the Eagles. However, it was too little, too late for the home side as they ran out of time to make up the margin and still ended up falling by 12 points.

Bailey Milligan was the standout for the Eagles in the impressive road win, posting a game-high 27 points on 10/14 shooting from the field, and helping Diamond Valley create plenty of separation on the scoreboard in the third frame. He also recorded six rebounds and five assists for the match, doing it all in the win.

Also impressive for the victors was skipper Marley Lambert, who produced a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Brodie Johnson stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with numbers of eight points, seven rebounds, six assists and six blocks.

Toluwaleyi Adebayo was the best for the Spectres, consistently looking to produce offence inside the paint and finishing the contest with 19 points on 9/15 shooting from the field to go with five boards in a solid outing.

Across the courts

Geelong United (125) def. Hume City (71)
Casey Cavaliers (110) def. Knox (80)
Dandenong (83) def. Melbourne (70)
Wyndham (93) def. by Keysborough (99)
Eltham (70) def. by Kilsyth (71)
Frankston (69) def. by Diamond Valley (74)
Waverley (79) def. by Sandringham (86)
Hume City (102) def. Wyndham (57)
Keilor (73) def. by Geelong United (97)