IMPRESSIVE young talent Luke Fennell has delivered a statement performance at the Under-20 Men’s National Championships on Wednesday, helping Victoria to a big 29-point win over South Australia to keep its hot start to the tournament rolling.

A game-defining second quarter broke the game open, and the Vics never looked back as they continue to prove a step ahead of the competition with a roster that boasts the likes of Fennell, Dash Daniels and Ned Renfree.

Having now started the tournament with a perfect 2-0 record, Victoria is well-placed to take out the whole tournament give the amount of young talent coming out of the state. Any of the above trio can take over a match, with Renfree stepping up in the opening win over Queensland on Tuesday, and Fennell getting the job done today.

The Syracuse commit was just about unguardable in the win over South Australia, knocking down some tough shots on his way to a game-high 31 points in just 23 minutes of court time. Fennell is a proven scorer throughout his short career, and put his talent in full throttle in the first game of Wednesday.

His 12 points in the second quarter helped Victoria win the period 35-17, a purple patch that included back to back triples to close out the term in style and put his team in the box seat. After continuing his good work in the second half, Fennell was taken out of the game with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter given he had already delivered his side the win by that stage.

His tight handle allowed him to score in isolation, perfectly demonstrated early in the final term, when he used a screen to get separation from his defender, but when South Australia sent two players to him anyway, Fennell held onto the ball despite the pressure and rose up to knock down a mid-range jumpshot over a pair of opponents.

From the field, he shot 12/19 and knocked down five three-pointers in an excellent demonstration of his shooting ability. There was no one more important to Victoria’s 104-75 win than Fennell, who delivered a captain’s performance to bounce back after a quiet game by his lofty standards in the first match.

Also impressing for Victoria was Marcus Vaughns, who posted 14 points on 6/12 shooting from the field in his 20 minutes of court time. Renfree backed up his impressive opening performance with another 15 points off the bench, while Henry Sewell pulled down five offensive boards to go with his 10 points, and Daniels flirted with a double-double of eight points and 11 rebounds.

For South Australia, Patrick D’Arcy top-scored with 14 points, continuing an impactful tournament on the scoring front. He tried extremely hard to keep the offence rolling for his team, but the Vics were simply too good. Alex Dickeson was next best with 12 points in a valiant display, but did turn the ball over five times, allowing Victoria to gain ascendancy with fast break points. Rounding out the double-digit scorers were Rio Bruton (son of former Adelaide 36ers head coach CJ) and skipper Jackson Bowden, both of whom poured in 11 points.

In the second match to take place this morning, New South Wales was bested by the NBA Global Academy to the tune of 17 points. A 19-8 final quarter slammed the door shut on any sort of comeback, with Tamatoa Isaac proving the best of the bunch with a game-high 18 points on 8/11 shooting from the field in a standout display.