THE Frankston Blues were able to do what they couldn’t in the first half of the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under 18 Girls season, downing Bulleen Boomers 1 to the tune of seven points at Frankston Basketball Stadium on Friday night.

The Boomers were the form side in the opening half of 2022, but have struggled since the competition reformed as the VC Championship division, and the Blues took advantage of that. After Bulleen jumped out to an early lead, the home side clamped up defensively in the second quarter, before breaking away in the third. The Boomers attempted to get themselves back in the game in the last period, but their offensive woes continued, and they could not drag themselves to a winning score.

A favourite of the Frankston coaching staff, Bonnie Deas starred again in her side’s win over the Boomers, producing a game-high 22 points. She has proven to be one of the most consistent offensive players in the competition in season 2022, and that trend continued on Friday. Mackenzie Mitchell was Frankston’s second double-digit scorer in a low-scoring affair, finishing with 10 points.

Chantal Vitale top-scored for the Boomers with 13 points, although she was in a bit of foul trouble for a while. She formed a dangerous duo with Lilly Amor as the pair searched for clutch buckets late in the contest.

The Boomers stormed out of the gates in the opening term, scoring almost half of their points in this time. In the first period, Bulleen registered a whopping 22 points, putting the opposition on the back foot immediately and taking a nine-point lead into the first change of play, as their early season form looked rediscovered.

Scoring really dried up in the second term, with a combined 21 points scored between the two sides. The Boomers could not maintain their high-scoring ways, as a mixture of cold shooting and intense Frankston defence caused some headaches. However, the margin was only reduced to six points, and Bulleen was still in a strong position.

It was a dominant display from the Blues to start the second half, completely outperforming the Boomers and taking full control of the game. They outscored the opposition 21-5 in the third term, and suddenly held a scoreboard advantage. Heading into the final term, the home side found itself up by 10 points, and holding all of the momentum.

Quarter number four saw the Boomers tighten up their defence a bit, preventing the Blues from extending the lead any further. However, they could not wrestle back enough on the offensive end and ended up falling by seven points.