IN Round 8 of the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under 18 Girls on the weekend, the Frankston Blues produced a dominant win over Gippsland United. The two sides went head to head at Frankston Basketball Stadium on Friday night, in a match widely expected to be owned by the home side. Frankston came into the game in the midst of a pretty good start to the season, while United were going pretty good themselves, but were not quite at the level of their opponents.

However, not many would have seen the extent of Frankston’s power coming, as the hosts cruised to a massive win. After a reasonable effort from Gippsland to make things close in the first half, the Blues broke away in the final two quarters with a commanding 20-minute display, on their way to a whopping 31-point triumph on their home deck. The result sees Frankston remain in the top four with a record of 5-2, while United are just behind, breaking even from their eight games with four wins next to their name.

Frankston Blues (75) def. Gippsland United (44)

It was a pretty low-scoring first half, as both sides had to brush off some rust before getting any offence rolling smoothly. After one quarter of play, Frankston led by two points, with many of their buckets coming from their signature fast-paced style of play, which sees them press up the court, force turnovers and create easy baskets out the back. However, the offence of both clubs dried up further in the second term, with just a combined 19 points coming in the 10-minute period. United’s defence looked much improved as they managed to shut down a number of Frankston blitzes. Gippsland trailed by one at the main break, which set up a second half that was looking like going either way.

Despite the tense fashion of the first two quarters, what followed was pure dominance from the home side. Frankston was able to flick a switch in the second half of the game, and United were suddenly a bit shellshocked. After a 19-9 third term, the Blues were looking pretty likely to storm away with the win given the low-scoring nature we had seen from Gippsland. The Blues even saved their best for last, delivering a 31-point final term, which turned a close game into an old-fashioned blowout. United had no answer for the sheer offensive output of the opposition, and ended up falling by over 30 points.

Chantelle James had one of her best games of the season in Frankston’s win, delivering a game-high 21 points and really got going in the second half and was reflective of her side’s performance in the match. Also impressive was Sienna Wynd, who chimed in with a handy 16 points of her own, while Zoe Harvey rounded out the double-digit scorers with a 10-point showing. For United, Emily Schlotes (16 points) and Asha Nightingale (10 points) fought hard and were a big reason why their side was able to match it with Frankston in the first half.

Across the courts

VC Ashe

Keilor (51) def. Broadmeadows (45)
Sandringham (75) def. Altona (27)
Bulleen 1 (80) def. Bulleen 2 (48)
Knox (87) def. Waverley (39)

VC Watson

Melbourne (63) def. Eltham (18)
Kilsyth (29) def. by Casey (56)
Hawthorn (83) def. Ballarat (51)
Dandenong (81) def. Wyndham (55)
Nunawading (50) def. Diamond Valley (46)