THE Sunbury Jets have announced themselves a contender for the 2022 Big V Women’s competition, taking down the ladder-leading Wyndham to the tune of 14 points at Boardman Stadium on Saturday night.

Wyndham was expected to get the job done, having lost just two games coming in. However, the Jets produced a magnificent offensive performance at home, firing from the field to outscore the title favourites 78-64 and justify their spot inside the top-four after 13 rounds of play.

As she has done so many times throughout season 2022, Maria Steen Jespersen led the way for the Jets, stuffing the stat sheet to record a monster game of 35 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. With teammate Ida Andersson defended well, Jespersen stepped up in a big way and put the team on her back with one of the best individual outings we have seen this year.

Wyndham’s Dyani Ananiev fought valiantly to get her side over the line, despite the final result. She delivered a game-high 18 points to go with eight boards, as her strong offensive season continues to roll on.

Sunbury Jets (78) def. Wyndham (64)

The Jets got off to an ideal start, as Jespersen led her side to a 10-point lead in the first five minutes of play. It rattled Wyndham, who were not expecting such a powerful offensive showing from the home side. As expected, the ladder-leaders bounced back in the closing minutes of the first term, but still trailed by five points at the opening change of play.

Despite such a strong showing in the opening term, the second period is where the Jets hit their stride, and further extended their lead. Jespersen began to truly dominate, producing a clincial second term and conjuring buckets from anywhere, whether it be a long-range three or a post fadeaway. Her outstanding offensive output saw Sunbury’s lead stretch out to 15 at the main break, with Wyndham facing a serious uphill battle.

Wyndham came out of halftime with an emphasis on defence, as it looked to slow down the dynamic scoring ability of the Jets. While Sunbury was held much better defensively, Wyndham was unable to capitalise down the other end, and when three-quarter time rolled around, the lead was unaffected, with plenty to do in the final 10 minutes.

The trend continued in the final term for Wyndham, who was able to slightly chip away at the lead, but could not do any significant damage to the margin. The Jets came into the contest with a clear defensive plan and executed it to perfection, as Sunbury walked away with their best win of the 2022 season, and look a genuine shot at winning it all after knocking off the top two in recent weeks.