KILSYTH Cobras have advanced to the preliminary finals in the 2025 VJBL Under-18 VC Championship Boys competition, after defeating the Sunbury Jets in a thrilling qualifying final on Friday night to kickstart the postseason.

With both sides right in the frame to take out the title for 2025, the Cobras and the Jets came together to go head to head at Mill Park Basketball Stadium on Friday. Kilsyth finished in second place during the regular season, having built a solid record prior to the regrading, while Sunbury had been one of the stronger sides since that point of the fixturing, winning seven of nine games.

In a contest that went right down to the wire, the Cobras were able to hold on for a two-point win to continue their charge towards the championship by earning a week off.

Kilsyth Cobras (68) def. Sunbury Jets (66)

The Cobras were taking advantage of home court in the opening minutes of the game, scoring the first four points of the match. The Jets were able to bring the margin back and the two teams went basket for basket for the remainder of the term. The final minutes of the frame saw both sides get in foul trouble and most of the scoring came from the charity stripe as the Cobras held a one-point buffer at quarter time.

The second frame saw both sides go on scoring runs as momentum changed hands on several occasions. The Jets were taking it right up to the hosts, and led for a large chunk of the period, but the Cobras were able to wrestle back control on the eve of half time, with star Liam Keogh in particular playing a key role on the offensive end as Kilsyth took a four-point lead into the main break.

A 10-3 run to start the third quarter was decisive in the Cobras jumping out to a double-digit lead, with Kilsyth dominating the opening stages after half time and finding plenty of success on the offensive end after the break. Back to back triples from Samuel Haslett slashed the deficit later in the frame, and it was just a four-point game heading into the last.

The Cobras looked to put the game to bed in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Jets were determined to stay in the contest, scoring 10 unanswered points to take the lead with two and a half minutes on the clock. With the contest going down to the wire, a clutch triple from Charlie Angus saw the Cobras retake the lead, and the hosts were able to hold on in the final 60 seconds.

Keogh starred for the Cobras in the win, posting an equal game-high 21 points in the win and stepping up for a clutch free throw to put his team up by three points and ice the game in the dying seconds of the contest. He continues to be a key figure in the postseason, and showed he has the ability to perform on the big stage.

Oscar Hipfel was impressive as well, delivering 17 points of his own for the Cobras, while Haslett did as much as he could to drag the Jets over the line, delivering 21 points of his own in an inspiring performance on the road.

Across the courts

The other qualifying final for week one was a thriller as well, with the Eltham Wildcats stun the ladder-leading Knox Raiders to claim a three-point win at Nunawading Basketball Stadium and advance to the penultimate stage of the finals.

The Keilor Thunder were far too good for the Sandringham Sabres in the first elimination final, claiming a huge 31-point win at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre to keep their season alive and advance to next week.

The Dandenong Rangers produced an emphatic performance of their own in the second elimination clash of the weekend, thumping the Nunawading Spectres by 42 points to set up a clash against the Raiders on Friday.