ROUND 8 of the Big V basketball competition went ahead over the weekend, with plenty of action to enjoy across the men’s and women’s leagues. There were a lot of contests taking place around Victoria, with no shortage of basketball for fans to enjoy. The men’s competition saw some high scores as the offence appeared to flow from a number of sides. Three teams scored over 100 points and claimed blowout wins, while the Western Port Steelers claimed the closest triumph, downing Hume by a single point.

One of the big winners from the weekend was Wyndham, who downed the Blackburn Vikings by 24 points on the road. It was a convincing win that was set up by a magnificent offensive performance from Maurice Howard. After a strong start to the year, Howard has become a focal point of his side’s offence, and that was in full display at Mullum Mullum Stadium on Saturday night. He finished with a whopping 36 points, a total that was boosted by numbers of 10/16 from behind the three-point line, and was a major factor in the big win.

Blackburn Vikings (78) def. by Wyndham (102)

Howard took the back seat on the first few possessions, finding teammates open for an easy score and getting Wyndham off to a flyer. He registered his first basket with a nice floater to stretch his side’s lead out to seven early in the match. A three-pointer followed shortly after and it was evident that Howard was in for a big day. After a few of his teammates found themselves unable to produce a bucket, Wyndham began to look for him on the offensive end. Whether it was finishing a good pass from a teammate or creating his own shot, Howard was proving far too much for the Vikings defence.

His ability to create space off the dribble was excellent to watch, and was a major reason as to why he was able to hit the scoreboard with such success. Howard consistently found himself open behind the arc, and his teammates were looking to get the ball in his hands as much as possible. His shooting rhythm looked as smooth as ever, especially from long-range. 10 three-pointers were massive, and even when the defence looked to shut him down by any means necessary, Howard still managed to find space where it appeared there was none and remarkably found the bottom of the net on more than a few occasions. The Blackburn defenders tried to force someone else to score, but there was not much they could do when Howard was as on song as he was.

It has been the case throughout the season, and he has proved to be one of the best signings we saw last offseason. Howard has led Wyndham to a 10-0 record, with his scoring and passing among the best in the country at the moment. He is certainly in the conversation for the early clubhouse leader for the MVP award, and is proving just about unstoppable of late.