THE Keilor Thunder kept their winning streak alive in the Melbourne United Victorian Junior Basketball League (MUVJBL) Under 16 Boys competition following a win over league-leaders, Bulleen Boomers. The four-point win (57-53) on the road bodes well for Keilor season, remaining one of two teams yet to face a loss in the Victorian Championship Division since the two-grade split. Brodie McWhinney and Cooper Colson starred in the win, recording 19 and 14 points respectively. For Bulleen, Daniel Johnston (10 points) and Will Rimmington (10) both impressed in the loss, while their best scorer, Daniel Poelsma, followed close on nine.

The Waverly Falcons also managed to keep their impressive run going, handing the Eltham Wildcats their first loss (58-67) in the VC. Keeping their own streak alive (four wins), the Waverley Falcons tore up the floor at Eltham High with Harvey Moore (15), David Amum (14) and Tesloch Thong (13) combining well. The game moves Amum to 8th on the top scorers list, while Kristian Ferronato moves to 10th with an impressive 29-point game alongside teammate, Joshua Weddle, who had 14 for the night.

In a huge upset, the Knox Raiders fall to the Dandenong Rangers – 70-65. While they still sit in tenth following the win, the Rangers should be impressed by Jerome Pierre, who had 28 points in the win. His teammates, Beau Tranter (13) and Arian Berisha (11), also starred in the win. For Knox, Jordan Anderson held his own against a barrage of shooting, dropping 30 points to secure top spot on the scorers list. His were efforts complimented well by Zachary Greeves (13) and Tejaye Kleverkamp(10), who played well in the loss also.

The Pakenham Warriors continue an unfortunate streak with their third consecutive loss in the VC, going down to the Geelong Supercats by 14 points (63-49). Geelong’s, Olivier Northam, surged to second place on the top scorers list after dropping 31 points in the win, alongside Jet Kneebone who had nine. For Pakenham, Kayne Taylor (12) and Jarred Small (10) were the biggest threats in the loss.

The Bendigo Braves snatch their first win for the season, beating the Latrobe Energy 45-33 at home. Sitting just one win below Keilor Thunder, Knox Raiders and Eltham Wildcats, the win puts the Braves in the hunt for a top-four spot. Luke Salvador led scoring for the Braves with 10 points, followed close by Oliver Mayman and Michael Kiraly who had eight points each. For Latrobe, scoring proved minimal without Jack Hrehoresen and Coby Burgiel. Thomas Stephenson led the way for the Braves with nine points, while Tom Hamilton followed close on eight.

In the reserve grade, Diamond Valley lost at home to Sunbury (57-60), Kilsyth suffered similarly against Hawthorn (67-76), while Eltham starred over Southern Peninsula in a big win (73-49). Nunawading prevailed over Whittlesea (68-44) at home and Melbourne fell hard to Casey (46-61) to close out the round.

In Round 4, Dandenong opens the round against Bendigo, followed by Eltham verse Bulleen and Waverly verse Pakenham. Geelong will close out the round against an in-form Keilor, alongside Knox and Latrobe, who will both look to rebound from Round 3.