ELTHAM Wildcats have secured their second win for the season in one of the closest games of the round against Bendigo Braves last Friday night. Eltham are one of two teams, along with Kilsyth Cobras, yet to lose a game in Ashe pool. Defeating Bendigo 62-59, a tone is slowly being set for the rest of their season.
In the tight game, seven players recorded double figures across both sides. Top league scorer, Matt Debney, led his team with 18-points, alongside Thomas Stockwell, Fletcher Parkinson and Finnbar Maley (11 each) who all supported well on the scoreboard for Eltham. While Bendigo had Caleb Connick smash the game with 28 points, with Jordan Michel (10) and William Smythe (15) impacting also.
Waverly Falcons also secured their first win for the season against Geelong Supercats, defeating them 69-43. Christopher Adeng led the game with 22-points and Mamuch Choul supported well with 14. Hamish Carey was Geelong’s only double-digit scorer, hitting 12 points in the loss.
In other results, Kilsyth Cobras earned their second win for the season over Werribee Devils, with Thomas Carruthers (19) leading for Kilsyth and Kane Hynes (13) impressing in the loss. Bulleen Boomers had Owen Foxwell (20) stand up in their victory while Liam McBride (18) was unlucky not to have his performance rewarded with Dandenong Rangers’ second side. Meanwhile, Dandenong Ranges won their second game with a 64-52 victory over Collingwood All Stars.
In the Watson Pool Melbourne Tigers defeated Korumburra Wildcats by 29-points with the biggest margin for the MUVJBL Under 18 Boys competition in Round 2. Winning comfortably 76-47, Melbourne surged to the top of the table tied with the Nunawading Spectres and Ballarat Miners.
Six players recorded over 10-points across both teams, with Joshua Giddey (19), Jordan Adams (14) and Patrick Twigg all impacting for Melbourne. Keith Robinson impressed in the loss with 14-points, alongside Patrick Ryan (12) and Christian D’Angelo (11) who remained prolific in the loss.
The Ballarat Miners and Hawthorn Magic recorded the tightest game in the Watson Pool, with Ballarat securing a three-point victory in their second win for the season. With consecutive close games, Ballarat succeed in holding on for a second time as Hawthorn remain on the bottom of the table, losing 60-57.
Three players shared most of the load in Ballarat’s offense, with Sam Breuer and Charlie Molan leading with 13-points each and William Hynes following closely with 12-points. Bassirou Faye led the game, scoring 18 points in the loss, alongside teammates Brody Nunn (12) and Will Burgess (10) who also found the board.
For the rest of the pool, Nunawading Spectres earned their second win, beating Keilor Thunder by 11 points with James Roche and Jack Dammers (17 each) combining well and Paul Tsapatolis leading the game for Keilor with 19-points. Knox Raiders prevailed over Ringwood Hawks, 51-41, with Ivan Rajher top-scoring with 14 points and Isaac Nicholls standing up in the loss with 10-points. Casey Cavaliers were handed their first loss of the season, losing 60-57 to the Diamond Valley Eagles. Jack Cornelissen top-scored 13-points for Diamond Valley with Kobe Miles scoring the same for Casey.
