IN three of the four Melbourne United Victorian Junior Basketball League (MUVJBL) Under 18 Girls Pools, two teams have emerged as the clear leaders to advance through to the championship division, while Diamond Valley looked ominous once again in Pool 3.

Pool 1:

Broadmeadows (47) defeated Eltham (34)
Waverley (54) defeated Melbourne 2 (39)

In Pool 1, the two top sides will fight it out for automatic promotion next week after Broadmeadows and Waverley claimed their second wins of the Crossover Group stage. Broadmeadows defeated Eltham by 13 points, while Waverley saw past Melbourne 2 by 15. In the first game, the usual suspects were again busy as Tamsyn Kirk (13 points), Chrissy Triantafyllopoulos (10), Oriana Siamoa (seven) and Emma Povh (seven) all got on the scoresheet. Eltham had the one main scorer with Alana Miersch putting up 10 points in the loss. In the other match, Waverley shared the points around in its win over Melbourne’s second side. Chelsea Gunther was the top scorer with 15 points, while Mia Cowan (11), Jayde Smith (eight) and Nyakoang Lok (seven) were all prominent scorers. For the losers, Charli Kelly was the one double-figure scorer with 10 points, while Molly Cleveland posted nine and Aila Haljeta finished with seven.

Pool 2:

Dandenong 2 (49) defeated McKinnon (29)
Frankston (46) defeated Collingwood (33)

Much like Pool 1, both winners set up an automatic promotion play-off in the final round of the Crossover Group stage after winning their Round 2 matches. Dandenong 2 took out McKinnon by 20 points, while Frankston knocked over Collingwood by 13 to back up their victories over the opposite opponents the week before. The Rangers’ second side looked to Ilma Hajdarovic who finished the match with 19 points, while Rebecca Orwin scored 10 and Remi Langmaid posted seven in a strong all-round team performance. For the Cougars, Natasha Rivas Lee was the top scorer with nine points, while Gabrielle Baftis finished with seven. In the second game, Frankston shared the points around in the solid win, as five players scored five or more points, while the All Stars had just two. Manuao Hakaria-Graham posted 11 points in the Blues’ victory, well assisted by Kassie Boorer (nine) and Zoe Schonfelder (seven). For Collingwood, Alexandra Dennis scored seven points, while Lex Green finished with five.

Pool 3:

Diamond Valley (72) defeated Sunbury (22)
Melbourne (64) defeated Ringwood (21)

Diamond Valley sent an ominous warning to the competition with a thumping win over Sunbury to assure themselves of automatic promotion. After defeating Melbourne by 20 points last round, the Eagles destroyed the Jets by 50 points, while the Tigers went on to dismantle Ringwood Hawks by 43 points in what spells a one-sided affair next round when the Eagles take on the Hawks. In the 50-point belting, Diamond Valley recorded a massive eight players that recorded five points or more. Eliza Bannan (15 points) led the way, but Keeley Evans (13), Imogen Rock (12),  Abby Hildebrand (six) and Demi Albon (six) all contributed in the big win. Sunbury’s Kasey Ward was the sole point scorer over five, with seven points in the loss. Melbourne also shared the points around up the offensive end despite not having a huge individual scorer. Emily Kurkowski (11 points), Emma Boyall (10) and Trinity Skenderis (10) were all prominent for the Tigers, while Eliza Russell (seven) and Abigail Lees were the main scorers for the Hawks.

Pool 4:

Warrandyte (50) defeated Bulleen 2 (31)
Pakenham (51) defeated Werribee (38)

Like the opening two pools, Warrandyte and Pakenham recorded their second wins of the Crossover Group stage, knocking off Bulleen 2 and Werribee respectively to set up an automatic promotion match in the final match on Friday. In the first match last Friday, Warrandyte scored a 19-point win over Bulleen’s second side with three double-figure scorers in the game. Ella Whiting-Le Cras top scored with 15 points, while Amy Dickson and Andreina Gammilonghi both posted 11. For the losing side, Tahlia Bird managed nine points in a solid effort, while Sofia Ruscitti finished with six. In the closer game, Pakenham got the job done over Werribee in a 13-point victory. Caitlin Demczuk scored 13 points in the win, while Alahna Arnason (12) and Rhiannon Gallagher (11) both posted double-figure scores. For the losers, Ariyel Edwards scored nine points, with Eliza Moodie and Rachel Kerr both finishing with eight. Now the Devils face the Boomers on Friday to remain in contention for a championship place.