THERE were some one-sided contests in the opening round of the Melbourne United Victorian Junior Basketball League (MUVJBL) Under 18 Girls competition, allowing some teams to assert their dominance early.

Kilsyth Cobras had the largest win of the round, posting 82 points to McKinnon Cougars’ 25, in a whopping 57-point thrashing at home. They shared the points around, with Georgia Booth top-scoring with 21, while Nikia Young (20) and Tia Wotherspoon (16) also got amongst the high scorers. Most importantly, all nine players on the night got on the board with at least two points, as the team showed how dangerous it could be on the attack. McKinnon had just the two scorers with five or more points, as Natasha Rivas Lee (seven) and Molly White (five) stood up in the heavy loss.

Dandenong Rangers claimed an equally impressive win the Ashe Pool, running out 42-point victors over Pakenham Warriors. The Rangers finished with a 74-32 victory, and wile no player recorded 20 points, they had a number of key contributors across the board. Elly Morgan finished the game with 19 points, while Emily Sewell (16) and Hannah Rapp (12) were also productive for the Rangers. Warriors’ shooter, Caitlin Demczuk did her best by posting 12 points, but with Chloe Preston (seven) and Shanae Williamson (five) the other two highest scorers, there was not quite the same spread as the Rangers.

In other Ashe Pool results, Southern Peninsula recorded a 75-40 win over Frankston Blues. Emirson Devenie (21) points and Gemma Simon (20) were both productive on offence, while Kassie Boorer sunk 15 points for the losers. Diamond Valley got up against Nunawading’s second side in a 13-point victory. Chelsea Bailey (13 points) was the only double-figure scorer for the Eagles, but they had a massive seven players with five points or more, while the Spectres had just the three, led by Ebony McMillan (12). Meanwhile, a 22-point game from Casey Valenti-Paea was not enough for Bulleen Boomers to sink Knox Raiders, as Arielle Mackey-Williams (18 points), Alannah Chatfield (11) and Zoe Jenkins (10) all went to work on the offensive boards.

The Watson Pool was much tighter as the largest margin stood at just 16 points. That match was a 66-50 victory to Hawthorn Magic over Warrandyte Venom. Ryleh Killian was the star for Hawthorn with 21 points, while Alycia Kennedy assisted with 11 points. For Warrandyte, Ella Whiting-Le Cras (13 points) and Amy Dickson (12) both were prominent, but with six Magic players scoring five points or more, the spread of the scorers was the difference in the end.

The closest game was between two sides potentially pushing for the title, with Dandenong Rangers escaping with a two-point win over Geelong Supercats. Remi Langmaid was the highest scorer for the Rangers with 14, while Ilma Hajdarovic (11), Rebecca Orwin (10) and Nihaal Saunders (nine) were also prominent. For the Supercats, it was Jasmine Whatley (15 points) who took the top scorer honours ahead of Brunswick Sharp (12), while Chloe Skinner and Alice Irving both scored six in the narrow 52-50 defeat.

In other Watson Pool results, Keilor Thunder defeated Nunawading Spectres, 65-55 thanks to the work of Georgia Hanna (19) and three others who reached double figures. The Spectres were led on the offensive end by Lucy Wales (12 points). Altona had an important win over Bendigo at home, with the Gators recording a 57-46 victory over the Braves. Jordan Wilson and Alicia Sciberras both posted 12 points for the Gators, while Tess Barnes also sunk 12 for the Braves. In the final game, Broadmeadows Broncos saw off the challenge of Melbourne Tigers by 10 points. Emma Povh sunk 16 points for the Broncos, ably assisted by Tamsyn Kirk (12), enough to overcome the Tigers who had Emily Kurkowski (21) and Sheridan Kavanagh (13) as the major scorers.