ANOTHER marvellous performance from Roman Siulepa helped Queensland to a stirring seven-point victory over Victoria to reach the decider at the 2025 Under-20 Men’s National Championships after a thrilling semi-final on Saturday night.

Siulepa and his Maroons had been strong all tournament coming into the clash, and faced off against a stacked Victoria side that was led by superstar Luke Fennell. It was sure to be a star studded encounter, but Victoria was the team to beat, so Queensland would need to produce an upset if it was to keep its championship hopes alive.

It was an emphatic start to the match from the underdogs, with Queensland starting the contest on a 14-2 run, with all five starters getting in on the action. However, Victoria responded as expected and tied things up with just over three minutes to play in the term. An Indy Cotton triple gave Queensland the lead again as it led by three points at the first change.

A 5-0 scoring run from Emerson Juhasz helped the Maroons back out to an eight-point lead early in the second term, but Fennell completely took over the match with a superstar display in the second term. The Victorian produced 19 points for the quarter, stretching the floor and putting the Vics on his back with a scoring explosion unseen throughout the tournament. His efforts led Victoria to a three-point buffer at the main change.

It was a tight affair coming out of half tie, but it looked as if Victoria would keep momentum of the match when Ned Renfree‘s hookshot pushed the lead out to 11 points. However, Queensland finished the quarter on a 7-0 run, staying within four points at the last change in a patch of play that would prove cruicial.

The two sides traded baskets early in the fourth, before Indy Cotton‘s driving dunk gave Queensland a one-point buffer. The lead changed hands on several occasions, and the match was tied with a minute to play. A couple of big plays from Siulepa resulted in back to back buckets for Travis Drinnan as Queensland jumped out to a quick four-point lead, and the Vics simply could not respond, with the Maroons advancing to today’s final.

Siulepa did a bit of everything, locking up defensively while also stuffing the stat sheet with 20 points (7/10 FT), 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. It was the kind of star-level performance that he has produced throughout the tournament, and furthered the intrigue surrounding his playing future given his eligibility as an NBL Next Star.

His running mate in Cotton was also excellent, producing a four-quarter scoring effort and finishing the match with 24 points on 10/19 shooting from the field.

For the Vics, Fennell tried bravely to keep his side in the fight, and ended up leading all-comers on the scoring front with 25 points, while Henry Sewell also made his mark with 19 points and nine rebounds on 64 per cent shooting.

Queensland will face off against Victoria Navy in the decider later today, while Victoria will be playing for third spot in its clash against South Australia at midday.