IT APPEARS to be the Sandringham Sabres and then daylight in the 2025 VJBL Under-18 Girls VC Championship division, with the ladder-leaders producing another powerful display in their win over the Bulleen Boomers in Round 4.

The Sabres are the only unbeaten team since the formation of the VC Championship division, and despite the regrading pitting them against the best sides of the first couple of months of play, they still look far and away the best team in it.

The Boomers tried valiantly to buck the trend at put the pressure on Sandringham in the first half, but the Sabres were a class above at Mullum Mullum Stadium on Friday night, and cruised home to a 36-point triumph.

Bulleen Boomers (38) def. by Sandringham Sabres (74)

It was the perfect start from the Sabres, who showed exactly why they are the clear championship favourites for 2025, scoring the first 10 points of the game, with Madeline Angus involved early with some impressive interior offence. The Boomers did well to bounce back and keep the margin at seven points at quarter time, but still felt the offensive power of Sandringham.

The second quarter was the Sabres at their absolute best, proving dominant on both ends of the floor to break the game open in the span of 10 minutes. Although the Boomers tried to stay in touch, they recorded just three points for the period, as Sandringham closed out the frame on a 20-0 run to essentially put the game to bed with a half to play.

Bulleen was much more competitive in the third quarter, but still struggled to match the scoring output of the Sabres, who simply have too many weapons on that side of the ball. The margin was extended out to 35 points at the final change, as the visitors showed exactly how far ahead of the rest of the competition they are.

The fourth quarter saw the Boomers put together their best period of the match, but even still, were outscored by the Sabres despite their best efforts. Sandringham had clearly taken the foot off the accelerator to close out the match, but still managed to extend the margin out to 36 by the time the buzzer sounded to close out the match.

Angus finished the match as the leading scorer, posting 21 points for the match after getting out to a red-hot start. She has been one of Sandringham’s most consistent players, averaging 12.4 points per game and helping the Sabres get off to a strong start once again.

Melinna Kapetanas dropped 14 points in a typically impressive showing, as did Makayla Praven, who put together one of her best outings of 2025. Rounding out the double-digit scorers for the Sabres was Ella Wickstrom, who had 10 points of her own, while Zoe Farrow was Bullen’s best, recording 10 of Bulleen’s 38 points in a gutsy performance.

Across the courts

The McKinnon Cougars came home with a wet sail in the fourth quarter of their clash against the Dandenong Rangers at Dandenong Stadium, winning the last frame 16-9 to claim a four-point win on the road.

In a thriller, the Kilsyth Cobras held on for a seriously impressive one-point win on the road at Beyond Bank Stadium over Geelong United, to move to a record of three wins and one loss in the VC Championship division.

The Nunawading Spectres continued the trend of away teams getting the job done in Round 4, defeating the Eltham Wildcats at Montmorency Secondary College on Friday night, claiming a seven-point win in enemy territory.

Finally, the Melbourne Tigers defended home court successfully in their clash against the Keilor Thunder at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on Friday night, finishing the game in emphatic fashion with a 22-7 final frame en route to a 13-point win.