THE BIG V Youth Championship Men’s finals got underway for 2025 over the weekend, and the Sandringham Sabres kept their season alive with a commanding 18-point win over the Keilor Thunder.

After qualifying in sixth place for the postseason for the year, the Sabres were looking to come from lower in the standings to go deep into finals, and faced off against the Thunder in an elimination final at Southern Basketball Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Keilor had finished seventh for the season, winning 12 of its 23 games, which was three fewer than Sandringham had managed over the 16 weeks of the fixture. The Thunder were going to be up against it enemy territory, and were going to need to bring their best if they were to keep their championship hopes alive.

Although the Thunder did a good job to keep things competitive throughout the bookend quarters, the Sabres were simply too dominant in the middle of the match, and cruised home to a comfortable victory to book a matchup against the Frankston Blues.

Sandringham Sabres (87) def. Keilor Thunder (69)

It was a perfect start from the Sabres in the opening minutes of the contest, storming out to a 9-0 lead to start the contest and look dominant on both ends of the floor. However, to Keilor’s credit, the visitors steadied to tie up proceedings at 10 apiece. The two sides then traded blows down each end of the floor, but it was the Thunder who led by a point at quarter time.

Sandringham began to get on top once again during the second frame, and the Thunder simply did not have the offensive consistency to keep up with the home side. The Sabres were sharing the ball well and scoring at a reliable rate in the open court, punishing the opposition for not getting back in time. After the first half, the Sabres held a seven-point lead and looked like running away with the contest.

The Sabres kept their momentum rolling into the third quarter, steadily building their lead into double-digits as the second half began. It was not a massive run that got Sandringham out to a commanding lead, but consistent baskets instead, proving clinical on the scoring front as Keilor’s offence dried up even further. The game was essentially over at three-quarter time, with the home side holding an 18-point buffer and all of the momentum.

It was a much more productive final term from the Thunder, who managed to find their groove on the offensive end after a dry spell since the first quarter. However, the Sabres were just as effective on the scoring front, and Keilor simply could not make up any ground and still ended up falling by 18 points as Sandringham advanced to week two of the postseason.

It was a terrifically balanced performance from the Sabres, who had five players score 12 or more points in the final. Skipper Elliott Brown was the leading scorer with 16 points to go with his seven rebounds in an inspirational performance, while Alex Hopkins and Kaylan Kitto were not far behind with 15 points apiece, and Sammy Cartwright (13 points) and Oscar Humble (12 points) rounded out the double-digit scorers.

Keilor skipper Nicholas Banon did as much as he could to keep the Thunder’s season alive, stuffing the stat sheet with 12 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and seven steals, while Ayuel Ayuel (14 points, 5/9 FG) and Brodie McWhinney (11 points) tried to get their side going.

ACROSS THE COURTS

Kilsyth (76) def. by Casey (88)
Frankston (72) def. by Knox (76)
Eltham (86) def. Dandenong (81)