FRIDAY night’s clash in the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under 18 Boys in the VC Watson division saw the Nunawading Spectres prove too good for the Diamond Valley Eagles, winning by 13 points.

The Spectres hosted the Eagles at Nunawading Basketball Centre, with both sides looking for their first win of the season, following last week’s action which resulted in the home side achieving a draw against Bendigo, while Diamond Valley fell to the contending Geelong United.

It was a close contest throughout the first half, with the Spectres leading by just two points at the main change, unable to break away from an Eagles outfit that refused to quit. However, the Spectres broke the game open in the third quarter going on an 8-0 run. That proved decisive within the context of the game, and Diamond Valley simply could not match the intensity, falling 61-48.

The two sides were both looking to push the tempo and put pressure on the rim in halfcourt sets, with Diamond Valley’s defence proving important in keeping the visitors in the match in the first half. The Spectres were forced into tough shots as the shot clock expired on several occasions, with both sides opting to blitz pick and rolls and backing their own rotations on the defensive end.

However, the Spectres found more luck shooting the ball in the second half, with some big three-pointers in the third quarter proving crucial in the result of the game. Ryda Devers was the game’s leading scorer with 14 points, and he capped off the dominant period of the match for Nunawading, with his buzzer-beating three-pointer bouncing in as time expired, putting the finishing touches on the defining eight minutes of the match.

Although the Eagles were improved in the fourth quarter, particularly defensively, they never got closer than eight points. Neither side was able to shoot well as fatigue began to play a factor on a muggy Melbourne night, Nunawading’s shotmaking in the third quarter was simply defining within the context of the match.

In contrast, the Eagles were looking to put serious pressure on the rim, but Nunawading’s defence held firm, contesting shots well and withstanding a barrage of attempted lay-ups and floaters. Although Diamond Valley found reasonable success from three-point territory in the first half and were defending well, Nunawading’s ability to score consistently in the third term was simply too much.

The Spectres were sharing the ball with aplomb, with the likes of Cooper Gill and Charlie Wilson getting involved on the playmaking front. The pair also combined for 17 points, consistently looking dangerous and making life easier for Devers in particular, who found success holding his width around the perimeter, but could also drive inside as demonstrated by a crafty reverse lay-up in the first half.

Tom Dammers was another standout for the Spectres, putting a lot of pressure on the interior defence of the Eagles and constantly attacking the paint. He always looked dangerous in and around the paint, and finished with 11 points of his own to be the other double-digit scorer for Nunawading.

Despite the loss, the efforts of Zein el Deen Osman and Raffale Rocco were also a key reason why the Eagles were in the contest at half time and still within striking distance in the second half. The pair combined 25 points and three triples, wreaking plenty of havoc in the backcourt and exciting in transition at Nunawading Basketball Centre.

Looking to next week, the Spectres will come up against a red-hot Geelong outfit, fresh off a buzzer-beating win against the Melbourne Tigers, which will be a serious test of Nunawading’s championship aspirations. While the Spectres will need to be more productive on the offensive end across all four quarters, they will be encouraged by their defensive performance and their efforts in the third quarter.