NUNAWADING Spectres have produced a season-high score in their 43-point victory over Sandringham Sabres for Round 5 of the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under 18 Boys Championship division. It was a round of one-sided results, with both Frankston Blues and Ballarat Miners having the week off, and the closest margin being 14 points.

It looked like the Sandringham-Nunawading clash was going to be close early, with the Sabres taking a two-point lead into quarter time in front of home fans at Sandringham Family Leisure Centre. After quarter time though, it was all one-way traffic as the Spectres piled on the points in a ridiculous offensive display. The visitors lead by 13 points at half-time, 24 points by the final break, and then stormed to a 41-point win surpassing the ton with a whopping 33-14 final term to record a 107-64 victory.

Tristan Devers was unstoppable in the front court, piling on 30 points for the match, including five from long-range to be the dominant scorer on the court. He was far from alone though, with Kobe McMechan draining three triples on his way to 20 points. Billy Hicks (19 points), Heath Batten (14) and Tiernan Stynes (13, three triples) all registered double-figure points tallies. The Sabres also shared the points around with four players recording double-figure scores. Oscar Humble and Aiden McCarthy put up 14 points apiece, while Calsher Dear and Jamie Si managed the 12 points each.

In an equally dominant performance, top of the table Knox Raiders maintained their unbeaten streak – and the only team to claim a win over Nunawading – with a 41-point demolition of Keilor Thunder. In front of home fans, the Raiders piled on 73 points in the opening three quarters to lead by 38 at the final break, before taking the foot off the pedal in the last term to finish with an 88-47 victory. Austin Rapp nailed four triples on his way to 25 points, with Luke Fennell recording three from his 20, whilst Fraser Roxburgh also finished with 21 points. For the Thunder, Anthony Gennaccaro (13 points) and Jai Prince (11) were the key scorers.

Bulleen Boomers also moved to a 4-1 record thanks to an 18-point victory over Melbourne Tigers. Most of the work was done in the first half, as the Boomers piled on 39 points to 18 to head in with a comfortable advantage at the main break. The home team came out firing in the third quarter to cut the deficit back to 14 points by the final break, but a 14-10 last quarter in favour of the leaders put the Boomers 70-52 ahead at the final buzzer. Amos Harvey (31 points) and Joel Foxwell (23) were outstanding to be the two key Boomers, while Jack Whitbourn (12) and Eitan Ben-Moyal (11) hit double-figures for the Tigers.

In the other match out at Cranbourne, Casey Cavaliers picked up a much-needed 14-point victory over the travelling Geelong United side. The Cavaliers completely outplayed the Bellarine Peninsula outfit, putting up 24 points to five in the opening term to race out to a 19-point lead. Though United actually outscored the Cavaliers across the final three quarters, the damage was done and Casey came away with the 86-72 win. Rylan Burchall exclusively worked from beyond the arc, draining seven triples on his way to 21 points, while Ethan Bolton (14 points), Connor Bigley (12) and Archer McMenamin (10) also hit double-figure points. Jack Connolly and Zac McInnes combined for 36 points – seven triples – on their way to a team-high 18 points, while Max Zalakos (11) and Bailey Bruce (10) were also prolific in the loss.

ROUND 5 VJBL CHAMPIONSHIP U18 BOYS RESULTS:

Melbourne Tigers (52) defeated by Bulleen Boomers (70)
Sandringham Sabres (64) defeated by Nunawading Spectres (107)
Casey Cavaliers (86) defeated by Geelong United (72)
Knox Raiders (88) defeated by Keilor Thunder (47)