THE FINALE of the 2025 Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under-18 Girls VC Championship has arrived, with the Sandringham Sabres set to face off against the Dandenong Rangers in the decider tomorrow night.

The Sabres have gone through the season undefeated, having firmed as the championship favourites early in the fixture and never slipped up. It is still their title to lose, but expect the Rangers to give them a fair challenge after claiming a 10-point preliminary final win over the Kilsyth Cobras to book a spot in the decider.

If the Sabres win, it would cap off one of the most dominant team seasons the competition has ever seen, while a Rangers victory would be an upset that would go down in the history books, and they are more than capable of doing so.

With that in mind, each team has one player that will be worth a watch in the Grand Final, as both could have a significant say on the result of the big dance.

Sandringham Sabres – Madeline Angus

Admittedly, it has been a team effort that has gotten the Sabres to where they are, with any of the players on their roster capable of putting forth a match-winning performance. That is what makes them so dangerous – being absolutely loaded with talent but still complimenting each other’s skill perfectly in a terrific system under Sally Burke. With that being said, Angus has been the standout throughout the 2025 season, leading the team in scoring and putting up some eye-catching performances in what was an undefeated campaign.

Averaging 12 points per game throughout the 2025 fixture, Angus showed her importance to the team offensively at the National Junior Classic, dropping double-digits in the points column in five of her six outings, including 21 points in the semi final. She is an extremely talented scorer, and if she can post 15+ points again, it will go a long way towards the Sabres capping off the perfect season and Angus doing as she has always done this year.

Dandenong Rangers – Marianela Fakalata

One of the best scorers in the competition for season 2025, Fakalata has been the benchmark for the Rangers this year, and is a massive reason why they are in the big dance. She is the most talented scorer on the roster, and has put together a string of match-winning performances of late, with Dandenong able to rely on her whenever it is in need of a basket. If she can get off the chain against a balanced Sandringham side, it will give the Rangers’ hopes of an upset a massive boost at State Basketball Centre on Saturday night.

Throughout season 2025, Fakalata has posted 17.3 points per game, and has scored over 20 points in four of her last six outings. In the preliminary final win over the Kilsyth Cobras, she knocked down five three-pointers en route to a game-high 25 points – which was remarkable considering her team scored 62 points as a unit. If she can get her eye in from long-range and reach these heights once again, it will be Dandenong’s best chance of handing the Sabres their first loss of 2025.