THE Keilor Thunder will be searching for their first win of the VC Championship divison of the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) when they take on the Frankston Blues at Keilor Stadium on Friday night.

The Blues are also searching for their first win of the 2022 season, so both sides will be looking to come out firing, and one will claim their opening triumph of the second half of the fixture.

With the fixture made up of some of the strongest teams Victoria has to offer, so it is crucial to remain competitive. The two clubs have played different styles of basketball throughout the year, so it will be intriguing to see how they match up on Friday.

The stakes are quite high as the loser of the contest will find themselves with a record of 0-3, making it extremely hard to bounce back and compete for the postseason. Expect both teams to leave it all on the court as they each look to kickstart their respective campaigns.

Keilor Thunder vs. Frankston Blues
Friday, June 24 @ 9:40pm
Keilor Stadium

The Thunder were one of the stronger sides to start the season in the first half of the year, but have since struggled since being matched up against the best teams on a weekly basis in the VC Championship division.

With an offence that has been patient, but stagnant at times, Keilor will be looking to get some rhythm going early on. Like their opponents, the Thunder can struggle to find some consistent scoring at times throughout their outings, and it is a big reason as to why they are still yet to find a win.

Last weekend, they were bested by a strong Casey outfit, but were right in the contest up until the last term. In the fourth quarter, they were outscored by 10, and could only manage nine points of their own. Had they continued their strong offensive output from the first three periods, an upset may have been on the cards. It will act as a learning experience for the Thunder as they look to turn it around.

Jai Prince top scored last weekend with 13 points, one of three players to score in the double-digits. If the Thunder can get a similar level of balance from their side, it will go a long way to securing a win.

Like the Thunder, the Blues were quite impressive in the first half of the season, but have not been able to fire as of the the beginning of the third round of action, with no wins next to their name.

A fast-paced offence has seen some frenetic games, but it also opens them up on the transition. A few times, Frankston’s opponents has been able to get out the back and score some fast break points, so expect the visitors to try and tighten up in this area.

They were handed a lesson from the Ballarat Miners last weekend, falling to the tune of 25 points. It was a convincing win from the Miners, and the Blues were completely outperformed, a feat they will not want to repeat against the Thunder.

Kynan Phillippe has produced some big performances throughout the season, and will need to be a key player again here.