THE Melbourne Tigers caused a bit of an upset in the weekend’s Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under-18 Boys action, downing the Ballarat Miners in an enthralling battle on Sunday morning and claiming a two-point triumph at Port Melbourne Secondary College.

After being one of the most dominant sides in the first half of the season, the Tigers have stalled a bit since joining the VC Championship division. They have dropped down to sixth on the ladder, and came into Sunday’s game having won just two of their first five games. On the other hand, the Miners were doing quite well for themselves, losing just one game in recent weeks and looking a genuine chance of jumping into the top three after their matchup with Melbourne.

However, it was the home side that was able to just get over the line in what was a fitting finish to a dramatic game. The game had its ebbs and flows throughout the course of the contest, with both sides gaining scoreboard advantage at various stages. Ballarat got off to a slightly better start, jumping out to a four-point lead at the first change of play. Melbourne proved not to be too shell-shocked, delivering a commanding second term where it managed to fire on both ends of the court. The Miners’ lead had suddenly vanished, and they trailed by three at half time, with all of the momentum swinging the way of the Tigers.

Scoring slowed down a bit in the third term, with both sides looking to contain the opposition as much as possible in the second half. A combined 25 points was registered in the period, and it was Melbourne that was able to extend its lead to five heading into the final 10 minutes of play. The fourth quarter saw a slight push from the Miners, but it was not enough as the Tigers escaped with a massive victory in the context of their season.

Melbourne’s Jack Whitbourn was excellent in his side’s win, standing up when the game was there to be won. He delivered a game-high 22 points and was a force on the offensive end of the court. Also chiming in for some buckets were Rook Barry and Eitan Ben-Moyal, who combined for 23 points.

Nicholas Robinson top-scored for the Miners with 17 points and fought hard in the final term to get Ballarat over the line. Unfortunately, his efforts fell painfully short, but he can still hold his head high.