THE Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL)’s Under-18 boys competition will host a blockbuster top-two clash on the weekend. The Knox Raiders will be looking to hold on to their unbeaten status when they take on the Melbourne Tigers at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on Friday night.

While both sides have started the year in strong fashion, it is the Raiders that currently reign supreme at the top of the VC Watson division. It is sure to be a high-scoring affair, given the manner in which the two sides have gone about their business to start the year, and if Melbourne can put its opponents on the losing list for the first time in season 2022, it will make the competition a bit more even in the standings. However, the Raiders have proven to be extremely tough to beat, so it is shaping up to be a ripping contest on Friday night, one that is certainly set to shape the ladder in a big way moving forward.

Melbourne Tigers vs Knox Raiders
Friday, May 20 @ 9:40pm
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre

The Melbourne Tigers have been very good in their start to the 2022 season, with a record of five wins, one loss and one draw from their first seven games. That record sees them sit in second spot on the ladder, behind only their opponent for Round 8 in Knox, so there is a lot to play for on Friday night. Given the opposition has been the benchmark for the year to date, the Tigers will need to bring their best performance of the season here, but they have shown that when firing, Melbourne is tough to stop. They constantly look to make the extra pass in order to find the open man, and it has worked a treat in their wins. However, Ballarat was able to hold them to a draw last weekend, which was a good result for the Tigers given they had to outscore the opposition by eight points in order to conjure that result. They will need to improve if they are to take down Knox, and playing a key role in that will be big man Jack Whitbourn, who has been known to punish his opponents inside the paint.

The Knox Raiders have not put a foot wrong in their start to the season, winning all seven of their outings and sitting pretty atop the standings with the best record in the league. They have truly announced themselves as the title favourites after seven rounds, but face their toughest challenge yet on Friday night. Melbourne has been the next in line for favouritism, but there would be nothing sweeter for Knox than to put the opposition back in its place and stamp its authority on the competition. Obviously, the Raiders cannot take the challenge lightly, but if they can deliver some of the blitzing, high-scoring action we have seen to start the year, it is a very achievable task. In the dominant win over Geelong United last weekend, Carlin Briggs had a whopping 25 points, so keep an eye on his output again against Melbourne.

Across the courts

There will be plenty more action to enjoy across the two divisions, as the competition begins to heat up and the standings begin to take a clearer form.

VC Ashe

Casey vs Sandringham, 8:20pm, Casey Stadium
Frankston vs Bulleen, 8:20pm, Frankston Basketball Stadium
Gippsland United vs Dandenong, 9:20pm, Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium
McKinnon vs Nunawading, 9:40pm, Bentleigh Secondary College
Kilsyth vs Southern Peninsula, 9:40pm, Kilsyth Basketball Stadium

VC Watson

Wangaratta vs Bendigo, 9:00pm, Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre
Ballarat vs Diamond Valley, 9:20pm, Selkirk Stadium
Geelong United vs Camberwell, 9:40pm, AWA Alliance Bank Stadium
Eltham vs Keilor, 9:40pm, Eltham High School