IN THE game of the 2025 season to date in the Big V Youth Men’s Championship, the Melbourne Tigers defeated the Keysborough Cougars in double-overtime at Rowville Secondary College on Saturday night.

The two sides had struggled to start the season, and were in danger of falling behind the contenders in the standings, so Saturday’s clash loomed as an opportunity to make a move back up the ladder, although the teams were hard to split.

Although they could not be separated after four quarters of play, it was the Tigers who got the job done in the second overtime period, emerging 10-point winners in the most entertaining clash of the year.

With home court advantage, it was the Cougars that got off to the ideal start with a 5-0 run to begin the match. As expected, the Tigers returned serve and the two sides were trading baskets in the second half of the quarter in a cracking display of half court offence. Keysborough led by five points at the first change, and it was already evident that the match was going to go down to the wire.

Melbourne looked much more dangerous in the second frame, looking to push the ball inside more, and got back into the contest largely due to the efforts of Kai Garnaut, who was proving a serious force inside the paint. He had 12 points in the second term alone to help the Tigers lead by three points at the main change.

Both sides tightened up their defence in the third quarter after a high-scoring first half, and neither side could truly gain scoreboard ascendancy as a result. Although the Tigers got their lead up to seven points at one stage, the Cougars rallied in the final minutes of the term to ensure the deficit remained at just three points.

In an incredibly entertaining finish to regulation, it looked as if Melbourne was going to sneak away with the win after Vasileios Delichristos drove inside for the layup to put the Tigers up by three points with just 17 seconds on the clock. Keysborough needed a hero and it was Arop Matiok who answered the call, nailing the catch and shoot triple as time expired to tie up the match and force overtime as the Cougars bench erupted.

The home side took that momentum into overtime, jumping out to a quick three-point lead after pushing the ball inside and scoring at the cup. However, the Tigers rallied and when Denzell Prezens nailed a huge triple to tie up the match, it set up another thrilling finish to the extra period. Both sides found baskets driving inside, and the buzzer sounded with the match tied again, meaning there was still more play to come.

The second overtime period was one of dominance from the Tigers, who stormed out to a seven-point buffer in less than two minutes of play. Keysborough’s offence simply stagnated, and the home side could not buy a bucket as the Tigers ran away with the contest for a 113-103 win.

Garnaut played a huge role for the Tigers in the win, posting 24 points off the bench on an extremely efficient 11/14 shooting from the field. Currently doubling up with NBL1 and Big V duties, the big man was immense in not letting the game away from the Tigers.

Delichristos was also incredibly important in the win with 24 points of his own, while Matthew Power (19 points), Will Burgess (19 points) and Prezens (13 points, seven assists) were all immense in getting the Tigers over the line.

Matiok led the way for the Cougars, finishing with a team-high 22 points to go with a whopping 16 rebounds, with nine coming on the offensive end as he generated plenty of second-chance scoring opportunities. Dylan Bucknell (20 points) and Jacob Oryem (15 points, 11 rebounds) were also impressive performers.

ACROSS THE COURTS

Geelong United (55) def. by Kilsyth (98)
Casey (135) def. Wyndham (109)
Hume City (63) def. by Keilor (95)
Eltham (78) def. Dandenong (75)
Waverley (84) def. by Diamond Valley (100)
Diamond Valley (94) def. Keysborough (71)
Dandenong (103) def. Frankston (98)
Kilsyth (76) def. by Knox (100)
Sandringham (79) def. by Nunawading (82)
Keilor (99) def. Waverley (59)