IT is this time of year that the contenders begin to separate themselves from pretenders. Expect that to happen during the Round 3 clash between Casey and Nunawading, with both sides getting off to a ripping start in the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) Under-18 boys. With the two teams competing in the VC Ashe division, there are only three sides remaining with an undefeated record heading into the upcoming batch of games, so the landscape of the standings should change by the end of Friday night.

Casey vs Nunawading
Friday, March 24 @9:40pm
Casey Stadium

Two of the most promising squads for the 2022 season will go head-to-head when Nunawading travel to Casey Stadium to take on Casey on Friday night. Both have produced terrific performances to start their respective campaigns, but the true test comes in Round 3, with only one able to remain unbeaten after the week concludes.

Casey has been great to start their season, recording a couple of convincing wins from their first two outings. Both saw the margin finish at double-digits as they have figured out a way to outwork and outlast the opposition. They face a formidable opponent this time around, but given their recent form, why can’t they keep their form rolling? Their work at both ends has been up there with the best in the competition, but Nunawading has been strong on the offensive end, so Casey’s protection of the hoop will need to be in tip-top shape. Expect them to look for Ethan Bolton, who is fresh off a marvellous scoring performance with 34 against Dandenong.

Nunawading was powerful in both of their wins to kickstart the season, with both coming from a significant margin. They first took down Southern Peninsula to the tune of 37 points in Round 1, before backing it up with a 32-point triumph over Gippsland United the following week. While they face a tougher opposition in the third round, they will still enter this clash as the favoured side. If they can continue to score at such a high clip, then good luck stopping them in the coming weeks. What makes them so dangerous is the fact that they have so many avenues to scoring. Against Gippsland, there were five players that notched up 12 or more points, which makes them so tough to stop and that should continue against Casey.

Across the courts

To top it all off, there are nine other matches set to take place across Metropolitan Melbourne, so basketball fans will not suffer a shortage of action.

VC Ashe

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

VC Watson

Wangaratta vs Knox, 9:00pm, Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre
Ballarat vs Camberwell, 9:20pm, Selkirk Stadium
Eltham vs Bendigo, 9:40pm, Montmorency Secondary College Stadium
Geelong United vs Melbourne, 9:40pm, AWA Alliance Bank Stadium
Diamond Valley vs Keilor, 9:40pm, Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre