THAT is one way to record your first win of the 2022 Big V Women’s Championship season. Over the weekend, the competition held its fourth round of action, with five games taking place over the span of two days. There was plenty of sides firing as the league heavyweights begin to assert themselves as the season rolls on. There were some big wins across the courts, but one match ended up going down to the wire. Hume was not expected to win heading into its clash with McKinnon at GESAC on Sunday afternoon, given the latter has been enjoying a strong start to the season. The visiting side had also not won a game coming in, so it was certainly an uphill battle. Despite these doubts, Hume was able to grind out a tough six-point win on the road.

McKinnon (63) def. by Hume (69)

First Half

The two teams kicked off the game with a good mix of inside and outside scoring. There were plenty of buckets traded, and the rapid-fire ball movement was simply outstanding for fans to watch. In surprising fashion, it was Hume that managed to sneak ahead on the scoreboard, with a Briana Gray basket from behind the arc extending the lead to four points at the first break. They looked to further add to that margin in the second, but McKinnon was showing why they were one of the form teams of the competition. Jacinta Vandenberg started to get rolling inside the paint, and suddenly the lead was erased. The two teams traded runs to close out the quarter, and the margin was unaffected at the main break.

Second Half

McKinnon was determined to not let the game slip out of their control, mounting yet another charge in the third term. It was largely led by the efforts of Tegan Cunningham, who was proving too much for the Hume defence as she managed to either score or draw a foul on plenty of possessions. Despite the improvement on the offensive end, the home side couldn’t quite steal the lead by the time the third quarter wrapped, trailing by three heading into the last. It was a tense final quarter of action, with every Hume basket seemingly answered down the other end. McKinnon managed to take the lead with five minutes remaining thanks to a three from Claire Ionnidis, but Hume wrestled back the momentum, and Paige Tawaf‘s long range bomb put her side four points up. After draining the clutch free throws, Hume was able to claim their first win of the year in excellent style.

Standout Performers

For the winning side, Gray topped the scoring column with a game-high 20 points, thanks to her impressive jump-shooting display. She had some solid help from Tashia Overby (14 points) and Tawaf (13 points), while Alexis Dillard pulled down 12 rebounds, with five of those being on the offensive end. For McKinnon, Ionnidis tried hard to lead her side with 19 points, which was boosted by five shots from behind the arc.

Across the courts

Here are the remaining results from an entertaining Round 4 across the Women’s competition.

Women

Bulleen (77) def. Chelsea (60)
Wyndham (106) def. Sunbury (61)
Southern Peninsula (63) def. by Pakenham (89)
Sunbury (61) def. Chelsea (55)