IN A seriously scrappy affair at Narrandjeri Stadium, the Eltham Wildcats managed to scrape past the Melbourne Tigers when the two sides clashed in the VJBL Under-18 Girls VC Championship semi-final on Friday night.

The Wildcats were upset by the Dandenong Rangers in a qualifying final in the first week of the postseason, while the Tigers had kept their season alive with a thrilling five-point win over Geelong United, setting up a clash with a vulnerable Eltham side.

In a contest that was defined by effort and defensive intensity, the Wildcats were able to hold on for a four-point triumph to eliminate Melbourne and book a spot in the preliminary final against the Sandringham Sabres.

Eltham Wildcats (45) def. Melbourne Tigers (41)

The Wildcats set the tone early in the piece, scoring the first four points of the match, although both sides were unable to find any rhythm on the offensive end. The Tigers returned serve with an 8-2 run to take the lead, before Eltham regained control in the closing minutes of the quarter to take a two-point buffer into the first change.

It was again a slow start to the second frame, with both sides bringing plenty of physicality and hustle on the defensive end, with several minutes passing before the first basket. It was a game built on inside scoring and free throw shooting, and the Wildcats proved more effective at it, building a lead that got as big as nine points, but sat at five at the main change.

The Tigers did a good job to claw their way back into the contest, with the margin brought back to two points and held around that mark for most of the third quarter. Despite their best efforts, the Wildcats could not break away on the scoreboard, and the Tigers trailed by just four points at three-quarter time, setting up a thrilling finish.

Although Eltham was holding steady for most of the fourth quarter, a three-point bomb from Tara Magnanini cut the margin down to just one point, giving the Tigers plenty of hope in the final few minutes. However, the Wildcats showed their class with several trips to the free throw line to keep the Tigers at arm’s length and hold on for the win.

As expected, the Wildcats were led by the competition’s leading scorer in Sophie Richardson, who finished with 20 points in another starring performance, delivering down the stretch when Eltham needed some composure at the charity stripe. It was a remarkable effort to account for nearly half of her team’s score in a win.

Magnanini was the star of the show for the Tigers, not only stepping up in big moments such as a late triple, but proving the most reliable source of scoring for the Tigers to finish with 12 points in a commendable effort.

The second semi-final to take place on Friday night saw the Kilsyth Cobras prove far too good for the Nunawading Spectres when the two sides locked horns at State Basketball Centre. Brylee Anderson (20 points) was excellent for the victors as a 21-4 second quarter broke the game open and gave the Cobras a match-winning lead to set up a prelim clash against the Dandenong Rangers.