THE Big V Women’s competition held another round of action over the weekend, with four games taking place over the span of Saturday and Sunday. Some of Victoria’s best basketball talents hit the court looking to claim a win, with the standings for the 2022 season well and truly beginning to take shape. It was a big round given the current landscape of the competition, with a number of games set to change the look of the ladder. In terms of margins, it was a mixed bag, as two games were decided by four points or less, while the remaining two contests had margins in excess of 20 points, which showcases the current gap between the good and struggling sides.

One of the most anticipated matchups of the weekend was the clash between McKinnon and Wyndham on Saturday evening at GESAC. Both sides came into the game in pretty good form, occupying two of the top four spots in the standings heading into the round. It was a match that would almost certainly have an impact on the standings. The game ended up living up to the hype, with the result decided in the final stages of the game. In the end, it was a strong last quarter push from the visitors that was the difference, as Wyndham managed to claim a thrilling one-point win, its seventh victory of the year.

McKinnon (69) def. by Wyndham (70)

The game began as expected – in extremely close fashion. Scoring kicked off going back and forth, with neither team able to get a significant advantage on the scoreboard. Given how dynamic each side can be with ball in hand, it was no surprise to see defence as one of the key focuses for the two clubs. The home side led by just a single point at the first change of play, in what was panning out as a low-scoring affair. McKinnon managed to truly get on top in the second quarter, rallying behind an impressive term from Jacinta Vandenberg. She was outstanding with ball in hand and managed to drive in and draw contact on a number of occasions. Suddenly, half time had rolled around and the lead had been stretched out to six points, which was a fair bit given the lack of scoring in the first two quarters.

The offence of both sides lifted in a big way to start the second half, as defence dropped off a bit with an emphasis emerging on scoring the ball. Many of the scores were a result of trips to the free throw line, as the whistle got a workout from the officials. There was a combined 13 points from the charity stripe, as the teams did a good job of drawing contact when driving to the hoop. Wyndham managed to file two points off the margin heading into the final term, but still had a bit to do in terms of slowing down McKinnon. However, the defence of the visiting side was crucial in the fourth quarter, holding McKinnon to just 10 points for the term, while scoring 15 themselves. Tanielle Knight put them up with three minutes to play, and unfortunately for the home team, they could not conjure an answer, fighting to the final buzzer but still falling a point short.

Knight was terrific for the victors, finishing with a game-high 26 points, while also registering a double-double with 11 boards. She was strong in the clutch with some crucial buckets, and was the best player on the court for the entirety of the match. Amanda Paschal also notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds to go with four dimes and six steals for Wyndham. McKinnon were well led by the efforts of Vandenberg and Morgan Ili, who combined for 34 points and almost got their side over the line.

Across the courts

As mentioned above, there was still a lot more basketball to enjoy across Victoria, with three other games going ahead over a couple of days.

Hume (77) def. Chelsea (53)
Sunbury (86) def. Southern Peninsula (58)
Hume (69) def. Bulleen (73)