IT was another big round in the Melbourne United Victorian Junior Basketball League (MUVJBL) Under 16 Girls championship division, with both pools seeing interesting results hit the board ahead of Round 5.
In the Watson Pool a tight matchup between Frankston Blues and Southern Peninsula Sharks saw three Sharks players dominate, with Bella Breen (26 points), Sienna Privatera (20) and Amber Grant (20) scoring an impressive 66 points between them, almost equaling their opposition’s final score of 69 and stamping their mark on the competition. The Sharks are now sitting on one win from four, so will need a more team oriented performance in the coming weeks despite the strength of their stars to get the job done.
Two sides still sit undefeated, with Knox Raiders and Bulleen Boomers coming away with dominant wins to sit in first and second on the ladder. Jaida Reed was best on in Round 4, notching up 18 points for the Raiders in their confident win over the Altona Gators, carrying her team to another strong win. Zarah Prendergast was impressive for Eltham Wildcats in the big loss to the Boomers, racking up a game high 15 points. The Boomers did a good job sharing the load in the 28-point win, with Kobie Kino and Rebecca Horvat managing 13 points apiece, with two other individuals adding ten points to the scoreline to register the victory.
In other results, a close game toward the middle of the ladder saw fourth placed Bendigo Braves come away with a tight eight point win over Sandringham Sabres in fifth, with Bendigo’s Caitlin Richardson (15 points) and Sandringham’s Summer Keating (13) dominating the scoreboard. It was Bendigo’s strong 17-point second term that got the Braves over the line, 56-48. A 20-point blowout between the Nunawading Spectres and Melbourne Tigers (58-38) was the biggest margin of the round, though the Tigers are fortunately still sitting midway down the ladder despite the big loss.
Looking to the Ashe Pool, Dandenong Rangers continued their dominant form with a confident win over Bellarine Storm, 74-31. The Rangers raced away to an early lead, hitting the scoreboard with 23 points in the opening term before extending the margin to 38 by the final change and relegating the Storm to single digit scores in the first three terms. Dallas Loughridge and Nyadiew Puoch were the standouts for Dandenong, sinking 17 and 16 shots respectively. Alivia Osborne and Charlotte Murray were the top scorers for the Storm with seven apiece, however it wasn’t enough against the top tier side.
Close margins all round saw Keilor Thunder and Diamond Valley Eagles stay high on the ladder with impressive performances over respective opposition, Kilsythe Cobras and Hawthorn Magic. High performers were Eagles, Sophie Burrows (15 points) and Aseka Ratnayake (12), Magic’s Rianna Thiele (13) and Thunder’s Jaz Salon with a game high 12 points.
In other results, Ringwood Hawks went down to Ballarat Rush by seven points despite a dominant final quarter push, while Waverley Falcons had a tight five-point victory over cellar dwellers, Sunbury Jets in the closest match of Round 4.
