Date: Tue, Feb 09, 2010
Under 14 Boys Unable to Get Vital Victory
Round two of the 2010 VJBL grading phase was played on Friday night, with two Ballarat teams unable to take full advantage of their home court and as a result have not yet determined which grade they will play in the full VJBL season starting in March.
The under 14 boys were aiming for a win against Kilsyth to secure first or second position in their grading pool, and therefore give them the best chance to take a spot in Championship Division. However this was not to eventuate with Kilsyth proving that strength and size plays a big factor in this competition. After getting off to a slow start and only scoring four points in the first quarter, Ballarat had a tough challenge ahead. Kilsyth’s full court defensive pressure seemed to shock the home team’s offensive attack and multiple turnovers led to a fourteen point lead for Kilsyth at quarter time.
After the quarter time break Ballarat looked like a new team being able to score freely and create defensive stops at the other end of the court. Matt Geary played a big role in this with his aggressive work inside at both ends.
However this run did not last long with Kilsyth showing that their experience under pressure was much more established than that of Ballarat’s. In the final quarter Kilsyth ran away to record a thirty-five point win over the home side. Final score Kilsyth 62 def Ballarat 27. The boys still have a chance to make the Championship Division but they will need to win some very tough games in the next few weeks to do so.
In the other grading match of the night the under 16 boys took on an evenly matched Keilor team. With both sides trying to finish in as higher grade as possible, there was a lot at stake on this game.
Both teams got out to a very even start, trading basket for basket for the first ten minutes of the match. Keilor’s defensive pressure then picked up forcing Ballarat to make to vital mistakes at the offensive end of the court. This produced an eleven point lead for Keilor at the half time break.
After half time the visitors’ had all the energy and were able to use it to full advantage. Although Ballarat tried hard to work themselves back into the game, they were unable to make up the deficit that was set at the half time break. The final score Keilor 45 defeated Ballarat 31. The highest that the under 16’s can now finish is Division 2.
In the second round of the practice matches for the four other Ballarat teams:
- U/14 Girls – Bullen 57 def Ballarat 30
- U/16 Girls – Ballarat 66 def Craigieburn 22
- U/18 Girls – Kilsyth 43 def Ballarat 37
- U/18 Boys – Ballarat 49 def McKinnon 39
Leading Scorer’s:
- Chantal Allgood 27
- Jane Douglass 22
- Emma Rues 20
- Andrea Collins 19
- Peter Lucas 16
