The Ballarat U/14 Rush outclassed Kilsyth at Mars Minerdome on Friday night, with a 17-point win. Both Maggi Kratochvil and Demi Thompson were key players in the match, with Maggi scoring 12 points, and Demi scoring 14 points for the match.

The Rush got off to a good start in the first quarter, despite entering foul trouble early on in the first, with Alana Bodey hitting five points, and Gabrielle Dewar scoring six points at the conclusion of the first playing period.

Opening the second quarter, Kilsyth came out firing, with some great offence plays, and some quick points in the paint, scoring a total of 14 points for the quarter, closing the gap to six at the half time break.

The third term saw Ballarat increase their lead further, their defensive pressure was great with the Rush working hard to get the defensive rebounds. The Rush came out firing, leaving Kilsyth yet to score for the first five minutes of the quarter. Ballarat’s Maggi Kratochvil scoring nine points to close the third term, with a three-point field goal right on the buzzer. The U/14 Rush lead the game going into the fourth term, 40 – 23.

Continuing their lead, Ballarat scored 17 points in the fourth term, with both Demi Thompson and Maggi Kratochvil hitting six points, Ballarat Rush powered home to secure the win, with the final scores for the match being Ballarat 57 to Kilsyth 40.

Head Coach of the U/14 Girls, Ryan McKew was extremely pleased with his team’s performance for the match, he added that the “U/14 Girls coming along to every training session, along with a lot of positive energy is a key aspect in how the girls play”. McKew expressed how pleased he was with “how the girls have progressed throughout the course of the season, and has enjoyed seeing the girls performing better and better each and every single game”.

Maggi Kratochvil was Ballarat’s Most Valuable Player, demonstrating her excellent defensive skills, as well as fantastic offence throughout the duration of the match.

The Under 14 Ballarat Rush play Warrandyte next week.