Youth League Round 3 Preview: Ballarat vs Kilsyth

Round Three of the Victorian Youth Championship league will be headlined on Sunday 30th March by the Ballarat Miners & Rush taking on the Kilsyth Cobras at the MARS® MINERDOME.

The Ballarat Rush currently see themselves sitting fifth in their pool with a record of 2-2. Coming off an impressive victory against the Eltham Wildcats last Sunday, they will look to carry this momentum forward and improve to a winning record as the season kicks on. Matched up against a third-placed Kilsyth line-up, Ballarat has every chance to do so.

Kilsyth boast the league’s second leading scorer in Jenna Verhoef-Jenkins (20.8 PPG), as well as a myriad of supporting acts to form a formidable unit.

However, not only led by the stellar play of Kasey Burton (14.0 PPG), the Rush are unselfish, and their offense revolves around everyone. Molly Matthews and Ryleigh Haire have both had impressive starts to the season, and along with Burton, will give Ballarat a huge boost both offensively and defensively.

For the Miners, it’s been a tough start to the season as they are yet to register a win despite playing solid basketball. They face off against a Kilsyth line-up who are undefeated and sit comfortably atop the league standings.

Led by Luke Moon (16.8PPG), the Cobras have cruised past their previous opponents, winning by an average margin of 29 points. A well-drilled and well-rounded unit; Kilsyth boast five players who average more than 10 points per contest.

The Miners will be collectively holding their breath, as status of star Brady Neill (20.7 PPG) remains in question following a concussion sustained in last week’s loss to Eltham. Neill was ruled unlikely to miss any games, however the serious nature of the incident sees a small cloud of doubt still looming.

Ballarat’s Sean Massey, Ash Constable and Jack Sullivan are all beginning to hit a rich vein of form as the season hits full swing. The trio played an integral part in a late rally against the Wildcats last week, and will continue to be critical to the Miners’ success going forward.

The Miners are faced with a gargantuan task against the league-leading Cobras, however on their home floor they have a good chance of walking away winners.

Ballarat Rush kick off Sunday’s proceedings from 12pm, followed by the Ballarat Miners from 2pm.