We are proud to have three ‘Impact’ Junior Blues teams ready to compete for the Victorian Championship in their respective divisions this Friday night.
FDBA CEO Wayne Holdsworth spoke about the upcoming games.
“In the past few weeks, we have won two championships, Youth League Women and Youth League Men, and on Sunday the NBL1 Men were runners-up in the NBL1 National Championship.”
“I am so proud of the teams, coaches and support crew for their outstanding commitment. Also, importantly the thousands of parents and children that supported the teams during the finals. Some players and coaches have said that It’s like having an extra player on court. Thank you!
“But…We have one more job to do as fans of the Blues and it’s to support the following Victorian Championship teams that are playing their Grand Finals this Friday night.”
Under 12.1 Girls
Frankston’s 12.1 girls closed their regular season campaign with a 47-31 victory over Bulleen to finish up with a tidy 8-1 win-loss record.
This placed them second, just behind Kilsyth who boasted an undefeated season with a healthy percentage of 180.
The girls played Bulleen again in the first week of finals and accounted for them comfortably with a 49-27 win.
After a well-deserved week off they faced Casey in the preliminary final.
A tough first half saw the Cavaliers ahead by two points.
The girls finished strong and scored 20 of the next 30 points of the game to emerge 34-26 winners.
“We had two of our starters in foul trouble early in the first quarter, the girls as a group really stepped up and made sure that we didn’t drop our level. resulting in a gritty win,” coach Kerryn Mitchell said.
The 12.1 girls face an enormous challenge against the undefeated Kilsyth squad in the upcoming grand final this Friday.
However, coach Mitchell is quietly confident the girls can pull off the upset.
“Kilsyth are a big challenge for us on Friday night. They have the best player in the age group in the country. I think the biggest team dynamic that can help us on Friday night is the camaraderie that I spoke of earlier, this is a special group, and they play for each other, so anything is possible,” she said.
In their last matchup versus Kilsyth, the Blues girls fell short by 15 points, a margin coach Mitchell believes she can turn around for Friday’s game.
“We need to put the clamps on (Jada) Hill as best as we can and force their other players to do the bulk of the scoring. They have some other standout players as well though in Crossland and Vincent, who cannot be underestimated. We held Hill to 8 points the last time we played but we failed to capitalise on our own scoring opportunities… Regardless of the result, I’m very proud of this group, they are without question in the top two teams in the State in their age group, which is a fantastic effort,” she said. We encourage all Blues fans to come out and support the girls on their mission to secure the Victorian Championship.
Drape yourselves in blue, get loud, cheer them on – Dandenong Basketball Stadium VB1 at 7:00pm.
Under 16.1 Girls
In a very evenly matched 16.1 Girls VC division, the Blues girls ended the season with a 6-3 win-loss record and sat in 4th position.
This accomplished and well-rounded squad finished off a great regular season with a narrow 59-56 win over the Hawthorn Magic.
They appeared to clutch onto the momentum from this win and unleash it in the first week of finals against a first-placed Casey.
Thanks to a powerful 17-3 second quarter and a 15-point halftime lead, the girls were good enough to hold their nerve and win by 13 points.
The potent pairing of Jaymee Wadey and Sitaya Fagan was too much for Casey to handle defensively as they combined for 27 points.
After back-to-back finals wins, Keilor emerged from the semi-finals to face the Frankston girls but was dispatched by 22-points with Sophie Alexander stepping up in a skilful 10-point performance.
It’s all on the line this Friday night for the Blues girls as they come up against a strong Nunawading outfit at State Basketball Centre.
The coaching staff believe in their “growth as a team this season, particularly with regard to how the girls have learnt to play together”
Their previous encounter versus the Spectres in round three was a hard-fought contest and the girls, unfortunately, could not get over the line, losing by 13 points.
However, the team’s coaching staff, believes they are in a better position to overcome Nunawading than they were earlier this year.
“The team simply need to focus on the things they can control in the game.”
“It’s important to remember that making a VC grand final is an awesome achievement – we just want them to enjoy the experience & the rest will take care of itself.”
As an association, we are very proud of this group of girls regardless of the final result this Friday.
Get your Blues gear on and make some noise this Friday night at State Basketball Centre CRT4 – 7:40pm.
Under 16.1 Boys
In a division filled with state-level talent, the Under 16.1 Frankston Boys propelled themselves into fourth place in the standings.
The Blues battled Kilsyth for the crucial double-chance in the last round of the home-and-away season and took home the chocolates, winning by four.
Hawthorn was the team standing in Frankston’s way in the qualifying final, however, the Blues were unsuccessful in their attempt to earn their way to a preliminary final.
The Blues flexed their muscles in the semi-final versus Kilsyth the following week, with four players reaching double-figure scoring and winning by nine.
Despite the unattractive scoreline in their last encounter versus Knox, Frankston was ready to fight tooth and nail to meet Hawthorn in the grand final.
The 16.1 Boys led by coach Daniel Spangler, executed their game plan to perfection and squeezed past an undefeated Knox squad.
“I feel like we handled the full court pressure much better, and did a better job of not turning the ball over” coach Daniel Spangler said.
Max Meaney was outstanding with 21 points and Louis Hodder chipped in with 14 points of his own.
Now the biggest test for the Blues boys approaches them this Friday night at State Basketball Centre versus Hawthorn.
In order to win, the team will have to “find multiple ways to score” and “get back on defensive in transition, where Hawthorn is most dangerous,” coach Spangler said.
Get down to the match at State Basketball Centre CRT4 – 9:10pm and help make it feel like a home game for our boys.
State Basketball Centre is the place to be this Friday! Best of luck to all teams!
