The Keilor Big V Women’s basketball team has made the perfect start to the finals series. 67184 Picture: KRISTIAN SCOTT
By Liam Twomey
KEILOR has one hand on the women’s division two Big V basketball premiership cup after making the ideal start to its best of three game series against Blackburn.
The Thunder secured a 12-point win and now takes a 1-0 lead in the series. They have two home games this weekend and need to win just one of them to be crowned the 2011 champions.
Not everything went Keilor’s way on Saturday night, as the Vikings made a positive start to the match.
They opened up a four-point lead in the first quarter, capitalising on a slow start from the Thunder who could only manage eight points.
Keilor’s field goal shooting percentage dropped to under 10 per cent in the first quarter, making it almost impossible for the team to put any scoreboard pressure on its opponent.
However, all that changed after the resumption of play as the Thunder produced some outstanding basketball to claw its way back into the lead.
It restricted the Vikings to just seven points while shooting 20 to win the quarter by 13 and build the overall margin to nine.
From that position Keilor was never challenged as it stormed to the 44-56 win.
Katherine Black and Karla Mavor led the way with the scoring, both shooting 11 points while Nala Tubb finished with 10.
The Thunder will need to put some work into Blackburn’s, Lauren Hoare who shot a game-high 16 points and could be the only thing standing in the way of Keilor and a premiership this Saturday.
If Blackburn can send the series into a third and deciding game it will be played on Sunday.
