By ADEM SARICAOGLU
KEILOR has what it takes to knock off the hot championship favourite in Men’s Division Two Big V basketball, according to coach Peter Jukes.
The Thunder ended its regular season campaign second on the table behind only Melton, who dropped just four of their 18 games for the year.
Keilor couldn’t beat Melton in two outings earlier in the season, including a 35-point belting earlier this month.
But Jukes is convinced his Thunder is starting to hit its straps at the perfect time of the year, and is confident his side will meet the Thoroughbreds in the grand final series later next month.
“On our day we can beat anybody,” Jukes told Star.
“We’ve got the shooters, we’ve got the firepower and the big guys to match it with Melton.
“They’ve shown a bit and got 16 (wins) in a row, but that means they’re one game away from a loss – so that’s a positive for us.”
Keilor did not have second spot wrapped up going into their final regular season game against Shepparton on Saturday night and did have to fight hard for the chocolates.
At no stage was it smooth sailing for the Thunder at Shepparton Basketball Stadium, as the Gators managed to claw their way two points ahead by half time and hold that lead at the final change.
However, Keilor came home hard in the final stanza, winning the quarter 22-16 to escape with a close four-point win.
“We finished off really strongly in every quarter,” Jukes explained.
“They came out of the blocks every quarter and jumped us a little bit and being young they had the enthusiasm, but our experience players came to the fore in the second half of each quarter.”
Despite those slow starts, Jukes remained upbeat with the showing his team delivered.
“We ran into good form, which was good, and Matty Jukes started to get a bit of form in the last quarter which was really good, too,” he said.
“So we’re looking pretty good for the finals.”
The Thunder will now play a three-game series against Pakenham, in which Jukes is confident Keilor will get the job done in two.
Meanwhile, Keilor’s women finished fourth in Division Two and will play the first of their three games against Werribee at home on Saturday night.
