The Sunbury Jets have grabbed a spot in the Big V youth league 2 women’s grand final.
On Saturday night the club’s pre-season vow became a reality as the Jets accounted for Southern Peninsula 85-59.
Following a loss to the Sharks the previous week, Jets coach Andrew Seidel spoke about getting nerves out of the way early.
The Jets did so, but even they were surprised with just how well they started.
The Sharks put up just nine field-goal attempts for the quarter and managed just six points.
Seidel said he felt the team had got its defence right in the four-point loss the previous weeks but simply couldn’t score.
“We played with the same defence this week and were able to hit our shots to put them under pressure,” he said.
The massive first quarter boosted the Jets’ confidence and led to an 18-point half-time lead.
The Sharks showed they weren’t going away without a fight by winning the third quarter 23-19.
“We dropped off a bit as there were a few more rotations in the third quarter to give everyone some court time,” Seidel said.
All but one player got on the court and all of those who played got on the scoresheet.
Alex Darby, who has been one of the best players in the competition this season, top- scored with 18 points in just 21 minutes. “She’s improving every week,” Seidel said.
He said he didn’t think the win and the reality of a grand final berth had sunk in after the game.
A grand final spot is a long way from finishing 12th in youth league division 1 last year.
“We made a pact that we wanted to make the grand final,” Seidel said. “We’ve achieved that and hopefully we can go one step further.
“The youth league program is in a good position and there’s been a hell of a lot of improvement in the last 12 to 18 months.”
The Jets will face Camberwell in the grand final.
Camberwell will host the match after beating Chelsea 60-47.
The Dragons hold a 2-1 record over the Jets this season, winning both games on their home court.
But the Jets won 56-49 the last time they played in Sunbury.
