The Sunbury Jets have fallen agonisingly short of winning the Big V youth women’s division 2 championship.
Not much separated the Jets and Camberwell all season … and it was the same in Sunday’s grand final.
The Dragons outscored the Jets in the first three quarters, but the Jets didn’t give up without a fight.
The margin was as little as two points in the last quarter as both teams hit trouble with fouls.
The lead set by the Dragons in the opening three quarters proved enough to secure their 61-55 win.
For Jets coach Andrew Seidel, it was a frustrating end to what has been the side’s best season to date.
He said it was pleasing to see the Jets fight it out to the end, outscoring the Dragons 17-14 in the final quarter.
“We gave it everything and just fell short,” Seidel said.
“The girl who won the most valuable player award, [Dragons’] Michelle West, was the difference.
“In the first half, she hit a number of shots to set them up.”
The Jets were left to rue poor free-throw shooting.
Both teams struggled from the foul line, with the Dragons making 52 per cent of free-throw shots, while the Jets made 18 of their 35 shots at 51.4 per cent.
“It’s something the girls did mention after the game.
“We’re disappointed and frustrated at some of those shots not falling.
“Our shooting was up and down during the season. In general, we shot pretty well in most games. The games where we shot poorly were the high-intensity ones that we lost.”
Despite not taking home the silver- wear, the season was a success for the Jets.
“We’ve had the program the past five years and the first couple of years the youth girls were only winning one game a season.
“This year, we lost only four games, three against Camberwell and one against Southern Peninsula, who finished third on the ladder.
“They gave their all the whole year.”
It was an across-the-board performance, with Seidel saying every player who stepped onto the court had played their role. Alex Darby topscored with 16 points, while Naomi Stevens had 11 points and nine rebounds.
Tara Murray
