Sunbury Jets’ two youth sides are ready to make an impact come the Big V basketball finals.
Both the men’s youth league division 1 and women’s youth league division 2 teams started the season on fire and are looking at top two finishes.
For the women’s youth side, it will be a first finals appearance since entering the competition in 2011.
Youth women’s coach Andrew Seidel says his players are still keeping it cool in regards to making finals.
“No one has said anything yet,” Seidel said before the weekend’s games. But it was still the side’s aim, he acknowledged.
“On percentage, we can still finish top of the ladder, but the first thing is to make finals. At the end of the day, getting through to finals is a big bonus. To win them would be lovely.”
After winning both games at the weekend against Blackburn and Keilor, the girls are, in fact, guaranteed of making those finals.
Seidel says the side’s match-up with Camberwell on Saturday night at Boardman Stadium will test where it’s at – a win could mean a move to the top of the ladder.
“It’s a crunch game. The last two times we’ve played them, they have beaten us on their home court.
“We are hoping that, at home and in front of a big crowd, we can get a win.”
Sunbury’s youth men’s coach, Andrew Atherton, wants to build on last year’s finals appearance.
“We would love to finish top two, which gives you the double chance, and we have a reasonable chance of winning the rest of our matches.
“To make the grand final would be the next step, and I’ve thought all along we are one of the top two teams.”
Atherton said the side had bounced back from a mid-season slump that saw losses before the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
“The workload of the boys playing in both the youth and senior men’s teams had caused a bit of fatigue,” Atherton conceded. “But we’ve won four of our last five games.”
At the weekend, the Jets won both matches, against Altona and Hume City, easily.
The side sits second on the ladder, three games behind leader Blackburn.
The division 1 women’s team won its match against Werribee, while the men’s division 1 side split its weekend double.
