Sunbury Jets’ women’s side suffered its first defeat since 2015, when it went down to Hume City Broncos in a thriller on Sunday.
After going through the 2016 Big V undefeated on the way to a division 1 title, the Jets won their first 11 games this season in state championship division.
On Sunday, they had their work cut out for them against a full-strength Broncos side.
The Broncos jumped the Jets early and led by as much as 14 points in the first half. The Jets worked their way back into the game and in the dying minutes it was anyone’s game.
Going basket-for-basket in the last few minutes, the Jets levelled the scores more than once, but couldn’t hit the front and the Broncos won 70-67.
Jets’ coach Kennedy Kereama found some positive from the game, which could have quite easily ended in a big defeat.
“Hume did a really good job and they deserve credit for that,” he said.
“They were good at rebounding and had different players stepping up at different times.
“We got ourselves in foul trouble and losing Courtney [Duever] when she was fouled out with a big chunk of the last quarter left hurt us .
“We showed some real grit and the game could have gone either way. It showed that if a team wants to beat us they have to play four quarters.”
Duever top-scored with 25 points, while Monique Stevens and Orla O’Reilly scored 17 points each.
Kereama said while the loss was disappointing, they weren’t too concerned.
“It had to happen eventually,” he said.
“I couldn’t tell you how many games we had won in a row but it wasn’t important, how we play each week is important and how we go about it is.
“It gives us things to work on … we’ve already evaluated the game and put it behind us.”
The Jets’ have a bye this weekend due to the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. They enter the break on top of the ladder with an 11-1 record.
Kereama said they couldn’t have predicted that in the side’s first ever season in championship division.
“It’s a pretty good start to the year and it could be the difference in us getting a home final,” he said.
“The 11-0 start helps our season and puts us in a good position.”
Kereama doesn’t get a week off for the bye, as he heads to a New Zealand Tall Ferns training camp.
Josie Stockill is also attending the camp.
Meanwhile the Jets’ division 1 men’s side won a thriller against Melton Thoroughbreds 106-102.
