By Hayley Wildes
The Casey Cavaliers enjoyed a fruitful weekend of Big V finals basketball. Both the Division 1 and Youth League 2 women moved a step closer to realising their championship dreams, but there is still work to be done.
The Division 1 women took game one on the road against Geelong in their semi final series on Saturday evening.
Trailing by four points at the main break, the Cavs completely turned the tables on the Supercats in an impressive third quarter effort.
Casey went up a gear and Geelong was unable to keep pace as Keeley Patterson caught fire from deep to hit three triples in a minute, helping the Cavs to a seven-point lead at the final break.
The Supercats attempted a comeback in the fourth, but Casey answered every challenge as Jamie-Lee Jeffs controlled both ends of the court and Tarryn Wilkin made her presence known on the offensive end.
The Cavs pulled away for an important win, 77-67. Jamie-Lee Jeffs (22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks) was the dominant player on the court, while Tarryn Wilkin (15 points, 5 rebounds) and Keeley Patterson (15 points – 5/7 from three) provided vital buckets.
Meanwhile, the Youth League 2 women booked their ticket to the grand final with a hard-fought win over Frankston at Casey Stadium on Saturday night.
After a first-week finals bye, the Cavs struggled to find their groove early and only mustered 23 first-half points. Their offence had stalled, but crucially, their defence was still running hot and contained the Blues to just 24 points of their own.
The Cavs didn’t just break out of their scoring slump in the third quarter; they obliterated their opponents in a barnstorming 28-14 quarter.
The usual terrific ball movement and fast break offence returned, while the hustle and defence remained. It was a tantalising quarter of basketball as Steph Leclerc wreaked havoc on both ends of the court with her speed and willingness to dive for loose balls.
Stars Tess Young and Lauren Tuplin combined for 14 points in the quarter to lead Casey to a commanding 13-point lead with a quarter to play.
The Cavs kept the Blues at arm’s length for the remainder of the game to run out 74-62 winners and book their place in the grand final.
It was a sublime team effort that got Casey over the line, led impeccably by Steph Leclerc’s near triple-double of 10 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Lauren Tuplin (18 points, 3 rebounds) and Tess Young (13 points, 11 rebounds) continued their fine seasons.
This Saturday night at Casey Stadium, the Division 1 women host Geelong in game two of their semi final series from 8pm. A win will see them progress through to the grand final and a loss will see them return to action on Sunday in a do-or-die game three clash from 1:30pm at Casey Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Youth League 2 women have the weekend off as they wait for their grand final opponent to be decided. Frankston and Pakenham will be battling it out on Saturday night for the right to face Casey in the grand final series.
