By Lance Jenkinson
Keilor Thunder put on a late show to snap a four-game losing streak in the Big V basketball men’s state championship.
The Thunder squared their season win-loss ledger at 9-9 with a come-from-behind 81-74 win over Corio Bay Stingrays in a low scoring tussle at Keilor Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.
Trailing by four points at three quarter time, Keilor produced a dominant fourth quarter, out-scoring the Stingrays 26-15 in the period.
BJ Symons was the go-to player for Keilor.
Symons finished with an efficient 26 points on 12-from-17 shooting and eight rebounds.
Chris Kaba came off the bench and added some scoring punch for Keilor.
Kaba accumulated his 16 points in just 15 minutes.
Bradley Kelleher scored 11, including some vital baskets late in the contest.
The workload was otherwise fairly evenly spread.
Keilor will look to build on the win in a busy upcoming double header weekend.
The Thunder will travel to Hume City Broncos on Saturday night before hosting Blackburn Vikings on Sunday.
With the Thunder three games out of the top four with six to play, they are venturing into must-win territory.
In the women’s state championship, Keilor Thunder was on the receiving end of a heavy 92-70 defeat to top-of-the-ladder Werribee Devils at the Keilor Basketball Stadium on Sunday.
After a competitive opening quarter, the Thunder conceded a whopping 36 points in the second period and never recovered.
Aneta Bandilovski was potent for the Thunder, scoring 21 points.
A’Lexus Harrison did a lot of the heavy lifting inside the paint with 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Erin Bollman scored 19.
With a 10-4 record, the Thunder still remain comfortably inside the top five.
Keilor will be looking to bounce back on their short trip to Hume City Broncos on Saturday evening.
