Keilor Thunder scrapes in for a win

Matt Spencer sunk the winning free throws with less than a second left. Picture Shawn Smits.

Keilor Thunder was breathing a sigh of relief after coming away with a narrow 78-77 win over Sunbury Jets in the Big V basketball men’s division 1 at Keilor Basketball Stadium on Sunday.

It was a roller coaster ride for the Thunder fans, who saw their team start slowly to trail at quarter-time, gain momentum to lead at three quarter-time, then fail to slam the door shut until the dying seconds.

Matt Spencer sealed victory for the Thunder making two free throws with 0.4 seconds left on the clock.

Jordan Coleman scored 25 points and nine rebounds, while captain Charleston Long had a double-double 16 points and 12 rebounds with four steals and three blocks.

Keilor remains well clear on top of the Terrill conference, despite losing the first part of the weekend double header 81-77 to Keysborough Cougars on Saturday night at Rowville Secondary College.

Keilor returns to the court on Saturday night to face Melbourne University Black Angels at the Melbourne University Sports Centre from 7pm.

In women’s division 1, a slow starting Keilor Thunder sunk to a 66-51 loss to Mildura Heat on the road at the Toyota Hothouse.

Youngsters Amy Smith (13 points) and Alexandra McKellar (10) were the Thunder’s only players to reach double figures in scoring. The Thunder will be keen for a better showing when they host Werribee Devils at the Keilor Basketball Stadium on Sunday at 2pm.