Posted on 27 September, 2017

The Phil Munday’s Junior Cobras Under 20 Men have taken home the 2017 VJBL State Championship, while the Under 12-1 Boys finished the season as State runners-up following a thrilling loss to Eltham on Friday night.

After finishing the regular season with the league’s best record at 14-3-1, the Cobras cemented their place as the Victoria’s best Under 20 team, riding a red-hot perimeter shooting display to defeat Hawthorn, 68-50 on Friday night to cap a remarkable year.

Mitch Dielemans and Will MacRae were unconscious from deep, combining to bury 10 three pointers as they outscored the entire Hawthorn team, 56-50. Dielemans finished the game with an incredible 37 points, while MacRae added 19 points as they celebrated their second championship in 2017.

Dielemans, MacRae, Jamie Ahale, Matt Dwyer and Jamie Gartner, and Head Coach Gavin Meager and Assistant Coach Brett Adams were all members of the Cobras VYC Men’s team which won the VYC State Championship against Nunawading in an epic three game series.

The Under 12-1 Boys almost made it two-for-two on Friday, but cooled off late in the fourth quarter of their state title game to fall to Eltham, 33-43. Despite a big game from Caleb Waite – who led the Cobras with a game-high 14 points – Kilsyth struggled during crunch time offensively as they finished the season as Silver Medalists.

The Boys grand final berth marks a second major achievement in 2017, with the Cobras also taking home a Bronze Medal at the National Junior Classic Tournament in June.