Posted on 19 March, 2018

The Cobra VYC Men and Women tipped-off the 2018 Big V season in style, combining to go 3-0 over the opening weekend of play.

It was a dream start for new Women’s head coach Claire Knight, with her team blowing out Warrandyte on Saturday night, 78-52, at home, before backing up with a tough 57-49 road win over Hume City on Sunday. The Cobras rode impressive weekends from point guard Taylah Black (20.0ppg/8.0rpg) and second-year slasher Miranda Gartner (12.5ppg/3.0spg), with the pair shouldering the offensive load over both games.

Black erupted for a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double on Saturday, and along with Gartner – the pair combined for 10 steals in the game – fuelled an impressive defensive performance which saw the Cobras hold Warrandyte to just 20 first half points. Forward Britt Miller added a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double off the bench for Kilsyth, helping the Cobras dominate the battle in the paint as they outscored the Venom, 46-16 inside.

The Cobras suffocating defence carried over to Sunday, as they locked up Hume City for three quarters before holding on late to win by eight points. After seeing their 17 point lead trimmed to just six midway through the final period, the Cobras put the clamps on defensively over the final four minutes as they held the Broncos scoreless to move to 2-0.

Black led the way once again with 15 points, Gartner added 11 and three assists, while Maddie Taranto recorded her first career double-double, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The VYC Men made it a night to remember on Saturday, as they received their 2017 championship rings before putting on a show as they blew out the Blackburn Vikings, 90-67.

The All-VYC duo of Jorden Adnam and Mitch Dielemans proved too much to handle for Blackburn, with Adnam erupting for a game-high 27 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots, while Dielemans added 23 points, six rebounds and three assists to highlight a scintillating offensive display by the Cobras. Second year guard Will MacRae showed flashes of what could be a breakout sophomore season, scoring 16 points and adding a game-high five steals in just 24 minutes of play.

Just as the Women did before them, the Men rode a dominant two-way first half performance to take a 45-28 lead into the locker room. And they didn’t let up in the second half, leading by as many as 27 points as they opened their regular season with a statement win.

The Cobras will be back on home court this Sunday, with the Women taking on Diamond Valley (12.00pm), and the Men playing host to Melbourne (2.00pm).