U18 Nationals: Vic Metro survive to stay unbeaten

• WA Metro point guard Marley Sam showed out with 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists
• Victoria Metro, NSW Metro and WA Metro remain undefeated
• Jai Fa'ale continues to show he one of the top prospects with 29 points for Vic Metro
• See expert Michael Houben's key takeaways from day one and day two

The defending champion Victoria Metro have survived a thriller against New South Wales Country, thanks to a 29-point performance from rising prospect Jai Fa'ale which led his team to a 79-75 win to remain undefeated in the tournament at the South Pine Sports Complex.

In a contest, which could go decide who tops Pool A of the men's competition, NSW Country were up for the challenge after leading for most of the game before the championship credentials of Victoria Metro proved too much.

The opening quarter set the tone for the entire match, with Victoria Metro holding a slim 18-17 advantage but NSW Country responded strongly in the second period, outscoring their opponents 26-19 to take a 43-37 lead into halftime.

The momentum shifted in the third quarter as Victoria Metro's defence intensified, limiting NSW Country to just 15 points while adding 20 to their own tally. Trailing by just one point heading into the final period (57-58), Victoria Metro maintained their composure down the stretch, outscoring NSW Country 22-17 in the fourth quarter to secure the four-point victory.

Fa'ale was the standout performer, delivering an exceptional 29-point performance for Victoria Metro, shooting 12-from-20 from the field, including 11-from-17 from two-point range, while also contributing four assists. His efficiency in the paint was particularly impressive, as he consistently found ways to score against NSW Country's interior defence.

For NSW Country, Cooper Crowe led the scoring with 18 points on efficient 7-from-11 shooting, while Akie Langford contributed a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Despite their efforts, including a solid 47% team shooting performance, NSW Country couldn't maintain their halftime advantage.

The rebounding battle proved crucial, with Victoria Metro securing a 41-38 advantage on the boards, including 19 offensive rebounds that led to 20 second-chance points. Both teams matched each other in points in the paint (48 each), but Victoria Metro's ability to create extra possessions ultimately proved decisive.

POOL A RESULTS

SA Country def Tasmania 103-94

An incredible performance from South Australia Country's Kale Matthews-Hampton has helped his team to a critical win over Tasmania to strengthen his team's chances of a favourable crossover match-up in the quarter-finals.

Matthews-Hampton had 38 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as SA Country fought off several fightbacks from Tasmania to get the win.

Tasmanian captain Mason Ling led from the front for Tasmania with 27 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

WA Metro def QLD South 100-81

WA Metro have continued their red-hot form after a 19-point win over the hosts, Queensland South, with left-handed point guard Marley Sam leading the way with 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Sam, who hit 4-from-7 from the three-point line, was instrumental in the win as WA Metro dominated quarters two to four as they remain undefeated after three days of competition.

Angus Kearney had 20 points, including 3-from-6 on triples, off the bench for Queensland South.

POOL B RESULTS

ACT def NT 124-42

Austin Fage scored 23 points to lead ACT to an 82-point victory over Northern Territory as six players scored in double figures in the victory from the team from the nation's capital.

Fage also had six rebounds, along with 3-from-6 from the three-point line, in an impressive performance and much-needed win for ACT.

Northern Territory skipper Mitchell Hardy led the way with 17 points.

NSW Metro def QLD North 79-73

A dominant rebounding performance from New South Wales Metro was crucial as they overcame a tough Queensland North side to record a six-point victory and remain undefeated in Pool B.

Metro won the rebounding count 47-35, including 18-10 on the offensive boards, which led to 15 second-chance points that proved critical in a game decided by just two possessions.

Bailey Hanson led the scoring for NSW Metro with 18 points while Taj Goodwin and Noah Andersen both had 15 for Queensland North.

Vic Country def WA Country 73-65

Victoria Country have bounced back from an opening day loss to NSW Metro in the best possible fashion, recording a hard-fought eight-point win over WA Country for two wins on the trot.

In a game, where both teams struggled from the field, Vic Country were able to put 26 points on the board in the final quarter to secure the victory.

Sonny Maxwell was impressive for Vic Country with 14 points, four assists and four rebounds. Cale Buzzard had 15 for WA Country.

SA Metro def ACT 111-65

South Australia Metro have rebounded from a day two loss to Victoria Country to dominate ACT with a 46-point win to get back in the winner's circle.

SA Metro proved too strong from the opening top with a 35-14 first quarter a sign of things to come.

Mack Schaftenaar starred of the bench for SA Metro with 35 points, including 4-from-7 from beyond the arc, while Austin Fage had 14 points for ACT.