U18 Nationals: Vic Metro dominate on opening day

• NSW Metro dominated ACT to start their title defence
• QLD South, who are missing four key players, went down to WA Metro‍
• See Michael Houben's five key takeaways from day one

Victoria Metro showed by many why they are considered the team to beat at the 2025 Footlocker Under-18 Women's National Basketball Championships, starting their tournament with a dominant 105-36 win over Western Australia Country at the South Pine Sports Complex.

Victoria Metro established absolute dominance from the opening tip, racing to a commanding 26-10 lead in the first quarter and they continued their relentless assault in the second period, outscoring WA Country 27-8 to take a 53-18 advantage into halftime. The Victorian side maintained their momentum in the third quarter with a 23-8 run before closing out the game with a 29-10 fourth quarter performance.

A devastating 14-0 scoring run midway through the second quarter effectively ended any hopes of a competitive contest. Victoria Metro's relentless defence forced eight WA Country turnovers during this stretch, converting them into easy transition baskets. Sophie Richardson was particularly impressive during this sequence, contributing eight points including a three-pointer at the 4:12 mark that extended the lead to 37.

Sitaya Fagan led Victoria Metro with an outstanding performance, shooting 9-from-13 from two-point range for 20 points while adding seven rebounds. Richardson added 18 points while Daisy Nousis contributed 14 points and three assists. For WA Country, Ashlee Monaghan was the lone bright spot with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Victoria Metro's complete team effort was evident in their statistical dominance across all categories. They shot an efficient 45 percent on two-pointers compared to WA Country's 27 percent overall field goal percentage. Victoria's bench outscored WA Country's reserves 54-11, demonstrating their superior depth. Perhaps most telling was Victoria's 68-42 rebounding advantage, including 39 offensive boards that led to 27 second-chance points.

The victory solidifies Victoria Metro's position as a tournament favourite with five players scoring nine or more points.

POOL A RESULTS

SA Metro def Tasmania 85-61

South Australia Metro are one of the contenders for the gold medal, especially after winning this age group in under-16s two years ago, and they proved that in their opening game, beating Tasmania by 24 points.

Five players scored in double figures for South Australia, led by Aspen Crase with 18 points and Keira Gardiner with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Nikki Parker had 24 points for Tasmania.

QLD North def NSW Country 86-51

Queensland North proved they are also another contender for the gold medal this week, impressing in their 35-point win over New South Wales Country in their opening game.

Four players scored in double figures for Queensland, led by Australian junior representative Isabel Smith with 19 points, while Taryn Bond (14 points), Lily Mapp (15 points) and Eden Catip (13 points) all reached double digits.

Kira Juffermans had 11 points for New South Wales Country.

POOL B RESULTS

Vic Country def SA Country 78-58

In the battle of the country teams, it was Victoria who came out on top with a dominant third quarter of 32-14 proving the difference in the 20-point victory.

Lily Exton was impressive for Victoria Country with 16 points and 10 rebounds while teammate Mica Nightingale had 13.

Daisy Hocking led the scoring for South Australia Country with 15 points.

NSW Metro def ACT 93-45

New South Wales Metro started their title defence in perfect fashion with a 48-point demolition of ACT to tip-off their tournament.

A 23-6 first quarter was a sign of things to come for NSW who dominated the entire contest. Angela Tako had 21 points for the victors while Olivia Hastings had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Olivia Brankovic led the scoring for ACT with 15.

WA Metro def QLD South 87-63

Western Australia Metro took full advantage of an undermanned Queensland South team, recording a big 24-point win to start their tournament.

The visitors were dominant all game, winning every quarter along the way. Reece Anticevic led the way with 22 points and eight rebounds.

Mya Moke had 19 points and nine rebounds for the home team.