Anything is possible for Melton heading into the final round of the men’s division 1 Big V Basketball season.
After being locked inside the four for the entire season and having looked like a title contender at stages, the Thoroughbreds can finish as high as second on the ladder with a win against Sunbury this week.
A loss and Melton could be looking at an away elimination final.
Melton goes into its match against the Jets full of confidence after a fighting win against Geelong on Saturday night.
But it was a round 16 loss to Casey that has head coach Julie McCallum bullish about her side’s prospects moving forward.
The Thoroughbreds delivered the league-leading Cavaliers all they could handle before losing in overtime.
“Casey is certainly my pick to take out the tournament,” McCallum said.
“We took it right up to the top team in the league and we played really well.
“We had a couple of moments in the first two minutes of overtime that let us down a little bit.
“Other than that, it was probably the best game we have played all season.
“If we played like that, we would beat anybody. It is the inconsistency that lets us down.”
Leading the charge for Melton has been import Ivan Harris, who has done more than find his feet at the club.
Following a mid-season shooting slump, Harris is averaging 28 points across his past four matches.
A highlight of those were his 26 points against Altona in 24 minutes.
McCallum said Harris had made some adjustments to his game that were earning rewards.
“We have spent a lot of time with Ivan, getting him to play a different role to what he is used to,” she said.
“He wasn’t shooting the ball all that well so we have been working with him to try and get him to play much more aggressively and inside the paint.
“That is starting to work really well and I think he can see that, too.”
Also impressive for Melton has been Jeff Crowe who is leading the league in both total assists and average assists per game.
Crowe has also proved a formidable scorer, reaching double figures in 17 of his 20 matches this season.
Melton will have star big man Cameron McCallum for its final home and away match but his finals availability will depend on
his commitments to the Melton Football Club.
McCallum plays in the forward line for the Bloods.
