BALLARAT Rush blew Waverley away by 34 points in the Big V youth league championship division.
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Rush’s Lydia Brooks starred on the glass and continued her consistent scoring inside to recorded a double-double, with 22 points and 13 rebounds at the MARS Minerdome on Sunday,
Molly Mathews also made a strong impact with 17 points.
Rush proved too strong and, carrying a 32-point lead into the final quarter, coach Darren Govan gave good minutes to his bench.
Jess Tempany provided excellent hustle and rebounding, while fellow young gun Isabel Fraiser showed exciting ball-handling and play-making skills.
From the opening tip, it was all Ballarat, as Kasey Burton nailed a jumper less than five seconds after the game got under way.
Burton continued her prolific scoring throughout the first period, and star forward Mathews also put up early numbers.
The home squad was clicking on all cylinders, as it opened up a double-digit lead it held to full-time.
Bronte Clark impressed with spectacular play-making off the bench. Clark got deep penetration and either finished strong at the rim or dished perfect passes to open teammates.
Meanwhile, an undermanned Ballarat Miners fell 28 points short of a talented Waverley Falcons line-up.
Seven players took to the floor for the Miners and they started promisingly with star guard Brady Neill getting to the basket and finishing difficult layups early.
Neill finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Sean Massey chalked up 16 points. The Miners lacked the inside presence of Sam Byron and struggled to rip down rebounds on both ends and Waverley had four players score in double figures.
A rough end to the third quarter allowed Waverley a chance to push its lead to 22 point.
Then a 7-0 run starting the fourth gave Waverley complete control.
Josh Peters and Josh Mallett were both fouled out late in the final stanza, while Kelsey Gannon left the game with a suspected broken finger.
This left Ballarat one player short for the last few seconds of the contest.
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