The Coles Express NBL1 North men’s semi-finals are set with a couple of upsets and the top seeds Logan and Mackay winning through on Saturday night.
Gold Coast Rollers 72 def by USC Rip City 94
USC Rip City claimed a gritty 94-72 road win over the Gold Coast Rollers at Carrara Stadium on Saturday night.
After a tightly contested first quarter (20-21), Rip City outscored the home side 27-12 in the second quarter including a 10-0 run midway through the term to lead 47-33 at the break.
Rip City forward Tanner Krebs (pictured) scored 13 points in the second quarter including eight in the instrumental run.
The NBL Brisbane Bullets star scored a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. He was joined by fellow forward Louis Ilton (10 points, 10 rebounds) with a double double.
The Rollers fought back to be within one possession (50-52) with three minutes left in the third quarter but Rip City finished the quarter with a 12-5 run and outscored the fourth-seed 30-17 in the last period.
USC big Eric McAlister scored 20 points and showed the guards how it’s done from deep with 4 of 8 three-pointers made including 3 of 3 in the first quarter.
The Tueta brothers – point guard Isaih (17 points) and forward Josh (11 points) – combined for 28 points as Rip City registered five players in double figures.
Gold Coast guard Jason Cadee registered a triple double with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Callum Dalton (13 points) and Anthony Petrie (12 points) also scored in double figures for the Rollers.
Rip City showed hustle to outrebound the Rollers 55-44 including 14-7 at the offensive end and protected the ball better with an 8-3 steals and 8-13 turnovers advantage.
Logan Thunder 103 def Southern Districts Spartans 88
Logan Thunder took care of business with a 103-88 victory over Southern Districts Spartans in the second quarter-final at Bendigo Bank Cornubia Park Sports Centre on Saturday night.
The top seed showcased their team play with five players in double figures including an equal game-high from Jeremy Kendle with 29 points.
The Thunder guard, who hit 9 of 14 from the field and a perfect 9 of 9 from the free throw line, picked up nine rebounds and five assists.
Logan centre Mitch Young tallied a double double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Guards Shaun Bruce (17 points), Michael Cedar (13 points) and Boston Mazlin (10 points) were Thunder’s other main offensive threat but all nine players with significant minutes registered points.
Spartans swingman and Brisbane Bullets star Lamar Patterson scored an equal game-high 29 points with 11 of 21 shooting and 6 of 9 from the free throw line.
Southern Districts guards Noah Thomas (21 points) and CJ Massingale (13 points) also scored in double figures.
Statistically there was very little in the game but the Thunder’s accuracy (38 of 74 field goals, 11 of 31 three-pointers and 16 of 19 free throws) gave them an edge over the Spartans (33 of 74 field goals, 9 of 27 three-pointers and 13 of 23 free throws).
Mackay Meteors 93 def Brisbane Capitals 83
Mackay Meteors secured a home semi-final with a 93-83 victory over Brisbane Capitals at Mackay Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.
Meteors guard Christopher Cedar led the way with a game-high 37 points from an efficient 10 of 18 field goals including 7 of 11 from deep.
The two-seed jumped out to a 27-19 advantage including an 8-0 run by Cedar to end the first quarter.
The Capitals hit back and led 58-57 with four minutes left in the third quarter, but Cedar replied with a three-pointer to regain the lead and not look back with 24 second-half points.
Mackay’s offensive weapons also included Jerron Jamerson (19 points), Emmanuel Malou (10 points), and Viliami Foketi (10 points).
Capitals guard Nicholas Stoddart scored a team-high 23 points with 7 of 20 field goals made and 6 of 10 free throws made.
He was joined by Ben Volkman (15 points), Ben Wilson (13 points), and Jacob Wilson (10 points) in double figures for the visitors.
The Capitals (32 of 78 from the field) managed to hit more field goals than the Meteors (30 of 70) but it was their inaccuracy from deep (8 of 26), compared to Mackay’s 12 of 29, that let them down.
The Meteors also got to the line more with 21 of 23 free throws made compared to 11 of 16.
Townsville Heat 69 def by Cairns Marlins 85
Cairns Marlins upset their North Queensland rivals 85-69 at Townsville StarFM Stadium on Saturday night.
The Marlins, led by guard Deba George with a game-high 24 points, outscored the three-seed Heat 46-28 in the second half.
George, who hit 9 of 19 from the field including 4 of 12 from deep, and the team’s overall field goal advantage over the home side (31 of 71 made compared to 24 of 70) proved the difference.
Cairns relied on just five players for its offense with Anthony Fisher (17 points with 4 of 9 three-pointers), James Mitchell (16 points), Curt Ahwag (15 points with 5 of 8 three-pointers) and Alex Loughton (13 points) all in double figures.
Townville’s Josh Spiers had a team-high 23 points from 7 of 18 shooting including 3 of 9 from beyond the arc. He also got to the line to hit 6 of 8 free throws.
Ethan Betts (16 points), Matthew Rees (12 points), and Keegan Tudehope (11 points, 12 rebounds) were the Heat’s other main contributors.
Cairns will meet top seed Logan in the first semi-final at Bendigo Bank Cornubia Park Sports Centre and two-seed Mackay take on USC Rip City in the second semi-final at Mackay Basketball Stadium next week.
The semi-finals will be played on Saturday 4 September at 8pm. All games can be watched live at nbl1.com.au/watch/live-game/north/
