Chantel Horvat, Amy Atwell and Chloe Bibby were all back from Australian Opals duties to deliver match winning NBL1 South performances on Saturday with Tom Kubank, Lat Mayen, Sam McDaniel and Tyler Rudolph among the men to do the same thing.
Saturday's women's results saw the Geelong United Supercats defeat the Ballarat Miners 84-79 while the Bendigo Braves beat the Nunawading Spectres 105-72, the Keilor Thunder downed the Hobart Chargers 72-62, the Mount Gambier Pioneers won 81-74 against the Launceston Tornadoes, the Frankston Blues beat the Casey Cavaliers 91-74 and the Waverley Falcons defeated the Dandenong Rangers 97-63.
The men's results then had the Miners beat the Supercats 107-104, the Braves defeat the Spectres 107-97, the Chargers down the Thunder 97-89, the Pioneers beat North West Tasmania 81-80, the Blues down the Cavaliers 90-69, and the Falcons prevail 104-89 against the Rangers.
NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | FRIDAY FIRST NATIONS ROUND
WOMEN
Horvat ensures Supercats stay in fourth
The Geelong United Supercats bounced back from a heartbreaking loss on Friday to the Ringwood Hawks to defeat the Ballarat Miners 84-79 to consolidate fourth place on Saturday.
The Supercats were back home at The Arena and needed the win to stay in fourth position as they hosted a Ballarat team in bottom place on a five-game losing slide.
Scores were all level by quarter time and Ballarat was then able to turn the pressure back on the Supercats opening up a seven-point lead in the second quarter. Geelong were able to respond to regain the lead and be on top by three at half-time.
The Supercats kept that momentum going with 23 points to 15 in the third period and that helped them open up a 13-point lead, and then eventually hold on for the important five-point win to stay in fourth place.
Chantel Horvat has been a brilliant return from playing with the Opals at the FIBA Asia Cup by putting up 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Supercats on the back of shooting 12/23 from the floor.
Sarah Elsworthy delivered another 20 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds on 4/6 three-point shooting with Eve Braslis contributing 14 points and seven boards, Monica Okoye 12 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Agnieszka Skobel 10 points and eight assists.
Ballarat fought hard despite only having six players hit the floor and Abbey Wehrung and Annie Collins both playing all 40 minutes. Wehrung produced 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in that time.
Emma Karamovic also finished with 25 points and five rebounds, and Kristy Rinaldi 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Fresh off a silver medal at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup, Monica Okoye sinks the triple ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 8, 2023
Watch the #NBL1South First Nations Round via https://t.co/o4O3Db66e3 or the NBL1 App ?&? pic.twitter.com/ug1Nd2rBGx
Atwell puts up 39 to keep Braves perfect
Another returning Australian Opal put in a stunning show for the unbeaten Bendigo Braves on Saturday with Amy Atwell putting up 39 points in the 105-72 win away to the Nunawading Spectres.
It wasn’t as if the Braves were struggling without her, but Atwell came back on Saturday night on the back of winning bronze with the Opals at the FIBA Asia Cup and put on quite the show.
Despite that, it was actually Nunawading who started the better on their home court with Alice Kunek coming back into their line-up as well from the Opals.
For one of the very few times this season, the Braves were trailing by quarter-time with the Spectres leading by five but Bendigo fired up in the second period.
The Braves responded just like any champion team does when challenged and they dominated the second stanza with 31 points to 14 to finish the first half leading 52-40.
Bendigo continued to dominate throughout the second half and the lead blew out to as much as 36 points in the fourth period on the back of the Braves scoring 14 straight points before winning by 33.
The victory improves the Braves to a perfect 19-0 record with three games in their season remaining but they have the regular season championship locked away. The Spectres slip to 8-12 having now lost three in-a-row.
It was a spectacular performance for Bendigo from Amy Atwell as she finished with 39 points and 12 rebounds on the back of shooting 11/19 from the floor, 6/12 from three-point land and 11/11 at the foul line.
Megan McKay continued her dominant form with 23 points, 15 rebounds and four assists while Cassidy McLean added 13 points and five assists, and Kelly Wilson eight points, nine assists and six rebounds.
Cassidy Mihalko ended up with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists for Nunawading with Devon Brookshire adding 13 points, four boards and two assists, and Rachel Antoniadou 10 points and three assists.
Kelly Wilson - The Queen of Dimes ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 8, 2023
Watch the #NBL1South First Nations Round Game of the Week Live & Free via Kayo Freebies ? pic.twitter.com/FCI9aEEerk
Umezawa fires Keilor to win in Hobart
Juna Umezawa fired the Keilor Thunder to an impressive 72-62 road win over the Hobart Chargers on Saturday as she put up 28 points and eight rebounds.
While neither team was still in the playoff race coming into the penultimate round of the NBL1 South season, there was still plenty to play for when they locked horns at Hobart Netball and Sports Centre.
After the Chargers led by four points early on trying to bounce back from a loss to the Mount Gambier Pioneers the previous night, the Thunder took charge in their own quest to rebound from losing to the Launceston Tornadoes on Friday.
Keilor took charge with eight straight points to lead by as much as 10, and still be up 24-18 by quarter-time.
The Thunder were able to maintain that advantage throughout most of the rest of the evening before settling on the eventual 10-point victory which improves them to a 6-14 record on the season. The Chargers are 7-14 having lost four in-a-row.
Juna Umezawa had a huge performance for Keilor finishing with 28 points and eight rebounds while shooting 9/16 from the field and 9/9 from the foul line.
Anna Clephane produced another 14 points and eight rebounds, Madeline Puli eight points, seven boards and three assists, and Lana Hollingsworth seven points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Kayla Steindl returned for Hobart and delivered 18 points, 11 rebounds and two steals with Paige Bradley adding 16 points and five assists, and Cori Coleman 14 points and six rebounds.
Pioneers win again in Tasmania to stay in touch of second
The Mount Gambier Pioneers made it a perfect weekend on the road in Tasmania to beat the Launceston Tornadoes 81-74 on Saturday to stay in contention for a top two finish.
The Pioneers began their weekend double beating the Hobart Chargers on Friday while the Tornadoes were also fresh off a win against the Keilor Thunder 24 hours earlier.
Mount Gambier wasted no time warming into the contest either at Elphin Sports Stadium scoring 11 straight points in the opening period to go up by as much 15, and lead 22-12 by the end of one.
The Pioneers produced another 26 points to 21 in the second quarter to head into the half-time break leading 48-33.
Mount Gambier built up a 20-point lead in the third quarter and while Launceston made a charge in the fourth term where they put up 25 points to 16, the Pioneers did enough to end up winning by seven.
The victory gives the Pioneers three in-a-row to remain a top two chance with a 15-5 record while the Tornadoes slip to 9-12 with the loss.
Cass Brown finished up top-scoring for Mount Gambier with 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, but she had plenty of help.
Miela Goodchild added 18 points and five rebounds, Isabella Brancatisano 15 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals, and Haliegh Reinoehl 12 points, eight boards and six assists.
Olivia West finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for Launceston with Micah Simpson contributing 15 points, four steals and three assists, Taya Webb 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, Macey Crawford 12 points, four board and four rebounds, and Charli Kay 12 points.
Bibby returns and Blues beat Cavs
The Frankston Blues maintained touch for a top four finish still in the NBL1 South beating the Casey Cavaliers 91-74 at home with Chloe Bibby returning in style with 27 points.
Bibby returned for Frankston after being part of the Australian Opals team at the FIBA Asia Cup with the Blues hosting the Cavs at Dreamstreet Lending Arena needing a win to remain a chance to break back into the top four over the final two weekends.
While losing two of the previous three games saw Frankston drop from the top four, they got back to winning last week against the Kilsyth Cobras and can still end up in the top four if they keep winning.
That made it a must-win game in that quest on Saturday against Casey but it was a tight first half contest.
Frankston was clinging to just a two-point lead by quarter-time and then it was only a one-point advantage by the half-time interval.
However, the Blues took control from there with 31 points to 14 in the third quarter and then the lead blew out to as much as 20 in the fourth before they went on to secure the 17-point victory.
The win improves Frankston to a 14-6 record with the back-to-back wins while Casey are 3-16 unable to make it consecutive victories.
Chloe Bibby was playing her first game back after the Asia Cup and was tremendous for Frankston with 27 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Lou Brown also had 21 points and 15 rebounds on 10/15 shooting with Chelsea D'Angelo producing 17 points, four assists and three boards, and Micaela Cocks 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Rachel Bell finished with 22 points and three rebounds for the Cavaliers while Taylah Simmons delivered 19 points, seven boards, four steals and three assists, Lauren Van Kleunen 12 points and six rebounds, and Steph Blicavs 10 points, three boards and three assists.
Falcons hold onto second with win over Rangers
The Waverley Falcons maintained their hold on second position in the NBL1 South by beating the Dandenong Rangers 97-63 on the back of six players all scoring in double-figures.
With Mount Gambier, Geelong and Frankston all hot on their hammer, Waverley did need to keep winning to maintain that second spot with first place out of reach as they took on the Rangers at Dandenong Basketball Stadium.
It was a significant game for Dandenong too who still have a shot at breaking into the top eight over the final two weeks of the regular season, but it was the Falcons who got the better of the start.
The Falcons raced out to a 13-point lead during the first quarter and that kept on growing the rest of the evening. Waverley would lead by 22 points in the second period, 34 in the third and 36 in the fourth on the way to the emphatic 34-point victory.
The result improves the Falcons to a 16-4 record bouncing back from a loss to the Ringwood Hawks while it's a blow to Dandenong's playoffs hopes at 9-11 with back-to-back defeats.
Amelia Todhunter finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Waverley while knocking down 3/6 from behind the three-point line.
Bec Cole added 14 points, seven steals and five assists, Maddi Utti 14 points, seven boards and four assists, Carley Ernst 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, Renae Mokrzycki 13 points, three boards and three steals, and Sophia Locandro 10 points.
Amber Smith did what she could to keep Dandenong in the contest with 24 points and eight rebounds but she just didn’t receive enough help in the finish.
MEN
Rudolph inspires Miners to crucial win in Geelong
With both teams desperate for the win to stay alive in the playoff battle, the Geelong Supercats and Ballarat Miners produced quite the contest at The Arena on Saturday night.
Both teams entered the contest outside the top eight with 9-10 records so couldn’t afford to lose which only added to the drama of the evening.
They combined for 60 points in the opening quarter on the back of that with Ballarat leading 32-28 by quarter-time.
The Miners then blew the game wide open the second term with that lead getting out to as much as 19 points when they completed a 13-0 run.
Ballarat was still leading 58-44 by half-time with that lead getting out to 18 in the third quarter, and they were still up seven in the fourth but the Supercats weren’t going down without a fight.
That set the stage for quite the finish and with just over two minutes left, Geelong had completed the fightback to grab the one-point lead on the back of a three-point play from Cohen Blythe and then a pass from him to DeMarcus Gatlin to finish inside.
However, the Miners ended up winning the game at the foul line over the last minute with Nic Pozoglou, Tyler Rudolph and Adam Thoseby all making two foul shots apiece to secure the crucial 107-104 win for Ballarat.
What it means is that the Miners improve to 10-10 with games to go at home to Diamond Valley and away to Bendigo. The Supercats are 9-11 and finish at home to Keilor and away to Waverley.
Tyler Rudolph produced a spectacular performance in the win for Ballarat made up of 38 points and 19 rebounds while shooting 15/22 from the floor and 8/9 from the free-throw line.
Adam Thoseby added 30 points and two assists with 8/12 three-point shooting while Jack Davidson had 24 points, six boards, five assists and three steals, and Nic Pozoglou 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.
DeMarcus Gatlin ended up with 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals for the Supercats with Gabe Hadley adding 25 points, four boards and two assists, George Blagojevic 22 points and seven rebounds, and Matthew McCarthy 20 points and eight boards.
Mayen fires Braves to crucial win over Spectres
It might still only be the slimmest of slim hopes, but the Bendigo Braves kept themselves alive in the playoff race in the NBL1 South by beating the Nunawading Spectres 107-97 on Saturday night.
Bendigo came into the weekend knowing the only chance to stay any hope of making the playoffs this season was to win each of its four remaining matches which obviously had to start against the fifth placed Spectres.
Nunawading did lead by two points at quarter-time before that extended to as much as seven in the second stanza before Bendigo made its move to get back within one by half-time.
The Braves then took charge in the third quarter outscoring the Spectres 25 points to 18 to lead by as much as 10 with that that lead getting out to 17 before they held on to win by 10.
The victory improves Bendigo to a 9-10 record on the season with matches still to finish away to the Sabres and Raiders, and at home to the Miners. Nunawading is now 12-8 with games to finish at home on Sunday to Frankston and next Saturday to Ringwood.
Lat Mayen delivered a huge performance with Bendigo's season on the line delivering 34 points, six assists and four rebounds with 13/22 shooting from the field and 5/10 from beyond the arc.
Adam Pechacek added 24 points, eight boards and three assists, Dylan McCauley 14 points on 4/5 three-point shooting, Luke Rosendale 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Lachlan O'Brien 11 points, four boards and two assists.
Jalen Gibbs top-scored for Nunawading with 30 points, four steals, three rebounds and three assists while Will Carius put up 25 points and eight boards, and Jordan Geer 20 points, three rebounds and three assists.
McDaniel keeps Hobart alive in title defence
The defending champion Hobart Chargers kept their title defence alive with a fourth straight win beating the Keilor Thunder 97-89 with Sam McDaniel again the standout on Saturday night.
The Chargers made it three wins in-a-row to stay alive in the playoff race on Friday beating the second placed Mount Gambier Pioneers ahead of hosting a Thunder team who also beat North West Tasmania the previous evening.
Keilor might not have been able to make the playoffs, but they could still shape who did while the Chargers needed to keep winning to be a chance to make the top eight and be there to defend their championship.
Hobart began to pull away in the second quarter after a tight opening with the Chargers outscoring the Thunder 31 to 24 to go into the half-time interval leading 51-45.
It was after half-time when the Chargers took control, though, to extend that lead to 19 points in the third period, and 26 in the fourth before withstanding the fast finish from Keilor to hold on and win by eight.
The victory is a fourth in-a-row for Hobart who improve to 11-10 to further close in on a top eight spot with a game to finish next week against the North West Tasmania Thunder.
Reigning Grand Final MVP Sam McDaniel was once again outstanding for the Chargers as he gears up for an NBL season at the Brisbane Bullets. He delivered 28 points, 14 rebounds and two steals.
Jacob Richards put up another 25 points and seven rebounds on 5/7 three-point shooting with Jarred Bairstow contributing 22 points, 11 boards and four assists, and Devin Watson 20 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Robbie Heath hit 6/11 from beyond the three-point line for Keilor to score 32 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. William Jenkins III also had 11 points and two boards, and Theus Evan Wardlow 11 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Robbie Heath from DOWN TOWN ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 8, 2023
Watch the #NBL1South First Nations Round via https://t.co/NEk1I7kIKG or the NBL1 App ?&? pic.twitter.com/L6G1Jd3p3O
Kubank with the game winner for Pioneers
A pretty baseline floater from Tom Kubank with 36 seconds remaining proved the winner for the Mount Gambier Pioneers who prevailed 81-80 against the North West Tasmania Thunder.
The Pioneers opened their road double in Tasmania losing to the Hobart Chargers on Friday night and had hit back to consolidate second spot taking on the Thunder at Elphin Sports Stadium.
North West Tasmania was attempting to snap a three-game losing run and the home team did lead by a point at quarter-time.
It remained a tight contest the rest of the way with never more than seven points separating the two teams.
Mount Gambier would lead by seven during the second quarter but by half-time North West Tasmania had managed to cut the lead back to just one.
Things remained tight right throughout the second half and the big plays continued to come from either side. It looked like Sekou Sylla might have played hero for the Thunder when he converted a three-point play to put his team up one with a minute to play.
The last score of the game would prove to be when Nick Marshall drove to the basket, found Tom Kubank on the baseline who put up a nice little floater that was nothing but net.
That would prove to be the game winner with no further score in the last 36 seconds with Mount Gambier improving to a 14-6 record to remain solid in second spot.
Jacob Lampkin top-scored for Mount Gambier with 20 points and 10 rebounds with Nick Marshall contributing 19 points, six boards, four assists and two steals, Titus Robinson 15 points and eight rebounds, and Tom Kubank 13 points, four boards and three assists.
Sekou Sylla finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists for North West Tasmania with Vionte Daniels putting up 12 points, five boards and five assists, and Tre Armstrong 17 points, six rebounds and two steals.
Blues get crucial win on Barkers hitting 11 threes
The Frankston Blues needed a bounce back win to consolidate their spot in the top four in the NBL1 South and they got their wish beating the Casey Cavaliers 90-69 with Lucas Barker dropping seven three-pointers.
Frankston had lost its past three matches to drop from first to third place on the table and couldn’t afford any more slip ups or they could continue the slide down the table.
Casey arrived at Dreamstreet Lending Arena on a seven-game losing streak, and the Blues started well with 23 points to 20 in the opening period.
Frankston then blew the game wide open by completing a run of scoring 16 straight points to lead by as much as 17 in the second term and to go into half-time leading 49-38.
The margin continued to expand in the second half with the Blues to end up leading by 19 points in the third quarter and 25 in the fourth before winning by 21.
The victory improves Frankston to a 14-6 record to stop the three-game losing run with Casey having now lost eight straight at 3-16.
Lucas Barker delivered 26 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Blues while landing 7/13 from three-point territory.
Lachlan Barker added 20 points, five rebounds and four rebounds with 4/6 three-point shooting while Igor Hadziomerovic contributed 11 points, three boards and two assists, and Daniel Trist nine points and 21 rebounds.
Sidy Djitte finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers while Preston Bungei added 16 points, nine boards and four assists, and Patrick Emilien 11 points, three blocks and two rebounds.
Falcons finish strongly to overcome Rangers
The Waverley Falcons bounced back from Wednesday night's loss to beat the Dandenong Rangers 104-89 but only thanks to taking charge in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons fell to a second loss in the past three matches on Wednesday against the Ringwood Hawks to only be still just clinging to eighth position heading into the clash with the bottom placed Rangers at Dandenong Basketball Stadium.
It was a stunning start to the clash from the Falcons as they opened up a 17-point lead in the first quarter but the Rangers had begun to claw it back by quarter-time to only trail by eight.
Dandenong would then outscore Waverley 49 points to 44 over the next two quarters and the margin was only three at three quarter-time.
There was too much at stake for Waverley and they produced a dominant final quarter with 30 points to 18 to end up securing the 15-point victory.
The win improves the Falcons to a 12-8 record to be solid inside the top eight with games to finish next weekend at home to the Pioneers and Supercats. The Rangers remain in last spot at 3-17 having lost six in-a-row.
Dillon Stith was back in the Waverley line-up and starred with 26 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals on 10/17 shooting from the field.
AJ Harris added 19 points, nine assists, three steals and three rebounds, Dexter Kernich-Drew 18 points, two boards and two assists, and Tristan Forsyth 16 points, four rebounds and two steals.
Mike Amius delivered 23 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists for Dandenong, Jack Roberts 18 points, eight boards and three assists, Deng Puoch 17 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and Lawson Eales 11 points and eight boards.
That was nasty Mike Amius! ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 8, 2023
Watch the #NBL1South First Nations Round via https://t.co/NEk1I7kIKG or the NBL1 App ?&? pic.twitter.com/NSaofcyK7E
