The Eltham Wildcats women made it six straight NBL1 South wins on Saturday night while Angus Glover produced a triple-double for their men with Chloe Bibby putting up 35 points for the Frankston Blues, and Dillon Stith brilliant again for the Waverley Falcons.
Saturday night’s women’s NBL1 South results saw the Geelong United Supercats beat the Knox Raiders 82-47 while the Nunawading Spectres defeated the Diamond Valley Eagles 101-80, the Ringwood Hawks downed the Hobart Chargers 80-78, and the Sandringham Sabres beat the Ballarat Miners 74-51.
The Frankston Blues also beat the Launceston Tornadoes 77-65, Keilor Thunder defeated the Dandenong Rangers 83-72, the Eltham Wildcats downed the Casey Cavaliers 81-67, and the Bendigo Braves prevailed 92-46 against the Waverley Falcons.
The men’s match ups saw the Raiders beat the Supercats 97-79 while the Spectres beat the Eagles 105-80, the Chargers defeated Hawks 93-80, the Sabres prevailed 99-87 against the Miners, the Blues won 76-69 over the North West Tasmania Thunder, Keilor defeated Dandenong 84-81, Eltham downed Casey 114-66, and Waverley beat Bendigo 97-80.
NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | ROUND 9 FRIDAY
WOMEN
Supercats hit back with big win over Raiders
The Geelong United Supercats hit back in emphatic fashion from a hiccup last week to score a dominant 82-47 victory at home to the Knox Raiders on Saturday night.
Geelong had won five straight before going down to the league-leading Bendigo Braves last week ahead of hosting the Raiders who arrived at The Arena on a four-match losing slide.
It didn’t take the Supercats long to stamp their authority on the contest with 29 points to 19 in the opening quarter before going on with the job with another 21 to 10 in the second term to go into half-time on top 50-29.
Geelong went on to outscore Knox 32 points to 18 in the second half as well to end up winning by 35 points to improve to an 8-4 record on the season. Knox is now 7-7 on the back of five consecutive defeats.
Sarah Elsworthy delivered 22 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two assists for Geelong while Eve Braslis added 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Agnieszka Skobel also produced 15 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals with Chantel Horvat contributing 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Jess Scannell 11 points and five assists.
Alicia Froling ended up with 18 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for Knox with Kiera Rowe contributing 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.
What a spin move by Rachael Quirk ?
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Smart helps lead Sabres to win against Miners
Britt Smart helped to fire the Sandringham Sabres to a 74-51 road victory against the Ballarat Miners on Saturday night.
The Sabres came into the match up at Selkirk Stadium attempting to snap a four-game losing run but it was a tight contest for the first half.
Sandringham led by just two points at quarter-time and only by three at half-time before the Sabres did take control in the second half.
Sandringham outscored Ballarat 34 points to 14 in the second half to end up winning by 23 to snap that losing slide and improve to a 6-8 record. The Miners remain in bottom place at 2-11 unable to back up last week’s win against the Casey Cavaliers.
Britt smart delivered 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals for Sandringham with Morgan Ili producing 11 points and three boards, Georgia PIneau 11 points, 10 boards, five assists and two blocks, and Natasha Rivas Lee 10 points, five rebounds and two steals.
Abbey Wehrung delivered 19 points on 4/7 three-point shooting for the Miners with Tayanna Jones contributing 10 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
Unbeaten Braves make statement over Falcons
The dominant NBL1 South season of the Bendigo Braves continued on Saturday night with the 92-46 victory against the Waverley Falcons.
Bendigo played host to the second placed Waverley at Red Energy Arena on Saturday night putting their undefeated record on the line, but the Braves went on to make another statement.
Bendigo opened up a 24-15 advantage in the opening quarter before outscoring Waverley with another 28 points to 12 in the second quarter to end up leading 52-27 at half-time.
The statement performance continued in the second half from the Braves as they outscored the Falcons 40 points to 19 to secure the eventual 46-point victory against the second placed team.
Bendigo improves to a perfect 13-0 record with the win while the Falcons slip to 11-2 with just their second defeat of the season.
There were plenty of standout performances for Bendigo once more with Amy Atwell delivering another 26 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots.
Megan McKay was a powerful force inside with 25 points and 12 rebounds on 12/15 field goal shooting with Kasey Burton contributing 12 points, five boards and two assists, Madeline Sexton 10 points and six rebounds, and Cassidy McLean 10 points, four boards and four assists.
Maddi Utti top-scored for Waverley with 11 points and five rebounds but it was a tough night all-round for the second placed Falcons in Bendigo.
Eltham keep form rolling with sixth straight win
The Eltham Wildcats kept their hot form in the NBL1 South going on Saturday night with an 81-67 victory at home to the Casey Cavaliers.
It was a tight contest for the opening half at Montmorency Secondary College with Casey even leading by three points early in the third quarter before Eltham took control.
The Wildcats took over from there to end up outscoring the Cavs 23 points to 12 in the third quarter, and then 21 to 17 in the fourth to claim the eventual 14-point victory.
The win means Eltham has now strung together six consecutive wins to improve to an 8-5 record to strengthen their playoff aspirations. The Cavaliers have lost their past three now to be 2-11.
There were plenty of impressive performers in the win for Eltham with Louise Forsyth top-scoring with 23 points and five rebounds on 10/17 shooting from the floor.
Bec Pizzey added 20 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, Lily Scanlon 16 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals, Hailey Leidel 13 points, nine boards and eight assists, and Taylah Wynne nine points, three rebounds and three assists.
Rachel Bell top-scored for Casey with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists with Taylah Simmons contributing 21 points, seven boards, four assists, three steals and three blocked shots.
Keilor breakthrough with win over Dandenong
The Keilor Thunder continued their improved form and turned it into a victory as they beat the Dandenong Rangers 83-72 on Saturday night.
Keilor had lost four in-a-row coming into Saturday’s clash but would have been buoyed by last Sunday’s competitive showing to the Waverley Falcons.
The Thunder came out like a rejuvenated line-up too and led the Rangers 22-16 by the end of the first quarter. Keilor put up another 21 points to 17 in the second term to lead 43-33 at half-time and convert that into the eventual 11-point victory.
With the win, Keilor improves to a 4-9 record to stay in the playoff hunt in the NBL1 South while Dandenong’s three-game losing run came to an end with them now 7-8 and still outside the top eight.
There was a lot to like in the performance from Keilor with Lana Hollingsworth delivering 20 points and six assists while hitting 4/8 from three-point territory.
Ai Yamada added 18 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two steals, Juna Umezawa 16 points and 15 boards, and Anna Clephane 12 points and six rebounds.
Despite the loss, Nyadiew Puoch continued her standout form for Dandenong with another 32 points, three rebounds and three blocks while Sarah Boothe contributed 10 points, 11 boards, four assists and three blocked shots.
Bibby brilliant as Frankston make it double win weekend
Chloe Bibby continued her dazzling NBL1 South form with another 35-point performance to help the Frankston Blues beat the Launceston Tornadoes 77-65 on Saturday night.
Frankston opened their double road trip weekend in Tasmania beating the Hobart Chargers by 35 points on Friday night while the Tornadoes started their home weekend defeating the Ringwood Hawks by eight points.
So both teams came into the match up in winning form but ultimately the difference between the two sides proved to be Bibby who is fresh off a strong WNBL season at the Perth Lynx.
Frankston started strongly on Saturday night to lead 20-10 by quarter-time but Launceston turned the tide to tie scores up at the half-time interval.
The Blues took charge once more to outscore the Tornadoes 44 points to 32 in the second half to secure the 12-point win and make it four wins in succession, and to improve to a 10-4 record.
The Tornadoes slip to 5-9 with the defeat to remain outside of a playoff position.
Chloe Bibby produced a remarkable performance for Frankston made up of 35 points, four rebounds and three assists on the back of shooting 13/22 from the field and 8/9 at the foul line.
Micaela Cocks added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Blues, and Louise Brown 15 points and 18 rebounds.
Micah Simpson produced 14 points, three rebounds and three assists for Launceston, but they dearly missed the presence of Keely Froling.
Riley Lupfer also had 14 points and six rebounds, Macey Crawford 13 points and seven boards, and Olivia West 11 points and six rebounds.
Ringwood prevail in tight one over Hobart
The Ringwood Hawks bounced back to split their weekend in Tasmania by winning an 80-78 thriller against the Hobart Chargers on Saturday night.
Both teams also played on Friday night in the Apple Isle with each suffering losses with the Hawks going down to the Launceston Tornadoes while the Chargers lost to the Frankston Blues.
After a tight first half contest, Ringwood pulled away from Hobart during the third quarter to open up a 13-point advantage, but Hobart got it back close during the fourth period.
However, Ringwood held firm despite the absence of last year’s Grand Final MVP Marena Whittle, to end up winning by two points to steady their season at 8-6 following two defeats.
Hobart is now losing touch with the top eight at 5-9 having lost the last three as they dearly missed the presence of Kayla Steindl.
Ringwood import Ariel Jones was outstanding in the win finishing with 29 points and five rebounds while knocking down 7/11 from three-point territory.
Toni Farnworth put up 14 points, 12 rebounds and two assists while Hailey Wynd contributed 11 points and seven boards, and Marta Hermida nine points and seven assists.
Cori Coleman ended up top-scoring for Hobart with 26 points and seven rebounds on the back of knocking down 6/12 from beyond the three-point line.
Sarah O’Neill added 21 points and six rebounds, Paige Bradley nine points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals, and Chloe Broomhall eight points, 15 boards, three steals and two assists.
Kunek sparks Spectres to big win over Eagles
The Nunawading Spectres delivered a scintillating first half led by Alice Kunek to set up an eventual 101-80 victory at home to the Diamond Valley Eagles.
Both teams are locked in a battle over a position in the bottom half of the top eight heightening the stakes for the match up at Nunawading Basketball Centre.
The Spectres got off to a flying start to open up a 13-point lead by quarter-time before continuing to dominant in the second period to lead by as much as 32 points.
Nunawading outscored Diamond Valley 35 points to 20 in the second term to go into the half-time break well on top leading 59-31.
It was a remarkable first half performance from the Spectres and they converted it into the eventual 21-point win to improve to a 7-6 record in the process. The Eagles are now 7-6 following the defeat.
Alice Kunek starred in the win for Nunawading with 29 points, five assists and four rebounds on the back of shooting 8/14 from the floor and 10/11 at the foul line.
Emma Pearce contributed 22 points, six rebounds and three assists, Devon Brookshire 16 points and nine boards, Rachel Antoniadou 14 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals, and Rachel Brewster 11 points, six boards, four assists and three steals.
Kara Tessari ended the night with 18 points and six assists for Diamond Valley with Ivana Vasiljevic contributing 15 points and three assists, Monique Andriuolo 12 points, six rebounds and three steals, and Jennie Rintala 12 points and eight boards.
MEN
Stith shines again in Falcons win in Bendigo
The Waverley Falcons continued to close in on a top eight position in the NBL1 South with Dillon Stith outstanding once more in the 97-80 victory against the Bendigo Braves.
Waverley did come into the Saturday night match up after a loss to the Keilor Thunder last week but prior to that they had won five straight, and they picked back up the momentum against Bendigo at Red Energy Arena.
The Braves did come into the clash in their best form of the season off the back of wins against Geelong and Ringwood, and it was a tight contest throughout the first half with Waverley leading by two at quarter-time, and then Bendigo by five at half-time.
However, the Falcons took control in the second half outscoring the Braves 56 points to 34 to secure the eventual 17-point victory to improve to a 7-6 record on the season. Bendigo is now 5-8 following the defeat.
Dillon Stith continues to shine this season with Waverley and it must be attracting the attention of NBL clubs as he tries to earn another opportunity at the top level.
He finished on Saturday night with 30 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots on 10/22 shooting from the field along with 9/9 free-throw shooting.
Dexter Kernich-Drew added 15 points for Waverley with AJ Harris contributing 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals, Bennie Lewis 11 points, and Jake Heath 10 points and two assists.
Lat Mayen delivered another strong performance for Bendigo with 26 points, eight rebounds and three steals while Bijan Johnson continued his good form with another 15 points, two boards, two assists and two blocked shots.
Luke Rosendale also finished with 13 points and three rebounds, Billy Smythe 12 points, four boards and three steals, and Christiaan Jones 11 points and nine rebounds.
Eltham fire back emphatically with Glover triple-double
The Eltham Wildcats clearly didn’t like suffering a loss last week and responded in stunningly dominant fashion beating the Casey Cavaliers 114-66 on Saturday night on the back of a triple-double from Angus Glover.
Eltham’s four-game winning run came to an end last week at the hands of the North West Tasmania Thunder on the back end of their double-header in Tasmania.
That meant the Wildcats were back home on Saturday to host the Cavaliers and ready to make a statement in response to suffering their third loss of the season.
Eltham started the game on fire with 31 points to 13 in the opening quarter and that lead grew to as much as 26 in the second term before the home team went into the main break leading 58-32.
The Wildcats went on to outscore the Cavs a further 56 points to 34 in the second half as well to end up winning by 48 points in the best possible result to that loss last week to North West Tasmania.
The result improves Eltham to a 10-3 record on the season to remain undefeated at home in 2023 while Casey is 1-6 on the road and 3-10 overall this season.
Dual Sydney Kings NBL championship winner Angus Glover was outstanding for Eltham in the win finishing with a triple-double consisting of 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 4/6 from three-point range.
Callum Dalton was tremendous as well to end up top-scoring with 29 points and four rebounds with 11/18 shooting from the field and 5/7 from three-point land.
Josh Sykes was full of excitement again on his way to 18 points and six rebounds on 7/9 shooting with Owen Foxwell contributing 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Sam Short had a strong all-round contribution as well with nine points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals.
It was a short rotation the Cavs had to work with and only eight players suited up with seven all playing at least 14 minutes with Sidy Djitte ending up with 17 points, six rebounds and four steals, and Patrick Emilien 17 points, six boards and two steals.
Keilor hold out Dandenong for narrow win
The Keilor Thunder made it consecutive wins to stay in the NBL1 South playoff hunt by beating the Dandenong Rangers 84-81 in a tight affair on Saturday night.
Keilor came into the clash on its home floor on the back of a win against the Waverley Falcons, and started well hosting the bottom placed Dandenong with 21 points to 16 in the first quarter.
The Thunder pushed their lead out to 14 points in the second quarter and were still on top 46-36 by half-time.
While Keilor never gave up the lead through the second half, Dandenong did put everything into a fightback to set up a thrilling finish but the Thunder held them out and iced the game eventually with a pair of free-throws to Theus Evan Wardlow.
Jesse Ghee’s shot at forcing overtime at the finish for the Rangers wouldn’t go and Keilor made it back-to-back wins to improve to a 6-7 record. Dandenong slips to 3-12 with the defeat.
Robbie Heath top-scored in the win for Keilor with 18 points, five rebounds and three steals with William Jenkins III contributing 17 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.
Cirkook Riak also put up 15 points and six rebounds with Kuany Kuany adding 11 points, five boards and three assists, and Theus Evan Wardlow 10 points and seven assists.
Deng Puoch produced 26 points and six rebounds for Dandenong while shooting 4/10 from three-point territory with Jesse Ghee adding 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Jack Roberts 20 points, 10 boards, three steals, two assists and two blocks.
Trist dominates as Blues keep on winning
The Frankston Blues made it a double-win weekend in Tasmania by beating the North West Tasmania Thunder 76-69 on Saturday night.
Both teams were coming off Friday night victories with the Thunder beating the Ringwood Hawks while the Blues started their road double defeating the defending champion Hobart Chargers by 24 points.
That set up a fascinating match up on Saturday at Elphin Sports Stadium and it was a tight contest throughout the majority of the evening.
Each team had their time on top throughout the first three quarters but no more than nine points ever separated them which was what Frankston managed to lead by during the second quarter.
However, during the fourth quarter Frankston was able to pull away to lead by a game-high 13 points and then hold on to win by seven to improve to 11-3 as a result of the two wins in Tasmania for the weekend.
North West Tasmania slips to 6-8 with the defeat after splitting their home double-header.
Daniel Trist was a dominant force for Frankston in the win finishing with 20 points, 20 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Brad Newley also put up 15 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists while Igor Hadziomerovic added 12 points, nine boards and two steals, and Lucas Barker 11 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Sekou Sylla also had an impressive showing for North West Tasmania with 17 points, 18 rebounds, three assists and two blocks with Joe Chilcott contributing 16 points, four boards, three steals and two assists.
Sabres keep hot form going with win in Ballarat
The deep and experienced Sandringham Sabres kept its hot form going on Saturday night beating the Ballarat Miners 99-87 on the road.
The Sabres arrived at Selkirk Stadium on the back of five consecutive wins to take on a Miners team who have got back to some strong form with the return of Jack Davidson.
Ballarat managed to lead by four points at quarter-time before Sandringham worked on top in the second period with 30 points to 22 to be leading 44-40 at half-time.
Even though the Miners did briefly grab the lead again in the third quarter, Sandringham worked back into control to lead by eight points again, and then to stretch that out to a 16-point edge in the fourth period.
Sandringham would end up winning by 12 points to make it six wins in succession to improve to 10-4 on the season. Ballarat remains just outside the top eight as a result of the loss at 6-7.
The Sabres team continues to come together tremendously with Ben Ayre putting up 27 points, five rebounds and five assists while going 11/11 at the free-throw line despite 0/8 from three-point range.
CJ Asuncion-Byrd added 24 points, five rebounds and three steals on 4/6 three-point shooting with Dave Barlow putting up 17 points, five rebounds and two assists, Campbell Blogg 13 points, six boards and five assists, and Dane PIneau 10 points, 16 rebounds and three assists.
Jack Davidson continued his outstanding form for Ballarat with another 31 points, six assists and four rebounds on hitting 5/11 from beyond the arc with Adam Thoseby adding 17 points and six boards, and Tyler Rudolph 13 points and six boards.
Cj Asuncion-Byrd SKIES for the thunderous SLAM ???
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McDaniel sparks Chargers to bounce back win
Sam McDaniel came up huge to snap the losing run of the defending champion Hobart Chargers as they defeated the Ringwood Hawks 93-80 on Saturday night.
Both teams also played on Friday to open the round in the NBL1 South with Hobart suffering a fourth straight defeat going down to the Frankston Blues by 24 points while Ringwood went down to the North West Tasmania Thunder by five.
That set up a match up with both teams needing a win to stay in touch with the top eight and it was a high-scoring first quarter with Ringwood leading 28-27 by quarter-time.
The Chargers took over in the second period with 31 points to 21 and ultimately that would prove the difference in the contest.
Hobart’s lead got out to as much as 15 points in the fourth quarter before they secured the 13-point win to snap a four-game losing slide to improve their record to 7-7. The Hawks are now 4-10 following their two losses in Tasmania this weekend.
Reigning Grand Final MVP and new Brisbane Bullets signing Sam McDaniel was the star of the night for Hobart with 26 points and six rebounds on 10/16 shooting from the field.
Devin Watson contributed 16 points, three assists and two rebounds, Jacob Richards 14 points, 16 boards and three assists, Jarred Bairstow 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Michael Karena 12 points, five boards and four assists.
Kyle Daggett delivered 17 points, 10 rebounds and two assists for Ringwood with Jonathan Lawton adding 14 points, four boards, four assists and three steals, and Harrison Sealey 14 points and two rebounds.
Carius shoots Spectres to big win over Eagles
Will Carius showed his quality to lead the Nunawading Spectres to the 105-80 victory over the Diamond Valley Eagles on the back of his 37 points with five three-pointers.
Both teams are inside the top eight with the Spectres coming into Saturday night’s match up having won two straight while the Eagles had lost their past two.
Even though Diamond Valley led by four points early on, Nunawading led by two at quarter-time and then the Spectres dominated the second term with 22 points to 12 to go into the half-time break on top 48-36.
Nunawading went on with the job in the second half leading by as much as 21 points in the third quarter and 25 in the fourth to claim the 25-point win.
The victory improves the Spectres to a 9-4 record with the three straight wins while Diamond Valley is now 7-6 with the three consecutive defeats.
Will Carius was the star of the night in the win for Nunawading finishing with 37 points, eight rebounds and three assists with 14/21 shooting from the field, 5/9 from three-point territory, and 4/6 from the foul line.
Jalen Gibbs added 14 points and six rebounds for Nunawading, Kingsley Box 14 points, 10 boards and three assists, Daniel Baxter 10 points and nine rebounds, and Nicolas Tata eight points and 13 boards.
BJ Symons top-scored for Diamond Valley despite the defeat with 32 points and six rebounds on 14/18 shooting from the field.
Mandrell Worthy added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Joel Capetola eight points, three boards and two steals.
Knox overpower Geelong to consolidate top four spot
The Knox Raiders produced a strong showing to consolidate themselves in the NBL1 South’s top four beating the Geelong United Supercats 97-79.
Geelong was back home looking to bounce back from last week’s loss to the Bendigo Braves which ended their six-game losing streak while Knox arrived looking to back up a win against the Mount Gambier Pioneers.
The Supercats did start well at The Arena leading by as much as seven points in the first quarter before still being up 20-17 by quarter-time.
However, Knox took control in emphatic fashion in the second term with 34 points to 17 including going on a 14-0 run to lead by as much as 17, and to be up 51-37 by the main break.
The Raiders went on to lead by 20 points in the third quarter and 22 in the fourth before ending up winning by 18 away from home to improve to a 10-4 record on the season. It’s consecutive losses for the Supercats who slip to 6-6.
Austin Rapp might have only played 20 minutes for Knox and came off the bench, but he top-scored with 18 points and six rebounds on the back of shooting 5/6 from beyond the three-point line.
Mason Peatling added 15 points and nine rebounds, Madut Akec 14 points and four assists, Wayne Stewart Jr 14 points and seven boards, Bailey Nunn 13 points and three rebounds, and Ke’Jhan Feagin 10 points and nine assists.
George Blagojevic ended up top-scoring for Geelong with 21 points, nine rebounds and two assists with Gabe Hadley contributing 16 points, five boards and three assists, DeMarcus Gatlin 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Nick Velasquez 13 points and two assists.
Madut Akec SLAMS home the lob off glass ??
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