The Bendigo Braves women completed a perfect NBL1 South regular season with the Mount Gambier Pioneers, Geelong United Supercats and Sandringham Sabres scoring Sunday wins to lock in their positions for the playoffs as did the Eltham Wildcats and Sabres men.
Sunday's women's matches to wrap up the season saw the Bendigo Braves beat the Knox Raiders 98-94, the Mount Gambier Pioneers defeat the Eltham Wildcats 92-70, the Geelong United Supercats down the Waverley Falcons 75-66, the Sandringham Sabres win 74-70 over the Melbourne Tigers, and the Keilor Thunder downing the Casey Cavaliers 84-77.
By the end of the regular season, the top eight women's teams are the Bendigo Braves (22-0), Mount Gambier Pioneers (17-5), Geelong United Supercats (16-6), Waverley Falcons (16-6), Frankston Blues (15-7), Sandringham Sabres (13-9), Ringwood Hawks (13-9) and Eltham Wildcats (12-10).
The men's Sunday results saw the Raiders beat the Braves 96-59, the Wildcats defeat the Pioneers 95-88, the Supercats down the Falcons 93-72, the Sabres down the Tigers 84-74, and the Cavaliers win big 98-63 against the Thunder.
The men's teams who finished in the top eight are the Knox Raiders (18-4), Frankston Blues (16-6), Mount Gambier Pioneers (15-7), Sandringham Sabres (15-7), Eltham Wildcats (14-8), Nunawading Spectres (13-9), Diamond Valley Eagles (12-10) and Waverley Falcons (12-10).
NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | SATURDAY ROUND 14
NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | FRIDAY ROUND 14
WOMEN
Braves survive Raiders to stay perfect
The Bendigo Braves had to fight hard but completed the regular season in the NBL1 South undefeated after beating the Knox Raiders 98-94 on Sunday.
The Raiders might have been out of the playoff hunt coming into the match up having lost their previous five matches, but it would have been quite the feather in their cap were they able to hand Bendigo a first loss since last year's grand final.
Knox did start well to lead by six points in the opening quarter before Bendigo took control to lead by as much as 13 points in the second period.
However, the Raiders didn’t go away and even grabbed the lead briefly in the final period following a three-pointer from Kiera Rowe and then free-throw from Leah Santomaggio with just over four minutes to play.
It was no surprise that the next six points of the game were scored for Bendigo by Megan McKay and Kelly Wilson, and from there the Braves were able to maintain control to finish the season unbeaten with the four-point win.
The Braves end up on a 22-0 record before now hosting the Waverley Falcons in a qualifying final this Saturday. The Raiders' season finishes at 9-13 with six straight defeats.
Megan McKay was outstanding once more for Bendigo with 29 points and 18 rebounds on 10/17 from the floor and 9/11 from the free-throw line.
Amy Atwell added 26 points, eight rebounds and four steals on 6/14 three-point shooting with Kelly Wilson adding 11 points, 14 assists, four rebounds and three steals, Kasey Burton 15 points, and Cassidy McLean 13 points, four boards, three blocks and two assists.
Aneta Bandilovska top-scored for Knox with 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists with Lean Santomaggio adding 19 points, Kiera Rowe 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Alicia Froling 13 points and 11 boards.
With a thrilling win over Knox, the Bendigo Braves finish the NBL1 South regular season ?????????? ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 16, 2023
Megan McKay recorded her ???????? double-double straight to complete a perfect run ?
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Pioneers secure second spot with win over Wildcats
The Mount Gambier Pioneers secured second position on the NBL1 South table at the end of the regular season with the 92-70 road victory over the Eltham Wildcats on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams were assured of a playoffs spot coming into the game but where they finished in the top eight was still to be decided and by quarter-time Mount Gambier had already opened up a 10-point advantage.
That lead blew out to 22 points in the second quarter for the Pioneers and 23 in the fourth before they won by 22 to secure second position with the 17-5 record.
Mount Gambier will now host the Geelong United Supercats in a qualifying final this Friday night while the Wildcats finish eighth at 12-10 and will take on the Frankston Blues in an elimination final on Saturday.
Haliegh Reinoehl ended up with 25 points, six rebounds and three assists in the win for Mount Gambier while Isabella Brancatisano added 20 points, seven boards, six assists and three steals, Miela Goodchild 19 points and four rebounds, and Sherrie Calleia eight points, 14 assists, seven boards, two steals and two blocks.
Anneli Maley delivered another 23 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for Eltham with Louise Forsyth contributing 18 points, two boards and two blocks, and Hailey Leidel 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Haliegh Reinoehl raced the buzzer and ??? ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 16, 2023
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Supercats dominate OT to snatch third from Falcons
The Geelong United Supercats dominated their overtime period with the Waverley Falcons on Sunday to win 75-66 and as a result claim third position on the NBL1 South table.
Both the Falcons and Supercats came into the final day of the regular season wanting to finish as high up in the top four as possible so the stakes were significant coming into the contest.
It proved a tight and tense affair all afternoon as well with no more than six points ever separating the two teams in regulation. It was that six-point lead that Waverley had in the fourth quarter with five minutes to play.
The Supercats responded with a three-pointer from Eve Braslis and then then a jumper from Chantel Horvat before a three-point play from Braslis tied scores up.
Ultimately it was three free-throws from Amelia Todhunter for Waverley that sent the game into an extra five minutes, but it was all Geelong in overtime outscoring the Falcons 10 points to one to claim the eventual nine-point win.
What it means is that the Supercats finish in third position with a 16-6 record and three-game losing streak ahead of facing the Mount Gambier Pioneers in a qualifying final on Friday.
Waverley finishes in fourth position at 16-6 as well ahead of taking on the undefeated Bendigo Braves at Red Energy Arena also in a qualifying final on Saturday.
Chantel Horvat delivered 22 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two assists for Geelong United with Eve Braslis contributing 14 points and three boards, and Monica Okoye 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Bec Cole delivered 22 points, five assists and three steals for Waverley with Maddi Utti adding 10 points, 12 boards, three steals and two assists, and Renae Mokrzycki 11 points and seven rebounds.
With the game on the line, Chantel Horvat stood up for Geelong ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 16, 2023
She scored 10 of her 22 points in the last quarter and overtime to lock in the third seed for her side ?
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Sabres secured sixth place with win over Tigers
The Sandringham Sabres had to beat the Melbourne Tigers on Sunday to finish in sixth position at the end of the regular season and while they did so, it was anything but easy to claim the 74-70 triumph.
The Tigers were determined to end their season at home on a high note but the Sabres could fall to seventh or eighth with a loss so had plenty to play for on the last day.
Sandringham did start well to lead by seven points in the opening period and then 11 in the second but the Tigers weren’t going away.
Melbourne grabbed the lead on a couple of occasions throughout the second half with their last lead coming with three minutes to play thanks to a bucket from Amy O'Neill.
From that moment, Klara Wischer returned the Sabres to the lead before Funda Nakkasoglu knocked down a three-pointer and ultimately Sandringham secured the four-point win.
The result means that the Sabres finish in sixth position with a 13-9 record to now host the Ringwood Hawks in an elimination final against the defending champions on Saturday night.
Melbourne's season now ends in 17th position with a 5-17 record.
Georgia Pineau finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals for Sandringham with Britt Smart adding 17 points and four boards, and Funda Nakkasoglu 16 points, three assists and two rebounds.
Sam Simons delivered 21 points, four rebounds and two assists for Melbourne with Hanah Giddey adding 19 points, 10 boards, three assists and three blocks, Tylah Hooper eight points, four rebounds and two assists, and Amy O'Neill eight points, nine boards and three assists.
Thunder finish the season on a high
There was just pride on the line for Casey and Keilor at Casey Stadium on Sunday to close the NBL1 South season, and it was the Thunder who ended their season on a high beating the Cavaliers 84-77.
The Cavs came into the game having lost their past three matches but they had a chance to avoid finishing in bottom place while the Thunder had won two of their past four to be finishing the season with a degree of momentum.
It was the home team who started the better, though, with the Cavs leading 25-15 by quarter-time and then for that lead to grow to 12 in the second quarter.
Keilor took over the longer the game went, however, and would eventually open up a 12-point lead of their own in the final stanza before securing the seven-point victory.
The result sees the Thunder finish the season with a 7-15 record and having won three of their past five matches. Casey ends up in bottom spot at 3-19 and having lost their last four games of 2023.
Lana Hollingsworth delivered 27 points and four rebounds for Keilor on the back of knocking down 6/7 of her three-point attempts.
Juna Umezawa added 21 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals, Anna Clephane 17 points and five assists, Madeline Puli nine points, eight boards, two assists and two steals, and Macey Boyle eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Lauren Van Kleunen provided another 21 points, five rebounds and three assists for Casey with Rachel Bell adding 21 points, seven boards, here assists and three blocks on shooting 4/4 from three-point range.
Maighan Hedge splashes it back-to-back from the same spot ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 16, 2023
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MEN
Knox head into finals on 10-game winning streak
The Knox Raiders will head into the NBL1 South playoffs on a 10-game winning streak after finishing the regular season on Sunday beating the Bendigo Braves 96-59 at the State Basketball Centre.
The Raiders came into the game having already secured the regular season championship but they were going to make the most of the one final hit out before the playoffs begin against the out of contention Braves.
Knox was able to build a nine-point lead during the first quarter after scoring 10 consecutive points before that lead blew out to 19 points in the second term, 28 in the third and 39 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 37-point victory.
Knox finishes the season with an 18-4 record to be two games clear in top spot ahead of hosting the Sandringham Sabres in a qualifying final this Saturday night.
The Braves finish their season in 13th position with a 10-12 record.
Wayne Stewart Jr finished the afternoon with 18 points and seven rebounds for Knox with Ke'Jhan Feagin contributing 18 points, five boards and four assists, Austin Rapp 15 points and eight rebounds, and Madut Akec 15 points, four steals and three boards.
Adam Pechacek top-scored for Bendigo with 20 points and seven rebounds with Lat Mayen adding 13 points and seven boards.
Madut Akec grabs the steal and ?????? ?? ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 16, 2023
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Glover helps shoot Wildcats to win over Pioneers
The lone Sunday match up featuring two playoff bound teams took place at Montmorency Secondary College with the Eltham Wildcats ending up beating the Mount Gambier Pioneers 95-88.
While the win wasn’t quite enough for the Wildcats to break into a top four finish, it did deny the Pioneers a second place finish and it was Angus Glover's shooting performance that was instrumental in the final result.
It was Mount Gambier who did get the better of the start trying to finish in that second position. The Pioneers opened up an early 12-point lead and then were still leading by seven during the second term.
Angus Glover was firing shots from the ??? ???? today ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 16, 2023
His mighty 6?? triples helped the Eltham Wildcats to an important win on the eve of finals ?
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However, Eltham had got scores back level by half-time and then it was Glover's shooting that helped the Wildcats take charge in the second half to end up leading by as much as 14 points in the fourth term before ending up winning by seven.
The result sees the Wildcats end up on a 14-8 record in fifth position while the Pioneers are 15-7 in third.
What it means is that Eltham plays an elimination final at home to Waverley Falcons on Saturday with the Pioneers on the road to the Frankston Blues in a qualifying final.
Callum Dalton ended up with 27 points and eight rebounds for the Wildcats on 11/15 shooting from the field while Angus Glover nailed 6/12 from downtown for 25 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Ovie Magbegor also had 12 points and eight rebounds, Owen Foxwell 12 points, six assists, four boards and two steals, and Sam Short six points, 11 assists and five rebounds.
Nick Marshall ended up with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Mount Gambier while Will Mayfield added 16 points with 3/5 three-point shooting, Dylan Marshall 16 points and four assists, Tom Kubank 12 points and three rebounds, and Titus Robinson 10 points.
Sam Short is ???? with it ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 16, 2023
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Supercats end season with two big wins
The Geelong United Supercats might not have made the playoffs but they sure could have had an impact if they did which they showed again on Sunday with the 93-72 victory against the Waverley Falcons.
The Supercats could no longer reach the playoffs coming into the last weekend but that didn’t stop them putting on a show on Saturday to beat Keilor on Saturday with Gabe Hadley going for 43 points and DeMarcus Gatlin delivering a triple-double.
They kept that momentum going on Sunday against a Waverley team who were getting ready to be part of the playoffs.
It was a close game throughout the first half with Geelong leading by a point at quarter-time and then just by four at half-time, but the Supercats then took charge in the second half to end their season on a high note.
Geelong ended up outscoring Waverley 49 points to 30 in the second half to claim the 21-point win to win their last two games by a total of 52 points to end up on an 11-11 record in 11th position.
Despite the loss, Waverley will still take part in the playoffs from eighth position and will play the Eltham Wildcats in an elimination final at Montmorency Secondary College on Saturday night.
George Blagojevic finished the season with another standout performance for Geelong United too with 30 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks on 14/27 shooting from the field.
Matthew McCarthy added 26 points and 10 rebounds, Nick Velasquez 11 points and two assists, Liam Herbert nine points and six rebounds, and they did it without Gabe Hadley after his 43 points on Saturday.
It was a short rotation that the Falcons went with including going without Dillon Stith, Tristan Forsyth and Dexter Kernich-Drew with Jake Heath top-scoring with 23 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals, Ryan Dean 15 points and six boards, and Dylan Larkin 12 points and seven rebounds.
Dylan Larkin showing off the party tricks ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 16, 2023
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Sabres enter finals in winning form from fourth
Despite Jack Purchase continuing his hot form to close the season, the Sandringham Sabres will enter the playoffs in winning form after Sunday's 84-74 win against the Melbourne Tigers.
The Sabres did start the final weekend with a loss to the Frankston Blues on Saturday to miss a chance to contend for second spot but they were still able to lock away fourth with Sunday's victory against the out of contention Tigers.
That doesn’t mean they had it all their own way with Melbourne also desperate to finish off the season winning an 11th game.
The Tigers started well to lead by as much as five points in the first quarter and they did have the lead for at least a brief period in every period, including the fourth.
The Tigers were back in front thanks to Jack Purchase with 7:30 to play but Nic Gabsch responded with a triple for the Sabres and they wouldn’t again trail going on to score the 10-point win.
The result sees Sandringham end the season in fourth position with 15-7 record to set up a qualifying final battle with the Knox Raiders on Saturday at the State Basketball Centre.
The Tigers finish their season in 12th position with a 10-12 record with the second half of the season significantly better where they won six of the last 10 games.
Campbell Blogg top-scored for Sandringham with 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals while Tom Koppens contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds, CJ Asuncion-Byrd 13 points, two boards and two assists, and Nic Gabsch 13 points and five rebounds.
Jack Purchase finished the season providing the Tigers with another 27 points and 13 rebounds with 5/9 shooting from the land of plenty. Michael Wearne added 16 points and three assists, Remo Simankevicius eight points and six rebounds, and Felix von Hofe eight poitns and four assists.
Casey finish on a high with win over Keilor
It might not have been quite enough for them to avoid the wooden spoon, but the Casey Cavaliers at least finished their season on a high with the 98-63 win against the Keilor Thunder.
Neither team could still contend for the playoffs coming into the back end of the season but it was the home team ready and willing to finish on a high on Sunday at Casey Stadium.
The Cavs were on top of the contest all afternoon including leading by as much as nine points in the first quarter, 14 in the second, 25 in the third and 38 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 35-point victory.
The result sees the Cavaliers still finish in bottom spot with a 4-18 record while Keilor ends up at 8-14.
Blake Taylor finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals for Casey while hitting 6/8 of his three-point attempts.
Sidy Djitte added 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Nathan Frost 13 points and 11 boards, Preston Bungei 11 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, and Mitch Riggs 11 points and two boards.
Robbie Heath top-scored for Keilor with 20 points, two rebounds and two steals with Oliver Hayes-Brown contributing 19 points and 10 boards, and William Jenkins III 15 points and six rebounds.
