Feature images via: Trent Moore Photography/Cam Brown
The Sandringham Sabres shocked the Bendigo Braves to end their NBL1 South winning run with the Nunawading Spectres women also getting their first win and Sekou Sylla produced a stunning game winning putback for North West Tasmania Thunder.
Saturday night's NBL1 South women's matches saw the Sandringham Sabres beat the Bendigo Braves 94-88, the Nunawading Spectres defeat the Kilsyth Cobras 79-75, the Eltham Wildcats down the Melbourne Tigers 95-70, and the Dandenong Rangers win 83-70 against Geelong United.
The Knox Raiders also won 90-71 over the Diamond Valley Eagles with the Hobart Chargers beating the Ballarat Miners 72-65, the Casey Cavaliers downing the Launceston Tornadoes 82-74, the Ringwood Hawks defeating the Waverley Falcons 90-85.
Then in the men's contests, the Sabres defeated the Braves 111-61, the Spectres downed the Cobras 94-74, the Tigers beat the Wildcats 89-81, the Rangers downed Geelong 78-74, and the Raiders prevailed 101-72 against the Eagles.
Ballarat also defeated Hobart 88-79, North West Tasmania Thunder beat Casey 84-83 and Waverley downed Ringwood 95-83.
RECAP NBL1 SOUTH | ANZAC ROUND FRIDAY
WOMEN
Bendigo Braves (88) lost to Sandringham Sabres (94)
The streak is over. The Sandringham Sabres have pulled off the stunning upset to hand the Bendigo Braves their first defeat since the 2022 Grand Final, winning 94-88.
The Braves were back home at Red Energy Arena on Saturday evening having now won 30 consecutive games in the NBL1 South since that Grand Final loss to the Ringwood Hawks of 2022.
That saw Bendigo win the NBL1 South championship of 2023 and then go on to stay unbeaten at the National Finals too to claim that championship, and the Braves opened the 2024 season with another five wins coming into Saturday's match up.
It was the first game of the season for the Braves without Perth Lynx WNBL star Amy Atwell too with the Sabres arriving on a three-game winning streak and up for the challenge.
Bendigo were still leading 28-27 by the end of the first quarter and remained on top 53-49 at the half-time break.
The streak looked well and truly on track to extend to 31 in the NBL1 South and then to 34 if you including the National Finals when the Braves took further control in the third quarter with the lead getting out to as much as 19 points.
But Sandringham just wouldn’t be denied and they delivered a remarkable fourth quarter.
The Sabres overran the Braves on their home floor with 32 points to 12 in the final term and Bendigo didn’t have the answers late as Sandringham held on for the six-point win to hand the Braves a first defeat since the 2022 Grand Final.
The win is all the more meritorious for Sandringham given it was in Bendigo as the Sabres made it four straight wins to improve to 4-2 on the season.
Funda Nakkasoglu came up huge in the win for Sandringham with 24 points, four rebounds and two assists with Isis Lopes contributing 18 points, six boards and four assists.
Not only did Juna Umezawa have 17 points and 11 rebounds, but she showed nerves of steel late with clutch free-throws while Eilidh Simpson added 13 points, two assists and two steals, and Britt Smart 10 points and three rebounds.
Despite the loss for Bendigo, the reigning champs still got some monster performances including Megan McKay finishing with 33 points and 11 rebounds on 16/21 shooting.
Ally Wilson also had 27 points while Kelly Wilson produced another triple-double consisting of 13 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds along with four steals.
The Braves back up on Sunday to also host the Ringwood Hawks at 12pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. The Sabres also play again on Sunday hosting the Nunawading Spectres at 2pm.
BENDIGO BRAVES 88 (McKay 33, A Wilson 27, K Wilson 13)
SANDRINGHAM SABRES 94 (Nakkasoglu 24, Lopes 18, Umezawa 17)
Kilsyth Cobras (75) lost to Nunawading Spectres (79)
The two remaining winless NBL1 South teams put on quite the show on Saturday night with the Nunawading Spectres prevailing 79-75 against the Kilsyth Cobras.
Both teams had lost their opening five games of the 2024 season heading into Saturday night's match up at Kilsyth Sports Centre.
It was Nunawading who got the better of the start to be leading 25-16 at quarter-time and they would lead the entire way from there.
The lead for the Spectres got out to 12 points in the second quarter and 15 in the third, but the Cobras then threw everything at a comeback in the final term.
The closest Kilsyth were able to get was the final four-point margin thanks to a late Hannah Day three, but the deficit just proved too much with Nunawading holding on to win by four and open its account for 2024 and leaving the Cobras at 0-6 as the last remaining winless team.
Bride Kennedy-Hopoate might have gone down with a cramp late in the piece, but up to that point she was outstanding for the Spectres with 27 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Louise Forsyth added 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals, Batabe Zempare 15 points and 13 boards, and Isabel Feller 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Georgia Booth top-scored for the Cobras with 20 points and five rebounds with Tyra Maria-Whitehead contributing 14 points, 16 boards and five assists.
Caitlin Cunningham also had 10 points and three boards, Nikita Young 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals, and Hannah Day 11 points.
The Spectres back up on Sunday on the road to the Sandringham Sabres 2pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. Kilsyth next plays away to the Dandenong Rangers next Saturday.
KILSYTH COBRAS 75 (Booth 20, Whitehead 14, Day 11)
NUNAWADING SPECTRES 79 (Kennedy-Hopoate 27, Zempare 15, Forsyth 15)
Melbourne Tigers (70) lost to Eltham Wildcats (95)
The Eltham Wildcats made it three straight wins and snapped the winning run of the Melbourne Tigers with the 95-70 victory.
Both teams came into the match up having won their past two games and after the Tigers opened up a six-point lead early, the Wildcats took over with 11 consecutive points.
That helped Eltham to lead 24-15 by the end of the first term and the Wildcats pushed away further with another 23 points to 12 in the second term to go into the main break leading 47-27.
From there Eltham's lead grew out to 31 points in the second half and they would end up winning by 25 away from home to make it three straight and improve to 3-3 on the season.
Shannon Dufficy delivered 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots for the Wildcats with Hailey Leidel contributing 17 points and five boards.
Erin Riley also had 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, Bec Pizzey 10 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals, and Lily Scanlon nine points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Tigers are now 4-3 following the loss despite Sam Simons putting up 27 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Tylah Hooper also produced 17 points with Leila Davis adding eight points, and Cierra Dillard five points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Tigers are away next Saturday to the Sandringham Sabres with the Wildcats hosting the Ringwood Hawks.
MELBOURNE TIGERS 70 (Simons 27, Hooper 17, Davis 8)
ELTHAM WILDCATS 95 (Dufficy 18, Leidel 17, Riley 11)
Dandenong Rangers (83) defeated Geelong United (70)
The Dandenong Rangers continued their winning ways with Nyadiew Puoch again leading the way in the 83-70 home victory against Geelong United.
The Rangers came into the game after beating the Frankston Blues on Anzac Day eve with Puoch back in the line-up fresh off being drafted into the WNBA by the Atlanta Dream last week.
Geelong United arrived at Dandenong Basketball Stadium also fresh off recording its first win of the season setting up the match up on Saturday evening.
Dandenong took charge of the contest early and raced out to a 14-point first quarter lead and were still on top 25-13 by the end of one.
It was another 23 points to 15 in the second frame from the home team to see the Rangers turn into the half-time interval leading 48-28.
The lead got out to as much as 23 in the second half with Dandenong ending up cruising to the 13-point victory to improve to a 6-2 record on the season.
Nyadiew Puoch was the star of the evening for the Rangers with 24 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots on 10/13 shooting from the field.
Dallas Loughridge added 22 points, six rebounds and five assists, Amber Smith 19 points, four boards and two assists, and Manuela Puoch 14 points, five assists and three rebounds.
Jada Rice top-scored for the now 1-4 Geelong with 20 points, eight rebounds and two steals with Sarah Elsworthy contributing 18 points, seven assists, four steals and three rebounds.
Dandenong is now away to the Waverley Falcons on Tuesday night at 6pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. Geelong plays host to Mount Gambier next Saturday.
DANDENONG RANGERS 83 (Puoch 24, Loughridge 22, Smith 19)
GEELONG UNITED 70 (Rice 20, Elsworthy 18, Swain 14)
Diamond Valley Eagles (71) lost to Knox Raiders (90)
The Knox Raiders continued their hot start to the NBL1 South season with Alicia Froling firing once more in the 90-71 victory on the road to the Diamond Valley Eagles.
The Raiders arrived at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre having won four of five games this season ahead of taking on the Eagles who were looking to snap a two-game losing slide.
Knox shot out of the blocks firing out to an early 14-point lead thanks to a 12-0 scoring run but to the credit of Diamond Valley, the home team hit back with 11 straight points of their own.
That meant that scores were all tied at 22-22 by quarter-time and Diamond Valley kept that momentum going with another 25 points to 14 in the second term to go into half-time leading 47-36.
Knox needed to respond to keep its winning form going and that's exactly what the Raiders did with a dominant third period made up of 21 points to seven.
It was then another 33 points to 17 in the final frame with the lead for the Raiders growing to as much as 19 points by the final buzzer as they made it three consecutive wins to improve to a 5-1 record on the season.
Alicia Froling was a dominant force again in the win for Knox with 25 points, 10 rebounds, six blocked shots and three steals.
Emma Pearce also had 14 points and six rebounds for the Raiders, Lean Santomaggio 13 points and three steals, Paige Bradley 13 points, nine assists and six rebounds, and Paige Burrows 10 points and four assists.
Diamond Valley is now 2-4 following the loss with Gemma Potter producing 30 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Naomi Mbandu added 15 points, seven boards, three steals and three blocks, Sophie Byrnes eight points and five assists, and Jennie Rintala six points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
Diamond Valley is on the road next Saturday to the Nunawading Spectres while Knox plays host to the Casey Cavaliers.
DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 71 (Potter 30, Mbandu 15, Byrnes 8)
KNOX RAIDERS 90 (Froling 25, Pearce 14, Bradley 13, Santomaggio 13)
Hobart Chargers (72) defeated Ballarat Miners (65)
The Hobart Chargers got back to the winner's list with 26 points from Jayda Jansen instrumental in the 72-65 home win against the Ballarat Miners.
Both teams also played on Friday night with Hobart losing at home to the Casey Cavaliers while Ballarat went down to the Launceston Tornadoes with both teams attempting to hit back at Pembroke Park.
The Chargers were able to open up an eight-point lead in the first quarter but it remained a tight contest the rest of the first half before Hobart held on to a 38-32 advantage going into the break.
There was never more than nine points between the two teams the entire game, but the Chargers did maintain a narrow lead most of the contest and eventually held strong for the seven-point victory.
The win improves Hobart to a 3-4 record on the season with Ballarat now 2-4 with the double loss weekend in Tasmania.
Jayda Jansen had a tremendous night for Hobart with 26 points, eight rebounds and two assists including knocking down 4/11 from three-point range.
Cierra Walker added 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, Kayla Steindl 12 points, 15 boards, three assists and three steals and Chloe Broomhall pulled down 10 rebounds.
Chloe Bibby did all she could to keep Ballarat in the contest with 27 points and 13 rebounds with Abbey Wehrung adding 17 points, three boards and three assists, and Micah Simpson 11 points, six assists and four rebounds.
The Chargers are back at home on Friday night to the Frankston Blues while Ballarat is on the road to Keilor Thunder on Saturday.
HOBART CHARGERS 72 (Jansen 26, Walker 16, Steindl 12)
BALLARAT MINERS 65 (Bibby 27, Wehrung 17, Simpson 11)
Launceston Tornadoes (74) lost to Casey Cavaliers (82)
The Casey Cavaliers made it the perfect weekend in the Apple Isle backing up Friday's win by defeating the Launceston Tornadoes 82-74 on Saturday.
The Cavs snapped their nine-game losing streak dating back to last year with the thrilling overtime win over the Hobart Chargers on Friday night while the Tornadoes were attempting to back up their victory as well against the Ballarat Miners.
Casey were able to open up a seven-point lead in the first quarter but it was back to just a two-point game by quarter-time.
Again the Cavaliers opened up a 13-point lead in the second term and they would end up outscoring Launceston 24 points to 15 to go into half-time on top 45-34.
It was more of the same from Casey in the third quarter with another 23 points to 11 and that saw the lead for the visitors grow to as much as 23 points.
Launceston threw everything at the fightback in the last quarter and they did put up 29 points to 14, but the deficit proved too much with the Cavs holding out for the eight-point win for the double win road trip to Tasmania this weekend.
Taylah Simmons shot 8/11 from the field for Casey and finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists with Lauryn Hippolite contributing 18 points, four boards and two assists with 4/8 three-point shooting.
Alex Wittinger also delivered 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks, Sharne Robati 12 points and three assists, and Taylah Gillam eight points, six rebounds and four assists.
Keely Froling delivered another 18 points and nine rebounds for Launceston with Trinity Oliver contributing 17 points, 13 boards and four steals, Macey Crawford 16 points and four rebounds, and Josie Pinkerton 13 points and three boards.
Launceston remains at home to host the Frankston Blues on Saturday with the Cavs away to the Knox Raiders on Saturday.
LAUNCESTON TORNADOES 74 (Froling 18, Oliver 17, Crawford 16)
CASEY CAVALIERS 82 (Hippolite 18, Simmons 18, Wittinger 15)
Waverley Falcons (85) lost to Ringwood Hawks (90)
The Ringwood Hawks put up a terrific second half to improve to 7-1 on the NBL1 South season to beat the Waverley Falcons 90-85 on the road.
The Hawks arrived at Waverley Basketball Centre on a 6-1 record this season taking on a Falcons team looking to start building some momentum and improving on their 2-3 start.
Waverley did hold a narrow 26-24 lead at home by quarter-time with the Falcons then extending that advantage to 48-42 by the half-time interval.
Ringwood turned the tide in the third quarter and after falling down 10 early in the second half, worked on top and managed to open up a five-point lead of their own.
The lead for the Hawks then got out to nine points in the final frame and they would hold on to win by five to improve to 7-1 to start the 2024 season.
Ahlise Hurst had a tremendous night in the win for Ringwood finishing with 27 points, five rebounds and two assists on knocking down 6/9 from three-point territory.
Digna Strautmane also had 18 points, five boards, four assists and two blocks for the Hawks while Annabel Deerbon added 18 points, five rebounds and two steals, and Lana Hollingsworth 14 points and two steals.
Waverley is now 2-4 on the season following the loss with Carley Ernst putting up 20 points and four assists.
Her Southside Flyers WNBL championship winning teammate Bec Cole also had 18 points and 11 assists with Renae Mokrzycki contributing 17 points, six boards and four steals, and Sharna Thompson 10 points.
Both teams back up to play on Sunday with Ringwood away to the Bendigo Braves at 12pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. Waverley is on the road to Keilor Thunder at 2pm.
WAVERLEY FALCONS 85 (Ernst 20, Cole 18, Mokrzycki 17)
RINGWOOD HAWKS 90 (Hurst 27, Strautmane 18, Deerbon 18)
MEN
Bendigo Braves (61) lost to Sandringham Sabres (111)
The Sandringham Sabres made quite the statement against a shorthanded Bendigo Braves with Shea Ili instrumental in the 111-61 triumph.
Sandringham arrived at Red Energy Arena for the Saturday night match up having won its past two games since welcoming Melbourne United pair Tanner Krebs and Ili into the line-up.
Bendigo was looking to hit back from a loss to Nunawading but it was always going to be tough without leading scorer Rowan Mackenzie due to a back injury.
The Sabres had opened up a 10-point lead already by quarter-time and went on with the job from there to be leading by 23 points in the second term before going into half-time on top 51-28.
It was then a monster third quarter from the Sabres with 38 points to 14 with the lead blowing out to 47 points. It got to 55 in the fourth before Sandringham won by 50 to improve to 3-3 on the season.
Shea Ili took over the contest to set up the big win for Sandringham and narrowly missed a triple-double with 17 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and four steals on 6/10 shooting.
His Melbourne United NBL teammate Tanner Krebs top-scored with 27 points on 4/6 three-point shooting with nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Joel Foxwell added 18 points, five assists and four steals, Tom Koppens 13 points and seven rebounds, and Kaylan Kitto 13 points, three boards and two assists.
The Braves are now 3-3 following the defeat with Lachlan O'Brien top-scoring with 16 points while Andrew Robinson contributed 13 points and six rebounds, Lachlan Somerville 12 points and two steals, and Billy Smythe 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Braves back up on Sunday to also host the Ringwood Hawks at 2pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. The Sabres also play again on Sunday hosting the Nunawading Spectres at 4pm.
BENDIGO BRAVES 61 (O'Brien 16, Robinson 13, Somerville 12)
SANDRINGHAM SABRES 111 (Krebs 27, Foxwell 18, Ili 17)
Kilsyth Cobras (74) lost to Nunawading Spectres (94)
The Nunawading Spectres overcame 33 points from Kyle Adnam to have too much firepower for the Kilsyth Cobras to claim the 94-74 victory.
The Spectres arrived at Kilsyth Sports Centre looking to make it back-to-back wins up against a Kilsyth team still on the look out for a second win of 2024.
Nunawading already managed to build a double-figure lead in the first quarter and that advantage got out to 13 in the second term, but then Kilsyth made a game of it with Kyle Adnam catching fire.
The Cobras even grabbed a four-point lead on the back of scoring eight straight points. The home team ended up outscoring Nunawading 29 points to 17 in the second term and as a result went into half-time leading 43-41.
They had thrown the challenge down to the Spectres but the visitors responded in emphatic fashion with 27 points to 14 in the third quarter, and another 26 to 17 in the fourth on the way to the 20-point triumph.
The win improves Nunawading to a 4-2 record on the season while Kilsyth is now 1-5 with three losses on the trot.
Trendon Hankerson finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists but what was most impressive about Nunawading's performance was the amount of help he had.
Kingsley Box also had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Daniel Baxter 14 points and five boards, Jack Gandolfo 13 points, five assists and three rebounds, and Christian D'Angelo 12 points and two boards.
Kyle Adnam put up 33 points on 11/21 shooting from the floor, 5/9 from downtown and 6/8 at the foul line for Kilsyth but he didn’t get enough support with no other player scoring in double-digits.
The Spectres back up on Sunday on the road to the Sandringham Sabres 4pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. Kilsyth next plays away to the Dandenong Rangers next Saturday.
KILSYTH COBRAS 74 (Adnam 33, Tomada 8, Dielemans 8)
NUNAWADING SPECTRES 94 (Hankerson 20, Box 17, Baxter 14)
Melbourne Tigers (89) defeated Eltham Wildcats (81)
The Melbourne Tigers made it three wins in-a-row by knocking off the league-leading Eltham Wildcats 89-81 on Saturday night.
The Tigers had lost their opening four matches of the season but under the coaching of Andrew Gaze, they broke through for two wins last weekend against the Waverley Falcons and Diamond Valley Eagles.
Melbourne were back home on Saturday night to host the Wildcats who were sitting on top of the NBL1 South table as the only team not to have lost multiple games so far in 2024.
That set up a fascinating contest in Anzac Round with the Tigers working on top late in the first quarter, and then keeping that momentum going through the second term to lead by as much as 15 points.
Melbourne were still leading 48-35 by half-time and the Tigers maintained their advantage throughout the second half on the way to the eight-point win for a third straight victory.
Jack Purchase top-scored for the Tigers with 22 points while Tom Wilson contributed 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Michael Wearne added 14 points on 5/7 shooting with Taj Chehhal contributing eight points.
It was a rough night for Angus Glover for Eltham with just four points and five assists on 2/11 shooting but Josh Sykes top-scored with 22 points and 13 rebounds on 8/11 from the field.
Owen Foxwell contributed 21 points, six rebounds and three assists, Ovie Magbegor 12 points, and Sam Short nine points, nine boards and four steals.
The Tigers are away next Saturday to the Sandringham Sabres with the Wildcats hosting the Ringwood Hawks.
MELBOURNE TIGERS 89 (Purchase 22, Wilson 21, Wearne 14)
ELTHAM WILDCATS 81 (Sykes 22, Foxwell 21, Magbegor 12)
Dandenong Rangers (78) defeated Geelong United (74)
The Dandenong Rangers hit back from the Anzac Day eve loss to win a tight affair 78-74 at home to Geelong United.
The Rangers lost to the Frankston Blues back on Wednesday night ahead of hosting Geelong United on Saturday at Dandenong Basketball Stadium.
Geelong arrived on a two-game winning run but for most of the evening it was the Rangers in control of the contest including leading by five points at quarter-time.
Dandenong pushed that advantage out to as much as 12 points in the second quarter to still be leading 37-30 at the half-time break.
The Rangers were back out to an 11-point lead in the third period before Geelong scored the first five points of the last quarter to grab the lead on the back of a Liam Herbert three-pointer.
Jack Roberts hit a jumper to restore the lead for Dandenong and by the time Roberts also knocked down a three ball with seven minutes to play the Rangers were back out to a double-figure lead.
From there Dandenong held on for the four-point win to improve to 5-3 on the season with Geelong 2-3 with the defeat.
Mason Peatling finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in the win for the Rangers with Jacoby Tryon adding 17 points and 10 boards, Jack Roberts 17 points and nine rebounds, and Tad Dufelmeier 12 points, six steals, five assists and three boards.
Latrell Jones top-scored for Geelong United with 23 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks with George Blagojevic contributing 16 points and 10 boards, DeMarcus Gatlin 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Ma'alo Hicks 12 points and 10 boards.
Dandenong is now away to the Waverley Falcons on Tuesday night at 8pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. Geelong plays host to Mount Gambier next Saturday.
DANDENONG RANGERS 78 (Peatling 21, Tyron 17, Roberts 17)
GEELONG UNITED 74 (Jones 23, Blagojevic 16, Gatlin 13)
Diamond Valley Eagles (72) lost to Knox Raiders (101)
The defending champion Knox Raiders hit back from last Saturday's loss to the Dandenong Rangers to beat the Diamond Valley Eagles 101-72 a week later.
The Eagles were at home at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre still hunting for their first win of the season up against the defending champion Raiders who were looking to avoid a third loss in their past four matches.
Knox were without Melbourne United NBL forward Kyle Bowen, but were still able to take control of the contest in the second quarter opening up a 14-point lead and being up 45-33 at half-time.
Knox went on with the job from there to lead by as much as 21 points in the third frame and 36 in the fourth on the back of scoring 14 straight points.
From there the Raiders scored the 29-point victory to improve to 4-2 on the season in their championship defence while the Eagles are 0-6 as the lone winless team left in the NBL1 South.
Malith Machar led the way for the Raiders with 24 points and 10 rebounds on 8/13 shooting with Austin Rapp contributing 20 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
Brody Nunn added 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals with KJ Feagin contributing 12 points, four assists and two rebounds, and Anzac Rissetto 12 points, eight boards and two assists.
Diamond Valley has brought in dynamic point guard Bryton Hobbs who had a standout season in 2023 in the NBL1 West at the Perth Redbacks. He finished with 24 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Jock Perry added 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots, and Zachary Tavitian 13 points and four boards.
Diamond Valley is on the road next Saturday to the Nunawading Spectres while Knox plays host to the Casey Cavaliers.
DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 72 (Hobbs 24, Perry 16, Tavitian 13)
KNOX RAIDERS 101 (Machar 24, Rapp 20, Nunn 14)
Hobart Chargers (79) lost to Ballarat Miners (88)
The Ballarat Miners hit back from a narrow loss to start their double Tasmanian road trip with the 88-79 victory against the Hobart Chargers.
Both teams played on Friday night with the Chargers beating the Casey Cavaliers having welcomed Tasmania JackJumpers championship winning captain Clint Steindl into the line-up while Ballarat lost a thriller to the North West Tasmania Thunder.
That set up their Saturday match up at Pembroke Park with the Chargers leading by five points early before the Miners hit back with an 8-0 run to end up leading by five at quarter-time.
Ballarat were still clinging to a 40-37 lead at the half-time break but Hobart fired back in the third period with the home team grabbing the lead, and then still being up one early in the final period.
However, the Miners took control of the contest from there and for good this time opening up a 10-point lead and winning by nine to improve to a 4-2 record as a result.
Majok Majok delivered 22 points and 10 rebounds on 8/13 shooting in the win for the Miners with Nick Stoddart contributing 19 points, three boards and two assists, Luke Rosendale 11 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Tyler Rudolph 11 points and seven boards.
JackJumpers development player Jacob Richards top-scored for the now 4-3 Chargers with 20 points and eight rebounds with Ole Angerstein contributing 17 points and 14 boards on 8/11 shooting.
Vionte Daniels also had 17 points and Clint Steindl 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The Chargers are back at home on Friday night to the Frankston Blues while Ballarat is on the road to Keilor Thunder on Saturday.
HOBART CHARGERS 79 (Richards 20, Angerstein 17, Daniels 17)
BALLARAT MINERS 88 (Majok 22, Stoddart 19, Rosendale 11, Rudolph 11)
North West Tasmania Thunder (84) defeated Casey Cavaliers (83)
The most spectacular leap for an offensive rebound and then put back basket at the buzzer from Sekou Sylla has delivered the North West Tasmania Thunder the 84-83 home victory over the Casey Cavaliers.
Both teams were fresh off playing the previous night with the Cavs opening their road double in Tasmania losing to the Hobart Chargers while the Thunder won a thriller at home to the Ballarat Miners.
The two teams locked horns at Elphin Sports Stadium and it was a tight contest throughout the first half with Casey leading by a point at quarter-time and then North West were up by one at half-time.
It was the Cavaliers who opened up a game-high 11-point lead in the third quarter but North West Tasmania again fired back and it all set up a dramatic finish.
After Dillon Stith restored a three-point lead for Casey with five minutes to play, North West scored the next four points to retake the lead and it continued to exchange hands the rest of the way.
After two free-throws from Isaac Atuer put the Thunder up by three with just under a minute to play, Josh Tomasi threw down a dunk for Casey.
Then after a turnover for the Thunder from Sekou Sylla as he attempted a drive, the Cavaliers scored up the other end to go back in front by a point when Stith was able to tip back in the attempted layup from Preston Bungei.
North West had one more chance out of a timeout and Tre Armstrong's shot in the corner missed but then Sylla soared over the pack spectacularly to grab the offensive rebound. He then bounced back up to put in the basket as the buzzer sounded and the Thunder won in dramatic fashion.
The win improves North West Tasmania to a 3-4 record with the two wins this weekend and not only did Sekou Sylla hit the game winner, but finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Tre Armstrong added 15 points and three rebounds, Seth Swalve nine points, six boards and six assists, and Archer Woodhill eight points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Cavaliers might be 2-5 now but are playing some impressive basketball with Dillon Stith producing 21 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Josh Tomasi added 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, Preston Bungei 17 points, nine boards, four assists and two steals, and Adam Thoseby 16 points and two blocked shots.
North West Tasmania remains at home to host the Frankston Blues on Saturday with the Cavs away to the Knox Raiders on Saturday.
NORTH WEST TASMANIA THUNDER 84 (Sylla 27, Armstrong 15, Swalve 9)
CASEY CAVALIERS 83 (Stith 21, Tomasi 18, Bungei 17)
Waverley Falcons (95) defeated Ringwood Hawks (83)
DJ Vasiljevic produced 30 points in a match-winning performance as the Waverley Falcons beat the Ringwood Hawks 95-83 at home on Saturday night.
Waverley came into the contest at Waverley Basketball Centre looking to improve to a .500 record on the season so far upon hosting a Ringwood team trying to avoid a third successive defeat.
The Falcons scored the last 10 points of the first quarter to lead 29-19 at quarter-time with Waverley keeping that momentum going into the second term to open up an 18-point lead by half-time.
The lead for Waverley grew to 21 points in the third quarter and while Ringwood mounted a fightback, the Hawks could never get quite close enough to strike with the Falcons holding on to win by 12 and improve to 3-3 on the season.
Adelaide 36ers NBL guard DJ Vasiljevic led the charge for Waverley with 30 points, 11 rebounds and five assists with 5/13 three-point shooting.
Mason Forbes also had 16 points and five rebounds with Matthew McCarthy contributing 14 points and four boards, Malik Meunier 13 points and five rebounds, and Bennie Lewis 10 points, two boards and two assists.
Braelen Bridges top-scored for Ringwood who is now 4-4 with the defeat. He finished with 23 points and seven rebounds on 10/13 shooting from the field.
Jonathan Lawton added 19 points, six assists and four rebounds, Matt Roberts 19 points and five boards, and Harry Sealey 13 points.
Both teams back up to play on Sunday with Ringwood away to the Bendigo Braves at 2pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. Waverley is on the road to Keilor Thunder at 4pm.
WAVERLEY FALCONS 95 (Vasiljevic 30, Forbes 16, McCarthy 14)
RINGWOOD HAWKS 83 (Bridges 23, Lawton 19, Roberts 19)
