Featured images: In2Action Photography (Jodie Rawiri) / Trent Moore @Trent_Moore_Sports_Photography
Paige Bradley and Alicia Froling helped the Knox Raiders survive 50 points from Amy Atwell in NBL1 South Saturday action while Akech Aliir, Daniel Poelsma, Kingsley Box and Angus Glover were among the men's stars for the night.
Saturday night's women's results saw Geelong United beat the Melbourne Tigers 91-77 while the Ballarat Miners defeated the Dandenong Rangers 82-78, the Eltham Wildcats beat the Casey Cavaliers 83-78, the Frankston Blues downed the Nunawading Spectres 85-59, and the Mount Gambier Pioneers won 69-48 against the Kilsyth Cobras.
Keilor Thunder also beat the Ringwood Hawks 84-78 while the Sandringham Sabres defeated the Launceston Tornadoes 86-54, the Knox Raiders won 87-85 against the Bendigo Braves and the Waverley Falcons defeated the Diamond Valley Eagles 85-72.
Then in the men's contests, Geelong beat Melbourne 72-66 while the Rangers defeated the Miners 86-84, the Wildcats defeated the Cavaliers 100-71, the Spectres downed the Blues 102-93, the Pioneers won 90-81 against the Cobras, the Falcons defeated the Eagles 102-97, the Raiders downed the Braves 97-72, the Sabres beat the Thunder 94-80, and Keilor defeated Ringwood 77-70.
RECAP NBL1 SOUTH | ROUND 10 FRIDAY
WOMEN
Geelong United (91) defeated Melbourne Tigers (77)
Shaneice Swain, Sarah Elsworthy and Jada Rice combined for 71 points, 28 rebounds and 11 assists as Geelong United came from behind to beat the Melbourne Tigers 91-77.
Geelong came into the match up on their home floor knocking on the door of the top eight after three straight wins ahead of hosting a Tigers team also sitting at 7-7 coming into the weekend after beating the Casey Cavaliers last week.
The Tigers managed to lead by three points at quarter-time and then pushed that advantage out to 14 in the second period, but by half-time and United had closed that deficit back to just six.
The lead for Melbourne was back out to 11 in the third quarter too but Geelong soon took control and were back in front late in the third quarter.
United then took charge for good in the final stanza with 26 points to 11 which included completing a 15-0 scoring run to end up winning by 14 points to improve to 8-7 on the season.
Shaneice Swain has been in blistering form for Geelong and that continued with another 26 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals on 4/9 three-point shooting.
Sarah Elsworthy added 25 points, five rebounds and two assists with Jada Rice contributing 20 points, 18 boards and three assists, and Lasha Petree 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
The Tigers slip to 7-8 with the defeat despite Cierra Dillard ending up with 20 points, seven steals, six rebounds and five assists.
Sam Simons also had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Chantel Horvat 14 points, six boards and three assists.
The Tigers are in action again on Sunday hosting the Frankston Blues with Geelong to host the Hobart Chargers next Saturday night.
GEELONG UNITED 91 (Swain 26, Elsworthy 25, Rice 20)
MELBOURNE TIGERS 77 (Dillard 20, Simons 18, Horvat 14)
Ballarat Miners (82) defeated Dandenong Rangers (75)
Chloe Bibby put up 33 points to help the Ballarat Miners overrun the Dandenong Rangers for the eventual 82-75 victory at home.
The Miners were back at Selkirk Stadium needing to snap a three-game losing run to stay in the playoff hunt as they hosted a Rangers team also trying to snap a two-game losing streak to maintain their playoff position.
Ballarat regained the services of Chloe Bibby and that made the world of difference in the end, but they did have to come from behind to do so.
Dandenong started well away from home with 22 points to 17 in the first quarter and that lead for the Rangers got out to nine points in the second period before the visitors were still leading 35-34 at the half.
The Rangers were again up by as much as eight points in the third quarter, but then the Miners ended up taking control to be back all square at three quarter-time.
Ballarat then outscored the Rangers 26 points to 19 in the final stanza to score the seven-point victory to improve to a 6-8 record on the season to stay in the playoff hunt.
Chloe Bibby came up huge for the Miners with 33 points, six rebounds and two assists including going 4/11 from three-point range.
Alex Bunton added 21 points and 13 rebounds for Ballarat with Mehryn Kraker also returning with 12 points, eight boards, seven assists and two steals while Jaz Shelley contributed 10 points and six rebounds.
Dandenong has now lost three straight to be sitting at 10-6 on the season with Dallas Loughridge finishing with 17 points and six assists with Amber Smith adding 17 points, four boards and three steals.
Ashten Prechtel also had 16 points and seven rebounds, Nyadiew Puoch 11 points and three boards, and Imogen Rock seven points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
The Miners will back up on Sunday on the road to the Waverley Falcons while Dandenong are at home to the Sandringham Sabres next Saturday.
BALLARAT MINERS 82 (Bibby 33, Bunton 21, Kraker 12)
DANDENONG RANGERS 75 (Smith 17, Loughridge 17, Prechtel 16)
Casey Cavaliers (78) lost to Eltham Wildcats (83)
The Eltham Wildcats held on to their place in the top eight in the NBL1 South with an 83-78 victory on the road to the Casey Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers were back home at Casey Stadium looking to back up a win against the Nunawading Spectres while the Wildcats arrived needing their own bounce back win to avoid slipping outside of a playoff position.
Casey did start the better to lead by six points early on but Eltham had worked on top by quarter-time to be leading 25-20.
It remained a tight contest, though, and the Wildcats were clinging to the 44-40 lead at the half-time interval before they were able to blow the game further open in the second half.
Eltham's lead got out to as much as 13 points in the fourth period but Casey weren’t giving up the ghost and did hit back in the last term.
The Cavaliers got back within two points when Lauren Van Kleunen scored with two minutes to play but the last three points of the game would be free-throws to Shannon Dufficy to see the Wildcats hold on for the five-point victory.
The win improves Eltham to an 8-7 record on the season with Lily Scanlon top-scoring with 21 points to go with five rebounds and four assists on 3/5 three-point shooting.
Shannon Dufficy added 20 points and five rebounds with 3/3 shooting from deep while Erin Riley contributed 17 points, nine boards and four assists, and Hailey Leidel 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Cavaliers are now 4-11 following the defeat with Alice Kunek outstanding with 27 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Taylah Simmons also had 15 points and six rebounds, Alex Wittinger 14 points, seven boards and four assists, and Lauren Van Kleunen 10 points, five assists and three steals.
Casey will remain at home on Sunday to host the Knox Raiders with Eltham to host the Launceston Tornadoes next Saturday night.
CASEY CAVALIERS 78 (Kunek 27, Simmons 15, Wittinger 14)
ELTHAM WILDCATS 83 (Scanlon 21, Dufficy 20, Riley 17)
Frankston Blues (85) defeated Nunawading Spectres (59)
Steph Reid and Chelsea D'Angelo combined for 55 points and nine three-pointers as the Frankston Blues won big 85-59 at home to the Nunawading Spectres.
Frankston were back home at Dreamstreet Lending Arena trying to break back into an NBL1 South playoff position up against a Nunawading team anchored to bottom place with a six-game losing streak.
While Frankston did lead by as much as 10 points in the first quarter, the Spectres were sticking with them to be within seven at three quarter-time.
It was a similar story in the second quarter with the Blues out to a 16-point lead but by half-time Nunawading had cut the deficit back to just nine points.
However, in the third quarter Frankston blew the game open for good with an 11-0 scoring run to end up leading by 22 points. That advantage for the Blues got out to 30 points as well in the final quarter before winning by 26 in the finish.
The victory improves Frankston to a 7-7 record on the season to stay in the top eight race with Steph Reid outstanding with 30 points, five assists, five steals and three rebounds on the back of hitting 5/14 from three-point range.
Chelsea D'Angelo also had 25 points and three rebounds on 4/7 three-point shooting with Lauren Scherf contributing 12 points and 12 boards, and Lou Brown 10 points and eight rebounds.
Nunawading has now lost seven in-a-row to remain in last place at 2-13 with Batabe Zempare top-scoring with 15 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.
Tayha Watkins added eight points and 12 rebounds, Bride Kennedy-Hopoate eight points, five boards and two assists, and Rachel Brewster seven points, two rebounds and two assists.
The Blues will again be playing on Sunday on the road to the Melbourne Tigers with Nunawading on the road to the Ballarat Miners next Saturday.
FRANKSTON BLUES 85 (Reid 30, D'Angelo 25, Scherf 12)
NUNAWADING SPECTRES 59 (Zempare 15, Kennedy-Hopoate 8, Watkins 8)
Kilsyth Cobras (48) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (69)
The Mount Gambier Pioneers snapped a four-game losing streak with the 69-48 road victory against the Kilsyth Cobras.
The Pioneers arrived at Kilsyth Sports Centre having lost their past four matches ahead of taking on a Cobras team on their own five-match losing run.
Mount Gambier made a strong start with 23 points to nine in the opening quarter and the Pioneers went on with the job from there.
Mount Gambier would end up leading 44-26 by half-time with the lead getting out to as much as 32 points in the second half before the Pioneers secured the eventual 21-point victory despite scoring just nine points in the final term.
The Pioneers improve to a 10-5 record with the win that ends their losing run with Sherria Calleia delivering 19 points, six rebounds and two assists.
Samantha Fatkin also had 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists with Isa Brancatisano contributing 12 points, six boards, four steals and two assists, and Zitina Aokuso nine points, five assists and four rebounds.
The Cobras have now lost six straight to sit on a 2-13 record with Nikita Young top-scoring with 13 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
Georgia Booth also had nine points and eight rebounds, Sarah Haberfield eight points, two boards, two assists and two steals, and Tyra Whitehead eight points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots.
The Pioneers remain on the road on Sunday against the Diamond Valley Eagles with Kilsyth to play host to the Melbourne Tigers next Saturday.
KILSYTH COBRAS 48 (Young 13, Booth 9, Whitehead 8, Haberfield 8)
MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 69 (Calleia 19, Fatkin 12, Brancatisano 12)
Diamond Valley Eagles (72) lost to Waverley Falcons (85)
WNBL championship winning pair Carley Ernst and Bec Cole combined for 51 points as the Waverley Falcons finished strongly to beat the Diamond Valley Eagles 85-72.
Both the Eagles and Falcons came into the match up at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre looking for a win to stay in playoff contention with Diamond Valley having lost two straight and Waverley on a four-game winning run.
The Eagles were on the hunt for a fifth win of the season and by the second quarter the home team had opened up a 15-point lead before going into half-time still on top 48-43.
Diamond Valley were back out to a nine-point lead in the third period but then the Falcons were able to turn the tide and they scored seven consecutive points to grab the lead.
Waverley then dominated the final period with completing a 12-0 scoring run and by the final buzzer they had opened up a 13-point advantage.
It's a fifth straight win for the Falcons as they improve to a 7-8 record on the season with their Southside Flyers championship winning pair putting in standout performances.
Carley Ernst finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists on the back of hitting 5/8 from three-point range with Bec Cole adding 25 points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds on 12/23 shooting from the floor.
Sharna Thompson also had 10 points and two rebounds, Mckenzie Forbes nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Sophia Locandro eight points, seven boards and two blocked shots.
Diamond Valley has now lost three straight games to sit at 4-10 with Abbey Ellis finishing with 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 9/18 shooting from the field.
Carly Turner added 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists while Naomi Mbandu contributed 14 points, seven boards and two assists, and Nikki Metcalfe 10 points and four rebounds.
Diamond Valley backs up again at home on Sunday against the Mount Gambier Pioneers while the Falcons will be at home to the Ballarat Miners.
DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 72 (Ellis 24, Turner 15, Mbandu 14)
WAVERLEY FALCONS 85 (Ernst 26, Cole 25, Thompson 10)
Knox Raiders (87) defeated Bendigo Braves (85)
The Knox Raiders overcame 50 points from Amy Atwell with Paige Bradley hitting four huge shots late and Alicia Froling delivering a triple-double in the 87-85 win over the Bendigo Braves.
The Raiders were home at Knox Basketball Stadium putting their four-game winning streak on the line and to retain a top two spot up against the defending champion Braves also looking to stay in the top four.
That set the stage for a tantalising match up and what resulted was one of the games of the NBL1 South season with precious little separating the two teams all evening.
Knox did manage to open up a seven-point lead in the first quarter but it was Bendigo leading by one at quarter-time with the Braves extending that advantage to five by half-time.
Bendigo was then able to lead by as much as 11 points in the third period as well but the Raiders hit back and it set up for a dramatic and thrilling finish.
Who else but Amy Atwell extended Bendigo's lead to four with 4:30 to play but then it was Paige Bradley's turn to come up huge for the Raiders.
She made four huge shots over the next two minutes which helped to give Knox the three-point lead but then Ally Wilson knocked down her lone make of the game with a three ball for Bendigo to level scores once more.
In the end, the Raiders were back in front thanks to free throws from Emily Fisher and then the win was secure when Fisher missed her second at the line, but there was no time for Atwell to get off a shot from halfcourt.
Knox went on to win to improve to 13-2 on the season with five wins in-a-row with Alicia Froling delivering a huge triple-double made up of 29 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and four blocked shots on 13/21 shooting from the field.
Paige Bradley also came up with 26 points, five assists and three rebounds with Kiera Rowe contributing 12 points and seven boards, and Leah Santomaggio five points and seven rebounds.
Bendigo now slips to a 10-6 record on the season having lost six of the last 11 despite the remarkable night from Amy Atwell who put up 50 points and 11 rebounds on the back of shooting 19/35 from the floor, 5/17 from three-point range and 7/8 at the foul line.
Kelly Wilson had another 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals with Cassidy McLean contributing seven points, five boards and four assists, and Kasey Burton six points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
The Raiders will also play on Sunday away to the Casey Cavaliers with the Braves to host Keilor Thunder next Saturday night.
KNOX RAIDERS 87 (Froling 29, Bradley 26, Rowe 12)
BENDIGO BRAVES 85 (Atwell 50, K Wilson 11, McLean 7)
Launceston Tornadoes (54) lost to Sandringham Sabres (86)
The Sandringham Sabres made it the perfect weekend in Tasmania with Klara Wischer putting up 26 points in the 86-54 victory against the Launceston Tornadoes.
Sandringham opened the weekend in the Apple Isle beating the Hobart Chargers in a hard fought battle by 10 points on Friday before taking on the Tornadoes on Saturday at Mazda BT-50 Thunder Stadium.
Launceston came into the match up trying to snap a three-game losing streak but Sandringham were on a mission and put up 23 points to nine in the opening quarter.
The Sabres were then able to continue to build on that lead for the rest of the evening as it grew to 17 points in the second quarter, 29 in the third and 36 in the fourth.
From there Sandringham went on to secure the 32-point victory to improve to a 13-3 record on the season with the two wins this weekend in Tasmania.
Klara Wischer had a huge evening in the win for the Sabres showing she's still got plenty left in the tank by producing 26 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and six steals while shooting 11/19 from the floor and 4/4 from three-point territory.
Juna Umezawa had another 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists, Eilidh Simpson 10 points, two boards and two assists, and Isis Lopes 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Launceston slips further from playoff calculations now at 4-11 on the season with Lore Devos top-scoring with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Sarah O'Neill also had 12 points and five rebounds, Trinity Oliver 11 points, six boards, five steals and three assists, and Josie Pinkerton 10 points and four rebounds.
The Tornadoes will be on the road next weekend against the Eltham Wildcats on Saturday while the Sabres will be away to the Dandenong Rangers.
LAUNCESTON TORNADOES 54 (Devos 13, O'Neill 12, Oliver 11)
SANDRINGHAM SABRES 86 (Wischer 26, Lopes 17, Umezawa 15)
Ringwood Hawks (78) lost to Keilor Thunder (84)
Keilor Thunder maintained its stranglehold over top spot in the NBL1 South with Issie Bourne, Penina Davidson and Maddy Rocci firing in the 84-78 road win over the Ringwood Hawks.
The Thunder arrived at The Rings on an eight-game winning streak and sitting clear in top spot ahead of taking on a Hawks team also sitting inside the top eight and attempting to bounce back from a last up loss to the Sandringham Sabres.
Keilor came out firing opening up a 16-point lead already in the first quarter before leading 25-11 by quarter-time.
The Thunder's lead then blew out to as much as 22 points in the second period and they went into the half-time break on top 52-32.
Even though Keilor was still leading by 20 points early in the last term, Ringwood threw everything at a miracle comeback and did score 12 straight points, but it wasn’t quite to be.
The Thunder were able to hold on for the six-point victory to make it nine wins in-a-row for them to sit on a 15-1 record to remain clear in top position in the standings.
Issie Bourne led the charge in the win for Keilor with 23 points and 12 rebounds with Penina Davison adding 16 points, nine boards and two blocked shots, and Maddy Rocci 15 points and six assists.
Tera Reed also had 11 points and three rebounds, and Lily Carmody seven points, 10 boards, seven assists, five steals and two blocked shots.
Ringwood slips to back-to-back losses and a 9-8 record with Lana Hollingsworth top-scoring with 23 points, four rebounds and two assists on shooting 4/8 from downtown.
Annabel Deerbon also had 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Hawks, Digna Strautmane 12 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, Jack Animam 11 points, seven boards, four assists, two steals and two blocks, and Aneta Bandilovska 11 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals.
Ringwood will be on the road next Saturday night against the Diamond Valley Eagles while Keilor will be away to the Bendigo Braves also next Saturday.
RINGWOOD HAWKS 78 (Hollingsworth 23, Deerbon 17, Strautmane 12)
KEILOR THUNDER 84 (Bourne 23, Davidson 16, Rocci 15)
MEN
Geelong United (72) defeated Melbourne Tigers (66)
A dominant fourth quarter was enough for Geelong United to secure the eventual 72-66 victory at home to the Melbourne Tigers.
Geelong were back home at The Arena looking to still cling to playoff aspirations hosting a Tigers team also trying to break into the top eight so the stakes were significant for both teams.
It would prove to be a tight contest right throughout the evening with no team able to open up a double-digit advantage at any stage.
It was the Tigers leading narrowly by a solitary point at quarter-time before that lead did grow to 41-37 by half-time.
It was Melbourne still leading by five points at three quarter-time, but then Geelong locked down impressively in the final quarter to hold the Tigers to just six points in the entire final 10 minutes.
United were able to put up 17 points themselves and that was enough to secure the six-point victory to stay in the playoff hunt with a 6-9 record on the season.
George Blagojevic starred in the win for Geelong with 25 points, six rebounds and three assists on 9/16 shooting from the floor and 6/8 at the foul line.
Latrell Jones added 18 points and six rebounds, DeMarcus Gatlin 14 points, seven boards and three assists, and Desmond Owili six points and four rebounds.
The Tigers are now 7-8 on the season following the defeat with Mason Gaze top-scoring with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists with Jack Whitbourn adding 17 points and seven boards, Jack Purchase 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Remo Simankevicius nine points and four boards.
The Tigers are in action again on Sunday hosting the Frankston Blues with Geelong to host the Hobart Chargers next Saturday night.
GEELONG UNITED 72 (Blagojevic 25, Jones 18, Gatlin 14)
MELBOURNE TIGERS 66 (Gaze 25, Whitbourn 17, Purchase 11)
Ballarat Miners (84) lost to Dandenong Rangers (86)
The Dandenong Rangers finished on fire to knock off the league-leading Ballarat Miners 86-84 to heat up the battle over top spot in the NBL1 South.
Coming into the weekend and Ballarat were sitting in top spot and Dandenong fourth but with the Miners 10-3 and the Rangers 10-5, precious little separated them so plenty went on the line at Selkirk Stadium.
It would be a tight contest all evening as well and after the Miners opened up the biggest lead of the night of nine points in the first quarter, Dandenong responded and were leading 22-21 by quarter-time.
Ballarat turned the tide once more with 26 points to 21 in the second period and then going into half-time leading 47-43.
The Miners still held a narrow lead throughout the third quarter but once the Rangers opened the fourth term with the opening seven points starting with a triple from Jacob Tryon, they grabbed the momentum.
The lead did continue to switch hands but in the end a three-point play from Puoch Puoch gave Dandenong a two-point lead with 1:45 to play and that would remain the final score with Luke Rosendale missing two free-throws at the death for Ballarat.
The win improves Dandenong to an 11-5 record with Brandon Betson coming up huge with 25 points and three assists on 11/13 shooting from the floor and 3/3 from three-point range.
Tad Dufelmeier also had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, Jacon Tryon 14 points, five boards, five blocks and two assists, Puoch Puoch 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Mason Peatling nine points, 13 boards, two assists and two steals.
The Miners are now 10-4 with their three-game winning run coming to an end with Luke Rosendale finishing with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Nick Stoddart added 17 points, three rebounds and three assists, Majok Majok 16 points and seven boards, and Zac Dunmore 12 points, three rebounds and two steals.
The Miners will back up on Sunday on the road to the Waverley Falcons while Dandenong are at home to the Sandringham Sabres next Saturday.
BALLARAT MINERS 84 (Rosendale 22, Stoddart 17, Majok 16)
DANDENONG RANGERS 86 (Betson 25, Dufelmeier 16, Tryon 14)
Casey Cavaliers (71) lost to Eltham Wildcats (100)
Angus Glover knocked down five three-pointers and scored 25 points as the Eltham Wildcats scored the 100-71 road victory against the Casey Cavaliers.
Eltham were attempting to build on a last up win over Geelong United and trying to break into the top eight while the Cavaliers were at home at Casey Stadium trying to get out of bottom spot and avoid a 10th straight loss.
Casey opened up an early six-point lead but it was a 12-0 scoring run from Eltham that turned it into a six-point lead of its own.
The Wildcats then ended up leading by as much as nine points in the second period, 16 in the third and then ultimately 29 in the final term on the back of scoring 10 straight points to make sure of the result once and for all.
The victory improves the Wildcats to an 8-7 record on the season to be closing in on a top eight position with Angus Glover knocking down 5/13 from beyond the arc for 25 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
Ralph Bissainthe also ended up with 16 points, nine rebounds and two steals, Josh Sykes 13 points and six boards, Owen Foxwell 13 points, five rebounds and three assists, and Sam Short 11 points, seven boards, seven assists and two steals.
The Cavaliers have now lost 10 in-a-row to remain in bottom spot at 2-13 with Dillon Stith putting up 19 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
Anthony Karabatsos also had 13 points, two rebounds and two assists, Adjehi Baru 10 points and three rebounds, and Josh Tomasi eight points and seven boards.
Casey will remain at home on Sunday to host the Knox Raiders with Eltham to host the North West Tasmania Thunder next Saturday night.
CASEY CAVALIERS 71 (Stith 19, Karabatsos 13, Baru 10)
ELTHAM WILDCATS 100 (Glover 25, Bissainthe 16, Sykes 13, Foxwell 13)
Frankston Blues (93) lost to Nunawading Spectres (102)
Kingsley Box knocked down six three-pointers and the Nunawading Spectres producing a massive fourth quarter to come from behind and beat the Frankston Blues 102-93.
The Blues were back home at Dreamstreet Lending Arena looking to hit back from losing to the Dandenong Rangers to hold onto a top eight position while Nunawading arrived also trying to break into the top eight and back up a win against the Casey Cavaliers.
The Spectres started on fire to lead by 10 points in the first quarter and 28-18 by quarter-time, but Frankston turned that on its head with 30 points to 17 of their own in the second period.
That meant the Blues took a 48-45 lead going into half-time and the Blues would end up leading by as much as nine points in the third frame, and still by six at three quarter-time.
Nunawading, however, turned things around in spectacular fashion and went on a 15-0 scoring run in the fourth term on the way to putting up 34 points to just 19 from Frankston.
That saw the Spectres end up winning by nine points to improve to an 8-7 record on the season with consecutive wins with Kingsley Box coming up huge by hitting 6/10 from downtown on his way to 29 points, three rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.
Jalen Johnson also had 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Nicolas Tata 12 points, four boards and three steals, Jack Gandolfo 12 points and eight assists, Christian D'Angelo 11 points and three rebounds, and Trendon Hankerson 11 points, six assists and five boards.
Frankston has now lost back-to-back games to sit at 7-7 on the season with Stokley Chaffee top-scoring with 20 points, six rebounds and three steals on 7/12 shooting from the field and 6/6 from the foul line.
Lucas Barker added 17 points, seven steals, five rebounds and two assists, Lachlan Barker 15 points and two assists, Brad Newley 15 points and a block on 6/6 shooting, and Daniel Trist nine points, 18 rebounds and three assists.
The Blues will again be playing on Sunday on the road to the Melbourne Tigers with Nunawading on the road to the Ballarat Miners next Saturday.
FRANKSTON BLUES 93 (Chaffee 20, Lucas Barker 17, Lachlan Barker 15, Newley 15)
NUNAWADING SPECTRES 102 (Box 29, Johnson 20, Gandolfo 12, Tata 12)
Kilsyth Cobras (81) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (90)
Akech Aliir made all five three-pointers he took and scored 34 points as the Mount Gambier Pioneers maintained touch for a top two spot with the 90-81 win against the Kilsyth Cobras.
The Cobras were back home at Kilsyth Sports Centre trying to snap a five-game losing run up against a Mount Gambier team needing to keep winning to stay in the top two hunt.
The Pioneers had won all seven road games so far this season too coming into the match up and the visitors would lead 23-18 by the end of the opening quarter.
Mount Gambier was able to extend that advantage out to 13 points in the second period before going into the half-time break leading 50-42.
Akech Aliir pushed the Pioneers out to a 13-point lead early in the fourth quarter but all of a sudden it was back to being a one-point ball game with Corey Jeffs hitting a three ball to complete a 12-0 run for the Cobras.
While the home team grabbed the momentum, Mount Gambier was able to turn it back around starting with a Nick Marshall jumper.
Marshall and Titus Robinson then hit three-pointers to push the Pioneers back out to a seven-point lead and that was enough to set up the eventual nine-point victory.
Mount Gambier improves to 11-4 on the season with the win with Akech Aliir producing a match-winning performance with 34 points, seven rebounds and two assists on 12/19 shooting from the floor, 5/5 from downtown and 5/5 at the free-throw line.
Nick Marshall also put up 21 points, four rebounds and four assists while Christian Peevy added 13 points and six boards, and Dylan Marshall eight points, two rebounds and two steals.
Kilsyth has now lost six straight to sit on a 3-12 record with Corey Jeffs finishing with 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists on shooting 7/12 from three-point range.
Tim Lang added 16 points, four assists and three rebounds, Deng Riak 12 points, six boards and three assists, and Adrian Tomada eight points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Pioneers remain on the road on Sunday against the Diamond Valley Eagles with Kilsyth to play host to the Melbourne Tigers next Saturday.
KILSYTH COBRAS 81 (Jeffs 27, Lang 16, Riak 12)
MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 90 (Aliir 34, N Marshall 21, Peevy 13)
Diamond Valley Eagles (97) lost to Waverley Falcons (102)
The Waverley Falcons kept themselves in the mix for a top four position by holding out the Diamond Valley Eagles for the narrow 102-97 road victory on Saturday night.
Waverley arrived at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre attempting to bounce back from a loss at the hands of the Sandringham Sabres while the Eagles were at home and on a two-game winning run.
The Falcons started well on the road to open up a 12-point lead in the first quarter but the Eagles had worked back into the contest in the second quarter to cut the Waverley lead to 51-48 by half-time.
The Eagles then grabbed the lead during the third quarter but the Falcons soon regained it and while Diamond Valley kept themselves within striking distance, Waverley answered every challenge down the stretch.
The Falcons would end up winning by five points to return to the winner's list and improve to a 10-5 record on the season with Mason Forbes delivering 29 points and 14 rebounds on shooting 14/16 from the field.
Maurice Howard also finished with 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds, Matthew McCarthy 17 points, 10 boards, five assists and four steals, and Malik Meunier 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Eagles couldn’t quite make it three wins in-a-row as they now slip to 4-10 on the season with Ngor Manyang delivering another 31 points and four rebounds on 6/8 three-point shooting.
Jock Perry added 26 points and 11 rebounds also with 6/9 shooting from beyond the three-point arc while Bryton Hobbs had 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Zach Tavitian 11 points and three boards.
Diamond Valley backs up again at home on Sunday against the Mount Gambier Pioneers while the Falcons will be at home to the Ballarat Miners.
DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 97 (Manyang 31, Perry 26, Hobbs 12)
WAVERLEY FALCONS 102 (Forbes 29, Howard 21, McCarthy 17)
Knox Raiders (97) defeated Bendigo Braves (72)
The defending champion Knox Raiders kept themselves right in the playoff mix with the 97-72 win at home to the Bendigo Braves.
The Raiders were back at Knox Basketball Stadium to play host to the Braves and Knox had already managed to open up a nine-point advantage by the end of the first quarter.
That lead for the Raiders grew to 15 points in the second quarter and they were able to turn into half-time on top 53-38.
Knox then made sure of the big win completing a 14-0 run in the final period and ending up outscoring Bendigo 24 points to 14 to lead by as much as 31 points and end up winning by 25.
The victory improves the Raiders to an 8-7 record on the season with Malith Machar delivering 22 points, four rebounds and three assists on shooting 10/13 from the field.
Brody Nunn knocked down 4/6 from three-point land for 20 points, four assists and three rebounds with Austin Rapp adding 12 points, eight boards and three assists, Madut Akec 10 points and five rebounds, and Kyle Bowen eight points, eight boards, seven assists, two steals and two blocks.
The Braves have now lost their past three matches to slip to a 6-10 record with Mitch Clarke having a strong double-double despite the result with 18 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
Billy Smythe also scored 13 points to go with three steals with Dylan McCauley contributing 11 points and three rebounds, and Koch Bar nine points and three boards.
The Raiders will also play on Sunday away to the Casey Cavaliers with the Braves to host Keilor Thunder next Saturday night.
KNOX RAIDERS 97 (Machar 22, Nunn 20, Rapp 12)
BENDIGO BRAVES 72 (Clarke 18, Smythe 13, McCauley 11)
North West Tasmania Thunder (80) lost to Sandringham Sabres (94)
The Sandringham Sabres kept their winning form going with a ninth consecutive win with the 94-80 road victory against the North West Tasmania Thunder.
The Sabres began their double-header in Tasmania beating the Hobart Chargers 86-63 on Friday night before arriving at Mazda BT-50 Thunder Stadium on Saturday to take on a North West Tasmania team trying to snap a two-game losing slide.
Sandringham was leading 28-25 by the end of the first quarter before another 24 points to 20 in the second term saw the Sabres go into half-time on top 52-45.
The Sabres pulled further away in the third term with another 25 points to 15 to end up leading by as much as 20 points before going on to score the 14-point victory.
The win improves the Sabres to a 12-4 record on the season with the double-win weekend in Tasmania with Joel Foxwell stepping up for 19 points and four rebounds on 4/8 three-point shooting.
Tanner Krebs put up another 18 points and nine rebounds on 3/4 shooting from downtown while Shea Ili added 18 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals, Campbell Blogg 13 points and two boards, and Dane Pineau 10 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.
North West Tasmania has now lost three straight to slip to a 6-9 record with Tre Armstrong top-scoring with 21 points to go with six steals and five assists on 4/9 three-point shooting.
Sekou Sylla added 18 points and nine rebounds, Seth Swalve 11 points and five assists, and Archer Woodhill 10 points and four boards.
The Thunder will be on the road next weekend against the Eltham Wildcats on Saturday while the Sabres will be away to the Dandenong Rangers.
NORTH WEST TASMANIA THUNDER 80 (Armstrong 21, Sylla 18, Swalve 11)
SANDRINGHAM SABRES 94 (Foxwell 19, Ili 18, Krebs 18)
Ringwood Hawks (70) lost to Keilor Thunder (77)
Daniel Poelsma and Trevor Lakes combined for 10 three-pointers as Keilor Thunder maintained their playoff spot with the 77-70 road victory over the Ringwood Hawks.
The Hawks were back home at The Rings attempting to snap a six-game losing run up against a Thunder team trying to bounce back from the last up loss to the Mount Gambier Pioneers.
It would prove to be a tight tussle between the two teams all evening as well with Ringwood leading by just two points at quarter-time and then clinging to a one-point advantage at the half-time interval.
It was in the third quarter where Keilor was able to grab the advantage and outscored the Hawks 19 points to 13 to open up a nine-point lead, and then hold on in the end for the eventual seven-point victory.
The win improves Keilor to a 10-6 record on the season to remain solid inside the top eight with Daniel Poelsma producing 23 points, five rebounds and two assists on shooting 5/11 from behind the three-point arc.
Trevor Lakes also hit 5/15 from deep on his way to 17 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two assists while Kyle Zunic contributed 15 points, 11 assists and seven boards, Cruz Beasley 10 points and seven rebounds, and Deng Acouth eight points, 13 boards, four blocks and three steals.
Ringwood has now lost seven straight to sit at 6-11 on the season following the loss despite Braelen Bridges finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and two assists on 8/13 shooting from the floor.
Jonathan Lawton also had 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, Tom Carroll 12 points, seven boards and three assists, and Matt Roberts 12 points.
Ringwood will be on the road next Saturday night against the Diamond Valley Eagles while Keilor will be away to the Bendigo Braves also next Saturday.
RINGWOOD HAWKS 70 (Bridges 19, Lawton 18, Carroll 12, Robets 12)
KEILOR THUNDER 77 (Poelsma 23, Lakes 17, Zunic 15)
