Featured images: Ian Knight @ianknightphotography / Xavier Papadakos - @xnp_photography
It was a double win Sunday in the NBL1 South for the Mount Gambier Pioneers, Frankston Blues, Ballarat Miners and Knox Raiders to close Round 10 of the 2024 season.
Sunday in the women's NBL1 South saw the Mount Gambier Pioneers beat the Diamond Valley Eagles 85-70, the Frankston Blues defeat the Melbourne Tigers 80-70, the Ballarat Miners down the Waverley Falcons 77-62, and the Knox Raiders win 76-57 against the Casey Cavaliers.
Sunday's men's results saw the Raiders defeat the Cavaliers 110-68, the Miners down the Falcons 98-91, the Blues beat the Tigers 86-77, and the Pioneers won 96-81 against the Eagles.
RECAP NBL1 SOUTH | ROUND 10 SATURDAY
RECAP NBL1 SOUTH | ROUND 10 FRIDAY
WOMEN
Diamond Valley Eagles (70) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (85)
The Mount Gambier Pioneers made it a double win weekend to consolidate a top four position with the 85-70 Sunday victory on the road to the Diamond Valley Eagles.
The Eagles were back home at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre attempting to avoid a fourth straight loss with Mount Gambier arriving on the back of beating the Kilsyth Cobras by 21 points the previous evening.
It would prove to be a close contest through the opening three quarters with Mount Gambier leading by just a point at quarter-time.
While the Pioneers managed to open up a 10-point lead in the second quarter, by half-time it was only a lead of 44-41.
That lead was still just six points at three quarter-time in favour of the Pioneers before Mount Gambier dominated the last term with 28 points to 19 to end up with the 15-point victory.
With the victory, the Pioneers improve to an 11-5 record on the season with the two wins this weekend with Haliegh Reinoehl outstanding with 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists on 10/17 shooting.
Zitina Aokuso also delivered 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, Sherrie Calleia 15 points, six boards, six assists and three steals, and Zoe Hurley 12 points, nine rebounds and two assists.
Diamond Valley has now lost four straight to slip to a 4-11 record despite Abbey Ellis producing 27 points, five rebounds and four assists on 9/17 shooting.
Carly Turner also had 15 points, 10 rebounds and two steals with Ivana Vasiljevic contributing eight points and two boards, and Naomi Mbandu seven points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Diamond Valley remains at home on Saturday night to host the Ringwood Hawks while the Pioneers are at home to the Hobart Chargers on Friday.
DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 70 (Ellis 27, Turner 15, Vasiljevic 8)
MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 85 (Reinoehl 25, Aokuso 20, Calleia 15)
Melbourne Tigers (70) lost to Frankston Blues (80)
The big guns of the Frankston Blues ensured they kept on winning with Steph Reid, Lauren Scherf and Lou Brown combining for 55 points in the 80-70 road win over the Melbourne Tigers.
The Tigers were back home at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre attempting to bounce back from the loss the previous night to Geelong United up against a Frankston team coming off a win by 26 points against the Nunawading Spectres.
The Blues did appear in control of the contest for a lot of the afternoon including Frankston scoring 24 points to 10 from the Tigers in the second quarter to lead by as much as 16 points.
That had the Blues leading 45-29 by half-time but the Tigers weren’t giving up the fight and with three minutes to play they even found themselves back in front thanks to a pair of free-throws to Cierra Dillard.
Frankston responded with a three-pointer from Tori Jackson before Lauren Scherf also knocked down a triple, and from there the Blues were able to secure the eventual 10-point victory and shake off the challenge from the Tigers.
As a result of the win, Frankston is now back in the top eight at 8-7 on three straight wins with Steph Reid putting up another 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals on 5/11 from three-point range.
Lauren Scherf also produced 19 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks with Lou Brown adding 15 points and 11 rebounds, Tori Jackson 11 points and two assists, and Courtney Wilkins nine points and five boards.
The Tigers slip to a 7-9 record with the pair of losses this weekend despite Tylah Hooper landing 5/12 from three-point territory for 20 points and four rebounds.
Cierra Dillard added 14 points, six assists and four steals while Sam Simons contributed 13 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, and Chantel Horvat eight points, six boards and two assists.
The Tigers are on the road to the Kilsyth Cobras on Saturday night with Frankston away to the Knox Raiders.
MELBOURNE TIGERS 70 (Hooper 20, Dillard 14, Simons 13)
FRANKSTON BLUES 80 (Reid 21, Scherf 19, Brown 15)
Waverley Falcons (62) lost to Ballarat Miners (77)
There was no shortage of star power out on the floor for both teams and it was the Ballarat Miners who ended up getting the better of the Waverley Falcons for the 77-62 road victory.
With the likes of Bec Cole and Carley Ernst out there for the Falcons, and Chloe Bibby, Abbey Wehrung, Mehryn Kraker, Jaz Shelley and Alex Bunton for the Miners, and it was always going to be a fascinating match up at Waverley Basketball Centre.
Waverley came into the game on a five-match winning run too while Ballarat arrived trying to stay in finals contention after beating the Dandenong Rangers the previous night.
It was a remarkable start to the game from Ballarat as they went on a 19-0 scoring run to turn a three-point deficit into a 16-point lead and they would never look back from there.
The lead for the Miners continued to grow throughout the afternoon with it getting out to 25 points in the second quarter and staying around the 20 mark throughout the majority of the second half.
Ballarat would end up winning by 15 points to improve to a 7-8 record on the season with the two wins this weekend with Alex Bunton putting up 19 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
Chloe Bibby also contributed 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals despite shooting 4/17 from the field with Jaz Shelley adding 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Ella Gordon 11 points, four boards and two blocks.
The contributors for Ballarat didn’t stop there with Mehryn Kraker also having 10 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals, and Abbey Wehrung nine points, eight boards and five assists.
The five-game winning streak of the Falcons came to an end for them to now remain outside a playoff position at 7-9 despite Carley Ernst knocking down another 6/12 from three-point territory for 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Bec Cole added 15 points and five assists for Waverley, and Mckenzie Forbes 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Waverley remains at home to host the Casey Cavaliers on Saturday with Ballarat back at home to the Nunawading Spectres.
WAVERLEY FALCONS 62 (Ernst 20, Cole 15, Forbes 13)
BALLARAT MINERS 77 (Bunton 19, Bibby 14, Shelley 12)
Casey Cavaliers (57) lost to Knox Raiders (86)
The Knox Raiders continued their momentum on Sunday with the 86-57 road victory against the Casey Cavaliers.
The Raiders arrived at Casey Stadium having won five straight matches to be solid in a top two position on the back of surviving 50 points from Amy Atwell the previous night to beat the Bendigo Braves with a triple-double from Alicia Froling.
They took on a Cavaliers team coming off a narrow loss to the Eltham Wildcats the previous night and Knox made a flying start with 31 points to 12 in the opening quarter.
From there, the Raiders would end up leading by as much as 23 points in the second quarter with the advantage continuing to grow getting out to 27 in the third quarter and then 29 in the fourth.
That 29-point margin would be where it stood at the final buzzer with Knox improving to a 14-2 record as a result on the back of the six straight victories to remain in second spot on the table just behind the Keilor Thunder.
Alicia Froling produced another 22 points, 10 rebounds and two assists for the Raiders on 7/12 shooting from the floor and 8/11 at the foul line.
Paige Bradley also had 13 points on 3/5 three-point shooting with Paige Burrows contributing 11 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals, Emily Fisher 11 points, four boards and two assists, and Eliza Hollingsworth 10 points and four rebounds.
The Cavaliers have lost their both games this weekend to slip to a 4-12 record on the season with Taylah Simmons top-scoring with 20 points to go with eight rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Sharne Robati added 12 points on 4/9 three-point shooting with Alex Wittinger contributing 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.
The Cavaliers are away to the Waverley Falcons now on Saturday night with the Raiders to host the Frankston Blues.
CASEY CAVALIERS 57 (Simmons 20, Robati 12, Wittinger 10)
KNOX RAIDERS 86 (Froling 22, Bradley 13, Fisher 11, Burrows 11)
MEN
Diamond Valley Eagles (81) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (96)
The Mount Gambier Pioneers continued their momentum on the road on Sunday afternoon with another impressive 96-81 victory against the Diamond Valley Eagles.
Both teams were coming off playing on Saturday night with Diamond Valley losing a thriller to the Waverley Falcons while the Pioneers were impressive in beating the Kilsyth Cobras.
The teams then came together at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre to lock horns and after a tight opening quarter, Mount Gambier flexed its muscles in the second term with 30 points to 14 to go into half-time leading 54-34.
The lead for the Pioneers blew out to 26 points in the third quarter as well before the Eagles fought the game out well with 29 points to 19 in the fourth quarter to cut the final margin to 15 points.
The victory was still an impressive one for Mount Gambier who has now won three straight matches to improve to a 12-4 record on the season to be sitting in second position on the same record as the league-leading Sandringham Sabres.
Nick Marshall produced a huge performance in the win for Mount Gambier with 25 points, 14 rebounds and two steals while Austin Shelley contributed 20 points, five boards and two assists.
Akech Aliir also had 18 points and nine rebounds, Christian Peevy 13 points, seven boards and three assists, and Tim Robinson nine points and six rebounds.
Diamond Valley has now lost both games this weekend to slip to a 4-11 record on the season with Jock Perry ending up top-scoring with 19 points, 14 rebounds and two assists.
Jesse McIntosh added 13 points and five rebounds for the Eagles with Ngor Manyang contributing 12 points, three boards and two steals, BJ Symons 12 points and nine rebounds, Matt Reynolds 10 points and four assists, and Erik Kafritsas seven points, six assists and five boards.
Diamond Valley remains at home on Saturday night to host the Ringwood Hawks while the Pioneers are at home to the Hobart Chargers on Friday.
DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 81 (Perry 19, McIntosh 13, Manyang 12, Symons 12)
MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 96 (N Marshall 25, Shelley 20, Aliir 18)
Melbourne Tigers (77) lost to Frankston Blues (86)
The Frankston Blues hit back from two losses to keep their playoff hopes alive with the 86-77 road victory against the Melbourne Tigers.
The Blues arrived at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre having lost their past two matches including the previous night against the Nunawading Spectres while the Tigers were also attempting to bounce back from a loss the night before in Geelong.
Frankston came out on a mission and piled on 31 points to 17 in the first quarter which set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.
The lead for the Blues remained in double-figures for most of the rest of the contest and got to as much as 18 points in the fourth quarter before the eventual nine-point victory.
The win improves Frankston to an 8-7 record on the season to remain in touch of a playoff position with Daniel Trist a strong force with 22 points, 12 rebounds and two assists on 7/9 shooting from the field and 8/10 from the free-throw line.
Brad Newley also had 16 points, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks with Lucas Barker contributing 13 points, six boards and four assists, and Stokley Chaffee 12 points on 4/5 shooting from the floor and 4/5 from the charity stripe.
The Tigers slipped further out of the finals race with back-to-back losses this weekend to now hold a 7-9 record.
Jack Whitbourn top-scored for the Tigers with 20 points to go with eight rebounds and three assists on 9/12 shooting from the floor.
Mason Gaze also had 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Remo Simankevicius 16 points and four boards, Taj Chehhal nine points and three assists, and Jack Purchase six points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots.
The Tigers are on the road to the Kilsyth Cobras on Saturday night with Frankston away to the Knox Raiders.
MELBOURNE TIGERS 77 (Whitbourn 20, Gaze 19, Simankevicius 16)
FRANKSTON BLUES 86 (Trist 22, Newley 16, Lucas Barker 13)
Waverley Falcons (91) lost to Ballarat Miners (98)
The two teams went to battle over a top four spot in the NBL1 South on Sunday and with Majok Majok putting up 29 points, the Ballarat Miners scored the 98-91 road win over the Waverley Falcons.
Coming into the match up at Waverley Basketball Centre, the Falcons were 10-5 on the season fresh off beating the Diamond Valley Eagles the previous night while the Miners were 10-4 and trying to bounce back from a loss to the Dandenong Rangers.
That set the stage for a tantalising Sunday contest and the two teams couldn’t be separated by quarter-time with scores all square at 25-25.
The Falcons then managed to be leading by a solitary point at half-time but then in the third quarter the Miners took charge with 28 points to 15.
Ballarat was able to open up a 14-point lead on the back of that and then from there held out the Falcons in the finish to end up winning by seven points.
The win improves Ballarat to an 11-4 record in third position after Majok Majok was dominant with 29 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks on shooting 12/15 from the field.
Nick Stoddart added 21 points, three rebounds and three assists, Luke Rosendale 15 points, five boards and three assists, and Zac Dunmore 14 points, two rebounds and two assists.
Waverley is now in fifth spot at 10-6 following the defeat with Malik Meunier delivering 25 points, six rebounds and two assists with 9/16 shooting from the floor, 3/6 from downtown and 4/4 at the free-throw line.
Bennie Lewis turned back the clock too for 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists with Matthew McCarthy contributing 11 points, eight assists and five boards, Dexter Kernich-Drew nine points and four assists, and Mihael Harper nine points and five rebounds.
Waverley remains at home to host the Casey Cavaliers on Saturday with Ballarat back at home to the Nunawading Spectres.
WAVERLEY FALCONS 91 (Meunier 25, Lewis 19, McCarthy 11)
BALLARAT MINERS 98 (Majok 29, Stoddart 21, Rosendale 15)
Casey Cavaliers (68) lost to Knox Raiders (110)
The defending champion Knox Raiders flexed their muscles on Sunday with the 110-68 road victory against the Casey Cavaliers.
The Cavs were back at home at Casey Stadium attempting to snap a nine-game losing slide with the Raiders trying to back up a thumping 25-point win against the Bendigo Braves the night before at home.
So the Raiders brought that confidence with them on Sunday afternoon and produced a huge first quarter racing out to a 22-point lead and still being on top 32-18 by quarter-time.
Casey tried to work back into the contest and did score 12 straight points in the second quarter but Knox were still in control leading 54-42 at half-time.
It was then another 23 points to 13 in the third quarter from the Raiders and another 33 to 13 in the final stanza as the reigning champions came away with the 42-point victory.
That makes it two wins this weekend by a combined 67 points for Knox with Malith Machar outstanding with 27 points, five rebounds and two steals while shooting 10/13 from the field, 4/6 from three-point range and 3/3 at the foul line.
Kyle Bowen added 21 points, three rebounds and two steals, Austin Rapp 14 points, 12 boards and three assists, Anzac Rissetto 16 points, three boards and three blocks, KJ Feagin 14 points, four assists and three steals, and Brody Nunn 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
The Cavs have now lost 10 straight to remain in bottom spot at 2-13 with Dillon Stith top-scoring with 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals with 4/8 from three-point territory.
Adam Thoseby added 10 points and two boards, Jarred Burnett 10 points, four rebounds and three steals and Anthony Karabatsos seven points, three boards and two assists.
The Cavaliers are away to the Waverley Falcons now on Saturday night with the Raiders to host the Frankston Blues.
CASEY CAVALIERS 68 (Stith 23, Burnett 10, Thoseby 10)
KNOX RAIDERS 110 (Machar 27, Bowen 21, Rissetto 16)
