Feature images: Trent Moore (@Trent_Moore_Sports_Photography)
Massive Saturday in the NBL1 South with Sarah Haberfield hitting the winner for the Kilsyth Cobras, Nyadiew Puoch dominating for Dandenong Rangers, Tre Armstrong nailing a winner for the North West Tasmania Thunder, and DeMarcus Gatlin stealing one for Geelong United.
Saturday's women's results saw the Keilor Thunder beat the Bendigo Braves 79-65, Geelong United defeat the Hobart Chargers 76-57, the Ballarat Miners down the Nunawading Spectres 78-72, the Kilsyth Cobras win 63-61 against the Melbourne Tigers, and the Dandenong Rangers beat the Sandringham Sabres 75-71.
The Diamond Valley Eagles also defeated the Ringwood Hawks 75-69, the Eltham Wildcats beat the Launceston Tornadoes and the Waverley Falcons downed the Casey Cavaliers 81-72.
Then in the men's matches, the Cavaliers beat the Falcons 95-87, the Blues defeated the Raiders 100-88, North West Tasmania defeated Eltham 96-93, the Eagles downed the Hawks 82-74, the Sabres won 109-80 against the Rangers, the Cobras beat the Tigers 77-44, the Spectres defeated the Miners 94-79, Geelong won 87-85 over Hobart, and Keilor beat Bendigo 111-85.
RECAP NBL1 SOUTH | ROUND 11 FRIDAY
WOMEN
Bendigo Braves (65) lost to Keilor Thunder (79)
Both teams were missing key players to national duties, but it was the current league-leaders getting the better of the defending champions with Keilor Thunder beating the Bendigo Braves 79-65.
Keilor arrived at Red Energy Arena on a nine-game winning streak clear in top spot but the Thunder were without Maddy Rocci ahead of taking on the Braves on their home floor.
However, it's a decimated Bendigo team with Megan McKay still unavailable while Ally Wilson is with the Australian 3x3 team and then Amy Atwell is away with the Opals so they had their work cut out despite being at home.
Keilor had pulled away late in the first quarter to be leading 22-13 after one with the Thunder then extending that advantage to 43-29 by the half-time break.
The lead for Keilor continued to grow for much of the second half with it getting to as much as 20 points in the final quarter before eventually the Thunder won by 14 to make it 10 straight wins to retain top spot at 16-1.
Issie Bourne was outstanding once more for Keilor with 21 points, 17 rebounds, two assists and two steals with Tera Reed contributing 18 points, nine boards and seven assists.
Lilly Rotunno also had 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Penina Davidson 14 points, nine boards, four assists and four blocked shots.
The Braves are just clinging to a place in the playoffs having now lost six of the last nine to be 10-7 with Kasey Burton battling hard for 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Cassidy McLean added 15 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals with Caitlin Richardson adding 11 points, four boards, three assists and three steals, and Kelly Wilson eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
The Braves are next in action away to the Melbourne Tigers on Friday night while Keilor plays host to the Dandenong Rangers next Saturday.
BENDIGO BRAVES 65 (Burton 18, McLean 15, Richardson 11)
KEILOR THUNDER 79 (Bourne 21, Reed 18, Rotunno 16)
Geelong United (76) defeated Hobart Chargers (57)
Geelong United strengthened their playoff push with a strong 76-57 home victory against the Hobart Chargers with Lasha Petree leading the way.
Geelong came into the match up at The Arena having won four straight to be banging on the door of the top eight hosting a Chargers team still without Kayla Steindl and coming off a Friday night loss to the Mount Gambier Pioneers.
In the second game of their double header weekend, Hobart started well and were leading 18-15 by quarter-time but Geelong soon took control by scoring 21 consecutive points.
That saw United go from being seven points down to leading by 14 midway through the second quarter, and from there the home team ended up leading 39-33 by half-time.
Geelong remained in control of the contest throughout the second half as a result to lead by as much as 21 points in the final stanza on the way to the eventual 19-point victory.
The win sees United improve to a 9-7 record on the season with five straight wins with Lasha Petree outstanding with 25 points and seven rebounds on shooting 9/17 from the field, 3/7 from behind the arc and 4/4 at the foul line.
Sarah Elsworthy added 16 points, seven steals, four assists and three rebounds, Shaneice Swain 15 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Jada Rice eight points, seven boards and four blocked shots.
Hobart slips further from playoff contention at 5-12 with the two losses this weekend with Jayda Jansen producing another 20 points, four rebounds and two assists on 4/10 three-point shooting.
Cierra Walker added 13 points and six rebounds, Chloe Broomhall eight points, 13 boards and two assists, and Zoe Richards eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Geelong is away to the Nunawading Spectres on Sunday while the Chargers are next in action at home to the Kilsyth Cobras on Friday.
GEELONG UNITED 76 (Petree 25, Elsworthy 16, Swain 15)
HOBART CHARGERS 57 (Jansen 20, Walker 13, Richards 8, Broomhall 8)
Ballarat Miners (78) defeated Nunawading Spectres (72)
The Ballarat Miners kept themselves right in the playoff mix with a hard earned 78-72 win at home against the bottom placed Nunawading Spectres.
The Miners came into the contest having won their past two games ahead of hosting the Spectres at Selkirk Stadium with Nunawading arriving having lost its previous seven matches.
It was the Spectres who had the better of the start to be leading 20-16 by the end of the first quarter and it remained a tight affair with Ballarat only managing to narrowly lead 36-35 by half-time.
The Miners were gradually able to extend that advantage throughout the second half getting up by as much as 12 in the final period, but the Spectres still wouldn’t go away.
The visitors did get back within four points a couple of times early in the last term, but the Miners did enough to secure the six-point victory to improve to an 8-8 record on the season.
Alex Bunton once again starred in the win for Ballarat with 24 points, 10 rebounds and two assists on 7/12 shooting from the floor and 10/10 at the foul line.
Mehryn Kraker added 14 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Abbey Wehrung 14 points, four assists and three rebounds with Chloe Bibby having a rough shooting night going 2/12 to finish with seven points, five boards and three steals.
Nunawading has now lost eight in-a-row to remain in bottom place at 2-14 with Rachel Antoniadou producing 23 points and five rebounds with 4/9 three-point shooting.
Bride Kennedy-Hopoate added 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Batabe Zempare 13 points, 14 boards and three assists, and Tayha Watkins eight points and five rebounds.
The Miners play again on Sunday on the road to the Ringwood Hawks while the Spectres are back home to Geelong United.
BALLARAT MINERS 78 (Bunton 24, Kraker 14, Wehrung 14)
NUNAWADING SPECTRES 72 (Antoniadou 23, Kennedy-Hopoate 14, Zempare 13)
Kilsyth Cobras (63) defeated Melbourne Tigers (61)
Sarah Haberfield was the hero for the Kilsyth Cobras hitting the game winning shot in the thrilling 63-61 victory at home to the Melbourne Tigers.
Kilsyth might be out of the playoff hunt at 2-13 coming into the match up at Kilsyth Sports Centre but that didn’t stop them throwing everything into it against a Tigers team that can't afford too many more slip ups if they want to stay in the finals mix.
The Cobras had lost their past six matches but were leading by four points at quarter-time before seeing that lead get out to double-figures in the second frame.
However, the Tigers had too much at stake to not fire back and that's exactly what they did to close the first half to be down just one by half-time.
Melbourne grabbed the lead to start the second half and would end up leading by as much as seven points in the final term too, but Kilsyth kept on coming and it set up a thrilling finish with big shots from either side.
It was bucket for bucket down the stretch with the lead continuing to change hands before Cierra Dillard hit a massive three ball for the Tigers with 24 seconds remaining to tie scores up.
Kilsyth came out of a timeout and after Tyra Whitehead was double teamed in the post, she found Hannah Day on the perimeter, she moved it on to Sarah Haberfield who caught it in the corner.
Her up fake got her defender in the air, she took a dribble inside the arc and then coolly knocked down the jumper to put the Cobras on top by two.
Melbourne were out of timeouts but even then Dillard had more time than not needing to jack up a pressured half court shot, but that's how the game ended with the Cobras scoring their third win of the season as a result.
It was a win to savour for Kilsyth with Tyra Whitehead top-scoring with 18 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
Nikita Young added 14 points, six assists and five rebounds, Paige Price 11 points, six boards and four assists, Sarah Haberfield eight points, and Georgia Booth seven points, eight rebounds and two assists.
The Tigers are now 7-10 on the season with the loss with Cierra Dillard ending up with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Sam Simons also had 17 points and five rebounds, and Steph Blicavs 10 points, four boards and two assists.
The Cobras are on the road next weekend to the Hobart Chargers on Friday and Launceston Tornadoes on Saturday while the Tigers play host to the Bendigo Braves on Friday.
KILSYTH COBRAS 63 (Whitehead 18, Young 14, Price 11)
MELBOURNE TIGERS 61 (Dillard 21, Simons 17, Blicavs 10)
Dandenong Rangers (75) defeated Sandringham Sabres (71)
Two teams locked in a top four battle clashed on Saturday night with WNBA draftee Nyadiew Puoch the difference as the Dandenong Rangers beat the Sandringham Sabres 75-71.
The Rangers were home at Dandenong Basketball Stadium still trying to break into the top four and respond to a three-game losing streak up against a Sabres team sitting third having won their past couple.
However, Sandringham were without Funda Nakkasoglu and it was a tight battle in the first half with Dandenong leading by three points at quarter-time before the Sabres closed that deficit to just a point by half-time.
Dandenong did open up a handy 11-point lead in the third quarter and while it would prove a winning advantage, the Sabres did keep coming and got back as close as two points.
The Rangers had the answers, though, to win by four and improve to 11-6 as a result on the season with Nyadiew Puoch brilliant delivering 34 points, 11 rebounds and four assists on 13/22 shooting from the floor.
Amber Smith added 15 points, eight rebounds and four steals while Ashton Prechtel had 10 points, three boards and two assists, and Dallas Loughridge eight points, seven assists and four steals.
Sandringham is now 13-4 with the defeat with Isis Lopes putting up 18 points, four assists and two rebounds.
Juna Umezawa added 16 points, three rebounds and two steals with Klara Wischer contributing 15 points, 14 boards, six assists and two steals, and Eilidh Simpson six points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
The Rangers are next in action in a week's time on the road to Keilor Thunder while the Sabres will host the Eltham Wildcats on Friday night.
DANDENONG RANGERS 75 (Puoch 34, Smith 15, Prechtel 10)
SANDRINGHAM SABRES 71 (Lopes 18, Umezawa 16, Wischer 15)
Diamond Valley Eagles (75) defeated Ringwood Hawks (69)
The Diamond Valley Eagles came from behind to beat the Ringwood Hawks 75-69 with Abbey Ellis having a big say in the end result for the home team.
The Eagles were back home at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre attempting to snap a four-game losing streak up against a Ringwood team knocking on the door still of the top eight despite having lost two straight.
With the Hawks needing a win to try and break back into a playoff position, they started well away from home to lead by as much as six points in the first quarter and by 11 in the second.
Ringwood would still be leading 45-34 at the half-time break but then it was Diamond Valley who worked on top in the second half.
The Eagles would end up outscoring the Hawks 41 points to 24 throughout the second half including going on a 13-0 scoring run to end up securing the six-point victory.
The win snaps a four-game losing slide for Diamond Valley to improve them to 5-11 on the season with Abbey Ellis finishing with 26 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals with 9/10 at the free-throw line.
Carly Turner added 17 points and nine rebounds, Jennie Rintala 13 points, 12 boards and three assists, Naomi Mbandu 10 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and three steals, and Ivana Vasiljevic nine points and five assists.
Ringwood remains outside a playoff position at 9-9 having now lost three in-a-row with Lana Hollingsworth top-scoring with 21 points to go with five assists and four rebounds.
Jack Animam added 19 points and 11 rebounds, Digna Strautmane 12 points, 12 boards, three blocks, two assists and two steals, and Annabel Deerbon eight points, two assists and two steals.
The Hawks are in action again on Sunday hosting the Ballarat Miners with the Eagles away to the Launceston Tornadoes on Friday and Hobart Chargers on Saturday.
DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 75 (Ellis 26, Turner 17, Rintala 13)
RINGWOOD HAWKS 69 (Hollingsworth 21, Animam 19, Strautmane 12)
Eltham Wildcats (90) defeated Launceston Tornadoes (66)
The Eltham Wildcats shook off a slow start to end up dominating in the 90-66 home win over the Launceston Tornadoes to maintain their hold on a playoff position.
The Tornadoes were playing their first game in Victoria for the weekend looking to snap a four-game losing run but still being without Keely Froling as they arrived at Montmorency Secondary College to take on the Wildcats.
Eltham needed to keep winning to stay in a playoff position but it was Launceston who started the better with 18 points to 11 in the opening quarter.
The Tornadoes ended up leading by as much as 12 points early in the second quarter before the Wildcats were able to turn the momentum their way by scoring 14 straight points.
That helped Eltham to 30 points to 16 in the second period to go into half-time leading 41-34.
The Wildcats were then able to dominate the second half with 49 points to 32 to end up leading by as much as 29 points, and by 24 in the finish.
The victory improves Eltham to a 9-7 record on the season to remain inside the top eight with Hailey Leidel knocking down 5/8 from three-point range on her way to 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Lily Scanlon also had 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals with Shannon Dufficy contributing 12 points and 11 rebounds, Erin Riley 12 points, 10 boards and seven assists, and Kayla Salmons 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.
Launceston has now lost five matches in-a-row to sit on a 4-12 record with Sarah O'Neill ending the night with 19 points, four steals and three rebounds.
Trinity Oliver added 13 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists, Lore Devos 10 points, eight boards, seven steals, two assists and two blocks, and Lucy Aherne nine points and five assists.
The Tornadoes complete their road double against the Knox Raiders on Sunday with the Wildcats away to the Sandringham Sabres on Friday night.
ELTHAM WILDCATS 90 (Leidel 23, Scanlon 19, Salmons 13)
LAUNCESTON TORNADOES 66 (O'Neill 19, Oliver 13, Devos 10)
Knox Raiders (96) defeated Frankston Blues (73)
The Knox Raiders maintained a top two position with the 96-73 home win against a Frankston Blues team minus Steph Reid and Lauren Scherf.
The Raiders were back home at Knox Basketball Stadium looking for a seventh straight win while it was always going to be a tough task for Frankston with both Reid and Scherf on national duties with the Australian Opals.
The Blues were on a three-game winning streak to be in eighth spot, but taking on Knox minus their star guard and big was going to make it a challenge, and that's how it panned out.
Knox scored 11 straight points in the first quarter to open up a 12-point lead and the home team would continue to build on that throughout the evening.
The Raiders would end up leading by 19 points in the second frame, 23 in the third and 28 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 23-point victory.
The win improves Knox to a 15-2 record on the season to remain in second spot with Alicia Froling leading the charge with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Paige Burrows contributed 15 points, six boards and five assists on 3/4 three-point shooting.
Paige Bradley also had 13 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals, and Kiera Rowe 12 points, three boards, three assists and two steals.
Frankston is now 8-8 following the defeat despite Chelsea D'Angelo producing 31 points, seven assists, five steals and four rebounds on 13/24 shooting.
Lou Brown added 15 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks, Tori Jackson 10 points and three assists, and Kassie Boorer six points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Raiders are in action again on Sunday at home to the Launceston Tornadoes with the Blues away to the Casey Cavaliers next Saturday.
KNOX RAIDERS 96 (Froling 21, Burrows 15, Bradley 13)
FRANKSTON BLUES 73 (D'Angelo 31, Brown 15, Jackson 10)
Waverley Falcons (81) defeated Casey Cavaliers (72)
The Waverley Falcons kept themselves in playoff contention beating the Casey Cavaliers 81-72 with Carley Ernst delivering 25 points and 10 rebounds.
The Falcons might have been coming off a loss to the Ballarat Miners, but that was following a five-game winning streak so they were still in the playoff hunt ahead of hosting the Cavaliers at Waverley Basketball Centre.
The Cavs came into the match up having lost their last couple but also without the service of Alice Kunek who is with the Australian Opals along with Ashleigh Kelman-Poto and Esra McGoldrick.
Despite having just seven players suiting up, it was Casey who started the better to be leading 21-17 by the end of the first quarter and then the scores were level at 37-37 by half-time.
Waverley worked on top with 20 points to 14 in the third frame before then blowing the game open to lead by as much as 18 points in the final quarter, and holding out the Cavs late for the nine-point victory.
The win improves the Falcons to an 8-9 record on the season with WNBL championship winner Carley Ernst putting up 25 points, 10 rebounds and three assists on 9/16 shooting from the field, 2/3 from downtown and 5/6 at the foul line.
Mckenzie Forbes also had 12 points and two assists, Sharna Thompson 12 points and three rebounds, Orla O'Reilly seven points and two boards, and Bec Cole six points and two rebounds.
The Cavaliers are now 4-13 having lost their past three with Taylah Simmons putting up 16 points to go with eight rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Alex Wittinger also had 14 points and nine rebounds, Lauryn Hippolite 14 points, four boards and two assists, and Sharne Robati 12 points and six rebounds.
Waverley don’t play again until hosting the Ringwood Hawks next Monday night with the Cavaliers away to Geelong United on Friday night.
WAVERLEY FALCONS 81 (Ernst 25, Thompson 12, Forbes 12)
CASEY CAVALIERS 72 (Simmons 16, Wittinger 14, Hippolite 14)
MEN
Bendigo Braves (85) lost to Keilor Thunder (111)
Daniel Poelsma dropped 41 points with nine three-pointers to keep Keilor Thunder in a playoff position in the NBL1 South with the 111-85 victory against the Bendigo Braves.
The Braves were back on their home floor at Red Energy Arena attempting to snap a three-game losing run with Keilor arriving on the back of beating the Ringwood Hawks to consolidate a playoff position.
Bendigo actually started well on its home floor to be leading 23-21 at quarter-time but then Keilor took control in the second period scoring 12 straight points on the way to 36 points to 17 for the term.
That saw the Thunder go into the half-time break leading 57-40 and from there the lead continued to grow for Keilor getting out to as much as 23 points in the third quarter, and 29 in the fourth before they secured the 26-point victory.
The win improves the Thunder to an 11-6 record to remain solid inside the top six with Daniel Poelsma coming up huge by connecting on 9/11 from three-point land for 41 points.
He had plenty of help too with 21 points and 13 rebounds from Deng Acouth, 17 points, three boards and two assists from Trevor Lakes, and 11 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds from Kyle Zunic.
Bendigo has now lost four straight to slip to 6-11 with Mitch Clarke finishing with 22 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals.
Fellow West Australian Rowan Mackenzie also had 22 points, five rebounds and five steals with Koch Bar ending up with 13 points and nine boards, and Andrew Robinson 12 points, two rebounds and two assists.
The Braves are next in action away to the Melbourne Tigers on Friday night while Keilor plays host to the Dandenong Rangers next Saturday.
BENDIGO BRAVES 85 (Clarke 22, Mackenzie 22, Bar 13)
KEILOR THUNDER 111 (Poelsma 41, Acouth 21, Lakes 17)
Geelong United (87) defeated Hobart Chargers (85)
A dazzling late steal and go-ahead basket from DeMarcus Gatlin lifted Geelong United to the 87-85 home victory against the Hobart Chargers to keep their playoff hopes alive.
United were back at The Arena to play host to the Chargers needing to keep winning to be any chance of making the finals with the Chargers one of the teams they might have to push out.
Hobart came into the weekend sitting in seventh position in the NBL1 South but then lost to the Mount Gambier Pioneers on Friday ahead of backing up against on Saturday against Geelong.
With plenty at stake for both teams, the stage was set for a tantalising match up and it was the Chargers hitting back from an eight-point deficit in the first quarter to be leading 25-23 by quarter-time.
Hobart managed to keep that going to lead by seven during the second quarter but Geelong hit back and by half-time managed to lead narrowly 47-46.
The momentum swings continued with Geelong leading by six early in the third period before Hobart hit back with 10 consecutive points to open up an 11-point advantage.
That would be the biggest lead of the night and the Chargers still clung to it during the final term, but Geelong once again hit back and eventually George Blagojevic knocked down the biggest shot of the game.
He landed a three-pointer from up top of the arc with 16 seconds on the clock to tie scores up as Hobart called for timeout with Anthony Stewart drawing something up.
Whatever he planned it didn’t account for turning the ball over but DeMarcus Gatlin picked the pocket of Jacob Richards in remarkable fashion still in the backcourt. He only needed a couple of steps to go up and score from that to put Geelong in front.
The locals were going wild and then Terrell Brown missed both free throws up the other end as United celebrated the win to keep their season alive.
Geelong is now 7-9 on the season following the win with George Blagojevic not only hitting that huge late three, but going 5/7 from deep for the night for 28 points to go with nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
Latrell Jones also had 24 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks, Ma'alo Hicks 13 points and five boards, and DeMarcus Gatlin 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Hobart slips to 9-8 on the season following two road losses this weekend despite Terrell Brown producing 27 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Ole Angerstein was a powerful presence with 24 points and 15 rebounds on 11/15 shooting while Vionte Daniels contributed 14 points and three assists, and Jacob Richards 11 points and three rebounds.
Geelong is away to the Nunawading Spectres on Sunday while the Chargers are next in action at home to the Kilsyth Cobras on Friday.
GEELONG UNITED 87 (Blagojevic 28, Jones 24, Hicks 13)
HOBART CHARGERS 85 (Brown 27, Angerstein 24, Daniels 14)
Ballarat Miners (79) lost to Nunawading Spectres (94)
The Nunawading Spectres produced a massive fourth quarter to overrun the Ballarat Miners for the 94-79 road victory to keep their playoff hopes alive and to put the Miners' top four spot in jeopardy.
Ballarat were back at home at Selkirk Stadium looking to stay in touch with the top two teams ahead of hosting a Nunawading team just trying to maintain touch with the top eight after last up wins against Casey and Frankston.
The Spectres managed to lead by three points at quarter-time but the scores were all tied at 41-41 by half-time in what was becoming an increasingly hard fought and tight contest.
Ballarat managed to open up a seven-point lead in the third period and to still be up by four by three quarter-time, but it was Nunawading who responded and produced a scintillating fourth frame.
The Spectres piled on 31 points and held the Miners to 12 to end up scoring the 15-point victory to improve to a 9-7 record to enhance their playoff prospects.
Christian D'Angelo came up huge in the win for Nunawading with 28 points on 9/13 shooting from the floor, 3/7 from behind the arc and 7/7 at the charity stripe.
Trendon Hankerson added 15 points and five rebounds, Jack Gandolfo 13 points and four assists, and Jordan Geer nine points, six rebounds and five assists.
Ballarat is now 11-5 on the back of the loss with Tyler Rudolph top-scoring with 23 points, five rebound and two steals on 9/14 shooting.
Nick Stoddart finished with 14 points and three assists, Zac Dunmore 13 points on 3/4 three-point shooting, Majok Majok 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Luke Rosendale 10 points and four assists.
The Miners play again on Sunday on the road to the Ringwood Hawks while the Spectres are back home to Geelong United.
BALLARAT MINERS 79 (Rudolph 23, Stoddart 14, Dunmore 13)
NUNAWADING SPECTRES 94 (D'Angelo 28, Hankerson 15, Gandolfo 13)
Kilsyth Cobras (77) defeated Melbourne Tigers (44)
The Kilsyth Cobras applied the clamps on the Melbourne Tigers and cruised to a dominant 77-44 home victory on Saturday night.
The Cobras were back home at Kilsyth Sports Centre looking to snap a six-game losing streak ahead of hosting a Tigers team trying to bounce back from a pair of losses and to stay in playoff contention.
The Tigers lost big man Jack Purchase early in the match up despite regaining the services of Tom Wilson with Kilsyth leading narrowly 14-11 in a low-scoring opening period.
That would be the trend of the evening but the Cobras took total control in the second term with a 20-0 scoring run to open up an 18-point lead, and to go into half-time on top 37-22.
It was more of the same throughout the second half with the lead growing to 28 points in the third quarter for Kilsyth, and 37 in the final stanza before the home team secured the 33-point victory.
The win improves the Cobras to a 4-12 record on the season with Deng Riak delivering 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks with 4/4 three-point shooting.
Mitch Dielemans also had 14 points and four assists, Corey Jeffs 13 points and seven rebounds, Josh Duach nine points and six boards, and Tim Lang eight points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Tigers have now lost three straight at 7-10 with Tom Wilson top-scoring with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists.
Mason Gaze added nine points, five rebounds and four assists, and Taj Chehhal seven points and three boards.
The Cobras are on the road next weekend to the Hobart Chargers on Friday and North West Tasmania Thunder on Saturday while the Tigers play host to the Bendigo Braves on Friday.
KILSYTH COBRAS 77 (Riak 18, Dielemans 14, Jeffs 13)
MELBOURNE TIGERS 44 (Wilson 14, Gaze 9, Chehhal 7)
Dandenong Rangers (80) lost to Sandringham Sabres (109)
The Sandringham Sabres maintained their hold on top spot in the NBL1 South with the 109-80 road victory against the Dandenong Rangers.
Sandringham arrived at Dandenong Basketball Stadium on a nine-game winning run to be in top spot as the Sabres took on a Rangers team also on a five-game winning run and clinging to fourth place.
Despite the contest pitting the two hottest teams in the league up against one another, it didn’t take the Sabres long to take charge with 33 points to 23 in the opening quarter.
Sandringham then further blew things wide open in the second stanza with the lead growing to 28 points and by half-time it was the Sabres leading the Rangers 61-41.
Sandringham then went on a remarkable 24-0 scoring run to see that lead balloon out to as much as 37 points in the final term before the Sabres won by 29 and to make 10 consecutive wins to improve to a 13-4 record.
Melbourne United NBL star Tanner Krebs came up huge again for Sandringham with 32 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals on 5/12 three-point shooting.
Joel Foxwell added 19 points, eight assists, four rebounds and three steals, Campbell Blogg 17 points and five boards, Dane Pineau 13 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, and Tom Koppens 12 points, nine boards and four assists.
Dandenong's winning run comes to an end with the loss with the Rangers now 11-6 with Tad Dufelmeier top-scoring with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Jacob Tryon also had 15 points and nine rebounds, Mason Peatling 12 points and four boards, Christian Yammouni 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, and Brandon Betson 10 points, three boards and two assists.
The Rangers are next in action in a week's time on the road to Keilor Thunder while the Sabres will host the Eltham Wildcats on Friday night.
DANDENONG RANGERS 80 (Dufelmeier 18, Tryon 15, Peatling 12)
SANDRINGHAM SABRES 109 (Krebs 32, Foxwell 19, Blogg 17)
Diamond Valley Eagles (82) defeated Ringwood Hawks (74)
Ngor Manyang continues to fire upon his return for the Diamond Valley Eagles and he led them to the 82-74 home victory against the Ringwood Hawks.
Manyang has returned to Diamond Valley now for the last four games of the NBL1 South season on the back of a stint playing in South Africa, and he continues to have a significant impact.
The Eagles hosted the Hawks at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre with the home team attempting to snap a two-game losing run and Ringwood attempting to stop a seven-game slide.
After Diamond Valley were only leading by two points at quarter-time, the Eagles took control in the second term with 25 points to nine which saw them head into half-time leading 43-25.
Ringwood did hit back in the third period with 25 points to 11, but the Eagles did enough to respond and maintained a double-digit advantage in the fourth frame to end up scoring the eight-point victory.
The win improves Diamond Valley to a 5-11 record on the season with Ngor Manyang ending up with 28 points and five rebounds on 12/22 shooting from the floor and 4/10 from three-point range.
Erik Kafritsas also had 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Jock Perry 14 points, 21 boards and five assists, and BJ Symons 10 points and six rebounds.
Ringwood is now 6-12 following an eighth consecutive defeat with Ngor Nai ending up with 18 points and nine rebounds on 5/10 three-point shooting.
Braelen Bridges added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Harry Sealey 16 points and three boards.
The Hawks are in action again on Sunday hosting the Ballarat Miners with the Eagles away to the North West Tasmania Thunder on Friday and Hobart Chargers on Saturday.
DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 82 (Manyang 28, Kafritsas 16, Perry 14)
RINGWOOD HAWKS 74 (Bridges 18, Nai 18, Sealey 16)
Eltham Wildcats (93) lost to North West Tasmania Thunder (96)
Tre Armstrong completed a remarkable fourth quarter comeback with the game winning three-pointer for the North West Tasmania Thunder to keep their season alive beating the Eltham Wildcats 96-93.
Both teams were sitting outside the top eight in the NBL1 South coming into the weekend so desperation was high for a win in the contest at Montmorency Secondary College and it would prove quite the fascinating match up.
It was the visiting North West Tasmania who got the better of the start to be leading 28-22 by quarter-time but then Eltham got on top in the second frame.
The Wildcats put up 30 points to 14 in the quarter to go into the half-time break leading 52-42.
Eltham's lead then also was out to as much as 13 points early in the fourth period but that's when the Thunder got stuck in and made a stunning final quarter run.
Seth Swalve knocked down three triples as part of a stunning 15-0 run for the Thunder and by the time Archer Woodhill landed from deep as well the visitors had turned that 13-point deficit into their own seven-point lead.
It was the turn of Eltham to respond starting with a three ball from Ralph Bissainthe before Josh Sykes threw down a dunk, and Angus Glover also hit from downtown to make it a two-point ball game with under a minute to play.
Two free throws from Owen Foxwell then saw Eltham tie scores up, but it was Tre Armstrong who hit the biggest shot of the night when he drained a three in the dying seconds to give North West Tasmania the three-point lead.
There was time for the Wildcats to take a timeout and draw up one final shot, but Bissainthe couldn’t make the three-point attempt and the Thunder scored the dramatic three-point victory.
The win keeps North West Tasmania's finals hopes alive at 7-9 with Sekou Sylla ending up with another 21 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Seth Swalve nailed 4/7 from three-point territory on his way to 16 points and five assists with Tre Armstrong contributing 17 points on 4/8 long-range shooting, Ben Woolley 15 points on 3/6, and Archer Woodhill 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
Eltham slips to 8-8 with the loss with Owen Foxwell finishing with 24 points on 10/20 shooting from the floor while Angus Glover contributed 21 points, 11 boards and five assists on 5/8 three-point shooting.
Josh Sykes added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists with Zak Cunningham adding 12 points and five boards, and Ralph Bissainthe 11 points and three rebounds.
North West Tasmania complete their road double against the Knox Raiders on Sunday with the Wildcats away to the Sandringham Sabres on Friday night.
ELTHAM WILDCATS 93 (Foxwell 24, Glover 21, Sykes 14)
NORTH WEST TASMANIA THUNDER 96 (Sylla 21, Armstrong 17, Swalve 16)
Knox Raiders (88) lost to Frankston Blues (100)
The Frankston Blues took a step closer towards the NBL1 South playoffs with the 100-88 road win against the defending champion Knox Raiders.
Both teams were locked in a fight over a finals position coming into the match up at Knox Basketball Stadium with Knox sitting eighth at 9-7 with Frankston just a game behind at 8-7 so things were delicately placed coming into the last month of the regular season.
Frankston were a team on a mission from the outset and raced to a nine-point lead in the first quarter but Knox were staying in touch too only trailing by six at quarter-time and five at half-time.
The Raiders even briefly hit the lead in the third quarter with last year's championship hero KJ Feagin leading the charge, but the Blues and took back control of the contest the rest of the way.
Frankston would end up leading by as much as 16 points too in the fourth period and won by 12 to improve to a 9-7 record and close in on a spot in the top eight.
Daniel Trist put in a power of work in the win for the Blues ending up with 21 points and 18 rebounds with Lachlan Barker contributing 20 points and three assists, and Stokley Chaffee 17 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Igor Hadziomerovic also had 15 points and two assists, Brad Newley 10 points and three rebounds, and Lucas Barker eight points, six boards and five assists.
Knox were without Melbourne United NBL big man Kyle Bowen and slip to a 9-8 record with the loss despite KJ Feagin delivering 21 points and six assists with 4/9 three-point shooting.
Austin Rapp added 15 points and nine rebounds, Malith Machar 14 points and nine boards, Brody Nunn 18 points and four assists, and Anzac Rissetto 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Raiders are in action again on Sunday at home to the North West Tasmania Thunder with the Blues away to the Casey Cavaliers next Saturday.
KNOX RAIDERS 88 (Feagin 21, Nunn 18, Rapp 15)
FRANKSTON BLUES 100 (Trist 21, Lachlan Barker 20, Chaffee 17)
Waverley Falcons (87) lost to Casey Cavaliers (95)
The Casey Cavaliers snapped an 11-game losing run and put a dagger into the top four hopes of the Waverley Falcons with the 95-87 road victory.
It's a decidedly different looking Falcons team who were playing at Waverley Basketball Centre without DJ Vasiljevic and Mason Forbes but they came into the contest just a game out of fourth spot and needing to keep winning to keep those top four prospects alive.
The Cavaliers had lost 11 straight matches as well to be sitting in last place in the NBL1 South and it was the Falcons who had the better of the start with 29 points to 19 in the opening quarter.
The lead for Waverley did get to as much as 12 points in the second quarter as well, but then Casey worked back into the contest by scoring eight straight points and in the end would cut the Falcons lead at half-time to 44-43.
The Cavaliers then kept that momentum going with 30 points to 17 in the third quarter which could very well be their best 10 minutes of basketball for the season considering they had only won the two games previously.
The Cavs then held firm in the fourth frame to score the eight-point victory to snap their 11-game losing slide to improve to 3-14 on the season.
Preston Bungei top-scored in the win for Casey with 19 points and seven rebounds with Dillon Stith adding 18 points, 10 boards and five assists on 7/10 shooting.
Anthony Karabatsos also had 16 points, two rebounds and two assists, Adam Thoseby 14 points, four assists, three boards and two steals, Jarred Burnett 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Hunter Marks 12 points and four boards.
It's a tough loss for Waverley who have now lost its past two to be 10-7 on the season despite Matthew McCarthy having a big night made up of 30 points, 12 rebounds and two assists on 12/21 shooting from the field.
Malik Meunier also had 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals, Dexter Kernich-Drew 13 points and four boards, Dylan Larkin eight points and four rebounds, and Bennie Lewis eight points and four boards.
Waverley don’t play again until hosting the Ringwood Hawks next Monday night with the Cavaliers away to Geelong United on Friday night.
WAVERLEY FALCONS 87 (McCarthy 30, Meunier 19, Kernich-Drew 13)
CASEY CAVALIERS 95 (Bungei 19, Stith 18, Karabatsos 16)
