Featured image: Ian Knight @ianknightphotography
Bec Cole and Carley Ernst had 34 points each to help Waverley Falcons overcome Lasha Petree's 36 points in Friday night NBL1 South with Daniel Trist having 21 and 20 for Frankston Blues while Akech Aliir again fired for Mount Gambier Pioneers.
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WOMEN
Frankston Blues (88) defeated Hobart Chargers (72)
Both teams might have been out of finals contention but there was plenty of star power on either side with the trio of Lauren Scherf, Steph Reid and Lou Brown leading the Frankston Blues to the 88-72 win over the Hobart Chargers.
While each team was out of the playoff race coming into the match up at Dreamstreet Lending Arena, they brought winning form with them with Frankston having beaten the Sandringham Sabres on Tuesday while the Hobart were on a three-game winnings streak.
It was the Blues in their last game of the season who shot out of the blocks with 26 points to seven in the opening quarter which set the tone for the rest of the evening.
The lead for Frankston got out to 21 points in the second term and the home team was still on top 46-30 going into the half-time break.
The Blues maintained that advantage throughout the second half on the way to the eventual 16-point victory to finish the regular season with an 11-11 record.
The big guns fired in the win for Frankston with Lauren Scherf producing 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists with Steph Reid adding 20 points, eight assists and four boards.
Lou Brown also put up 19 points, 21 rebounds and three steals with Emily Monaghan contributing 11 points and six boards, and Tori Jackson nine points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Chargers are now 8-13 with their winning run coming to an end with Cierra Walker providing 29 points, three assists and two rebounds on knocking down 9/18 from three-point territory.
Jayda Jansen added 16 points, six assists and four rebounds, and Chloe Broomhall 12 points, 12 boards and three assists.
Frankston's regular season is now done while the Chargers will be in action on Saturday away to the Sandringham Sabres.
FRANKSTON BLUES 88 (Scherf 21, Reid 20, Brown 19)
HOBART CHARGERS 72 (Walker 29, Jansen 16, Broomhall 12)
Geelong United (102) lost to Waverley Falcons (120)
Lasha Petree scored 36 points, Bec Cole 34 and Carley Ernst 34, but it was the result that mattered more and Waverley Falcons got the win they were after 120-102 against Geelong United.
Things were delicately placed for both teams who were locked in the race for a playoff spot entering the last weekend of the regular season with Geelong at 11-9 on a two-game losing run and the Falcons at 12-9 having won five in-a-row.
It would turn out to be quite the high-scoring spectacle with the two teams combining for 222 points across the 40 minutes with three players across the two teams scoring 34 points or more with everything to play for.
Waverley managed to open up a six-point lead by the end of the first quarter before Geelong put up 30 points to 18 in the second period to go into the half-time interval leading 51-45.
It was a monster third term from both teams as they combined for 69 points, but it was the Falcons scoring 43 of those including 17 in succession to be leading by as much as 11 points.
Waverley went on with the job from there to open up a 20-point lead and to win by 18 to make it six straight wins to improve to a 13-9 record to enhance their playoff prospects.
The big guns delivered for the Falcons with Carley Ernst knocking down 7/13 from three-point range for 34 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Bec Cole also went 4/8 from deep and 8/8 at the foul line on her way to 34 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals with Renae Mokrzycki adding 27 points, 10 boards and four assists on 11/14 shooting.
Mckenzie Forbes also had 11 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals with Amelia Todhunter adding 11 points, two assists and two steals.
Geelong slipped to an 11-10 record with a third consecutive defeat despite Lasha Petree going for 36 points along with seven rebounds and four steals on 7/11 three-point shooting.
Shaneice Swans had another 19 points, six rebounds and two assists with Jada Rice contributing 17 points and 16 boards, and Sarah Elsworthy 15 points, six assists and three rebounds.
Geelong backs up to play on Saturday on the road to the Diamond Valley Eagles with Waverley's work now done for the regular season.
GEELONG UNITED 102 (Petree 36, Swain 19, Rice 17)
WAVERLEY FALCONS 120 (Cole 34, Ernst 34, Mokrzycki 27)
Nunawading Spectres (54) lost to Dandenong Rangers (75)
The Dandenong Rangers held the Nunawading Spectres to just two points in the second quarter on the way to a 75-54 road victory to consolidate third spot in the NBL1 South.
The Rangers just needed to keep winning this weekend to stay in third place as they arrived at Nunawading Basketball Centre to take on a Spectres team trying to make it consecutive wins.
Dandenong arrived on a four-match winning streak but it was Nunawading who started the better to hold a 27-14 lead by quarter-time.
The Rangers turned things around in the second term and they might not have caught fire offensively with just the 15 points, but they did hold the Spectres to only two for the entire 10 minutes to leave scores tied at 29-29 by half-time.
Dandenong had scored the last 10 points of the first half and then the first four of the fourth before eventually opening up an 18-point lead to take total control in the third quarter.
That lead got out to 21 points then by the final buzzer with the Rangers improving to a 15-6 record to have won five straight to remain in third place.
Amber Smith delivered 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the win for Dandenong with Ashten Prechtel finishing with a double-double of 14 points and 12 boards to go with three blocks on 7/11 shooting.
Manuela Puoch also had 13 points and five rebounds with Dallas Loughridge contributing 12 points, three boards, three assists and three steals, and Nyadiew Puoch nine points, five steals, four rebounds and two assists.
The Spectres couldn’t string consecutive wins together to now sit at 4-17 with Batabe Zempare top-scoring with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Jordan Pyle added 11 points, five rebounds and three steals, Rachel Antoniadou eight points and six assists, and Kate Tanner eight points and seven boards.
The Spectres finish their season at home to the Launceston Tornadoes on Saturday with the Rangers finishing off on Sunday at home to the Tornadoes as well.
NUNAWADING SPECTRES 54 (Zempare 16, Pyle 11, Tanner 8, Antoniadou 8)
DANDENONG RANGERS 75 (Smith 17, Prechtel 14, M Puoch 13)
Mount Gambier Pioneers (93) defeated Ringwood Hawks (68)
The Mount Gambier Pioneers kept their hopes of finishing in the top four alive with the 93-68 home win to close the regular season against the Ringwood Hawks.
The Pioneers were back home at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre to close their regular season on Friday night up against a Hawks team on a six-game losing streak and trying to end their own season on a winning note.
Ringwood had nothing to lose playing their last game of 2024 and even though Mount Gambier had an early seven-point lead, the Hawks hit back to lead by a point at quarter-time before turning that into a 12-0 run to lead by as much as seven.
Mount Gambier needed to win to remain any chance of finishing in the top four as well with them responding to end up heading into half-time leading 42-35.
The Pioneers then continued to pull away through the second half with 32 points to 21 in the third quarter and 19 to 12 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 25-point victory.
The victory improves Mount Gambier to a 14-8 record having completed their regular season with Haliegh Reinoehl delivering another 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists with 4/9 three-point shooting.
Samantha Fatkin added another 20 points and nine rebounds with 6/11 from downtown while Zitina Aokuso ended up with 15 points, 12 boards and seven assists, Isa Brancatisano 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Sherria Calleia 11 points, nine boards and six assists.
Ringwood's season is now over with a 9-13 record and finishing with seven consecutive defeats with a shorthanded roster in the absence of Ahlise Hurst, Aneta Bandilovska and Jack Animam.
Lana Hollingsworth put up 22 points and three assists with 4/8 three-point shooting while Digna Strautmane added 14 points, 10 boards, five assists and four steals, and Kayla Vitale 13 points and two rebounds.
MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 93 (Reinoehl 22, Fatkin 20, Aokuso 15)
RINGWOOD HAWKS 68 (Hollingsworth 22, Strautmane 14, Vitale 13)
MEN
Frankston Blues (94) defeated Hobart Chargers (75)
Two teams with top four aspirations locked horns on Friday night and it was the Frankston Blues proving too deep and too strong to score the 94-75 home win over the Hobart Chargers.
With the Blues looking to further consolidate a top four spot and try to break into the top two and the Chargers also having an outside chance still of working into the top four, and there was plenty at stake at Dreamstreet Lending Arena.
The Blues came into the clash having won seven straight including Tuesday's win over the Sandringham Sabres with the Chargers also in good form having won three in-a-row.
It was Frankston who had the better of the first quarter going on an 8-0 scoring run to open up an 11-point lead, and the home team would remain on top the rest of the evening.
The lead for the Blues got out to as much as 19 points in the second quarter but Hobart did well to bring it back to a 47-40 lead for Frankston at the main break.
The Blues were able to pull away again in the second half, though, as they led by as much as 16 points in the third frame and 20 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 19-point victory.
The win gives Frankston eight wins in-a-row to finish the regular season with a 15-7 record with Daniel Trist a dominant presence with 21 points, 20 rebounds and four assists.
He had plenty of help too with Kynan Phillippe producing 15 points on 3/5 three-point shooting, Stokley Chaffee 14 points and five boards, Lucas Barker 13 points and 10 assists, Lachlan Barker 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, and Thomas Garrett 11 points and five boards.
The Chargers are now 12-9 with a game to play with Jacob Richards finishing up top-scoring with 17 points and three rebounds while knocking down 3/4 from three-point range.
Terrell Brown also had 16 points, four rebounds and four assists, Ole Angerstein 13 points and nine boards, and Clint Steindl 11 points and five rebounds.
Frankston's regular season is now done while the Chargers will be in action on Saturday away to the Sandringham Sabres.
FRANKSTON BLUES 94 (Trist 21, Phillippe 15, Chaffee 14)
HOBART CHARGERS 75 (Richards 17, Brown 16, Angerstein 13)
Geelong United (102) defeated Waverley Falcons (74)
It's still an outside chance for Geelong United to reach the playoffs but they at least kept themselves alive with the 102-74 home win over the Waverley Falcons.
Geelong came into the last round of the regular season needing two wins and a lot to go their way, but first up was the job of hosting the Falcons at The Arena on Friday night.
Waverley did lose to the Melbourne Tigers on Thursday night which meant the road trip to Geelong was a must-win affair for them to stay any chance of taking part in the playoffs.
It was a stunningly dominant start from Geelong who opened up a 19-point lead in the first quarter on the way to the 31-14 lead by quarter-time.
Geelong went on with the job from there as well with the lead growing to 31 points in the second period and then 36 in the second half before they went on to score the eventual 28-point victory.
It was a stunning performance from the home team considering both teams were fighting to stay in the playoff mix with Geelong now improving to 11-10 win with the bounce back victory.
Latrell Jones produced a standout performance in the win for Geelong with 31 points, 12 rebounds and three assists on 11/17 shooting from the field, 4/7 from downtown and 5/7 at the charity stripe.
Owen Odigie also delivered 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Ma'alo Hicks 13 points and nine boards, Liam Herbert 12 points and six rebounds, and DeMarcus Gatlin nine points, eight assists, five boards and three steals.
Waverley's season is now over with an 11-11 record having lost the past four matches.
Mason Forbes top-scored with 19 points to go with five rebounds with Dexter Kernich-Drew adding 14 points and three assists, Maurice Howard eight points and seven rebounds, and Fraser Roxburgh five points and eight boards.
Geelong backs up to play on Saturday on the road to the Diamond Valley Eagles with Waverley's work now done for the regular season.
GEELONG UNITED 102 (Jones 31, Odigie 14, Hicks 13)
WAVERLEY FALCONS 74 (Forbes 19, Kernich-Drew 14, Howard 8)
Nunawading Spectres (83) defeated Dandenong Rangers (78)
The Nunawading Spectres got the win they needed to stay in the playoff hunt heading into the weekend with the 83-78 home victory against the Dandenong Rangers.
Both teams are locked in the playoff race coming into the Friday night match up at Nunawading Basketball Centre with the Spectres needing to win to stay a chance at playoffs while a win for the Rangers would lock them into the top eight.
That set the stage for a critical match up for both teams and it would prove a seesaw battle with the Spectres leading by four points at quarter-time.
Nunawading then took charge during the second frame to open up a 16-point advantage to then go into the half-time break leading 51-38.
While the Spectres had been in control, Tad Dufelmeier fired up to help the Rangers change that in the third quarter. Dandenong would end up outscoring Nunawading 22 points to 10 for the period and then that saw the Rangers end up leading by as much as four points in the last term.
However, once again Nunawading were able to respond with a strong last quarter on the way to the eventual five-point victory with the win keeping the Spectres a chance still to play finals at 11-10.
Trendon Hankerson finished with 22 points, nine assists, four rebounds and two steals on 4/7 three-point shooting in the win for the Spectres.
Christian D'Angelo added 15 points and six rebounds, Jack Gandolfo 13 points and two assists, and Jalen Johnson nine points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Rangers can still play finals with a game to play but slip to a 12-9 record having now lost three matches in-a-row despite Tad Dufelmeier delivering 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Jacob Tryon also contributed 15 points, six rebounds and four blocks with Mason Peatling contributing nine points, eight boards and three assists, Puoch Puoch nine points and five rebounds, and Jake Heath eight points and four assists.
The Spectres finish their season at home to the North West Tasmania Thunder on Saturday with the Rangers finishing off on Sunday at home to the Thunder as well.
NUNAWADING SPECTRES 83 (Hankerson 22, D'Angelo 15, Gandolfo 13)
DANDENONG RANGERS 78 (Dufelmeier 32, Tryon 15, Puoch 9, Peatling 9)
Mount Gambier Pioneers (117) defeated Ringwood Hawks (75)
Nick Marshall was back and Akech Aliir continued his hot form to keep the Mount Gambier Pioneers in top spot with the 117-75 home win against the Ringwood Hawks.
It was a last game of the regular season for both teams as they arrived to Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre with the Pioneers needing a win to stay top and the Hawks just looking to avoid 12 straight defeats.
Mount Gambier had lost last up to the Melbourne Tigers so were attempting to bounce back from that and started on fire with 28 points to 12 in the first quarter against Ringwood.
That lead for the Pioneers continued to grow on their home floor as they secured the regular season championship. They would be on top by 28 points in the second frame, 38 in the third and 47 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 42-point victory.
The win means that Mount Gambier stays top with a 17-5 record to close the regular season with Akech Aliir continuing his hot form with 29 points, 19 rebounds and four assists on 11/16 shooting from the floor and 4/6 from downtown.
Nick Marshall was back into the line-up with 22 points, five rebounds and five assists with Austin Shelley contributing 18 points and four assists, Titus Robinson 14 points, four rebounds and two blocks, and Christian Peevy 13 points and six boards.
Ringwood ends its season with 12 straight losses at 6-16 despite Jonathan Lawton finishing with 22 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Braelen Bridges also had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Matt Roberts 12 points with 6/7 shooting at the foul line.
MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 117 (Aliir 29, N Marshall 22, Shelley 18)
RINGWOOD HAWKS 75 (Lawton 22, Bridges 18, Roberts 12)
