Featured image: Shane Panther | @shanejpg.sport
Angus Glover hit seven threes to keep the Eltham Wildcats in the NBL1 South with Maddy Rocci for Keilor Thunder, Sam Fatkin for Mount Gambier Pioneers and Chloe Bibby for the Ballarat Miners among the firing stars to open finals along with Carley Ernst and Bec Cole for the Waverley Falcons.
RECAP NBL1 SOUTH | ROUND 14 SUNDAY
WOMEN
Elimination Final – Sandringham Sabres (69) lost to Waverley Falcons (95)
The WNBL championship winning duo of Bec Cole and Carley Ernst again fired and lifted the Waverley Falcons into a semi-final with the 95-69 road win against the Sandringham Sabres.
Cole and Ernst both came into this NBL1 South fresh off being part of the WNBL championship at the Southside Flyers but the Falcons found themselves in a big hole at the halfway point having won just three of 11 matches.
However, they went on a spectacular run winning 10 of the last 11 to sneak into the playoffs in seventh spot to set up a match up on the road to the Sabres at Southern Basketball Stadium.
Sandringham had lost five of the last six games to drop out of the top four and they were still without Funda Nakkasoglu for Saturday night's elimination final.
It was an ominous start from the Falcons away from home as they went on a 12-0 run in the first quarter to open up a 14-point lead and they never really looked back from there.
Waverley's advantage grew to as much as 17 points in the second period and then blew out to 29 in the fourth on the back of a 14-0 scoring run before they secured the 26-point victory.
The win sees Waverley advance to a semi-final against the Dandenong Rangers next Saturday after Bec Cole delivered 29 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists on 11/18 shooting from the field.
Carley Ernst also delivered 25 points, six assists and four rebounds with Mckenzie Forbes contributing 18 points and three assists, and Orla O'Reilly six points, five boards and two steals.
It's season over for Sandringham after it promised so much after winning 13 of the first 16 matches of 2024.
Isis Lopes finished off with 26 points, five rebounds and three assists on shooting 4/5 from three-point territory with Klara Wischer contributing 12 points, seven boards and five assists.
Juna Umezawa added nine points, nine rebounds and two assists with Britt Smart also having six points, two assists and two steals.
SANDRINGHAM SABRES 69 (Lopes 26, Wischer 12, Umezawa 9)
WAVERLEY FALCONS 95 (Cole 29, Ernst 25, Forbes 18)
Elimination Final – Ballarat Miners (97) defeated Eltham Wildcats (83)
The Ballarat Miners kept their season alive and ended the campaign in 2024 of the Eltham Wildcats with the 97-83 home victory in the elimination final.
The season for one of the two teams was going to be over after the game at Selkirk Stadium with Ballarat finishing the regular season in fifth position at 14-8 and the Wildcats clinging to eighth at 12-10.
The two teams were in contrasting form coming into the finals too with the Miners on fire having won nine in-a-row with a star-studded roster with Chloe Bibby, Mehryn Kraker, Abbey Wehrung and Jaz Shelley.
The Wildcats had lost their last two matches to only just fall into eighth spot but it was always going to be a big task up against the on fire Miners team with their stars all up and about.
Having said that, the Wildcats did well to make a contest out of it and the Miners were only leading by four points at quarter-time and then scores were all level at 48-48 by half-time.
Ballarat then put up 32 points to 26 in the third quarter and then the Miners put the game to bed in the final term with 17 points to nine to secure the 14-point victory.
The win sees the Miners advance to a semi-final on a 10-game winning streak on the road to the Knox Raiders who had their own winning streak ended to open the finals.
Chloe Bibby came up huge in the win for Ballarat with 26 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals while Abbey Wehrung contributed 21 points, 11 boards, six assists and three steals.
Mehryn Kraker also provided 19 points, two rebounds and two assists with Micah Simpson adding 14 points and two assists, and Ella Gordon 10 points and two rebounds.
The season is over now for the Wildcats with Lily Scanlon putting up 29 points, five assists and three rebounds on 11/16 shooting from the floor and 4/9 from three-point territory.
Hailey Leidel also had 18 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists with Taylah Wynne contributing 20 points on 6/8 shooting from behind the three-point arc.
BALLARAT MINERS 97 (Bibby 26, Wehrung 21, Kraker 19)
ELTHAM WILDCATS 83 (Scanlon 29, Wynne 20, Leidel 18)
Qualifying Final – Knox Raiders (78) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (86)
Sam Fatkin hit six three-pointers and the Mount Gambier Pioneers opened up a 17-point first half lead on the road to set up the 86-78 qualifying final win over the Knox Raiders.
The Raiders had earned the right to host the match up at Knox Basketball Stadium on the back of finishing the regular season in top spot on a 12-game winning streak at 20-2.
They were playing host to a Pioneers team who regained their winning touch late in the season to finish fourth at 14-8, and it was the visitors who put together a standout first half performance that set up the eventual win.
Mount Gambier managed to open up a 10-point lead in the opening period before then completing an 11-0 scoring run in the second term on the way to building a 17-point advantage.
The Pioneers were still leading 51-38 at the half-time break and even though the Raiders did keep fighting hard to mount a fightback, Mount Gambier held firm for the eventual eight-point victory.
As a result of the win, the Pioneers have earned a week off before hosting a preliminary final against either the Dandenong Rangers or Waverley Falcons.
Sam Fatkin came up huge in the win for the Pioneers with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists while knocking down 6/9 from behind the three-point arc.
Isa Brancatisano added 16 points, seven assists and four rebounds on 4/8 shooting from deep while Sherrie Calleia contributed 13 points, seven assists, five boards, two steals and two blocks, and Haliegh Reinoehl 12 points, five rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists.
The Raiders will be back home next Saturday against the Ballarat Miners with the winner to move into a preliminary final against Keilor Thunder.
Paige Bradley finished with 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals for Knox with Alicia Froling providing 15 points, 12 boards, three assists and three blocks, and Rachel Bell 14 points.
KNOX RAIDERS 78 (Bradley 20, Froling 15, Bell 14)
MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 86 (Fatkin 27, Brancatisano 16, Calleia 13)
Qualifying Final – Keilor Thunder (68) defeated Dandenong Rangers (59)
It took until Keilor Thunder put the clamps on the Dandenong Rangers in the fourth quarter for them to secure the 68-59 win over the Dandenong Rangers to advance to a home preliminary final.
Keilor only narrowly missed claiming top spot at the end of the regular season when losing to the Knox Raiders last Sunday for just their third defeat of the campaign.
The Thunder still finished second at 19-3 to be at home at Keilor Stadium against the third placed Rangers who arrived on a six-game winning streak on the back of compiling a 16-6 record.
At stake was a week off and the right to host a preliminary final and it was Keilor leading 20-15 by quarter-time before extending that advantage out to 10 points in the second frame.
Dandenong then fired back with the last eight points of the first half and then the first four of the second to complete a 12-0 run to open up their own six-point advantage.
They were still on top by six points early in the fourth quarter and it was up to Keilor to respond and that's exactly what the Thunder did starting at the defensive end.
Keilor was able to limit Dandenong to just five points the entire final quarter and by scoring 17 themselves they were able to regain the lead and end up winning by nine points.
The Thunder have earned a week off now before hosting a preliminary final against either the Knox Raiders or Ballarat Miners.
Maddy Rocci delivered 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in the win for Keilor with 7/13 shooting from the floor, 4/8 from downtown and 2/2 at the free-throw line.
Lily Carmody added 16 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots while Issie Bourne produced nine points, nine rebounds and three steals, and Penina Davidson eight points, nine boards and two assists.
Dandenong couldn’t quite complete the job in the absence of Nyadiew Puoch but now have a second chance at home next Saturday to the Waverley Falcons with the winner to take on the Mount Gambier Pioneers on the road in a preliminary final.
Imogen Rock finished up top-scoring for the Rangers with 18 points, six rebounds and four steals while Ashten Prechtel had 18 points, seven boards and two blocked shots, Amber Smith 13 points and eight rebounds, and Dallas Loughridge six points and six assists.
KEILOR THUNDER 68 (Rocci 20, Carmody 16, Bourne 9)
DANDENONG RANGERS 59 (Rock 18, Prechtel 18, Smith 13)
MEN
Elimination Final – Eltham Wildcats (86) defeated Geelong United (81)
Angus Glover is made for the big finals moments and he showed his big game mentality once again leading the Eltham Wildcats to the 86-81 elimination final victory at home over Geelong United.
One of the teams was going to end their season on Saturday night feeling as though they had underachieved in 2024 with the Wildcats earning the hosting rights at Montmorency Secondary College after finishing fifth at 14-8 and on a six-game winning streak.
Geelong had secured its playoffs spot also winning seven of its last eight matches so both teams came into the elimination final in hot form and thinking a championship wasn’t out of the question, but one of their seasons was about to be over.
It was Geelong who started on fire with a 13-0 scoring run to see the visitors out to a 12-point advantage as they threw the gauntlet down to Eltham to respond.
The Wildcats were able to do just that with 23 points to 12 in the second quarter and that saw the home side head into the half-time break leading 34-31.
Eltham were able to take further control in the third quarter and by the time they had completed a 12-0 run, the Wildcats were leading by 18 points.
That got out to as much as 21 in the fourth frame too but Geelong fired one last shot and hit 11 straight points to get to within a point all of a sudden with just under 30 seconds to play.
Geelong had all the momentum but Eltham were able to respond with a dunk from Josh Sykes before forcing a turnover on DeMarcus Gatlin, and then Angus Glover sealing the deal at the foul line.
Eltham's season stays alive and they will now take on the Mount Gambier Pioneers in a semi-final next Saturday after Glover knocked down 7/14 from three-point territory on his way to 27 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
His new South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL teammate Owen Foxwell also had 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals with Josh Sykes contributing 12 points and six boards, Ralph Bissainthe 12 points and seven rebounds, and Sam Whelan nine points on 3/4 three-point shooting.
It's a tough way for the season to finish for Geelong given how well they are playing with George Blagojevic finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
DeMarcus Gatlin also had 22 points, four boards, two assists and two steals, Latrell Jones 13 points, three steals and two rebounds, and Ma'alo Hicks 11 points and 12 boards.
ELTHAM WILDCATS 86 (Glover 27, Foxwell 20, Sykes 12, Bissainthe 12)
GEELONG UNITED 81 (Blagojevic 24, Gatlin 22, Jones 13)
Elimination Final – Dandenong Rangers (98) defeated Knox Raiders (91)
The defending champion Knox Raiders were never going to bow out of their 2024 season easily and the Dandenong Rangers had to dig deep to overcome them 98-91 eventually on their home floor.
Not only did the Raiders win the NBL1 South championship last season, but backed that up in style despite the shortened rotation with a stirring win in Perth to claim the National Finals crown.
However, it's been a challenging title defence and that saw the Raiders end the regular season in seventh position at 13-9 ahead of taking on the Rangers at Dandenong Basketball Stadium who also ended up at 13-9.
One of their seasons would be over by the end of Saturday night and it was Knox who made the better of the start putting up 34 points to 28 in the first quarter.
However, Dandenong worked on top and would produce 26 points to 11 in the second term to go into half-time leading 54-45.
The lead for the Rangers was able to get out to 10 points to start the second half but then it was time for Knox to respond and with another 31 points in the third frame, the Raiders were back on top by six early in the last term.
The last momentum swing of the evening, though, went the way of the Rangers as they put together a 12-0 scoring run to open up a nine-point advantage and then to secure the seven-point win.
The result keeps Dandenong's season alive with a semi-final match up away to the Ballarat Miners next Saturday night after Tad Dufelmeier was outstanding once more with 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds on 7/11 shooting from the field, 3/3 from downtown and 2/2 at the foul line.
Mason Peatling added 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks with Brandon Betson contributing 16 points, six assists and two boards, and Puoch Puoch 12 points and two rebounds.
Jack Roberts also had 12 points and seven rebounds with James Roche ending up with 10 points, six boards and two assists.
The championship defence of Knox is now over with the defeat with Kyle Bowen top-scoring with 20 points, six rebounds, six assists, three blocked shots and two steals as he now prepares for a second NBL season at Melbourne United.
KJ Feagin also delivered 20 points, six rebounds and six assists with Malith Machar putting up 19 points, five boards, two assists and two steals, Brody Nunn 18 points and three assists, and Anzac Rissetto 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.
DANDENONG RANGERS 98 (Dufelmeier 19, Peatling 19, Betson 16)
KNOX RAIDERS 91 (Bowen 20, Feagin 20, Machar 19)
Qualifying Final – Mount Gambier Pioneers (59) lost to Sandringham Sabres (75)
The Sandringham Sabres went to Mount Gambier and came away with the win to book in a home preliminary final with the 75-59 victory against the Pioneers with Shea Ili putting in a standout performance.
Mount Gambier earned the home court advantage at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre thanks to finishing the regular season two games clear in top spot at 17-5 as they hosted a Sabres team who was fourth at 15-7.
However, Sandringham arrived with an ominous line-up including Melbourne United pair Shea Ili and Tanner Krebs along with Dane Pineau, Tom Koppens, Campbell Blogg and even Dave Barlow, and they put the clamps right on the Pioneers.
It was a defensive grind for a lot of the evening and by the end of the first quarter the Sabres were leading 17-13 and they were able to turn that into a 35-30 advantage by half-time.
Sandringham then continued to pull away in the second half with 22 points to 18 in the third period, and 18 to 11 in the fourth on the way to the 16-point victory.
It was a standout defensive performance from the Sabres with Shea Ili leading the way as the reigning Best Defensive Player in the NBL. Sandringham restricted Mount Gambier to the 59 points on 33 per cent shooting from the field and 20 turnovers.
The Sabres now will host a preliminary final with a Grand Final spot on the line with Shea Ili outstanding with 22 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Campbell Blogg also had 12 points, five rebounds and three steals with Tanner Krebs adding 12 points, eight boards and three assists, Dave Barlow nine points and five rebounds, and Dane Pineau eight points, 13 boards, three blocks and two steals.
Mount Gambier will remain at home now to the dangerous Eltham Wildcats next Saturday with a chance to book in a spot in a preliminary final against the Frankston Blues.
Akech Aliir has been in blistering form for Mount Gambier and he had another 19 points and nine rebounds with Dylan Marshall adding nine points and six boards, Nick Marshall eight points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals, and Christian Peevy eight points and five boards.
MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 59 (Aliir 19, D Marshall 9, N Marshall 8, Peevy 8)
SANDRINGHAM SABRES 75 (Ili 22, Krebs 12, Blogg 12)
Qualifying Final – Frankston Blues (97) defeated Ballarat Miners (58)
The Frankston Blues are now on a nine-game winning streak ahead of hosting a preliminary final in two weeks' time thanks to the 97-58 qualifying final win against the Ballarat Miners.
While precious little separated the two teams by the end of the regular season with both the Blues and Miners ending up on 15-7 records in second and third position, Frankston came into the playoffs in hot form having won the last eight matches.
The Blues are looming large over the competition coming into the playoffs and they only strengthened their championship aspirations with an emphatic showing against the Miners at Dreamstreet Lending Arena.
A home preliminary final was on the line and the Blues had already opened up an 11-point lead in the first quarter and they remained in control the rest of the evening.
The lead for Frankston blew out to as much as 23 points in the second quarter, 39 in the third and 45 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 39-point win to earn a home preliminary final in two weeks' time.
It's a ninth straight win for the Blues with Lucas Barker finishing with 24 points, five assists and four rebounds on 6/9 shooting from three-point territory.
Lachlan Barker added 18 points, three assists and two rebounds on 4/8 shooting from beyond the arc while Daniel Trist put up 14 points, nine boards and four assists, and Klay Brown 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Ballarat still have another chance in next week's semi-final where they will be at home to the Dandenong Rangers with the winner to then face the Sandringham Sabres in the preliminary final.
Tyler Rudoph top-scored for the Miners with 16 points while Luke Rosendale contributed 14 points, three steals and two boards, Majok Majok seven points and seven rebounds, and Jake Lloyd six points, four steals and two boards.
FRANKSTON BLUES 97 (Lucas Barker 24, Lachlan Barker 18, Trist 14)
BALLARAT MINERS 58 (Rudolph 16, Rosendale 14, Majok 7)
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