Fri
Aug 15, 2025
NBL1 Central 2025 Mens Grand Final Preview
By Tristan Prentice for NBL1.com.au
For the first time in SA Basketball history the grandest stage of all the Adelaide Entertainment Centre will play host to the NBL1 Central Men's Grand Final - it’ll be past and present in the men’s as well as the longest standing men's streak is on the line for the Central Districts Lions while the giant killers of the West Adelaide Bearcats are looking to add to their recent reign of success the past decade.
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Feature images supplied via NBL1.com.au / @sarahreedphotos
For the first time in South Australian Basketball history the grandest stage of all the Adelaide Entertainment Centre will play host to the NBL1 Central Men's Grand Final.
It’ll be past and present in the men’s as well as the longest standing men's streak is on the line for the Central Districts Lions while the giant killers of the West Adelaide Bearcats are looking to add to their recent reign of success the past decade.
The Game
When: 8:00pm (ACST), Saturday August 16
Where: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Broadcast: Kayo Freebies, www.nbl1.com.au
The Last Meetings
Round 5 - CENTRAL DISTRICTS LIONS 100 (Stanwix 33, Abogidi 23, D Manyang 20) defeated WEST ADELAIDE BEARCATS 86 (Rasmussen 27, Dau 23, Mayen 16)
Round 13 - WEST ADELAIDE BEARCATS 81 (Rasmussen 29, Huefner 21, Mayen 12) defeated CENTRAL DISTRICTS LIONS 68 (Koen Sapwell 22, Stanwix 13, Abogidi, Jewell, M Manyang 8)
How they got here
West Adelaide Bearcats (5th)
The Bearcats come into this Grand Final off the back of six straight wins from fifth place on the table - and it's been done before under Dean Nyberg. In 2021 he took the North Adelaide Rockets from a 1-6 record to fifth spot and a grand final win. Victories over the Lions, Sturt Sabres and Eastern Mavericks (who were still in contention for the fifth spot) secured them the away elimination final against last year’s finalists the South Adelaide Panthers.
The Bearcats opened the finals with a 9-2 start led by Lat Mayen fresh off missing the past weekend’s fixture. The Panthers struck back to take it to 18-17 but a late run of 7-0 led by Mayen and the Bearcats had them out 25-17 at the first change.
Cameron Huefner continued to increase his value on the floor with another set of baskets while Keanu Rasmussen was beginning to emerge as a threat and were out by 39-26. Jacob Tryon was having an impact beyond the land of plenty, frequently having the Panthers scratch their heads looking for answers to leave it 46-38 at the main change.
Triples were the flavour of the third with a few the way of Mayen, Sean Stock, Huefner and Rasmussen as the Bearcats came bouncing out of the halftime changerooms 60-46. Rallying behind their skipper the Panthers began their push to bring it to game on once again 66-61 at the end of three intriguing terms. Jacob Tryon was enjoying the block party for the evening spiking another way and Rasmussen was working overtime on the boards to gain the extra makes.
At 76-74 with 1:22 left and down - the next play down Rasmussen drew Panthers to him like moths to the flame as he fired it out to Mayen for another big time triple in the corner 77-76 then Huefner’s strength under the basket made it even tougher 79-76 with the Panthers taking the AAMI timeout and needing something special. The Panthers buried the long make to tie it away 79-79 a piece with 15 seconds remaining - timeout to the Bearcats.
At 80-79 after the next few plays the Bearcats took one last AAMI timeout and drew it up to good effect.
Drawing the foul from the Panthers on the three point line was Tryon - the one thing the Panthers could ill-afford occurred with three shots heading the way of the 6’11 big man. He struck the first two then bricked the third which came back to him and it was done - The Bearcats winning their first at Mitchell Park since 2023 and eliminating last year’s grand finalists on the opening night.
The second semi-final elimination between the Woodville Warriors and the West Adelaide Bearcats was fiery, physical and fierce but as a team has done before from fifth under coach Dean Nyberg the West Adelaide Bearcats kept their top five foray alive sending the Woodville Warriors out in straight sets on their home floor 81-68 at the Castle of St Clair.
The cannon was loaded early for the away side with Cameron Huefner helping himself to a nine point opening term to lead the Bearcats to an early 7-0 start eventually giving the away side the early break at the end of one 18-9 in a surprisingly defensive effort from the Bearcats.
The Warriors needed a spark at the start of the second and reversed momentum back the way of the home side 24-18. The Bearcats then funneled more possessions to Lat Mayen as he got cooking with nine points in the term to push it back out to 38-31 at the main break.
The three point party opened the third - Jacob Tryon as the tower of power again hard to negotiate within the paint at the defensive end of the floor. The Warriors made their mark once again but Mayen kept the scoreboard ticking over with more outside bombs but also fed others with slick passing to grab 12 points for the term and put the Bearcats in position 1A for the final quarter ahead 62-51.
Tryon opened the fourth with a triple with the Warriors making another run stringing a few together in a row to make it single figures again. Rasmussen took the game into his own hands making the tough drives and feeding his teammates for their finishes - Mayen having the final say with the open lane two handed finish to punch their ticket to the Preliminary final and eye off their first grand final since their championship win in 2023.
In the irony of ironies the West Adelaide Bearcats drew their 2023 opponents the Forestville Eagles as two of the strongest teams of the era took on each other.
It couldn’t have started better for the Bearcats as they thundered their way to an early ascendancy with a 13-0 run led by the cannon of Cameron Huefner from outside and Rasmussen to have them out 16-6. The Eagles however through their “Superteam” closed it to 32-22 at the first change.
Entering the conversation for players to watch in the NBL again this season - Lat Mayen lit up once again with three triples for an 11 point term as he and new Perth Wildcats teammate Cameron Huefner kept things rolling for the Bearcats. The Eagles staying in striking distance in typical fashion as they brought it back to 54-45 at the main change.
Emerging out of the halftime and threatening in the final series to have a say - the Adelaide 36ers skipper got motoring to nail 16 points in the quarter with four outrageous triples to spark the game to action as the Eagles finally took the lead back 66-64.
The stage is always set for cameos in the finals and another previous entity known to impact in Joel Spear buried a triple to cut it back but rode Mayen all the way back into the three quarter time lead 79-75. Mayen with 12 of his own for the quarter to take him to six triples for the night and anyone's game with one to play.
The Eagles went back to their stars to start the fourth but the Woollacott Medallist steady in the contest was going to have a huge say in the final term. Rasmussen threw down a two handed slam to make it 86-80 while making plays to find himself to the free throw line. It came down to the dying minutes to decide who would meet the Central Districts Lions at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre next week.
Rasmussen missing some crucial free throws but then making the Eiffel tower style and1 rising above the flock of Eagles in the paint to make it a single basket In a chaotic finish at the Nest and not for the first time for the Bearcats in a preliminary final - Rasmussen game winning block sealed the boilover once again. Bearcats coach Dean Nyberg once again taking a side from fifth to the final for the second time in the NBL1 Central era (2021 and now 2025).
Central Districts Lions (2nd)
After slipping up against the Woodville Warriors in the final game of the season - the two teams met again in the First Qualifying Final. A week later after the Warriors stole the win with a match winning dunk it was a different story after the three quarter time buzzer as the Lions came away with an emphatic 116-82 win at the Den.
Efe Abogidi got motoring early after a quiet week for the Lions as he and Mangok Manyang gave them the start they needed 13-8 but last week’s nemesis brought it back to 22-18 after one term.
Jack Stanwix with a triple, and1 and a step through make individually made life tough for the Warriors to take it to 37-26 and a AAMI timeout was needed by Scott Whitmore and the Warriors. Koen Sapwell quiet early started to get rolling for the Lions but the Warriors stayed in the contest 53-42 at the main interval.
Koen Sapwell peeled off three triples to open the third and looked an untouchable source of scoring for the Lions with 15 points for the stanza. The Warriors held on in the fight though making a couple of handy hooks on the rim closing it again to 80-70 with one to go and still very much game on.
The Lions a large amount of the season in second on the table rose off the back of their home supporters as Magok Manyang and Stanwix got them moving - the toil of last week clearly taking its toll on the Warriors as the Lions roared hard in the fourth 36-14. Koen Sapwell couldn’t miss in his final assault for the night as the Lions passed the century and the Warriors ran out of gas for the night - as the Lions rose their way to a first semi-final appearance since 2014.
After coming so close at the Den - the Lions would meet the “Superteam” the Forestville Eagles with first versus second going head to head in the first Semi-Final. One team laden with NBL talent and the other one of few teams to have taken it right up to the powerhouse of NBL1 Central 2025 only a few weeks ago.
The records tumbling all night however not the way expected as the upset of upsets was pulled off with the Lions not only defeating the Eagles for the first time in eighteen meetings but also booking their first Grand Final appearance since 1984 with a commanding 74-107 takedown at the Nest. .
The Lions got off to a roaring start with 7-0 start away at home through Efe Abogidi and newly signed Adelaide 36ers development player Magok Manyang (11 points and 12 rebounds with two blocks). The Eagles hit back with a few points of their own but the Lions were unstoppable in the first term and on a mission from the north. Koen Sapwell taking matters into his own hands driving the Lions into a potent position with a 10-0 run to end the first 32-12 after one.
As expected the Eagles responded immediately after their flat start with the week off but Koen Sapwell showing his valuable time in Germany with the Dresden Titans was worth the wait for the Lions faithful making everything that came his way. Spencer Gaze, channeling his famous relative, however kept the upset on the cards at the half 49-38. Jack Stanwix answered again for the Lions before Gaze once again in one of the games of his short career made it 73-58 with one to play out.
Gaze opened the fourth with back to back baskets then did the unthinkable blocking a star Eagle with the two hander against the backboard then made another and1 back the other way in the purple patches of all purple patches. The Eagles with surprisingly no answer as Koen Sapwell buried the game shut with the triple then the block to ice the game.
Championship History
The Central Districts Lions Women last season added just the second title to the club with the Mens achieving the feat 41 years ago in 1984. Since then they’ve never been that close to the team featuring Steve Brekke, David Banwell, Dan Clausen, Dean Mathews, Michael Virgo, Arden Herr, Mark Asher, Ashley Trueman, Darryl Donaldson and Chris Lucas - Saturday brings them the opportunity to do so.
The Bearcats men’s had a golden era of the 70s and 80s but then a 21-year drought which famously was broken in 2017 under stalwart Blake Truslove before winning the 2023 title a few seasons back. Before that 2017 title they had made 28 grand finals including a golden period of 1967 to 1988 where they only missed twice in 1984 and 1987.
They won 12 of those Grand Finals by an average margin of 14.8 points so it’s often a good night on the winning side of grand finals for the black and red. Overall, they hold a 16-30 record with an impressive five-peat across 1978-1982. Werner Linde, Ken Richardson, Al Green, Mike McKay and Leroy Loggins were legendary final’s performers which coincided with the Bearcats joining the NBL.
This is the teams first grand final meeting having likely narrowly missed each other in 1984 - but the Bearcats hold the wood over the Lions in their recent final with an elimination win 110-98 and just in their head to head in the NBL1 Central era 6-5 in 11 matches.
The Numbers
- The Central Districts Lions are top in several categories going into the final as #1 for points per game (96.4), Field Goals (47.2), Free Throws (74.6) and rebounds (47).
- The Lions defence has been the big improvement this season with their length and size forcing teams to shoot 25.8 percent from the 3pt line (#1) and only grab 28.2 rebounds (#1)
- The prickle in their paws for the Lions has been their ball security giving up the most turnovers per game with 16.5 while also not being able to extract many steals from opposition only averaging 7.9 per game.
- The Lions lack experience heading into the Grand Final with only COTY Rupert Sapwell having been involved in a Grand Final as a coach and player before last time in 2008 and 2009 when he led the Norwood Flames to back to back championships.
- The West Adelaide Bearcats have not been top in too many categories this season so their numbers can be misleading - the reality is in their past six wins since defeating the Lions they are averaging three extra points and conceding three extra less than their season average (89.8 and 81) while have had teams in the 20s when it comes to three point percentage.
- The Bearcats defence as we’ve mentioned has been solid from a rebounding numbers side of things. They are #1 for rebounds conceded with 40.6 - this was evident against their opponents in Round 13 at Port Adelaide when they kept the Lions to four points in a quarter. They also kept the Lions to 2/10 and 0/8 beyond the arc in the quarter.
- The Bearcats have plenty of finals experience led by Hamish Staude who’ll be playing in his sixth Grand Final since 2016 for the Southern Tigers, North Adelaide Rockets and West Adelaide. Jimma Dau is the other one in the lineup to have experience in this area as well who had 14 points in the 2021 Grand Final. Buzzy defender Sean Stock and sharp shooter Joel Spear also will be hoping to gain them another title like they did in 2023.
- Head Coach Dean Nyberg will be coaching for his fifth title (2016, 2018, 2021, 2023) in six goes having taken all the team’s Staude has been a part of to the decider - he is chasing Andy Simons who has six titles and another will bring him one step closer to the Forestville Eagles mastercoach.
The Money Men
Desperate to prove he belongs in the NBL - the Dresden Titan of the last few Euro years in Koen Sapwell will hold the key to the points production for the Lions. With 22.5 points (#5) at 47 percent, 4.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists (#17), the Lions junior is desperate to haul the cup up for the first time in 41 years for the men. His finals form has been equally strong and is coming in on a swing of 37 and 27 points in consecutive matches - a performance on the biggest stage of all is imminent.
Standing in his way is the reigning Woollacott Medallist in Keanu Rasmussen who has graced the floor of the AEC and is familiar with stepping up to the big time. In 2023 we saw a player emerge from the NBL1 Central Grand Final stage in Lachlan Olbrich for the same club and the eyes of the Adelaide 36ers staff will be on another star if he can replicate yet again.
Coming off a huge NZNBL 2024 season with Hawkes Bay Hawks 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists - he’s ramped up his previous NBL1 numbers with 23.2 points (#1) at 53 percent, 7 rebounds (#16), 5.8 assists (#5) and 2.4 steals (#3).
The Reliable Men
One of the best recruits where they’ve gotten more out of him than anyone has so far has been Jack Stanwix and he has form against the Bearcats. Not only did he grab 33 points against them early this season he also had 19 points last season against them and has been a difficult player for them to guard. Jack is another one looking to prove his worth but also has shown a consistent set of numbers with 15.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists (#11) and 2.2 steals (#4).
Speaking of savvy recruits, a different type but has ended up being the right choice is Jacob Tryon - a player that has played his role and gotten better as the season has rolled along. The Bearcats ability to protect the rim is largely thanks to him as his recent matches have yielded an average of 14.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and three blocks. Jacob is a prime example of the successful method of putting a finals team together as the Bearcats star power imploded on them last season - returning to their 2023 method may yield the similar result with the reliable 6 '11 centre.
The X-Factors
Both teams have two players each that can affect the outcome of this contest for different reasons - the first is the former G-League giant in Efe Abogidi who showed a couple of times this season if he gets off to a hot start - he’s an unstoppable monster at both ends of the floor. His 17.6 points (#14) and 10.5 rebounds (#2) really has treated us to some high octane play this season and it's rare to see a player of his standing and stature which the Lions absolutely must take full advantage of.
Sometimes when you recruit you take a swing at a player and this one may just produce the home run for the Lions. Spencer Gaze should also be watched carefully as his finals form is white hot at the moment off the back of 26 points in the semi-final and having sunk a career high 31 points - he has those kind of big time game vibes also producing 22 points in the Reserves Finals series.
The offensive production of the Bearcats is in the hands of the Perth Wildcats of Cameron Huefner & Lat Mayen in tandem - the one two punch has sunk a few season ships this season from beyond the arc. Cameron has the touch slightly against the Lions with 21 points earlier in the season but Lat (#9 for scoring) is coming off a run of 31, 27, 21 in consecutive finals with an average of 26.3 points and his NBL experience already could move the result back in favour of the Bearcats.
So who claims the championship?
Another game where one of the great historic clubs of the league looking to add to its 16 championships goes against a club with the solitary one only for their Mens - the key is in the detail as to where to pick a winner.
The Lions have shown great depth across their positions in all spots but the Bearcats have also achieved a greater balance in their lineup grabbing star role players instead of stacking the deck with aces that can’t and want to be all played at once.
The game will have star performers in Koen Sapwell, Efe Abogidi and Keanu Rasmussen and Lat Mayen but it all comes down to the second and cameo appearances both coaches Rupert Sapwell and Dean Nyberg can extract when it matters from their chargers.
The likes of Magok Manyang, Deng Manyang, Jack Stanwix, Spencer Gaze, Clayton Jewell and Kalani Sapwell hinge on the Lions breaking the drought of 41 years.
It’ll be the impact that Cameron Huefner, Jacob Tryon, Sean Stock, Hamish Staude, Jimma Dau and Joel Spear can make for the Bearcats that will see them grab their second in ten years and 17th championship in the club's men's history.
If you can work out where the gaps lie - then you’ll have your answer…
Catch the NBL1 Central Grand Final action next weekend via Kayo Sports Freebies, NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App from 8:00pm ACDT
Watch the NBL1 Live & Free on NBL1.com.au, NBL1 App and Kayo Sports Freebies.
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