NBL1 North Recap | Saturday Men's Round 14

Jason Cadee lit it up like only he can in a spectacular Saturday night NBL1 North display for the Gold Coast Rollers as they continue to battle over top spot with the Mackay Meteors who also recorded another victory.

Along with the wins for the Gold Coast Rollers and Mackay Meteors in Saturday night of Round 14 in the NBL1 North, there were wins for the Northside Wizards, Ipswich Force, Red City Roar, Sunshine Coast Phoenix and North Gold Coast Seahawks.

Round 14 in the NBL1 North began with two matches on Friday night with the Mackay Meteors winning on the road 88-78 against the Cairns Marlins while the loaded up Northside Wizards defeated the Logan Thunder 110-101.

The Gold Coast Rollers kept pace with the battle over top spot with the Mackay Meteors by beating the Logan Thunder at home 102-90 to open proceedings on Saturday night.

Jason Cade was simply brilliant for the Rollers not only scoring 43 points on a remarkable 17/19 shooting from the floor and 5/6 from downtown, but also dishing out 10 assists.

Tanner Krebs added 27 points and seven rebounds with five threes, and Lamar Patterson 10 points, 12 boards and five assists. Jeremy Kendle had 25 points for Logan and Mitch Young 23.

The loaded up Northside Wizards then produced another impressive performance to beat the Southern Districts Spartans 99-82.

Anthony Drmic had another 28 points, Mitch McCarron 24 and Lual Diing 21, but it was Keanu Pinder who stole the show with his work above the rim with 15 points and 14 boards. Jalen Canty finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans.

The Ipswich Force began their double-header weekend by beating USC Rip City 87-72.

Majok Deng produced 21 points and 13 rebounds for Ipswich with Henry Pwono delivering 19 points, 11 boards and six assists. Eric McAllister scored 16 points for Rip City and Isaih Tueta 15 to go with seven assists.

The Red City Roar hit the road on Saturday night and came away with the 86-63 victory against the South West Metro Pirates.

Spencer Parker put up 30 points and 11 rebounds in the win for Red City with Brendan Teys again top-scoring for the Pirates with 18 points.

It was a thriller at Maroochydore Stadium on Saturday night with the Sunshine Coast Phoenix holding out the Townsville Heat for the 88-83 victory.

Jamaal Robateau delivered 28 points for Sunshine Coast and Jonathan Janssen 22 with Matthew Rees putting up 25 points for Townsville and Richard Peachey 22.

The Mackay Meteors maintained their hold on top spot in the NBL1 North by beating the Darwin Salties 98-87 in the Top End.

Jaylin Galloway finished with 27 points for Mackay, Biwali Bayles 20 and Kyrin Galloway 19 to go with 11 rebounds. Makuach Maluach top-scored for Darwin with 36 points to go with 13 rebounds.

The North Gold Coast Seahawks got their fifth win of the season and put a dent in the playoff hopes of the Brisbane Capitals in the process by winning 92-76 at home.

Aiden Krause shot 13/17 from the field for 30 points for the Seahawks with Alex Mudronja flirting with a triple-double with 24 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

Lachlan Dent scored 16 points for Brisbane, Tim Soong 14, Atem Bior 13 and Anthony Kopcikas 13.

Round 14 in the NBL1 North will wrap up on Sunday with two matches at 3pm with the Ipswich Force hosting the South West Metro Pirates, and USC Rip City taking on the Townsville Heat.

NBL1 NORTH – 2022 MEN'S SEASON
ROUND 14 – SATURDAY NIGHT

DARWIN SALTIES 87 lost to MACKAY METEORS 98

The Mackay Meteors consolidated top spot in the NBL1 North with one round remaining with an impressive 11-point win on the road to the Darwin Salties.

The Salties and Meteors locked horns at Darwin Basketball Stadium on Saturday night and in the end it was Mackay winning to stay top and Darwin losing to be just clinging now to a playoff position.

Mackay started their road double-header weekend with a win over the Cairns Marlins on Friday before heading up to the Top End where the Salties started well enough to go on a 6-0 scoring streak to lead 26-22 by quarter-time.

Darwin managed to open up a nine-point lead during the second quarter as well and were still leading 44-41 at the major break.

Mackay gradually worked their way on top during the third quarter and ended up grabbing the lead, and then kept that momentum going in the fourth term scoring eight straight points to lead by 13, and to end up winning 98-87.

The result leaves the Meteors sitting on top of the table at 14-4 with a round to go which will see them host the Salties on Saturday night.

Darwin is now sitting sixth at 10-7 with games to finish away to the Rockhampton Rockets on Friday and then the rematch with Mackay on Saturday.

Jaylin Galloway had another standout performance for Mackay with 27 points and five rebounds while knocking down 4/9 from three-point land with his brother Kyrin Galloway delivering 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks while hitting 3/6 from deep.

Viliami Foketi put up another 13 points and eight rebounds, Biwali Bayles 20 points, five boards and four assists, and Rhys Martin seven points and six assists.

Makuach Maluach did what he could to spark the Salties with 36 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals on 4/9 shooting three-point land.

Jerron Jamerson added 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, Tad Dufelmeier 13 points, 10 boards and six assists, and Deng Riak eight points and three rebounds.

 

GOLD COAST ROLLERS 102 defeated LOGAN THUNDER 90

Jason Cadee produced one of the more remarkably efficient match-winning displays of the NBL1 North season on Saturday night to lead the Gold Coast Rollers to a win over the Logan Thunder.

The Rollers were back home for the Round 14 NBL1 North match up to host the Thunder at Carrara Stadium but it was Logan who got the better of the opening period to lead 24-23 by quarter-time.

With Cadee warming up, the Rollers worked their way on top during the second quarter but it was still a close game by half-time with the home team leading 51-48.

Gold Coast gradually pulled further away from Logan the longer the game went to lead by nine points during the third quarter, and then 13 during the fourth on the way to the eventual 102-90 victory.

As a result of the win, Gold Coast improves to a 13-4 record on the season to remain clear in second spot on the standings with one round of the regular season to go. The Thunder remain clinging to eighth spot at 9-8.

Logan did pull down 51 rebounds to 41 for the night including 20 at the offensive end to six which helped them take 15 more field goals than the Rollers, but it was Jason Cadee who was ultimately the difference between the two teams.

The 342-game NBL veteran Cadee put together one of the more stunning individual performances of the season purely because of how remarkably efficient he was.

He only took 19 field goals for the night, but made 17 of them including 5/6 from three-point land to put up 43 points but he showed his playmaking ability and unselfishness with 10 assists as well.

Cadee's Brisbane Bullets NBL teammate Tanner Krebs added 27 points and seven rebounds while hitting 5/8 from downtown with Lamar Patterson contributing 10 points, 12 boards and five assists, and Preston Le Gassick nine points and three assists.

Jeremy Kendle continued his first-rate form for Logan by delivering another 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Mitch Young added 23 points and seven rebounds, Rasmus Bach 13 points and six boards, Obi Kyei 13 points and 17 rebounds, and Boston Mazlin eight points and four assists.

 

NORTH GOLD COAST SEAHAWKS 92 defeated BRISBANE CAPITALS 76

The North Gold Coast Seahawks denied the Brisbane Capitals a chance to return to the top eight in the NBL1 North in the second last round of the 2022 season.

The Seahawks might be out of the playoff hunt but the Capitals are fighting for their lives allowing the chance for North Gold Coast to play spoilers coming into Saturday night at Runaway Bay Stadium.

It was a flying start from the Seahawks who put up 33 points in the first quarter and that saw them lead already by 15 at quarter-time.

Eventually it turned into a 17-0 run into the second quarter for North Gold Coast to see their lead balloon out to 24 points with them still leading 55-36 at half-time.

While Brisbane threw everything into a fightback in the third quarter going on a 12-0 scoring run, but they couldn’t keep it going and the Seahawks steadied again to pull away to the 92-76 victory.

The win is the fifth of the season for the Seahawks before they finish the season away to the Southern Districts Spartans on Saturday night.

It's a savage blow to the finals prospects of the Capitals who are now 9-9 in 10th position at the end of Round 14. They finish against the Northside Wizards at home on Saturday night. 

The shooting was the major difference between the two teams with the Seahawks going at 47.4 per cent from the floor and 41.4 per cent from deep with the Caps going 33.0 per cent overall and 21.9 per cent from beyond the arc.

Aiden Krause produced 30 points for North Gold Coast to go with five rebounds, two assists and two steals on 13/17 shooting.

Alex Mudronja added 24 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, Lloyd McVeigh 14 points and six boards, David Gurney 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Hunter 11 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, five blocked shots and three steals.

Lachlan Dent top-scored for Brisbane with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists with Tim Soong adding 14 points, five steals and three rebounds, Atem Bior 13 points, seven boards and five assists, and Anthony Kopcikas 13 points and three rebounds.

 

NORTHSIDE WIZARDS 99 defeated SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS 82

The loaded up Northside Wizards produced a second big performance of the weekend to beat the Southern Districts Spartans by 17 points on Saturday night.

The Wizards welcomed back Keanu Pinder and Mitch McCarron for Round 14 in the NBL1 North on the back of them being part of Australia's gold medal FIBA Asia Cup team.

They joined former NBL captain and 297-game veteran Kevin White, 174-game NBL sharpshooter Anthony Drmic and new Brisbane Bullets signing Lual Diing in quite the standout NBL1 North starting five line-up.

That line-up was instrumental in the Wizards beating Logan Thunder on Friday night to open Round 14 and they backed up at home to the Spartans on Saturday at South Pine Sports Complex.

The Wizards started well to lead by four points against Southern Districts at quarter-time before going on a 9-0 run in the second term to end up leading by as much as 16 points, and leading 55-45 by the half-time interval.

Southern Districts fired up in the third quarter to make a game of it by going on a 9-0 run, but the Wizards then took charge once more in the final term with 26 points to 11 to end up winning 99-82.

As a result of the win, the Wizards kept their playoffs hopes alive by improving to a 9-8 record in ninth position heading into the last round where they take on the Brisbane Capitals on Saturday and USC Rip City on Sunday.

The Spartans remain in bottom spot after the loss at 4-14 with a final round match up at home to the North Gold Coast Seahawks next Saturday.

Anthony Drmic is preparing for his NBL return to the Adelaide 36ers and he delivered 28 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in the win by knocking down 4/10 from three-point land.

Mitch McCarron added 24 points, nine assists and five rebounds for Northside, Lual Diing 21 points and five boards, and Keanu Pinder 15 points, 14 points and three steals along with a spectacular dunk that needs to be seen to be believed.

Jalen Canty top-scored for Southern Districts with 23 points and 10 rebounds with Kobe McDowell-White contributing 18 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals, Chris Cedar 10 points, five boards, three assists and two steals, and Tom Ammar eight points and five rebounds.

 

USC RIP CITY 72 lost to IPSWICH FORCE 87

The Ipswich Force now sit in fourth position in the NBL1 North with one round of the regular season to go after beating USC Rip City by 15 points on Saturday night.

Rip City played host to the Force as Round 14 in the NBL1 North continued at USC Sports Stadium, and it was the home team who started strongly.

USC went on a 12-0 run during the opening term and that saw them hold a 25-18 advantage going into quarter-time.

That turned into a 14-0 for Rip City to start the second term as the lead got out to 11 points before Ipswich were able to warm to the task and score eight consecutive points themselves to be just four points down by the half-time interval.

The Force then took over further in the third period with another run of scoring 10 straight points to end up leading by eight, and being on top of Rip City 65-58.

Ipswich controlled the last quarter as well with another 22 points to 14 to end up winning 87-72.

The Force then backed that up with a win over the South West Metro Pirates on Sunday as well to improve to an 11-7 record on the season in fourth position heading into the last round where they take on the Gold Coast Rollers on Saturday night.

Rip City also bounced back for a Sunday win at home to the Townsville Heat to improve to a 12-5 record in third spot ahead of last round match ups with Sunshine Coast Phoenix on Saturday and the South West Metro Pirates on Sunday.

Cairns Taipans NBL star Majok Deng put up 21 points and 13 rebounds in the win for Ipswich with Henry Pwono adding 19 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Isaac White 16 points, nine boards and five assists, Cameron Goldfinch 13 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Jason Ralph 13 points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds.

Eric McAlister ended up with 16 points and five rebounds fir Rip City with Isaih Tueta adding 15 points and seven assists, Kouat Noi 12 points and nine rebounds, and Verle Williams 11 points and four assists.

 

SUNSHINE COAST PHOENIX 88 defeated TOWNSVILLE HEAT 83

The Sunshine Coast Phoenix took a significant step towards locking away an NBL1 North playoff position on Saturday night with a hard earned five-point home win against the Townsville Heat.

Sunshine Coast were at home at Maroochydore Stadium to the Heat in Round 14 of the NBL1 North with Townsville arriving to try and upset the playoff hopes of the Phoenix.

The Heat might be out of the playoff race coming into the second last round of the season, but the Phoenix are right in the hunt to lock in either seventh or eighth spot, but they needed to get the win on Saturday night.

It was the Heat started well too to put the pressure back on the Phoenix with the visitors leading 25-19 by quarter-time.

Sunshine Coast was able to turn things around in the second period with 22 points to 16 on the back of going on an 8-0 run which saw them lead by four points at one stage, but by half-time scores were all level at 41-41.

The Phoenix were able to pull away during the third quarter with another 8-0 run to lead by those eight points, and still be up six by three quarter-time.

Sunshine Coast was able to maintain that advantage the rest of the way to end up winning 88-83.

It was a crucial win in the context of the season for Sunshine Coast as they improve to a 9-8 record to sit in seventh position before finishing in the last round away to USC Rip City on Saturday and the South West Metro Pirates on Sunday.

Townsville is now 6-11 on the season with a game to come on Sunday away to USC Rip City to close Round 14 and then closing their season away to the Cairns Marlins on Saturday night.

Jamaal Robateau delivered 28 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in the win for Sunshine Coast with Jonathan Janssen contributing 22 points, seven boards and three assists.

Justin Aver added 11 points, Oscar Cluff 10 to go with nine rebounds, and Nelson Kahler eight points and eight boards.

Townsville only had seven players available to hit the floor to be used by coach Mark Wrobel with Matthew Rees top-scoring with 25 points and five rebounds on 10/16 shooting along with going 3/5 from downtown.

Richard Peachey added 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, Taine Wattie eight points, and Jackson Todd eight points and eight rebounds.

 

SOUTH WEST METRO PIRATES 63 lost to RED CITY ROAR 86

The Red City Roar started well and kept that going the entire evening to beat the South West Metro Pirates by 23 points on Saturday night.

The Pirates and Roar took on one another at Hibiscus Sports Stadium as Round 14 in the NBL1 North continued with the Roar starting strongly delivering 26 points to 14 in the opening quarter to lead already by 12 at quarter-time.

South West was able to stop the damage in the second quarter but weren’t able to make any real inroads with Red City remaining in control leading 46-35 by the half-time break.

The Roar extended their lead further during the third quarter with another 22 points to 17 to see their lead grow to 25 points.

It got out to 28 points in the last quarter before Red City settled on the eventual 86-63 victory away from home.

The Roar are now 5-12 on the season following the win with one round to go while the Pirates are 4-13. 

The final round will see Red City take on the Gold Coast Rollers on Friday and the Logan Thunder on Sunday. The Pirates will play Logan Thunder on Saturday and Sunshine Coast Phoenix on Sunday.

Spencer Parker had a big performance in the win for Red City with 30 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks on the back of 13/23 from the field.

Nelson Larkins added 17 points and four steals, Jayden Hodgson 12 points and eight rebounds, and Kane Bishop seven points and nine boards.

Brendan Teys ended up top-scoring once again for South West with 18 points and two rebounds while Taylor Young 12 points, five boards and three assists, Cameron Gordon nine points and four boards, and Brandon Edwards eight points and six rebounds.