NBL1 North Recap | Saturday Round 6

Mikaela Ruef returned in spectacular fashion for Logan Thunder in Saturday night's NBL1 North action with a triple-double also from Lauren Heard while Emma Gandini was the hero for the North Gold Coast Seahawks and that's just three of the women's contests.

Saturday night's NBL1 North women's matches saw the Northside Wizards beat the Red City Roar 84-49 while the North Gold Coast Seahawks beat the Ipswich Force 94-92, Logan Thunder defeated USC Rip City 91-57, and the Rockhampton Cyclones downed the Gold Coast Rollers 78-64.

The Southern Districts Spartans also defeated the Cairns Dolphins 90-75 and the Darwin Salties beat the Brisbane Capitals 92-84.

In the men's match ups, the Wizards beat the Roar 93-84 while Ipswich defeated North Gold Coast 92-80, Logan beat Rip City 98-80, Gold Coast downed Rockhampton 111-87, Southern Districts won 98-70 against Cairns and the Salties defeated the Capitals 117-91.

WOMEN

Unbeaten Wizards keep Roar winless

The Northside Wizards stayed unbeaten this NBL1 North season and kept the Red City Roar winless with the 84-49 victory.

The Wizards put their perfect record on the line on Saturday at Northside Indoor Sports Centre up against a Roar team still chasing their first win of the season.

It didn’t take long for Northside to work its way on top with 27 points to 15 in the first quarter. Another 24 to eight in the second and the Wizards were leading 51-23 at intermission.

The home team went on with the job from there to end up winning by 35 points to improve to the perfect 7-0 record with the Roar now 0-7.

Courtney Woods delivered a first-rate performance for the Wizards consisting of 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as she narrowly missed the triple-double in just under 30 minutes of court time.

Nadeen Payne added 16 points and eight rebounds, AJ Johnson 11 points and 13 boards, and Lil Dart 12 points, three boards, three steals and two assists.

Skye Mason top-scored for Red City with 11 points while Caitlin Cunningham finished with eight points and 12 rebounds.

Gandini the hero in Seahawks' comeback in Ipswich

The North Gold Coast Seahawks had a week to think about last week's missed opportunity against the Logan Thunder and it was Emma Gandini the hero this Saturday in a stunning comeback win on the road to the Ipswich Force.

The Seahawks lost by a point at home to the Thunder last week in a dramatic finish and on the back of that, they did start well on the road to Ipswich this Saturday with 25 points to 17 in the opening period.

However, Ipswich took control of the contest from there and over the next two quarters were able to outscore North Gold Coast 52 points to 39.

The Force were still leading by eight points early in the fourth quarter before the Seahawks made their move.

A three-pointer from Alexa Held and then three-point play from Erin Riley cut the deficit to two, and then Bionca Dunham levelled scores up but there was plenty of drama still to come.

The Seahawks had managed to open up a five-point lead with just over two minutes on the clock, but baskets to Ipswich from Jasmin Howe and Meg Essex cut that down to one in no time.

Scores were then all tied after a layup from Riley for the Seahawks and huge triple to Maria Blazejewski for the Force, and then the game was in the hands of Emma Gandini once again.

She is in her first season in the NBL1 North after a 201-game playing career out west with the Willetton Tigers where she was a regular Best Defensive Player and two-time championship winner to see her bang down the door for a WNBL contract at the Perth Lynx.

However, she would have had a long week thinking about her missed free-throws against Logan and would have been delighted to make amends this week. She made the game winning basket on the strong finish after the pass from Riley and the Seahawks held on for the 94-92 win.

On top of hitting the winning basket, Gandini produced 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists for the Seahawks.

Alexa Held added 22 points and nine assists, Bionca Dunham 21 points and 10 boards, Erin Riley 15 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists, and Bride Kennedy-Hopoate 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Maria Blazejewski top-scored for Ipswich with 28 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals with Alison Gorrell producing 18 points, 10 assists, seven steals and six rebounds, and Jasmin Howe 17 points, nine boards and six assists.

The North Gold Coast Seahawks are flying home! ???? back-to-back threes ?

Watch the #NBL1 Game of the Week Live & Free on @kayosports Freebies ? pic.twitter.com/Z0N1KKuhkl

— NBL1 (@NBL1) May 6, 2023

Ruef returns with remarkable triple-double for Logan

Momentum is building with the Logan Thunder this season with a third straight win as they defeated USC Rip City 91-57 on the back of a huge triple-double from Mikaela Ruef.

After losing three of the first four games of the season on the back of their undefeated regular season campaign of 2022, the Thunder are now building nicely and kept the upward trajectory going against Rip City.

Logan had won its past two matches including escaping with one against the North Gold Coast Seahawks last week, and started well at USC Sports Stadium including 19 points to seven in the second quarter to lead Rip City 43-25 at the half.

Another 31 points to 14 in the third period and Logan put the game to bed and went on to win by 34 to make it three victories in-a-row to sit at 4-3 with Rip City now 2-4 with four successive defeats.

Ruef made her first appearance of the season for the Thunder on the back of helping the Townsville Fire win the WNBL championship. She delivered 17 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists on 7/11 shooting.

Mikhaela Cann contributed 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds, Odette Isaac 16 points and two boards, Ashley Taia 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Alleah Hanson 10 points and four rebounds.

N'dea Flye delivered 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals with Steph Bairstow adding 14 points and five boards.

An all-time sort of day for Logan's Mikaela Ruef:

1??7?? points
2??0??rebounds
1??0?? assists

Some sort of triple double ?

Watch #NBL1North via https://t.co/NEk1I7kIKG or the NBL1 App ? & ? pic.twitter.com/vgfAFqurxm

— NBL1 (@NBL1) May 6, 2023

Rockhampton beat Gold Coast with Heard triple-double

The Rockhampton Cyclones got back to winning in the NBL1 North on the back of a huge first half to set up the 78-64 victory against the Gold Coast Rollers.

Gold Coast was coming off beating the Mackay Meteorettes to begin their road trip this weekend but couldn’t quite back it up at Bravus Arena on Saturday night.

Rockhampton came out firing with 25 points to 15 in the first quarter. Another 30 points to 27 in the second term and the Cyclones were leading 55-42 by half-time.

Scoring really dried up for both teams in the second half with Rockhampton adding just 23 points and Gold Coast 22, but it meant the Cyclones went on to win by 14 and improve to 5-2 on the season with the Rollers now 4-4.

There were plenty of standout performers from Rockhampton with a triple-double from Lauren Heard consisting of 14 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Samantha Bowman also had 16 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, Elizajane Loader 15 points, nine boards and two assists, Lara McSpadden 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Tori Rouse 11 points and two boards.

Ariana Moorer top-scored for Gold Coast with 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals while Catherine Reese couldn’t quite repeat her heroics from Friday night with 11 points and 11 boards.

Spartans hit back for strong win in Cairns

The Southern Districts Spartans bounced back from a Friday night loss to beat the Cairns Dolphins 90-75 on Saturday in the Far North.

Southern Districts lost to the Gold Coast Rollers at home on Friday night before travelling to Early Settler Stadium to face a Dolphins team looking to stop a two-game losing skid.

Cairns started well at home following the losses to the Pirates and Salties, and were leading 20-17 by the end of one. However, the Spartans turned the tide in the second term with 28 points to 13.

Cairns did well to turn the advantage again with 33 points to 25 in the third term to cut Southern Districts' lead to four at three quarter-time.

However, the Spartans put up 20 points to nine in the fourth term to win by 15 to improve to a 4-4 record with Cairns slipping to 3-5 with three consecutive defeats. 

Maddy Allen was outstanding in the win for Southern Districts with 29 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists with 5/13 three-point shooting.

Elin Gustavsson added 20 points, eight boards, three steals and two assists, Jess McDowell-White 11 points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals, Krystal Leger-Walker 11 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals, and Holly Smith 10 points and three boards.

Shaneice Swain led the charge for the Dolphins with 19 points, four steals, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks with Leichan Williams delivering 17 points and four rebounds on 6/8 shooting in 20 minutes from the bench. 

Taylor Mole also had 15 points and six rebounds, Penina Davidson 11 points, 12 boards and three assists, and Myra Donkin 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Salties remain perfect with home win over Caps

The Darwin Salties produced a dominant second half on their way to the 92-84 win at home over the Brisbane Capitals to remain perfect this NBL1 North season.

The Salties put their undefeated record on the line at Darwin Basketball Stadium against the Caps on Saturday night, and it was a tight contest for three quarters.

Darwin led by just two points after a high-scoring first quarter but it was Brisbane leading 56-51 by the half-time break.

The Salties were still trailing by two at three quarter-time before the home team scored 18 points to eight in the final period to end up winning by eight and improve to 6-0 on the season with the Caps slipping to 5-2 with the defeat.

Chelsea Brook delivered another impressive showing for Darwin with 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists including going 5/8 from three-point range.

Erin Bollmann added 21 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals with Catherine MacGregor contributing 11 points, and Sophie Johnston 10 points and two assists.

Mia Loyd was terrific for Brisbane with 32 points, eight assists and six rebounds with Courtney Middap adding 15 points and three assists, Steph Collins 14 points, three rebounds and three assists, and Lily Sarra 12 points, six rebounds and two assists.

MEN

White, Healy shoot Wizards to big win

The Northside Wizards built up a huge lead in the first three quarters on the way to the 93-84 victory against the Red City Roar.

The Wizards were back home at Northside Indoor Sports Centre hosting a Red City team looking to snap a two-game losing run, but the home team put on a dominant first three periods.

The Wizards put up 29 points to 19 in the opening quarter before another 30 to 23 in the second term to lead 59-42 by the half-time break.

Northside added another 24 points to 14 in the third quarter to lead by as much as 30 points. Red City did deliver a strong final period including going on a 12-0 run but they could never quite get close enough to threaten with the Wizards going on to win by nine.

The victory improves Northside to a 5-2 record on the season with Red City now 2-5 with three consecutive defeats.

Andrew White III put up 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Wizards while knocking down 6/12 from the land of plenty with Cameron Healy adding 26 points, five rebounds and three assists on 6/7 shooting from downtown.

Lual Diing also had 14 points, 12 rebounds and three assists, Josh Leaney 10 points, and Kyle Zunic seven points and nine assists.

Nelson Larkins again top-scored for Red City with 32 points and six assists while Jaylen Key had 26 points and nine rebounds, and Kane Bishop nine points, seven boards and five assists.

Ipswich remain unbeaten with win over Seahawks

The Ipswich Force remain the lone undefeated team in the NBL1 North men's competition after Saturday night's 92-80 victory against the North Gold Coast Seahawks.

Ipswich was back home at JBS Stadium having won its first five matches of the season with North Gold Coast arriving on the back of losing last week to the Logan Thunder, and it didn’t take long for the Force to start well.

Ipswich put up 27 points to 17 in the opening quarter and while the Seahawks did their best to stick with the home team, the Force pulled away with 29 points to 21 in the fourth period to secure the 12-point triumph.

The win improves Ipswich to a perfect 6-0 record on the season while North Gold Coast is now 3-3 with back-to-back defeats against the league's top two teams.

Jaylin Galloway continued his superb form for Ipswich with another 29 points, four assists, three steals and two rebounds with Nathan Sobey adding 21 points and three steals, and Deng Deng 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Their latest signing, former 196-game NBL centre Matt Hodgson also had four points and 10 rebounds in his first game of the season.

Majok Majok produced 19 points, 19 rebounds and three assists for the Seahawks, Josh Duach 16 points and five boards, Biwali Bayles 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals, and Aiden Krauze 13 points and nine boards.

Logan prevails over Rip City in scintillating affair

It was quite the rollercoaster ride at USC Sports Stadium with USC Rip City scoring 13 straight points in the fourth quarter before Logan Thunder responded to win 98-90.

Logan came into the contest with a five-game winning streak and looked to keep that run going against a Rip City team who might have lost last week to the Northside Wizards, but are now boosted with last year's MVP Kouat Noi.

It was an enthralling affair all evening but it was Logan leading 82-69 on the back of a putback from new father Mitch Young with just under nine minutes remaining.

The Thunder were in control at the stage, but Rip City would score the game's next 13 points over the coming two and-a-half minutes to suddenly tie scores up when Eric McAlister drained a three-pointer.

Young broke that 13-0 run to restore the lead for Logan before Majok Deng extended the advantage with two free-throws and then Boston Mazlin drained one from deep.

Kouat Noi and Matt Kenyon combined for the next five points to keep Rip City close but then it was Rasmus Bach who put Logan back in control with two free-throws, and a three-point dagger.

Dunks from Deng and Jean-Luc Morel sealed the deal for Logan who ended up winning by eight to improve to a 6-1 record on the season with Rip City now 3-3.

Boston Mazlin put up 25 points for Logan on 9/10 field goal shooting including 5/5 from three-point range while Majok Deng added 25 points and seven rebounds.

Shaun Bruce also had 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Rasmus Bach 14 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Mitch Young 10 points and eight boards.

Kouat Noi put up 22 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and two assists for Rip City with Eric McAlister adding 20 points and five assists on 6/12 shooting from beyond the arc.

Matt Kenyon also had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Brandon Wood 12 points and seven assists.

Gold Coast keep rolling with win over Rockets

The defending NBL1 North champion Gold Coast Rollers made it four wins in-a-row with a 111-87 victory over the Rockhampton Rockets on Saturday night.

Gold Coast opened the weekend beating the Mackay Meteors on Friday night to start the road double before arriving at Bravus Arena on Saturday to take on a Rockhampton team still hunting a first win of 2023.

Captain Cadee reporting for duty ?

New @Adelaide36ers signee Jason Cadee had another night out for the Rollers, posting:

3?3? points
1?5? assists
5? rebounds
1? steal

Watch #NBL1North via https://t.co/NEk1I7kIKG or the NBL1 App ? & ? pic.twitter.com/PrqtTIXkTu

— NBL1 (@NBL1) May 6, 2023

It was quite the hot opening from both teams as they combined for 67 points with the Rollers leading 37-30 by quarter-time. The Rockets continued to stick with the Rollers in the first half to only trail by six at the main break.

It was all Gold Coast in the second half, though, with the Rollers putting up 53 points to 35 to win by 24 and improve to 6-2 on the season with four consecutive wins. The Rockets slip to 0-7 with the defeat.

Captain Jason Cadee was again outstanding for Gold Coast with another 33 points, 14 rebounds and five assists while shooting 12/22 from the field, 4/8 from downtown and 5/5 from the foul line.

Melbourne United recruit Tanner Krebs was also superb with 23 points, 12 assists and six rebounds on 5/11 three-point shooting with Cameron Thew adding 16 points and 10 boards, and Todd Blanchfield 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists ahead of his return to the Illawarra Hawks.

Chier Maker put up 29 points and six rebounds on 12/15 field goal shooting for Rockhampton including hitting 4/5 from three-point range.

Damian Prgomet added 18 points and eight rebounds, Nikau McCullough 16 points and four assists, and Jarvis Summers five points, 10 assists and four rebounds.

Tanner Krebs has got the hot hand ?

The new @MelbUnited recruit has 5?? triples in just over a half of basketball!

Watch #NBL1North via https://t.co/NEk1I7kIKG or the NBL1 App ? & ? pic.twitter.com/yiW4nGqc5O

— NBL1 (@NBL1) May 6, 2023

Spartans with huge second half to win in Cairns

The Southern Districts Spartans had one win coming into Round 6 but they have now scored two victories inside 24 hours after beating the Cairns Marlins 98-70.

The Spartans started their road trip on Friday night winning in Townsville and landed in Cairns on Saturday to take on the Marlins at Early Settler Stadium.

The Marlins were fresh off a home win last week against the Darwin Salties too and with a 30-point to 18 second quarter, the home team went into intermission leading the Spartans 49-40.

Southern Districts was able to turn the tide in the second half outscoring Cairns in remarkable fashion 58 points to 21 to go from nine points down at the break to winning by 28.

The victory improves the Spartans to a 3-5 record on the season with the Marlins now 3-5 as well.

Koen Sapwell continued his standout form for Southern Districts with another 26 points, four assists and four steals on 10/16 shooting from the field.

Fabijan Krslovic added 20 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals, Kian Dennis 15 points, five boards and three assists, and Jake Allen 13 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Tad Dufelmeier top-scored for Cairns with 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals with Jonah Antonio adding 11 points and three boards, and Ky Stattmann 11 points and four rebounds. 

Salties excite in big home win over Caps

The Darwin Salties made it consecutive wins by returning home and beating the Brisbane Capitals 117-91.

Darwin split its road trip last weekend with a loss to the Cairns Marlins and then win over the Townsville Heat as the Salties were back home on Saturday hosting a Caps team fresh off their first win of 2023 against the Sunshine Coast Phoenix.

The Salties gave their home fans plenty to cheer about from the outset with 36 points to 17 in the opening period.

From there, the Salties continued to press ahead and 32 points again in the third period to 21 saw them blow the game wide open to end up winning by 26.

That sees Darwin improve to a 4-2 record on the season with Brisbane slipping to 1-6 unable to string together consecutive victories.

Sean Macdonald produced 21 points, nine assists, five rebounds and three steals for the Salties on the back of knocking down 5/10 from beyond the arc.

Deba George added 24 points and four assists, Jerron Jamerson 19 points and six rebounds, Makuach Maluach 16 points, 10 boards and five assists, and Deng Riak 14 points and seven rebounds.

Malok Majak top-scored for Brisbane with 24 points and seven rebounds with Tim Soong adding 16 points, six boards and three steals, Trevor Lakes 12 points and three assists, and Geordan Papacostas 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.