NBL1 North Recap | Saturday Women's Round 14

Yet another 20-20 performance from Mikaela Ruef along with 33 points and 17 rebounds for Nadeen Payne, and 34 points each for Shyla Heal and Bride Kennedy-Hopoate were among the standout performances on a massive night in the NBL1 North.

Round 14 in the NBL1 North Women's competition continued on Saturday night with wins for Logan Thunder, Southern Districts Spartans, Ipswich Force, South West Metro Pirates, Townsville Flames, Mackay Meteorettes and Brisbane Capitals.

Round 14 in the NBL1 North began with two matches on Friday night which saw the Mackay Meteorettes fight back from 19 points down to beat the Cairns Dolphins in overtime 80-73.

The Logan Thunder then maintained their undefeated record this season with Mikaela Ruef dominant in the 105-77 victory against the Northside Wizards.

Then on Saturday night, the Logan Thunder maintained their undefeated season with just one week to go in the regular season by defeating the Gold Coast Rollers 80-61.

Mikaela Ruef backed up her triple-double from the night before with another monster performance for the Thunder made up of 25 points, 27 rebounds and six assists. Angela Lou Beadle finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Gold Coast.

The Southern Districts Spartans then started well on the road to the Northside Wizards and were able to hold them out to win 93-81.

Nadeen Payne was massive for the Spartans with 33 points and 17 rebounds with Madelyn Allen adding 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Shyla Heal shook off her ejection the night before for 34 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Wizards.

The Ipswich Force made an imposing start to their double-header weekend by beating USC Rip City on the road 100-65.

Amanda Cahill delivered 22 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals for Ipswich with Tia Hay contributing 19 points, Courtenay Wragg 17 and Bree Rollerson 16. 

Ashley Arlen battled hard for Rip City finishing with 25 points and seven rebounds.

It was a cracking overtime battle at Hibiscus Sports Stadium also on Saturday night with standout performances galore with the South West Metro Pirates ending up beating the Red City Roar 99-96.

Bride Kennedy-Hopoate finished with 34 points in the win for the Pirates, Cat MacGregor 28 and Steph Bairstow 24. Mia Loyd had a huge night for the Roar made up of 32 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

The Townsville Flames hit the road on Saturday night and held off the fast finishing Sunshine Coast Phoenix with the eventual 89-70 victory.

Steph Reid had a standout all-round performance for Townsville made up of 24 points, nine assists, six steals and five rebounds with Courtney Woods adding 21 points and five assists. Amy Browne top-scored for Sunshine Coast with 22 points and eight assists.

The Mackay Meteorettes made it a double-win weekend on the road by beating the Darwin Salties 91-85 in the Top End.

Alisia Jenkins again led the charge for Mackay with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists with Monique Bobongie also backing up from an impressive Friday night with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Ruby Porter finished with 23 points for the Salties, Serena Waters 22 and Lauren Heard 16.

The Brisbane Capitals won a hard fought battle on the road also on Saturday night overcoming the North Gold Coast Seahawks 71-60.

Abby Cubillo finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals for Brisbane with Steph Collins adding 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Anna Cameron 14 points and 12 boards.

Isalys Quinones delivered 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Seahawks, and Doniyah Cliney 13 points and 13 boards.

Round 14 in the NBL1 North will wrap up on Sunday with two matches at 1pm with the Ipswich Force hosting the South West Metro Pirates, and USC Rip City taking on the Townsville Flames.

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

DARWIN SALTIES 85 lost to MACKAY METEORETTES 91

The Mackay Meteorettes made it a double win road weekend by heading to the Top End and beating the Darwin Salties on Saturday night.

The Meteorettes produced a brilliant comeback from 19 points down to beat the Cairns Dolphins in overtime on Friday before they made the trek to Darwin Basketball Stadium to face the Salties on Saturday night as NBL1 North Round 14 continued.

Mackay continued that momentum from the way they finished the night before to finish the first quarter strongly against Darwin scoring 10 straight points to lead by seven at quarter-time.

They consolidated that advantage to still lead by eight points at half-time but the Salties were sticking around. After the Meteorettes opened up a 14-point lead, Darwin fired back with six straight points and by three quarter-time it was just a six-point ball game.

However, Mackay did enough to hold off Darwin down the stretch to end up winning 91-85 to make it a perfect weekend away from home.

The victory improves the Meteorettes to an 11-7 record on the season to sit in sixth position while the Salties slide to 4-13 with the defeat on their home court.

Mackay racked up 63 rebounds to 42 for the night and they did shoot a little better with 43.0 per cent from the floor opposed to Darwin's 37.0, but the Salties nailed 12/34 form long-range compared with 4/19 from the Meteorettes.

Alisia Jenkins continued her strong recent form for Mackay heading towards the playoffs with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals including a perfect 8/8 at the free-throw line.

Monique Bobongie backed up her standout showing the night before with 18 points and seven rebounds while Skye Rees contributed 16 points and six boards, Ellie Collins 12 points and four assists, and Alexa Hart 10 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.

Ruby Porter top-scored for Darwin with 23 points while hitting five three-pointers with Serena Waters contributing 22 points, four rebounds and four assists, Lauren Heard 16 points, 11 boards, five assists and four steals, and Chelsea Brooke 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots.

 

GOLD COAST ROLLERS 61 lost to LOGAN THUNDER 80

The Logan Thunder once again put their undefeated record on the line on Saturday night in the NBL1 North and produced another strong showing to defeat the Gold Coast Rollers by 19 points.

Gold Coast might have fallen out of playoff contention but still have enough talent to be dangerous as they hosted the league-leading Thunder on Saturday night at Carrara Stadium.

Logan was fresh off a big win against the Northside Wizards on Friday to open Round 14 in the NBL1 North but it was a roller coaster of an opening quarter.

Both teams had their time in charge and by quarter-time scores were locked at 17-17.

Gold Coast was able to stick with Logan through the second quarter as well and the Thunder were only clinging to a 38-36 lead at the main break.

The Thunder were able to build some momentum in the third quarter, though, going on a 7-0 run to open up a 17-point lead which grew to as much as 26 in the fourth and they would go on to win 80-61.

As a result, Logan improves to a perfect 17-0 record on the season while the Rollers are now 6-11 down in 12th position in the standings.

Logan ended up collecting 53 rebounds for the game to Gold Coast's 35 while shooting 43.9 per cent compared with 34.7.

Mikaela Ruef was an unstoppable force for the Thunder once more with 25 points, 27 rebounds and six assists on 9/18 shooting.

Chevannah Paalvast added 16 points, three rebounds and three assists, Ashley Taia 15 points, six boards and three assists, and Mackenzie Auton 11 points with 3/4 shooting from three-point land.

Angela Lou Beadle did what she could for Gold Coast to end up with 14 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals with Sarah Heard adding 12 points and four boards, Jade Peacock 11 points and three rebounds, and Susi Walmsley eight points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

 

NORTH GOLD COAST SEAHAWKS 60 lost to BRISBANE CAPITALS 71

It always loomed as a season-defining match two weeks out from the playoffs between the North Gold Coast Seahawks and Brisbane Capitals at Runaway Bay Stadium on Saturday night.

The race for the NBL1 North finals is on in earnest and there might very well be only room for one of the Seahawks and Capitals there after next weekend so the stakes were high as part of Round 16 on Saturday night.

The teams couldn’t be split by quarter-time with scores locked at 16-16 before North Gold Coast Seahawks went into half-time with a slim lead over Brisbane at 30-28.

It was Brisbane who took over the contest in the third quarter by scoring 10 straight points to put together a 13-point advantage. They were able to consolidate that in the fourth quarter to score the crucial 71-60 victory away from home.

As a result of the win, the Capitals improve to an 11-7 record on the season in fifth position in the NBL1 North standings while the Seahawks are ninth now at 9-9.

Abby Cubillo was a welcome returnee for the Capitals to lead their charge with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Bronte Corke added 16 points and two assists, Anna Cameron 14 points, 12 rebounds and four steals, Steph Collins 12 points and 11 boards, and Hilary Fuller eight points and six rebounds.

Isalys Quinones finished the evening with 19 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks for North Gold Coast with Katelyn Donovan adding 19 points, two boards and two assists.

Doniyah Cliney contributed 13 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals with Erin Riley adding five points, seven assists and three rebounds.

 

NORTHSIDE WIZARDS 81 lost to SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS 93

Life didn’t get any easier for the Northside Wizards as they took on the second placed Southern Districts Spartans on Saturday night after playing the unbeaten Logan Thunder on Friday.

The Wizards opened Round 14 in the NBL1 North with a 28-point loss on the road to the league-leading Thunder on Friday night before they were at home to host the Spartans at South Pine Sports Complex on Saturday.

With the Wizards sitting in fourth spot in the standings, the weekend presented a chance to make a statement against the top two teams, but they then came into Saturday night needing to bounce back from that heavy loss to Logan.

Southern Districts started strongly to go on an 8-0 run in the opening term before heading into the quarter-time huddle leading 25-13.

The Spartans opened up a lead as large as 17 points during the first half and they remained in control at half-time leading 49-36.

Things stayed relatively even throughout the second half but the Wizards couldn’t ever seriously threaten the Spartans who went on to score the 93-81 victory.

Southern Districts remains clear in second position on the standings as a result of the win with a 16-2 record while the Wizards stay fourth at 11-6.

It was an impressive shooting night from the Spartans going 50.8 per cent from the floor and 39.1 per cent from downtown opposed with 42.1 per cent from the field and 29.2 per cent from three-point territory.

Nadeen Payne put together a huge performance for Southern Districts with 33 points and 17 rebounds on 12/17 shooting and going a perfect 6/6 at the charity stripe.

Madelyn Allen added 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds on 11/18 shooting including 6/10 from the land of plenty.

Leah Scott produced 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Spartans, and Lil Dart seven points and six boards.

Shyla Heal had a rough night on Friday being ejected in the fourth quarter against Logan but she caught fire on Saturday for the Wizards delivering 34 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals including going 6/12 from three-point land.

Tiana Mangakahia played all 40 minutes for 16 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists for Northside with Isabelle Parker contributing 14 points, and Caitlin Cunningham six points and seven rebounds.

 

USC RIP CITY 65 lost to IPSWICH FORCE 100

The Ipswich Force hit the road to beat USC Rip City by 35 points on Saturday night to put a dent in the home team's quest to lock in a playoff position.

Rip City were playing host to Ipswich at USC Sports Stadium in the second last round of the NBL1 North and it was an entertaining opening to the contest.

By quarter-time, Ipswich narrowly led 26-25 before the visitors dominated the second quarter with the Force outscoring USC 24 points to seven including going on a 12-0 run to open up an 18-point advantage by half-time.

It was more of the same in the third quarter with another 28 points to 18 in favour of Ipswich before they closed the deal with another 22 to 15 in the fourth term to end up winning 100-65.

The 35-point win improves Ipswich to a 7-10 record on the season as they finish the season with some strong momentum while Rip City remains seventh at 9-7 with a round to go in the regular season and their playoff spot still in jeopardy.

It was a terrific shooting display from Ipswich as they went 54.9 per cent as a team opposed to 33.3 per cent from Rip City.

Amanda Cahill finished with 22 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals for the Force on 10/14 shooting with Tia Hay contributing 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Courtenay Wragg 17 points and three assists with 3/4 shooting from long-range.

Bree Rollerson added 16 points and seven rebounds for Ipswich with Georgia Ralph contributing 15 points and five assists.

Ashley Arlen put up 25 points and seven rebounds for USC while Carlie Smith added 14 points and four boards, Ava Nason eight points and three rebounds, and Camryn Hughes seven points, 11 boards and three steals.

 

SUNSHINE COAST PHOENIX 70 lost to TOWNSVILLE FLAMES 89

The Townsville Flames locked away a top three finish and kept their top two prospects just alive by beating the Sunshine Coast Phoenix on Saturday night.

The Phoenix and Flames locked horns at Maroochydore Stadium on Saturday night as part of Round 14 in the NBL1 North and the third placed Townsville didn’t take long to work their way on top.

The Flames went on a 7-0 scoring run to open up an 11-point lead late in the opening quarter and then that advantage grew to 19 points during the second period.

Townsville ended up leading 48-29 by the half-time break on the road before really ramming home their dominance in the third quarter with another run of 15 points to end up leading by 38.

From there the Flames cruised to the 89-70 victory to improve them to a 15-3 record on the season in third spot. They will finish their regular season next Saturday against the Cairns Dolphins in Cairns.

The Phoenix are now 1-16 with two games to finish in the last round away to USC Rip City on Saturday and the South West Metro Pirate on Sunday.

Steph Reid ended up top-scoring for Townsville with 24 points, nine assists, six steals and five rebounds with Courtney Woods adding 21 points and five assists while hitting 3/5 from three-point range.

Aliza Fabbro also had 12 points for the Flames, Mia Murray 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Grace Rodgers six points, three boards and two steals.

Amy Browne finished with 22 points, eight assists and four rebounds for Sunshine Coast, Madeleine White 13 points and four boards, Natalie Saunders 11 points, and Leilani Siamoa eight points, three rebounds and three assists.

 

SOUTH WEST METRO PIRATES 99 defeated RED CITY ROAR 96

It was a cracking overtime contest between the South West Metro Pirates and Red City Roar at Hibiscus Sports Stadium on Saturday night that needed overtime to be decided, and in the end the home team opened their account for 2022 after 15 losses.

The Pirates and Roar locked horns in Round 14 of the NBL1 North and at no point during the game did the lead for either team get out to double-figures.

South West did manage to open up a handy nine-point edge during the first quarter but it wouldn’t last with Red City responding by scoring six straight points to cut the lead by two at quarter-time.

The Roar then assumed the leading during the second quarter and went up by five before leading 41-39 at half-time.

After Red City got up five once again, the Pirates responded by going on a run of scoring 10 straight points to go up five themselves, and by three quarter-time it was the home team leading 62-59.

The stage was set for a grandstand finish and that's what transpired.

A Bride Kennedy-Hopoate three ball put South West back up six with just under three minutes to play before a free-throw from Alana Fraser pushed the lead out to seven.

Red City wouldn’t go away and four straight points from Ariana Moorer had them back with three before a triple with just over 20 seconds remaining from Lily Sarra for the Roar tied scores up.

Tyla King-Paul scored on the next possession for South West to put them up 86-84 before Mia Loyd was fouled and made both at the stripe for the Roar to push the game into the extra period.

It took until the final minute in overtime for the Pirates to secure the win firstly thanks to a Steph Bairstow three-pointer. They then got a stop and Cat MacGregor scored up the other end and South West went on to win 99-96.

The two teams might be out of NBL1 North playoff contention but that didn’t stop them putting on a spectacle which saw South West score their first win of 2022 while the Roar slipped to 4-13.

Bride Kennedy-Hopoate had a standout performance for the Pirates delivering 34 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals on 11/25 shooting from the field, 2/3 from downtown and 6/6 from the foul line.

Cat MacGregor added 28 points and five rebounds with five three-pointers, Steph Bairstow 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Tyla King-Paul three points, 12 boards, six assists and three steals.

Mia Loyd finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and three steals for Red City while playing all 45 minutes.

Ariana Moorer did as well and produced 19 points, 13 rebounds, seven steals and five assists with Jaylen Cooper delivering 22 points and three boards with six triples, and Myka Arthur 11 points and six assists.