NBL1 North Round 3 Saturday night men's recap

Catch up on the Round 3 action from the NBL1 North Men's competition on Saturday night.

Northside Wizards 96 def Brisbane Capitals 79

Northside Wizards ran away with the final quarter to claim a 96-79 victory over Brisbane Capitals at South Pine Sports Complex on Saturday night.

The Wizards, who improved to a 2-1 win-loss record, delivered the first loss of the season to the Capitals (3-1).

Heading into the final quarter with a four-point lead, the Wizards outscored the visitors 34-21 in the fourth quarter. Northside guard Jesse Ghee got the hot hand in the last period to amass 16 of his equal game-high 23 points to help seal the win.

The Wizards had plenty of contribution to the stat sheet from their top six, with all scoring in double digits. Centre Cameron Thew (17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks), guard Aiden Krause (16 points, 8 rebounds), forward Atem Atem (12 points), forward Zach Williams-Hook (11 points), and guard Logan Kyle (10 points, 4 steals) made sure it was a team effort.

Capitals backcourt pairing of Nicholas Stoddart (equal game-high 23 points) and Jacob Wilson scored a combined 40points.

Rockhampton Rockets 85 def by Mackay Meteors 96

Mackay Meteors used a dominant second quarter to set up a 96-85 win over Rockhampton Rockets at Bravus Arena on Saturday night.

The Meteors shot out to an 18-point lead at the half (47-29) thanks to a 28-12 second quarter. Mackay guard Jerron Jamerson scored 8 of his game-high 24 points in the second period.

Meteors forward Emmanuel Malou added a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds to help Mackay improve to a 3-1 win-loss record.

Rockhampton’s top scorers were Najeal Young (18 points), Josh Wilcher (17 points), Leon Christensen (16 points) and Kon Anguik (15 points).

Red City Roar 95 def by Sunshine Coast Phoenix 100

Sunshine Coast Phoenix bounced back from a Friday night loss and an early deficit to defeat Red City Roar 100-95 at The Den on Saturday night.

With the scores tied 95 apiece, Phoenix guard Jamaal Robateau found his way to the free throw line twice in the final 20 seconds. His four three throws made sealed the win for the visitors.

Robateau, who scored 9 fourth quarter points, had a team high 29, including 13 of 15 free throws made, and 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 7 steals.

Darnell Robateau tallied a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists while Nelson Kahler picked up 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Phoenix guard Bede Hooper, who scored 15 points in the game, hit the go-ahead basket (80-79) with 8:08 to go in the final quarter to take the lead for the first time since it was 2-0.

Red City’s Kian Dennis top scored with 34 points including 6 of 11 shots made from deep.

Cairns Marlins 88 def Townsville Heat 82

Cairns Marlins have issued the first loss of the season to Townsville Heat after a come-from-behind 88-82 victory at Early Settler Stadium on Saturday night.

Down four points heading into the final quarter, the Marlins went on a 6-0 run to kickstart a 22-12 last period fightback.

James Mitchell, who tallied 22 points and 8 rebounds, top scored for the Marlins. Teammates Deba George (18 points, including 7 in the fourth quarter), Ky Stattmann (15 points), and Anthony Fisher (13 points) provided Cairns plenty of options on the offensive end.

Townsville had equal scoring options, with Josh Spiers (16 points), Ethan Betts (15 points), Jalen Patton-Croker (14 points), Luca Yates (12 points), and Mathew Rees (10 points) in double figures.

The Marlins gritty defence picked up five of their nine steals and the Heat had seven of their 16 turnovers (16in the final quarter.

South West Metro Pirates 81 def by Logan Thunder 107

Logan Thunder are in need of a heat check after a 107-81 win over South West Metro Pirates at Hibiscus Sports Stadium on Saturday night.

Logan spread its attack options through Boston Mazlin (22 points, including 6 of 13 three-pointers), Blake Jones (21 points, including 3 of 5 three-pointers), Jeremy Kendle (20 points, including 4 of 8 three-pointers), Michael Cedar (17 points, including 3 of 5 three-pointers), and Mitch  Young (12 points).

The Thunder’s superior shooting from beyond the arc, hitting 18 of 34 attempts (52.94%) compared to the Pirates 8 of 27, was a major factor in the win. Jones pulled down 11 of the Thunder’s 51 rebounds to help them edge their opponents 51-29 in rebounds, including 16-8 on the offensive end.

Logan’s Tane Kirisome swung momentum in the Thunder’s way with a three-pointer to close out the first quarter with a 29-27 lead. It sparked a 13-2 run and put the Thunder in control of the game with a 56-38 lead at the half.

South West Metro’s Kai Woodfall (17 points) and Joel Matysek (15 points) top scored for the Pirates.

Southern Districts Spartans 93 def USC Rip City 89

Southern Districts Spartans led from wire-to-wire in their tightly contested 93-89 win over USC Rip City at Rowland Cowan Stadium on Saturday night.

The Spartans jumped out to a 20-11 start on their home court, but Rip City kept nipping at their heels the entire game to keep the game within striking distance.

With 8:40 remaining in the final quarter, Rip City pulled to within one point (70-71), but a 14-3 run set up the win for the Spartans. Noah Thomas scored eight of his 17 points in that run.

Thomas was joined by Josh Derksen (17 points, 10 rebounds), Samuel Korst (16 points), Andre Urginic (13 points, 10 rebounds), and Jacob Allen (10 points) as top contributors for the Spartans.

Rip City was led by Isaih Tueta (22 points) and Eric McAlister (21 points).