NBL1 South Recap | Friday Men's Round 15

The Sandringham Sabres were able to keep their top two NBL1 South Men's prospects alive by knocking off the league-leading Hobart Chargers on Friday night while the Geelong Supercats went a long way to ensuring they will be in the playoffs as well.

There were two matches on Friday night to open Round 15 in the NBL1 South with it the second last weekend of the regular season with wins for the Geelong Supercats and Nunawading Spectres.

The Geelong Supercats locked away their playoff position with a hard earned 89-75 victory against the Nunawading Spectres at home on Friday night.

Isaac Turner put up 25 points and four assists for Geelong in the win with Demarcus Gatlin contributing 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.

Kingsley Box top-scored for Nunawading with 17 points with five three-pointers.

The Sandringham Sabres kept things interesting at the top of the NBL1 South standings by beating the Hobart Chargers 85-77 on the road on Friday night.

Following the result, the Chargers' hold on top spot shrunk with them sitting at 16-5 just ahead of the Mount Gambier Pioneers while the Sabres improved to 14-6 with the victory.

Tohi Smith-Milner delivered 29 points and 10 rebounds for the Sabres, and Shea Ili 28 points and nine assists. Jarred Bairstow put up 26 points and 11 rebounds for a Chargers team minus Harry Froling.

The Saturday evening NBL1 South action will see the Bendigo Braves host the Melbourne Tigers while the Casey Cavaliers take on the Dandenong Rangers, the Kilsyth Cobras play the Nunawading Spectres, the Ballarat Miners face the Diamond Valley Eagles, and the Eltham Wildcats face the Ringwood Hawks.

The Keilor Thunder will also play the Geelong Supercats while North West Tasmania Thunder host the Sandringham Sabres and the Mount Gambier Pioneers take on the Knox Raiders.

Then on Sunday, the Frankston Blues play the Kilsyth Cobras with the Melbourne Tigers facing the Ballarat Minders, and the Waverley Falcons taking on the Ringwood Hawks. 

NBL1 SOUTH – 2022 MEN'S SEASON
ROUND 15 – FRIDAY NIGHT

GEELONG SUPERCATS 89 defeated NUNAWADING SPECTRES 75

The Geelong Supercats all but guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs for the NBL1 South 2022 season with a 14-point home win against the Nunawading Spectres on Friday night.

Geelong played host to Nunawading at The Arena on Friday to open Round 15 in the NBL1 South, and it was the visitors who got the better of the start.

The Spectres went on a 10-0 scoring run during the opening quarter to take a six-point lead into quarter-time.

The Spectres turned that into a 16-point advantage during the second term and were still on top 45-37 by the half-time break meaning the Supercats needed to respond to avoid what could be a crucial loss so close to the playoffs.

Geelong turned it on in the third quarter by scoring 13 straight points and ending up delivering 29 points to 13 to turn the game on its head and to open up an eight-point lead.

The Supercats then scored another eight consecutive points in the fourth quarter to lead by as much as 16, and to end up winning 89-75.

Geelong ended up dominating the boards with 46 rebounds to 33 including 13 offensively to eight to help them take six extra field and two more free-throws than Nunawading.

Isaac Turner hit 5/10 from three-point range for Geelong on his way to 25 points, four assists and three rebounds with Demarcus Gatlin adding 21 points, 12 boards and seven assists.

Gabe Hadley added 18 points and four assists for the Supercats, and Owen Odigie four points and 11 rebounds.

Kingsley Box finished with 17 points for the Spectres, CJ Asuncion-Byrd 13 points and six rebounds, Jack Gandolfo 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds, Callum Barker 11 points and seven boards, and Dain Swetalla 10 points and four rebounds.

HOBART CHARGERS 77 lost to SANDRINGHAM SABRES 85

The Sandringham Sabres kept their hopes alive of a top two finish in the NBL1 South Men's competition by knocking off the league-leading Hobart Chargers away from home on Friday night.

The Chargers were at home to the Sabres at Kingborough Sports Centre to open the second last round of the regular season, but they didn’t have the services of Brisbane Bullets NBL big man Harry Froling, and Sandringham was able to take full advantage.

Having said that, it was a tight game for much of the first half until Hobart pulled away late in the second quarter with an 8-0 run to end up leading 37-31 at the half-time interval.

The Chargers kept that momentum going with another 6-0 run early in the third term to lead by 14 points before the Sabres began to make their charge back.

Hobart still led 63-53 at three quarter-time, but Sandringham produced a scintillating final quarter with 32 points to 14 led by Kiwi duo Tohi Smith-Milner and Shea Ili to end up scoring the terrific 85-77 victory.

The result improves Sandringham to a 14-6 record in third position to be hot on the heels now of the Mount Gambier Pioneers who are 14-5 while the Chargers remain clear on top at 16-5.

Tohi Smith-Milner ended up with a huge night for the Sabres made up of 29 points and 10 rebounds on shooting 12/17 from the field and 3/6 from three-point territory.

Shea Ili added 28 points, nine assists, four rebounds and two steals with David Okwera contributing 11 points and 13 boards.

Jarred Bairstow had his best game of the season for the Chargers with the Tasmania JackJumpers forward producing 26 points, 11 rebounds and three steals.

Jamar Sandifer added 16 points and three boards, AJ Harris 13 points and eight assists, and Ole Angerstein nine points and eight boards.