NBL1 South Recap | Round 14 Sunday

The NBL1 South was cracking this Sunday, check out how the six games went below: 

Women: 

Nunawading Spectres (76) defeated Eltham Wildcats (59)

The Spectres took care of their business in this encounter as they dominated from the moment the ball was thrown up at tip-off. In a game they needed to win to keep them in touch with the top four of the NBL1 South Women’s Ladder, their stars Alice Kunek and Cassidy Mihalko rose to the occasion.

Both players filled up the stat sheet for Nunawading getting it done on both ends of the court. Alice Kunek finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and three blocks while Cassidy Mihalko also stuffed the stat sheet with her 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks. The pair stepped up every time Eltham tested the Spectres as proved to be the big difference between the two teams.

Eltham were led by the reliable Rebecca Pizzey, as she had 22 points and nine rebounds while shooting a very efficient 64% from the field. Korinne Campbell was Eltham’s next best with her 12 points and 12 rebounds but unfortunately for the Wildcats this just wasn’t enough. After trailing 3-17 early in the match they couldn’t pull themselves back from the slow start.

Dandenong Rangers (76) defeated Melbourne Tigers (57)

This was a chance for both squads to get a win in what has been a tough season. The Rangers, fresh off a win that broke their losing streak, backed that win up as they beat the Tigers by 19 points.

Although the Tigers were outclassed, some shining lights in the loss included Hannah Giddey’s performance with 10 points, nine rebounds, and four assists as well as Jessica Tomkins contributing with 6 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

However, the player of the game came from Dandenong’s Emilee Harmon who scored herself 21 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals in just 30 minutes. Charlotte Vincent-Lord also contributed with 15 points and played an important role in the win. 

Mt Gambier Pioneers 73 defeated Geelong Supercats 72

 This match-up had to be the NBL1 Women’s game of the day. We saw a possible finals preview with the third-placed Pioneers facing the fifth-placed Supercats without Sara Blicavs.

Every possession in the last five minutes of this game was incredibly significant and the Pioneers came up big on defence as they didn’t allow Geelong to score in the last 90 seconds of the game to give them the 73-72 win.

Geelong will be disappointed with their performance when this contest was on the line as they failed to convert free throws and turned the ball over which ultimately let this game slip away from them. The big names for Geelong featured once again as their best players in this match with Alex Duck leading the team with her 20-point performance.

Mt Gambier just demonstrated to us exactly why they sit inside the top 4 of the NBL1 South Conference. Sherrie Calleia came up big with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists almost grabbing herself a triple-double. Haliegh Reinoehl also was huge for the Pioneers as she gritted her way to a double-double (12 points & 13 rebounds) along with a clutch shot to give the Pioneers the 73-70 lead.

Men: 

Eltham Wildcats (85) defeated Nunawading Spectres (78)

On a historic day for the Eltham Wildcats, with their first game on their brand-new show-court at Montmorency Secondary College, they rose to the occasion and won 85-78 on the back of huge performances from Josh Sykes and Mitch Dance.

Josh Sykes and Mitch Dance both finished with 27 points as well as Sam Short making some important baskets in the fourth and contributed to the win with 17 points of his own. South East Melbourne Phoenix Development Player Owen Foxwell also showcased his playmaking skills as he threw 9 dimes and applied pressure on the Spectre’s guards which resulted in him tallying four steals.

Dain Swetalla gave it one hundred percent for Nunawading as he always does which saw him grinding his way to a 19-point and 11 Rebound double. CJ Asuncion-Byrd also had himself a game with him leading the Spectre’s in scoring with his 23 points.

Melbourne Tigers (67) defeated Dandenong Rangers (55)

Now this game may have broken some records because Melbourne scored 3 points in the whole entire first quarter and managed to win. Three points! That’s right, with one of the lowest scores in a quarter in NBL1 History the Tigers scored 34 points to rally back in this contest and win by double digits.

Felix von Hofe showed us exactly why he was an NBL player as he dominated this game going on to score 28 points. Michael Wearne and Mason Gaze also led the charge for the Tigers after their horrific first term as he filled the stat sheet with 19 points, five rebounds, six assists, and 4 steals. The Tigers may just have given themselves an opportunity to avoid the wooden spoon as Dandenong only have one win on the Tigers.

Nicolas Tata gave the Rangers a chance with this one with his 16 points and 12 rebounds while Deng Puoch and Jacob Davison also ended up with double digits in the scoring column. Dandenong now have to set their sights on the Casey Cavaliers next week who are only ahead of them on the NBL1 South Men’s ladder by one win.

Mt Gambier Pioneers (92) defeated Geelong Supercats (86)

Similarly, in the Women’s match between these two teams, the Pioneers won on the road in a high-quality match that came down to the wire. The Supercats will be shattered that they let the lead they had at three-quarter time go to waste at home in a game that they desperately needed to win in order to almost cement a spot in the NBL1 South Men’s Finals.

Mt Gambier just did what they were required to do, and that was to leave Geelong with a win and remain in 2nd place on the ladder, placing the pressure back on Hobart not to drop a game or two and give the Pioneers the top spot. 

Michael Harris starred for the Pioneers putting up a huge 32 points. He was joined by Nick Marshall on the offensive end who had 25 himself. On the defensive end it was Clevon Brown who was crucial with his 14 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks including a highlight play with a huge two-hand denial at the rim.

For Geelong, it was Gabriel Hadley who was on fire going on to score 33 points including 6 makes from beyond the arc. Isaac Turner was the Supercats next best with a contribution of 23 points. Geelong now set their sights on Nunawading where they will come in as favourites and need to win that match to ensure they make the NBL1 South Finals.

Feature image via: Ian Knight Photography