NBL1 South Recap | Sunday Round 14

With Round 12 coming to a close the NBL1 South action on Sunday was as firey as ever! Check out how the six games went below: 

Women’s 

Bendigo Braves (100) def Casey Cavaliers (69)

The top of the ladder Braves has gone 2-0 this weekend, taking down the Cavaliers today in a dominant fashion.

Tess Madgen had a nuclear performance with 32 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists with five three-pointers. Star teammate Megan McKay had a great game as well with 26 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. 

Casey had an overall great game, with three players scoring 15 points or more. Rachel Bell led the way with 19 points and Louise Brown was close to a double-double with 18 points and seven rebounds. 

Waverley Falcons (71) def Melbourne Tigers (50) 

The Falcons have taken down the Tigers, without Tess Heal who will embark on her collegiate career with Santa Clara. The Tigers lacked scoring without their star in Heal, as Hannah Giddey did her best to fill the shoes scoring 14 points with seven rebounds. 

Rebecca Cole was outstanding, scoring 19 points with six assists and four rebounds. Two other Falcons, Carley Ernst and Renae Mokrzycki scored 14 points to keep Waverley in the top eight. 

Keilor Thunder (77) def Frankston Blues (63)

At home, the Thunder took down the Blues in a close clash, Maddie Garrick led her team to the win with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Aneta Bandilovska had a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Frankston’s Darcee Garbin had a huge 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, she is week-by-week one of the best players in the South.

Both teams are unlikely to make the finals but have consistently put up a fight in each game they play, any South team will have to play their best against these two teams. 

Men’s

Bendigo Braves (85) def Casey Cavaliers (78) 

Bendigo’s Kuany Kuant had a massive game, scoring 30 points with six assists and five rebounds and Sidy Djitte had a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. 

Casey looked like the better team for most of the game,  having a higher three-point percentage and free throw percent but the Braves were able to squeeze the win at home. Casey’s William Hickey had a solid game with 14 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.

The Braves are tied for fourth on the ladder and will be one of the tougher teams to beat come the South finals. 

Waverley Falcons (92) def Melbourne Tigers (64) 

The Falcons have smashed the Tigers at home, an impressive seven Waverley players scored in double-doubles and no player scored above 14 points. The standout for the game was Durrell McDonald who had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

Tigers’ star Mason Gaze couldn’t get the ball rolling for Melbourne, they only shot 24 percent from three and 40 percent from the field. Where Waverey dominated though was the boards, outrebounding Melbourne 49-28 on the glass. 

Keilor Thunder (69) def by Frankston Blues (79) 

The Blues have come to Keilor and kept their finals hopes in check, after a small downslide Frankston have bounced back and currently sits just above the eighth-placed Waverley Falcons. 

An impressive win considering the Blues were missing star player Lachlan Barker, Alister MacDonald stepped up off the bench with 22 points and six rebounds to get the Blues the win. Dillon Stith struggled significantly, only scoring three points in 33 minutes but the Blues managed to get the win. 

After a Footlocker Player of the Week performance last round, Jacob Lampkin could not match the Blues as his teammate Tyler Kidd held the team strong with 21 points, six assists and five rebounds. 

Mandatory credit: Rachel Louise Photography