NBL1 South Round 1 Saturday Men's Recap

Here is all the action from the opening night of the 2021 NBL1 South men's competition.

Melbourne Tigers 94 def by Sandringham Sabres 97

The Sandringham Sabres have come away with a hard fought victory in the road against the Melbourne Tigers in their NBL1 season opener.

Led by new addition Kuany Kuany, the Sabres pushed the Tigers early, getting out in transition in conjunction with their stellar defence to secure a 50-38 half time lead.

Melbourne was not going down without a fight, coming out in the second half with a new urgency and intensity, forcing the Sabres into 19 turnovers for the game.

Felix von hofe led the way for the Tigers, bombing away from downtown and getting to the rim for 28 points on the evening.

Despite the surging Tigers looking dangerous, Sandringham were able to hold on thanks to an all around effort from the likes of Kuany (20 points, 9 rebounds), Nicholas Gabsch (18 point, 8 rebounds) and Tom O’Brien (17 points, 2 three pointers).

Knox Raiders 68 def by Geelong Supercats 78

The Geelong Supercats have survived a huge fourth quarter surge from the Knox Raiders to come away with the win at State Basketball Centre on Saturday night.

Controlling the outing for the first three quarters thanks to sharp outside shooting and tough defence, the Supercats carried an 18-point lead going into the final quarter.

The Raiders tried their best to chip away at the lead, closing the margin to as close as three points thanks to elite shooting from the likes of Dylan Hare (15 points) and Jack Roberts (15 points).

In the end it was not enough to overcome Geelong, who were led by an impressive 22 points from Wang Nyieth.

Diamond Valley Eagles 90 def Dandenong Rangers 67

It was a dominant showing from start to finish for the Diamond Valley Eagles, who dispatched of the Dandenong Rangers at home on Saturday evening.

After opening up a 10-point quarter time lead, the Eagles never looked back, matching everything the Rangers had to give them.

Ngor Manyang was impressive from the opening tip, finishing with 22 points, six rebounds and three assists for Diamond Valley.

However, this was by no means a one-man-show, with the Eagles whipping the ball around all game, resulting in 30 assists on 35 made buckets.

For Dandenong, it was a struggle to keep up. 

Sean Macdonald tried his best, tallying 19 points and four three-pointers, while Oliver Hayse-Brown finished with a double double (18 points, 12 rebounds).

Despite the Rangers’ efforts, the Eagles rolled to a comfortable 23-point win.

Eltham Wildcats 88 def by Ringwood Hawks 93

In one of the most exciting games of the opening round, Ringwood has come away with a close win over Eltham on the road.

The two sides traded leads from the opening tip, with the Wildcats holding a slight advantage heading into half time.

Adam Doyle put together a strong showing for Eltham, leading the team in scoring with 24 points, while Simon Bradbury and Ovie Magbegor each contributed a double-double with rebounds (14 and 10, 10 and 15 respectively).

The close contest continued after the main break, however it was the Hawks who managed to take control of the game thanks to an impressive 25-point outing from Adrien Sturt.

Despite trailing in the fourth quarter, the Hawks were able to pull through and secure the win thanks to some smart play and efficient shooting at the free-throw line.

Mt Gambier Pioneers 82 def by Bendigo Braves 93

Tight defence has gotten the Bendigo Braves their first win of the season on the road over the Mt Gambier Pioneers.

The Barves opened up a small lead early and were able to maintain it with staunch defense on the perimeter.

Bendigo’s suffocating perimeter defence caused the Pioneers fits, and led to Mt Gambier connecting on just five of their 35 three-point attempts.

On the other end of the court, it saw some of the usual suspects for the Braves on the offensive end.

Ray Turner put in a strong showing inside, finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Brennan Rymer filled the stat sheet and acted as a steadying presence for the side (15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals).

The Pioneers were not without their own impressive performances, with Duom Dawam and Thomas Daly combining for 52 points (31 and 21 respectively).

The Braves were able to close out the game with a sound fourth quarter, coming away with the 11-point victory. 

Hobart Chargers 78 def by NW Tasmania Thunder 85

Frankston Blues 83 def by Nunawading Spectres 94

Kilsyth Cobras 69 def Waverley Falcons 68

Albury-Wodonga Bandits 73 def by Ballarat Miners 81