NBL1 South Round 6 Saturday Women’s Recap

Catch up on all of Saturday's action from the NBL1 South Women's competition right here.

Geelong Supercats 75 def by Frankston Blues 80
The Frankston Blues remain perfect after eight games following its win over Geelong on the road on Saturday evening.
The Supercats jumped out to a comfortable 11-point lead early, which the side held for around 10 minutes over the first and second quarters.
Sarah Elsworthy was impressive for Geelong, scoring from all over the court on her way to 19 points, while Antoniette Emma-Nnopu made her presence felt inside, scoring 18 points and bringing down 10 rebounds.
Despite this control over the game, the Supercats couldn’t stop the surge coming from Frankston to close the quarter.
The Blues ended the first half on a 14-5 run which was capped off by a Darcee Garbin turnaround jumper in the final minute.
Garbin was in fine form once again for Frankston, leading all scorers in the game with 24 points, as well as 14 rebounds.
As for the second half, it was an absolute battle between the two sides.
The lead changed 11 times over the two terms, with Frankston finding itself in a strong position to secure the win in the final minute.
The decisive moment came with less than 30 seconds to go, when Blues star Tessa Lavey drew a three-point foul on Emma-Nnopu, before calmly sinking all of her attempts from the line to push Frankston’s lead to five-points.
The Blues would ultimately hold onto the lead and remain undefeated on the season.

Nunawading Spectres 81 def Knox Raiders 78
The Nunawading Spectres have handed the Knox Raiders its first loss of the season, taking home the win in front of its home fans at The Graveyard.
The first quarter was a fast-paced, back and forth affair in which neither team could really put together any separation.  
The second term however was a stark contrast, as the game slowed down and both teams struggled to put points on the board.
For Knox, outside of Klara Wischer and Leah Santomaggio (25 points each), the rest of the team struggled, connecting on just 9-33 attempts in the contest.
Nunawading was able to open up a five-point lead going into the main break which it built open in the third term.
The Spectres led by a game-high 11 points in the third quarter before Knox staged its comeback attempt.
The Raiders went on a 20-8 run across the third and fourth quarters to take back the lead, however it would be short lived, as Nunawading hit some big-time baskets down the stretch to regain the lead and hold on for the win.
Rachel Brewster and Penina Davidson each scored 20 points, while Izzy Wright contributed 18 points in the victory.

Diamond Valley Eagles 52 def by Kilsyth Cobras 104
The Diamond Valley eagles remain without a win so far in the NBL1 South season after going down to the Kilsyth Cobras at home.
Kilsyth made it clear that it came to play from the opening tip, with the Cobras doubling the Eagles’ score in the first half (60-30).
It unfortunately didn’t get much better for Diamond Valley in the second half, despite the best efforts of players like Olivia Bomtempelli.
Bontempelli led the Eagles with 17 points, however she could do nothing to stop the points pouring in on the other end.
The Cobras dominated every aspect of the game, almost doubling Diamond Valley’s rebounding total and nearly quadrupling its assist total.
Every Cobras player registered in the scoring column, however the team was led once again by Lauren Nicholson.
Nicholson finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists as her Cobras cruised to victory.
The win breaks a one-game skid the team had been on ahead of its Sunday game against Launceston.

Dandenong Rangers 93 def Hobart Chargers 72
The Dandenong Rangers have orchestrated one of the best defensive halves of basketball any team has played all season in its win against the Hobart Chargers.
Hobart jumped out to a strong lead across the opening two terms thanks to some great play from Ellie Collins.
Missing star Madeleine Garrick, Collins stepped up, scoring 31 points, pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out six assists to help the Chargers take an 11-point lead into the main break.
You have to wonder what was said in the Rangers changerooms during half-time, as the team came out like a house on fire in the third term.
Led by Emilee Harmon (26 points) and Dallas Laughridge (25 points), Dandenong quickly erased the deficit and took a two-point lead to close the quarter.
It was much of the same in the final term, as the Rangers defence clamped Hobart, limiting the side to just seven points in the fourth quarter to run away with the 21-point win.
Dandenong outscored the Chargers 47-15 in the second half and will look to hold onto this momentum ahead of its game against Sandringham next week.

Eltham Wildcats 88 def by Launceston Tornadoes 92
In one of the games of the round, the Launceston Tornadoes have overcome the Eltham Wildcats on the road.
Missing perhaps the league’s best player in Keely Froling, the Tornadoes had to look elsewhere for scoring against the top-four side.
Kelsey Griffin stepped up for Launceston, scoring 28 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, however the game remained on a knife’s edge across all four quarters.
The Tornadoes opened up the biggest lead of the game in the third term, pulling ahead by nine points, however that lead was quickly erased, leading to an intense final quarter.
The sides were like two boxers, throwing haymakers at each other with neither ready to concede defeat.
For Eltham, Annelo Maley continued her dominant start to the season, tallying 36 points and 25 rebounds to help keep her team in the game.
In the end, the Tornadoes were simply able to outlast its opponents, holding on for the four-point win.

Ringwood Hawks 88 def Albury Wodonga Bandits 68
The Ringwood Hawks have ensured the Albury Wodonga Bandits will remain in a bottom-two spot on the ladder after winning at home.
The Hawks led from the opening tip thanks to crisp passing and efficient shooting from behind the arc.
Funda Nakkasoglu led Ringwood in scoring, tallying 22 points, including six three-pointers.
The Bandits remained in striking distance for much of the first half behind the efforts of Emma Mahady and Geralynn Leaupepe, who combined for 36 points, however they could not keep up with Ringwood after the main break.
Every time Albury Wodonga looked to get back within reach, the Hawks pulled further ahead, leading to the comfortable 20-point victory.
Ringwood will next face Kilsyth, while the Bandits will hope to pull off a major upset on Sunday against the Frankston Blues.

Mt Gambier Pioneers 60 def Ballarat Rush 48
The Mt Gambier Pioneers have secured its first win of the season, beating the Ballarat Rush at home.
The game started slow, with only 11 total points being scored over the first five minutes of action.
After that point, the Pioneers seemed to kick into gear, hammering the Rush with continual pressure at the rim and from behind the arc.
Early in the second quarter, Mt Gambier held its biggest lead (34-8) and despite Ballarat’s best efforts, the Pioneers would remain in control for the rest of the game.
Mt Gambier guard Jasmin Howe led all scorers with 28 points, which included six three-point makes.
For Ballarat, the loss continues some worrying form. 
The Rush have now lost five games in a row ahead of its game next week against regional rivals Bendigo.

Picture: Darcy Stack Media