North Recap | Grand Finals Game 2

Image credit: @schulz.sports.media

Tamuri Wigness has led the Southern Districts Spartans men to the NBL1 North championship for 2025 while their women will now face Logan Thunder in Game 3 on Sunday after two lopsided matches to open the Grand Final Series.

NORTH RECAP | GRAND FINALS GAME 1

NORTH RECAP | SEMI FINALS

NORTH RECAP | QUARTER FINALS SATURDAY

NORTH RECAP | QUARTER FINALS FRIDAY

WOMEN

Southern Districts Spartans (60) lost to Logan Thunder (89)

For every bit as dominant as Southern Districts Spartans were on Friday night, Logan Thunder turned the tide completely in Game 2 on Saturday for the 89-60 victory to set up a mouth-watering decider.

The Grand Final Series will all be played at Rowland Cowan Stadium between two teams who ended the regular season on 13-1 records so it was always going to be a good chance to head into a deciding Game 3 come Sunday afternoon.

The Spartans couldn’t have been more dominant in Game 1 with the 87-69 victory having led by as much as 25 points along the way to be one win away from securing the championship.

Logan's 14-game winning streak ended with that Game 1 loss but they are an experienced group and despite a new coach on board in 2025, the Thunder have been perennial contenders winning a championship in 2021, making the grand final in 2022 and finishing top two again in 2023.

If any team was going to be able to shake off what happened 24 hours earlier, it was  Logan. They produced a dominant first quarter with 29 points to 18 on the back of knocking down seven three-pointers.

Things threatened to be over by half-time when Logan opened up a 19-point lead during the second quarter but Southern Districts did manage a 9-0 run to stay somewhat in touch with the Thunder leading 50-34 by half-time.

Logan then did put the game to bed for good in the third quarter by scoring another 11 straight points to push out to a 35-point lead.

Neither team really fired a shot in the final term with a combined 22 points only as both were turning their attention to the deciding Game 3 back at the same venue at 2pm on Sunday afternoon.

On the way to the 29-point victory, Logan shot 50 per cent from the field with 15/29 from three-point range opposed to the 33 per cent and 8/26 from the Spartans.

It was a turnover fest at times too with the teams combining for 43 turnovers with Southern Districts having 23 of them and Logan 20.

Leah Scott was a woman possessed desperate to keep Logan's championship dream alive finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals and six assists on 15/19 shooting from the field and a perfect 4/4 from downtown.

Amandine Toi added 15 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals with Mikhaela Cann adding 14 points, six boards, five assists and three steals, and Kendell Heremaia six points, five rebounds and two assists.

The Spartans will look to bounce back on Sunday and rediscover their Friday night form after Jess McDowell-White finished with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals but shot 6/18 from the field.

Nicole Fransson also had 10 points, two rebounds and two assists, Taylah Simmons 10 points and three assists, and Emily Preston six points, nine boards and three assists.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS 60 (J McDowell-White 16, Fransson 10, Simmons 10)

LOGAN THUNDER 89 (Scott 35, Toi 15, Cann 14)

MEN

Brisbane Capitals (88) lost to Southern Districts Spartans (93)

Southern Districts Spartans are the NBL1 North champions for the first time and have won a title for the first time since 2006 with Tamuri Wigness again putting his name up in lights after the thrilling 93-88 Game 2 victory over Brisbane Capitals.

The Grand Final Series got underway on Friday night at Northside Indoor Sports Centre which is where the entire weekend's action was going to take place.

The Spartans proved too strong in that first game thanks to a 37-point fourth quarter to come from behind and win 90-78 to put the pressure back on Brisbane to force a decider.

With the chance of securing the championship in two games, Southern Districts went on a 13-0 run during the first quarter to open up an 11-point lead and be on top 28-17 by quarter-time.

That lead for the Spartans got out to 18 points in the second quarter but the Caps had to respond with their season on the line and they did to close the Southern Districts advantage to 55-46 by half-time.

The Caps then continued that momentum into the second half and even managed to hit the lead when Cooper Rowlings scored four straight points.

The scores were then all locked at 68-68 by three quarter-time and it wasn’t until halfway through the fourth term that the Spartans were able to open up a six-point lead with a layup to Darcy Ryder.

Max Kerle soon stretched that out to a seven-point lead but the Capitals weren’t giving up and were back within one with just under two minutes to play when Uche Dibiamaka landed a three ball.

Suddenly the Caps were back in front when Isaih Tueta nailed a floater with just over a minute to play but instantly Ryder responded for the Spartans.

After a couple of dramatic possessions where Tueta could have received a call or two, the Spartans ended up sealing the championship firstly at the line through Andre Ugrinic and then Max Kerle.

It's a first championship triumph for the Spartans since 2006 and sixth overall as a men's team, but first officially in the NBL1 North competition.

Tamuri Wigness might still not be signed to an NBL team, but he continues to show that he deserves another opportunity after being named Grand Final MVP for the Spartans.

He finished his brilliant season in Game 2 with 23 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals.

He had plenty of help too with Max Kerle finishing with 18 points, four boards, three steals and two assists, Blake Jones 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks, Darcy Ryder nine points, four rebounds and two assists, and Ben Hastings seven points, three boards and two assists.

Championship captain Andre Ugrinic finished with eight points and four rebounds, Matt Hodgson six points and five boards, and Jean-Luc Morel five points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.

The Capitals have now lost two straight Grand Final Series and they will be left to wonder what might have been in both had Sam McDaniel not got hurt last year against the Mackay Meteors, and if he was available this year.

Isaih Tueta did all he could to lift his team to force a Game 3 finishing with 23 points, five assists and three rebounds with Matthew Johns adding 17 points, eight boards and seven assists, and Uche Dibiamaka 15 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Geordan Papacostas also had seven points and six rebounds, Anthony Kopcikas seven points, four assists and three boards, Cooper Rowlings six points and two rebounds, Cameron Thew six points and five boards, and Kai Bloom six points, six assists, three steals and two rebounds.

BRISBANE CAPITALS 88 (Tueta 23, Johns 17, Dibiamaka 15)

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS 93 (Wigness 23, Kerle 18, Jones 17)