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Fri

May 23, 2025

North Recap | Round 4 Friday

By Chris Pike for NBL1.com.au

It was a double win Friday night for Mackay while Logan Thunder women won again and Kuany Kuany inspired the Townsville Heat to a flying finish.

Image credit: @bvm.visuals

Unique Thompson starred for the Meteorettes and Makuach Maluach for the Meteors on a winning NBL1 North night for Mackay while Logan Thunder and Townsville split their match ups.

NORTH RECAP | ROUND 3 SUNDAY

North Womens

WOMEN

Mackay Meteorettes (98) defeated Gold Coast Rollers (69)

Monique Thompson continues to dominate upon joining the NBL1 North and was instrumental in the Mackay Meteorettes staying undefeated with the 98-69 win over the Gold Coast Rollers.

Mackay have started the 2025 season strongly both before and after former NBL1 East Grand Final MVP, Thompson, came on board and they were back home on Friday night at Mackay Basketball Stadium to play host to the Rollers.

Gold Coast arrived yet to win this season under the coaching of Australian basketball legend Mark Bradtke who has made the move to coach the women's team while son, Jensen, is playing on the men's Rollers team.

It would prove to be a tightly contested first half with no more than five points ever separating the two teams with the Meteorettes narrowly leading by two points at quarter-time and then only going into the half-time break leading 42-37.

Mackay then blew the game completely open in the third quarter by going 19 straight points and ending up shooting 11/16 from the field and 8/9 at the foul line while holding Gold Coast to just 17 points on 8/21 shooting without a made free-throw.

The Meteorettes piled on 31 points to end up leading by as much as 23 and then that advantage got out to 34 in the final stanza before Mackay stayed unbeaten with the 29-point victory.

Unique Thompson was again a difference maker in the win for Mackay with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five steals, three assists and two blocked shots on 9/13 shooting from the field and 6/7 at the foul line.

She had plenty of help too with Emme Shearer putting up 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals, Monique Bobongie 13 points, five boards and four assists, Nikita Van Wyk 11 points, three rebounds and two steals, and Amari Robinson 11 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals.

Gold Coast remain winless so far not only this season, but for 12 straight matches dating back to the end of 2024 with Katie Deeble top-scoring with 19 points, two rebounds and two steals.

Tara Manumaleuga added 15 points and four rebounds, Emma Petrie 14 points and six boards, and Juna Umezawa eight points and eight rebounds on 4/6 shooting.

MACKAY METEORETTES 98 (Thompson 24, Shearer 20, M Bobongie 13)

GOLD COAST ROLLERS 69 (Deeble 19, Manumaleuga 15, Petrie 14)

Logan Thunder (78) defeated Townsville Flames (59)

Logan Thunder made it four straight wins to be building some momentum with their new-look line-up in 2025 with the 78-59 home victory over the Townsville Flames.

After a first up loss under new coach Aja Parham-Ammar to the Southern Districts Spartans, Logan were back home on Friday night at Bendigo Bank Cornubia Park Sports Centre having won three straight.

They were hosting a Townsivlle team having split their opening four matches but coming off a win last Friday night at home to the Brisbane Capitals.

It was a flying start from the Thunder on their home floor as they shot 12/19 in the first quarter on the way to the 29-11 lead already by quarter-time.

That lead for the Thunder got out to 20 points in the second period as well but the Flames did knock down 4/7 from downtown for the quarter to end up outscoring Logan with 21 points to 19 to cut the Logan lead back to 48-32 at half-time.

Logan took back complete control in the third quarter, though, and held Townsville to just the six points on 3/16 shooting and no free-throw attempts while the Thunder piled on 20 points themselves.

That saw the lead get out to as much as 30 points and then even with Logan scoring just 10 points in the last quarter and Townsville putting up 21, it was the Thunder still cruising to the 19-point victory.

The win is a fourth in-a-row for a Logan team now sitting at 4-1 to start the season with Amandine Toi delivering 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Bride Kennedy-Hopoate added 18 points and seven rebounds, Mikhaela Cann 15 points, seven boards and six assists, Prasayus Notoa 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals, and Leah Scott nine points, nine boards and seven assists.

Townsville are now 2-3 on the season following the loss before playing in Ipswich on Saturday to complete their road double with Sam Bowman producing another 13 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two blocked shots.

Mia Murray also had 13 points, three rebounds and two assists on 3/6 from downtown with Tayla Dalton delivering 13 points, five assists and two boards.

LOGAN THUNDER 78 (Toi 20, Kennedy-Hopoate 18, Cann 15)

TOWNSVILLE FLAMES 59 (Bowman 13, Murray 13, Dalton 13)

North Mens

MEN

Mackay Meteors (108) defeated Gold Coast Rollers (89)

The defending champion Mackay Meteors avoided a third straight defeat by going back home and beating the Gold Coast Rollers 108-89 with Makuach Maluach starring with 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Meteors did win their first two matches of the season defending the championship but had lost the past two against the Sunshine Coast Phoenix and Northside Wizards ahead of being back home on Friday night at Mackay Basketball Stadium.

Gold Coast arrived fresh off a win over Logan Thunder last week with 358-game NBL veteran Reuben Te Rangi into the line-up to play under coach Anthony Petrie after the pair were once teammates at the Brisbane Bullets.

Determined to avoid a third straight defeat, Mackay started strongly on their home floor with 9/16 shooting and going 7/7 at the foul line in the first quarter to outscore Gold Coast 27 points to 18.

That lead for the Meteors got out to 13 points in the second quarter and by half-time the reigning champions were on top 51-40.

It was then a blistering third quarter from Mackay with 34 points to 19 on the back of shooting 10/18 from the field but also 11/14 at the free-throw line as the lead ballooned out to 26 points.

It then grew to 29 points in the final period and in the end it was a 19-point victory for Mackay as they improve to a 3-2 record in their championship defence.

Sydney Kings NBL forward Makuach Maluach starred in the win with 24 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals on 9/9 free-throw shooting.

Jerron Jamerson added 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Cameron Goldfinch 15 points and five boards, Jaxon Brenchley 14 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Mason Khalu 12 points, three boards and two assists.

Gold Coast are now 2-2 on the season ahead of continuing their road trip to the Rockhampton Rockets on Saturday with son-of-a-legend Jensen Bradtke providing 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists on 8/12 shooting.

Reuben Te Rangi added 17 points, six rebounds and four assists, Preston Le Gassick 15 points and three assists, Brodie McGregor 14 points and three boards, and Boston Mazlin 10 points.

MACKAY METEORS 108 (Maluach 24, Jamerson 21, Goldfinch 15)

GOLD COAST ROLLERS 89 (Bradtke 18, Te Rangi 17, Le Gassick 15)

 

Logan Thunder (84) lost to Townsville Heat (86)

The Townsville Heat produced a miraculous fightback coming back from trailing by seven points with three minutes to play to outscore Logan Thunder 10 points to one the rest of the way to secure the 86-84 road victory.

The Thunder were back home at Bendigo Bank Cornubia Park Sports Centre looking to snap a two-game losing slide while the Heat arrived also having lost their past two matches after winning the first two of 2025.

It was a flying start to open their road double this weekend for Townsville as they piled on 32 points to just 22 in the first quarter to have opened up a lead of as much as 14 points along the way.

That lead got out to 16 as well in the second term for the Heat but by half-time Logan had worked right back into it and the Townsville lead was just 46-42.

Logan did complete a 10-0 run in the third term too and grabbed the lead, and then went on with the job in the fourth quarter to be leading by as much as eight points.

It was still a seven-point advantage for the Thunder with 3:30 to play when Zac Triplett knocked down a three-pointer and it did appear the home team had the game in the bag.

Nobody told Townsville that, though, with Grant Teichmann, Kuany Kuany and Matthew Rees all combining to produce the game's next six points to make it a one-point margin with just over a minute to play.

Ethan Betts then scored on an offensive rebound 30 seconds later to give Townsville the lead thanks to an 8-0 run which became nine straight points when Kuany knocked down a free-throw after a tech foul was called on Matt Kenyon.

That would prove enough for the Heat to secure the win on the back of outscoring Logan 10 points to one in the final three minutes to improve to a 3-2 record on the season in the process.

Illawarra Hawks championship winning development player Kuany Kuany finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and two steals on 13/14 free-throw shooting in the win for Townsville.

Grant Teichmann added 14 points and five assists, Ethan Betts 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds, and Matthew Rees eight points, nine boards and two assists.

The Thunder are now 1-4 having lost three straight following the defeat with Zac Triplett top-scoring with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Callum Dalton added 15 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, Kenyon 14 points, five assists, three boards and three steals, and Tane Kirisome 10 points.

LOGAN THUNDER 84 (Triplett 18, Dalton 15, Kenyon 14)

TOWNSVILLE HEAT 86 (Kuany 29, Betts 14, Teichmann 14)