Recap NBL1 Central | Round 6 Anzac Day

Feature images via: Sonya Connor / CS Photographics

Part one of Anzac Round (Round 6) of the Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 Central saw all the hallmarks of what the day means to the hoops communities. With upsets a plenty, courage shown under fire and some standout performances - the league threw up plenty on one of the biggest days in the basketball calendar… 

Here are the results from Thursday's Anzac Round games:

Career best for Rocket fires North to win over West

A career high haul from star guard Brooke Basham has propelled the North Adelaide Rockets to an 82-65 win over the West Adelaide Bearcats at The Lights. Awarded the Anzac Day Medal, Basham dropped 43 points to blast to number five on the top individual scores list since 2021 and partnered it with nine rebounds, six assists and three steals to dominate the Bearcat guard rotations. 

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It was a positive showing for the Bearcats new recruit Elin Gustavsson as they arrived from NBL1 North Southern Districts Spartans with a double double of 10 points and 16 rebounds with young gun Sienna Grieger with 20 points. 

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The Rockets move to a 6-0 start to the season with a top of the table clash awaiting this Saturday night.  

NORTH ADELAIDE ROCKETS 82 (Basham 43, Corrigan 12, J Freer 11)

WEST ADELAIDE BEARCATS 65 (Grieger 20, Coleman 13, Provo 12)

 

Panthers pounce when it counts to put out Flames   

Another close encounter for Anzac Round between the Norwood Flames and the South Adelaide Panthers as the away side just slipped away in the finish 83-77 in a tight contest at The Furnace. Brittany Hodges continued to bring her form from the British Basketball League (BBL) with another double double of 26 points, 13 rebounds and four steals and was awarded the Anzac Round Medal. She was ably supported by Hatti Cox with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Ash Spencer splashed them from deep on five occasions for 17 points along with five rebounds.    

Emily Winter provided good numbers throughout the afternoon with 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocks with Eva Langton landing a couple of triples for 16 herself. It was Cox and Hodges in the finish that gave the Panthers their fourth win of the season and lifted them back into the top five.      

NORWOOD FLAMES 77 (Winter 19, Langton 16, Saunders 12)

SOUTH ADELAIDE PANTHERS 83 (Hodges 26, Cox 18, Spencer 17)

 

Lions roar to bring down Eagles 

The Kayo Freebies Game of the Week was that indeed as the Central Districts Lions bared their teeth tearing the Forestville Eagles apart at both ends of the floor 83-61 at the Nest. The Lions set themselves up in the second quarter after a basket to returning WNBA draftee Isobel Borlase - scoring a tough fadeaway jumper to make it 25-19.

Isobel Borlase is back! ?

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The Lions then rattled off a huge 20-0 run to lead 47-25 at the half thanks to Anzac round medal winner Jasmin Fejo with 27 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals, import Lily Ritz with a huge haul of 17 points and 19 rebounds (with 10 of those points and nine of those rebounds in the opening stanza) and Tayla Levy with 11 points and five assists.

      

The Eagles fought back after half-time through Borlase (10 points) and Katia Stamatelopoulos but despite being held to four points in seven minutes - the Lions turned the game at the defensive end of the floor to close out their first win against the Eagles since 2012 and setup a top two clash Saturday night with the North Adelaide Rockets. 

FORESTVILLE EAGLES 61 (Stamatelopoulos 14, Borlase 10)

CENTRAL DISTRICTS LIONS 83 (Fejo 27, Ritz 17, Samuels 15) 

 

Tigers taste victory in the South Eastern Hills  

They’ve been close this season and finally the Southern Tigers men tasted victory with a thrilling 70-67 win over the in-form Eastern Mavericks at St Francis. 

Anzac round medal winner Michael Diggins rose to a double double of 17 points and 11 rebounds and along with import guard Riley Miller with 15 points and four assists kept the Tigers in front all the way to half-time 38-34.        

It looked like the Eastern Mavericks had pushed them to another defeat with a 27-11 third quarter led by import Melvin Newburn with 12 of his 14 points coming in the quarter.

Just like last week Isaac Abergut led the Tigers on a comeback leading a 21-6 final term through 14 of his 17 points with four triples and 10 rebounds to steal it for the Tigers and give coach Michael Lake his first win in NBL1 Central. 

EASTERN MAVERICKS 67 (Newburn, Edwards 14, Raneburg 10)

SOUTHERN TIGERS 70 (Abergut, Diggins 17, Miller 15)

 

Flames burn bright to light up traditional Anzac clash 

They always produce something special on Anzac day, the Norwood Flames (originally the 2/10th Basketball Club) and they did again, taking down the South Adelaide Panthers 101-76 at the Furnace. Anzac round medal winner Isaac Miller-Jose led his chargers from start to finish as he accumulated 17 points and 12 rebounds with Jack Hemphill also producing another double double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Riley Harrap led all players with 20 points with five steals in one of his best outings of the season.    

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The Panthers minus key utility Sam Johns struggled after halftime hit by the barrage with not even Alex Starling (16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and steals) and a spark from the bench in Jarryd Hoppo (14 points and seven rebounds) able to contain the desperate Flames. 

NORWOOD FLAMES 101 (Harrap 20, Hemphill 19, Miller-Jose 17)

SOUTH ADELAIDE PANTHERS 76  (Starling 16, Hoppo 14, Kubank 12)

 

Double Century, Dunks and Dimes dominate Eagles Lions shootout

Over 200 points were scored between the entertainers of the Kayo Freebies Game of the Week with the Forestville Eagles eventually out-scoring the Central Districts Lions 119-91 at the Nest. The game was highlighted by dunks (seven in all) and dimes (47) a plenty with Anzac round medal winner Daniel Johnson showing us he can still dunk…   

Daniel Johnson got ?

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And dime…

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With 23 points in the first half to finish with 28 points, five assists and rebounds. Uche Diabiamaka wasn’t far behind him with 21 points and seven rebounds also nearly producing the slam of the season just rimming in and out of the cylinder on an unsuspecting Lions head.

Greg Mays was efficient all game per usual with 25 points and six rebounds helping the Eagles to 98 points in three scintillating quarters. The Lions kept up with the Eagles for two quarters and a half thanks to import Magnus Richards with 23 points in the first half. He finished with 28 points and nine rebounds with star Branden Jenkins quelled it was Sunday Bol that took advantage of key minutes to help himself to 14 points and seven rebounds. 

The win lifts the Eagles into equal top of the table with the Sturt Sabres as they meet the Woodville Warriors who inflicted the Sabres first loss of the season this afternoon.    

FORESTVILLE EAGLES 119 (Johnson 28, Mays 25, Dibiamaka 21)

CENTRAL DISTRICTS LIONS 91 (Richards 28, Bol 14, Lual 12)

 

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