South Recap | Round 12 Saturday

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The duos of Maddy Rocci and Issie Bourne, and Bec Cole and Carley Ernst delivered NBL1 South wins for Keilor Thunder and Waverley Falcons while Jamie Ahale put up 45 points for Kilsyth Cobras, Gabe Hadley 35 for Eltham Wildcats and Jonathan Lawton 41 for Ringwood Hawks.

SOUTH RECAP | ROUND 12 FRIDAY

WOMEN

Melbourne Tigers (92) defeated Launceston Tornadoes (89)

The Melbourne Tigers and Launceston Tornadoes played out an overtime thriller and in the end it was Sara Blicavs and Izzy Borlase combining for 46 points that got their team the 92-89 overtime win.

The Tigers were back on their home floor at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre needing to keep winning to stay inside the top eight up against the Tornadoes starting their double-header and trying to avoid slipping down to bottom place.

Melbourne got off to a flying start to open up a 14-point lead during the first quarter and they were still on top 28-16 by quarter-time.

The Tigers till maintained a double-digit lead for much of the second quarter too and were still on top 52-44 by the half-time break and on track for the win that they needed to get as the finals race heats up.

Launceston had worked into the game nicely, though, and then put up 20 points to 13 in the third term to be just one-point behind at three quarter-time.

That set up a thrilling finish to the match up and Launceston had the momentum and didn’t take long into the fourth term to grab the lead when Keely Froling showed her ever-improving range by knocking down a three-pointer.

Several times after that did the Tornadoes push out to a four-point lead, but Melbourn responded each time and then were even back in front themselves with 1:30 to play when Sara Blicavs landed from downtown.

Miller Baker then scored for the Tornadoes to tie scores up once more and that's where the scores stayed by the end of regulation with neither team able to break the deadlock.

Then in the extra period, Melbourne scored eight straight points after Sarah O'Neill did open up the scoring for Launceston and that was enough for the Tigers to hold in the finish for the crucial three-point victory.

The win improves the Tigers to a 9-6 record and keeps them inside the top eight with Sara Blicavs putting up another 26 points, 11 rebounds and three steals.

Izzy Borlase added 20 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals while Indiah Bowyer contributed 19 points, five assists, four steals and two rebounds, Eve Braslis 10 points, five boards, three assists and three blocks, and Charlotte Brancatisano 10 points and six assists.

The Tornadoes have lost their past three to sit at 3-14 with their road trip concluding on Sunday against a Diamond Valley Eagles team coming back from beating the Mount Gambier Pioneers on Friday night on the road.

Keely Froling delivered 24 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Launceston with Megan Mullings contributing 21 points, eight boards and three assists, Millie Baker 18 points and three steals, Shelby Rayner 10 points, three rebounds and three assists, and Sarah O'Neill eight points, seven boards and four assists.

MELBOURNE TIGERS 92 (Blicavs 26, Borlase 20, Bowyer 19)

LAUNCESTON TORNADOES 89 (Froling 24, Mullings 21, Baker 18)

Geelong United (89) defeated Nunawading Spectres (48)

Geelong United kept their perfect record intact for the 2025 season with another commanding performance beating the Nunawading Spectres 89-48.

The perfect record of United went on the line when they hosted the Spectres at The Geelong Arena on Saturday evening with the Spectres arriving trying to stay in finals contention and building on the last up win over the Bendigo Braves.

It didn’t take Geelong long to take control of the contest with 27 points to nine in the opening quarter even while shooting 1/7 from behind the three-point line.

They did go 9/11 inside the arc and Nunawading only managed to shot 4/16 for those nine points with Geelong leading by as much as 18.

That got out to 30 points in the second term with United outscoring the Spectres once again 24-12 to go into the half-time break leading 51-21.

It was more of the same in the third quarter with Geelong outscoring Nunawading 22 points to 10 and that set up the eventual 41-point victory having led by as much as 45 along the way.

Geelong ended up shooting 42 per cent from the field to 30 while going 16/26 at the foul line to the 5/6 from Nunawading while United also forced the Spectres into 24 turnovers.

Geelong improves to a perfect 17-0 record with the win with Jaz Shelley delivering another 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals on 5/9 shooting from downtown.

Taylor Mole added 18 points with 4/9 three-point shooting, Hannah Hank 13 points, five rebounds and two steals, Tannelle Knight nine points and five boards, Lilly Rotunno six points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals, and Gemma Potter four points, 11 boards and three steals.

Nunawading are now 7-9 following the loss ahead of playing host to the Hobart Chargers on Sunday with Laina Snyder top-scoring with 10 points and nine rebounds.

GEELONG UNITED 89 (Shelley 22, Mole 18, Hank 13)

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 48 (Snyder 10, Brewster 7, Antoniadou 7)

Ballarat Miners (50) lost to Sandringham Sabres (79)

The Sandringham Sabres kept themselves in the playoff mix this season with a dominant 79-50 road victory against the Ballarat Miners.

The Sabres arrived at The Minerdome Stadium in Ballarat trying to hit back from a loss to the Dandenong Rangers to leave them in ninth position coming into Round 12 of the season.

They were taking on a Ballarat team also trying to bounce back from a last up loss to the Frankston Blues but it was a tight opening term and at quarter-time it Sandringham narrowly leading 18-15.

It was in the second quarter when the Sabres blew the game open but the damage was done on the defensive end where they held the Miners to just seven points on 3/18 shooting.

Sandringham scored 15 points up the other end to head into the half-time break on top 33-22.

It was then another 25 points to 14 in the third quarter from the Sabres as they shot 11/19 from the field with the Miners managing just 4/13 as the lead for the visitors grew to as much as 24 points.

That lead got out to 29 in the final term and the Sabres ended up securing the win by that margin as they kept in touch with a top eight position by improving to an 8-8 record in what is their only appearance of the weekend.

Funda Nakkasoglu delivered 20 points, two rebounds and two assists for Sandringham, Lucy Cochrane 14 points, eight boards and three assists, Klara Wischer 11 points, eight rebounds, six steals and three assists, Isis Lopes 10 points, four assists and four steals, and Haylee Andrews 10 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Ballarat have now lost their past two matches with a 5-11 record ahead of an away clash with the Ringwood Hawks on Sunday with Kaleena Lewis finishing with 14 points and six rebounds with 4/9 three-point shooting.

Laura Taylor added 10 points, 14 rebounds and two steals, Micah Simpson eight points, seven assists and five boards, Julia Gladkova seven points and two rebounds, and Ella Gordon five points and 10 boards.

BALLARAT MINERS 50 (Lewis 14, Taylor 10, Simpson 8)

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 79 (Nakkasoglu 20, Cochrane 14, Wischer 11)

Bendigo Braves (76) lost to Casey Cavaliers (90)

The Casey Cavaliers returned to the winner's list with Kiwi pair Sharne Robati and Esra McGoldrick combining for 41 points in the 90-76 win against the Bendigo Braves.

The Braves were back home at Red Energy Arena looking for a win that would get them out of bottom place in the NBL1 South as they played host to a Cavaliers team also attempting to avoid a third consecutive defeat.

The Cavs made the ideal start with an early 14-0 run before Bendigo did respond with 10 straight points of their own and that cut the Casey lead to 24-21 by the end of the first quarter.

The Braves then kept on scoring and opened up their own six-point lead in the second term and ended up outscoring the Cavaliers 25 to 16 on the way to the 46-40 advantage at the half-time interval.

Casey responded with 21 points to 15 in the third frame to have scores all level at three quarter-time before it was all the Cavs in the last 10 minutes with 29 to 15 to end up with 50 points to 30 in the second half on the way to the 14-point victory.

The win improves the Cavaliers to a 6-10 record on the season ahead of backing up on Sunday hosting the Eltham Wildcats with Sharne Robati delivering 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists while only missing one shot inside the arc but all seven outside it.

Esra McGoldrick also had 19 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and two assists, Sabrina Haines 15 points, eight boards and two assists, Brooke Malone 11 points and two steals, Jaden Owens nine points, three rebounds and three assists, and Ahlise Hurst nine points, five boards and two assists.

Bendigo remain in last place having now lost six straight to be 3-15 on the season ahead of also playing on Sunday away to the Melbourne Tigers.

Taisheka Porchia top-scored for Bendigo with 19 points and 13 rebounds with Cassidy McLean adding 16 points, 10 boards and four assists, Jessica Smith 12 points and four rebounds, and Poppy Blanch 11 points and two boards.

BENDIGO BRAVES 76 (Porchia 19, McLean 16, Smith 12)

CASEY CAVALIERS 90 (Robati 22, McGoldrick 19, Haines 15)

Kilsyth Cobras (73) lost to Dandenong Rangers (83)

Nyadiew Puoch and Georgia Booth combined for 44 points as the Dandenong rangers scored the important 83-73 win over the Kilsyth Cobras to stay in fourth place.

The Rangers arrived at Kilsyth Sports Centre needing to keep on winning to stay in the top four of the NBL1 South with three teams all hot on their heels just one win further back.

Dandenong did open up a six-point lead early on but then Kilsyth responded with 10 straight points to have a four-point lead of their own before it was the Rangers on top narrowly 20-19 by quarter-time.

The Rangers just managed to extend that lead with 22 points to 19 in the second term to head into half-time leading 42-38 while then Dandenong had 27 to 22 in the third stanza which saw the lead get out to nine by three quarter-time.

The Rangers were able to complete the deal for the 10-point win while never being able to completely shake the Cobras but the visitors got the win they needed to make it five straight wins to improve to 12-4 and to stay in fourth place.

Nyadiew Puoch put up another 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals for Dandenong with Georgia Booth contributing 22 points, six boards, two assists and two steals.

Dallas Loughridge added 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds, and Amber Smith 11 points, six boards, three assists and two steals.

Kilsyth have now slipped to a 5-13 record with Abby O'Connor finishing with 33 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals on 12/19 field goal shooting.

Shannon Dufficy added 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, Anamaria Virjoghe nine points, 10 boards and three blocked shots, and Georgia Dale eight points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals.

KILSYTH COBRAS 73 (O'Connor 33, Dufficy 13, Virjoghe 9)

DANDENONG RANGERS 83 (N Puoch 22, Booth 22, Loughridge 16)

Eltham Wildcats (56) lost to Knox Raiders (100)

The Knox Raiders maintained a top four spot and kept pressure on the top two with a dominant 100-56 road win over the Eltham Wildcats.

The job was ahead of Eltham even on their home floor at Montmorency Secondary College as they hunted a fourth win of the season as they played host to a Knox team on a six-game winning streak and trying to break into the top two.

It was just a four-point lead for Knox by the end of the first quarter but then the Raiders took control in the second period with 31 points to nine on the back of shooting 12/22 from the field with 5/11 from three-point range.

They also held the Wildcats to just shooting 3/14 and that meant Knox were in control with the 49-23 lead by the half-time break.

Knox went on with the job in the second half from there with another 26 points to 14 in the third quarter, 25 to 19 in the fourth and from there they secured the 44-point victory.

The win improves the Raiders to a 15-3 record on the season having won seven straight and hot on the hammer of the 14-2 Keilor Thunder who are sitting second.

Alicia Froling produced 18 points and five rebounds in the win for Knox with Agnes Emma-Nnopu adding 15 points and six boards, and Paige Burrows 15 points and five assists with 3/4 three-point shooting.

Emma Pearce contributed 12 points on 4/6 shooting from downtown while Kiera Glover finished with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Kristy Wallace 10 points, xi rebounds and five assists.

Eltham have lost their past three now to be 3-13 on the season ahead of an away clash with the Casey Cavaliers on Sunday to wrap up Round 12.

Lil Dart top-scored for the Wildcats with 14 points on 5/10 field goal shooting with Jayde Cadee contributing nine points and five rebounds, Bec Pizzey eight points, seven blocks, five rebounds and two assists, and Kennedy Dickie eight points.

ELTHAM WILDCATS 56 (Dart 14, Cadee 9, Pizzey 8, Dickie 8)

KNOX RAIDERS 100 (Froling 18, Emma-Nnopu 15, Burrows 15)

Keilor Thunder (87) defeated Ringwood Hawks (80)

The dynamic duo of Maddy Rocci and Issie Bourne combined for 44 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as Keilor Thunder made it seven straight wins beating the Ringwood Hawks 87-80.

The Thunder were back home at Keilor Stadium needing to keep winning to maintain a top two position in the NBL1 South as they hosted a Ringwood team also needing to get the win to stay in close contention of breaking into the top eight.

Keilor started well to open up an early seven-point lead, but Ringwood hit back and by quarter-time were leading 24-21.

Both teams put up 26 points in the second quarter and that meant by half-time it was still Ringwood clinging to the 50-47 advantage.

Keilor managed to go on a 9-0 run in the third period and that levelled scores up by three quarter-time and then the Thunder kept that momentum going in the fourth term with 23 points to 16.

That saw last year's grand finalists score the seven-point victory which gives them seven in-a-row to stay in second place with a 14-2 record.

Issie Bourne delivered another 26 points and nine rebounds on 11/19 field goal shooting for Keilor with Maddy Rocci adding 18 points, six assists and two rebounds.

Jasmine Dickey added 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Penina Davidson 11 points, 11 boards, three assists and three steals, Isobelle Wightman nine points and two rebounds, and Macey Boyle seven points and three assists.

The loss makes Ringwood's job all that tougher of breaking into the top eight with them remaining on the outside at 8-9 ahead of hosting the Ballarat Miners on Sunday.

Camille Hobby top-scored for the Hawks with 23 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals with Annabel Deerbon adding 19 points, six boards, four assists and four steals.

Alex Wittinger also had 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, and Sarah Elsworthy nine points, seven assists and three boards.

KEILOR THUNDER 87 (Bourne 26, Rocci 18, Dickey 13)

RINGWOOD HAWKS 80 (Hobby 23, Deerbon 19, Wittinger 16)

Waverley Falcons (88) defeated Hobart Chargers (82)

The superstar championship duo of Bec Cole and Carley Ernst combined for 51 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists as the defending champion Waverley Falcons beat the Hobart Chargers 88-82.

The Falcons were back on their home floor at Waverley Basketball Centre and trying to break back into the top four as they played host to a Chargers team all but out of the playoff hunt having lost their past five matches.

Hobart were playing their first of two games this weekend on the road and took the challenge right up to Waverley to lead 29-22 by the end of the first quarter while holding the Falcons to shooting 1/10 from deep.

The Chargers kept that going too with 21 points to 15 to go into the half-time break on top 50-37 and having put in one of their more impressive opening halves of 2025.

Waverley had some work to do coming out of the break knowing a loss could be fatal in their top four prospects and the defending South and National championships in the NBL1 responded as you would expect.

The Falcons produced a 16-0 run in the third quarter on the way to outscoring the Chargers 24 points to 10, and then turned that into 25 straight points into the fourth term to blow the game wide open.

From there Waverley were able to score the six-point win and it was an important one to improve them to 11-6 on the season to stay in the top four race.

Bec Cole was outstanding the longer the game went for the Falcons with 27 points, 10 assists, seen rebounds and three steals on shooting 9/24 from the field and 8/9 at the foul line.

Carley Ernst also finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks with 10/16 field goal shooting while Sophia Locandro added 16 points, 13 boards and two blocked shots, and Millie McCarthy seven points, four rebounds and three assists.

Hobart have now lost six straight to be 4-13 ahead of taking on the Nunawading Spectres on Sunday with Sharna Thompson finishing with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Kayla Steindl added 19 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists, Ellie Collins 16 points, five boards and four assists, and Chelsea D'Angelo 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

WAVERLEY FALCONS 88 (Cole 27, Ernst 24, Locandro 16)

HOBART CHARGERS 82 (Thompson 20, Steindl 19, Collins 16)

MEN

Melbourne Tigers (98) defeated North West Tasmania Thunder (83)

Jack Purchase put up another 30 points and Melbourne Tigers made it consecutive wins even without Harry Froling beating the North West Tasmania Thunder 98-83.

The Tigers were back home at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre sitting in third position but needing to keep winning to stay there in what is a remarkably tight race with 11 teams on either nine or eight wins coming into Round 12.

The Thunder arrived to start their double on the road this weekend not only of those teams still fighting over a playoff spot but having won their past two games to have been building some momentum.

The Tigers had managed to build a 25-20 lead by quarter-time and then even after they pushed out to a 13-point lead in the second term, North West were putting up a fight and had the Melbourne lead back to 45-40 by half-time.

Melbourne were able to open up a 14-point lead once again in the third quarter and then that got out 22 in the fourth before they secured the eventual 15-poit victory.

It's back-to-back wins for the Tigers as they improve to 10-6 on the season to remain in third position as a result with Jack Purchase producing 30 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals on the back hitting 4/9 from downtown and 10/10 at the foul line.

Tom Wilson also had 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals on 7/10 field goal shooting while Michael Wearne produced 14 points and three boards, Mason Gaze 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Wilson Amos 11 points and five boards.

North West Tasmania are now 5-11 on the season with the defeat ahead of backing up on Sunday by taking on the Diamond Valley Eagles who have lost their past four matches.

Kye Savage top-scored for the Thunder with 18 points and five rebounds with Sejr Deans contributing 13 points on 3/5 three-point shooting, Isaac Atuer 12 points and three assists, Lachlan Barker 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Archie Woodhill 12 points, 10 boards and two blocks.

MELBOURNE TIGERS 98 (Purchase 30, Wilson 19, Wearne 14)

NORTH WEST TASMANIA THUNDER 83 (Savage 18, Deans 13, Barker 12, Woodhill 12, Atuer 12)

Geelong United (90) defeated Nunawading Spectres (81)

Geelong United could be able to stay in finals contention if they can now build momentum on the back of the 90-81 victory at home to the Nunawading Spectres.

Geelong were back home at The Geelong Arena looking to bounce back from a defeat at the hands of the Kilsyth Cobras while the Spectres arrived clinging to their position inside the top eight with a last up win over the Bendigo Braves.

Nunawading did open up an early six-point lead before Geelong worked on top and had their own six-point advantage by the end of the first quarter.

Geelong then built on that lead to get it out to 10 points in the second period and 15 in the third before securing the nine-point victory that keeps their finals aspirations alive.

The victory improves United to a 7-10 record and while they still have work to do and will need to go on a winning run, at least the win means they remain in the race.

Tristan Forsyth continued his standout season with Geelong with another 24 points and 15 rebounds on 4/7 three-point shooting.

Liam Herbert added 19 points, four rebounds and three assists while also knocking down 3/6 from deep while Kaelen Malone shot 3/4 from behind the arc for 18 points, four assists and three boards.

DeMarcus Gatlin also had 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals, and George Blagojevic nine points, nine boards and five assists.

Nunawading could very well end the weekend back outside the top eight now as they slip to an 8-8 record ahead of playing host to the Hobart Chargers now on Sunday.

Jack Gandolfo finished with 22 points, four assists and three rebounds while Cameron Cranston contributed 14 points with 4/9 three-point shooting, Nick Tata nine points, five rebounds and two steals, and Christian D'Angelo nine points and two assists.

GEELONG UNITED 90 (Forsyth 24, Herbert 19, Malone 18)

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 81 (Gandolfo 22, Cranston 14, Tata 9, D'Angelo 9)

Ballarat Miners (97) lost to Sandringham Sabres (118)

Malith Machar and Ben Ayre combined for 62 points as the Sandringham Sabres outscored the Ballarat Miners 61-50 in the second half on the way to the 118-97 victory.

Ballarat were back home at The Minerdome Stadium clinging to a place in the top eight having won their past two matches while the Sabres arrived having strung together six victories to also now be inside a playoff position.

Sandringham put up 34 points to 24 in the first quarter while shooting 14/22 from the field opposed to the 10/23 from the Miners.

The Sabres were then still leading 57-47 by half-time and then they lit it up once more in the third term with 36 points to 27 on the way to securing the 21-point victory.

Sandringham ended up shooting 53 per cent from the field with 14/31 from deep while the Miners went 43 per cent with 15/39 from three-point territory.

The Sabres improve to a 9-7 record after their seventh straight victory with Malith Machar on fire with 37 points, three rebounds and three assists with 7/13 three-point shooting.

Ben Ayre added 25 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals ahead of joining the Tasmania JackJumpers in NBL26.

Tom Koppens also had 15 points, three rebounds and three assists, Elliott Brown 14 points and two assists, Fabijan Krslovic 13 points and 13 rebounds, CJ Asuncion-Byrd 12 points, and Dane Pineau 11 rebounds to go with two points, four assists and two blocks.

The Miners are now 9-7 as a result of the defeat as well with Dayne Prim finishing with 18 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots.

Majok Majok added 16 points and eight rebounds, Zac Dunmore 14 points, five boards and two steals, Luke Rosendale 14 points, eight assists and three rebounds, Nick Stoddart eight points and three assists, and Mackuei Puondak eight points and three rebounds.

BALLARAT MINERS 97 (Prim 18, Majok 16, Rosendale 14, Dunmore 14)

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 118 (Machar 37, Ayre 25, Koppens 15)

Bendigo Braves (77) lost to Casey Cavaliers (89)

The Casey Cavaliers maintained their hold on a top four position with the 89-77 win on the road to a Bendigo Braves team who were also trying to enhance their own finals aspirations.

Coming into the contest at Red Energy Arena and the Braves were looking to hit back from a loss to the Nunawading Spectres to try and break back into the top eight while the Cavs also were off a loss to the Ringwood Hawks but remained in fourth place.

That set the stage nicely with both teams to try and get back to the form they had been in before their recent struggles and it was the visiting Cavaliers who made the strong start with 27 points to 15 in the first term on shooting 10/14 to the 5/18 from the Braves.

From there the Cavs were able to maintain a double-digit advantage most of the rest of the evening to be leading by 15 points at half-time.

Bendigo did their best to mount a fightback through the second half including closing the gap to nine by three quarter-time, but Casey did enough to remain on top and secure the eventual 12-point victory.

The win improves the Cavaliers to a 10-6 record to remain solid inside the top four with a clash at home to the Eltham Wildcats to come on Sunday.

Preston Bungei put up 23 points and nine rebounds in the win for the Cavs with Trendon Hankerson adding 21 points, six assists, three steals and two boards.

Ben Waller added 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, Hunter Marks 14 points and eight boards, Gorjok Gak 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, and Nate Roberts four points, 12 boards, four assists and two blocks.

The Braves have now lost six of the past seven with the result to leave them further from a top eight position now at 8-10 with a clash on the road to the Melbourne Tigers ahead on Sunday.

Charles Matthews delivered 33 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks on 5/12 three-point shooting with Lual Diing adding 11 points, 13 boards, four assists and four blocks, Justin Johnson 11 points and five rebounds, and Billy Smythe 10 points and four boards.

BENDIGO BRAVES 77 (Matthews 33, Diing 11, Johnson 11)

CASEY CAVALIERS 89 (Bungei 23, Hankerson 21, Waller 15)

Kilsyth Cobras (98) defeated Dandenong Rangers (77)

Jamie Ahale exploded for 45 points with eight three-pointers to help deliver the Kilsyth Cobras the 98-77 win at home over the Dandenong Rangers.

The Cobras were back home at Kilsyth Sports Centre knocking on the door of the top eight having beating Geelong United last week and had the chance to break into the top eight with a win over the bottom placed Rangers.

Kilsyth made a good start too opening up a seven-point lead into the first quarter which got out to 13 in the second term but by half-time, the Rangers had worked right back into the contest to cut the Cobras edge to 41-38.

The Cobras pulled away once more with Ahale proving unstoppable as they produced 31 points to 20 to open up a 17-point lead which grew to 23 in the last term and from there Kilsyth scored the 21-point victory.

The win improves the Cobras to a 10-8 record with every chance they finish the weekend now in a playoff position with Jamie Ahale producing a stunning performance.

He finished with 45 points and six rebounds while shooting 17/26 from the field, 8/15 from three-point territory and 3/3 at the free-throw line.

Adrian Tomada added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists for Kilsyth, Khadim Sy nine points, eight boards and two assists, and Ben Ursich eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Dandenong remains in bottom spot with the fourth straight defeat to now be 3-13 ahead of playing host to the Frankston Blues on Sunday.

Ruot Monyyong top-scored for the Rangers with 22 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and three assists with Justin Bieker adding 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals on 3/6 three-point shooting.

Sam Davidson also had 11 points, Bryton Hobbs 11 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Ryan Rapp six points, 10 boards and six assists.

KILSYTH COBRAS 98 (Ahale 45, Tomada 18, Sy 9)

DANDENONG RANGERS 77 (Monyyong 22, Hobbs 11, Davidson 11)

Eltham Wildcats (103) defeated Knox Raiders (72)

The defending champion Eltham Wildcats returned to the winner's list and kept their title defence alive with the 103-72 win at home to the league-leading Knox Raiders.

The Raiders arrived at Montmorency Secondary College on top of the NBL1 South despite losing last week to the North West Tasmania Thunder but they were without key pair Sunday Dech and Norvel Pelle.

Eltham came into the match up having lost their past three games but they are still close enough to playoff spot if good enough in the back end of the season but Saturday night's match up did become a must win affair.

It was a blistering start to the contest from Eltham with 34 points to 13 in the first quarter with 13/19 shooting including 5/8 from downtown while Knox went 5/13 and all but three of those shot attempts were from three-point range.

Eltham were still leading 53-35 on the back of that going into the half-time break before the Wildcats pushed that advantage back out to 24 points in the third quarter, and 31 in the fourth.

That saw the Wildcats claim the 31-point victory on the back of shooting 49 per cent to 42 from the Raiders as well as hitting 17/38 from behind the three-point line to 7/32 while also forcing Knox into 18 turnovers from which they scored 19 points.

The victory improves Eltham to an 8-8 record on the season ahead of an away clash with the Casey Cavaliers on Sunday with Gabe Hadley brilliant with 35 points with 7/12 three-point shooting.

Sam Whelan added 15 points and two assists also hitting 5/9 from downtown while Xavier Bledson contributed 12 points and five assists, Josh Sykes 10 points, three steals and two assists, and Mitch McCarron four points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Knox do still maintain their hold on top spot with a 14-4 record having now lost consecutive matches with Brayon Blake finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists on 3/5 three-point shooting.

Sydney Kings NBL powerhouse Keli Leaulepe added 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists with Harrison Beauchamp adding 11 points, Tad Dufelmeier 10 points, five boards and three assists, and Brody Nunn nine points, five assists and two rebounds.

ELTHAM WILDCATS 103 (Hadley 35, Whelan 15, Bledson 12)

KNOX RAIDERS 72 (Blake 17, Leaulepe 16, Beauchamp 11)

Keilor Thunder (95) lost to Ringwood Hawks (96)

Jonathan Lawton put up 41 points for the Ringwood Hawks and then set up Tanner Krebs for what turned out the match sealing bucket in the 96-95 win on the road to the Keilor Thunder.

Coming into the match up at Keilor Stadium and the Thunder were on a two-game winning run while Ringwood were knocking on the door now of the top eight having won five straight.

That meant both teams brought impressive form with them into the match up and it was the Hawks narrowly leading 20-18 by quarter-time.

Ringwood then put up 30 points in the second term to the 23 from Keilor to be leading 50-41 at the half-time break but then the Thunder turned the tide in the third stanza.

Keilor put up 27 points to 15 to go from nine points down to three up at three quarter-time but the stage was set for a thrilling finish with plenty on the line for both teams.

It was Ringwood who made a break midway through the last quarter with Jonathan Lawton scoring six straight points and putting the hawks up by those six points with six minutes to play.

It was still a six-point lead nearly two minutes later when Lawton drained a three ball before he stretched the lead for the Hawks out to eight with 3:30 on the clock.

That eight-point gap remained when Lawton hit a pair of free throws with 1:45 to go but Daniel Foster then hit a pair of free throws for Keilor and Daniel Poelsma knocked down a three ball.

It was then that with just under a minute to play Tanner Krebs put Ringwood back up by five and that would be enough to secure the eventual one-point victory.

The win improves the Hawks to a 9-8 record and to have now won six straight matches ahead of hosting the Ballarat Miners on Sunday who are just ahead of them on the table.

Jonathan Lawton had a brilliant night for Ringwood with 41 points, two assists and two steals with 11/18 field goal shooting while hitting 6/10 from behind the arc and 13/13 at the charity stripe.

Matthew Fennell also had 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, Tanner Krebs 15 points, 11 boards, two assists and two blocks, and Lawson Eales 12 points on 5/7 shooting.

Keilor might very well be out of the playoff hunt now at 6-10 as a result of the loss with Dante Thompson finishing with 24 points and 13 rebounds with 3/5 three-point shooting.

Daniel Foster also had 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Patrick Ryan 14 points, seven boards, two assists and two steals, and Ryan Philippe 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

KEILOR THUNDER 95 (Thompson 24, Foster 22, Ryan 14)

RINGWOOD HAWKS 96 (Lawton 41, Fennell 16, Krebs 15)

Waverley Falcons (97) defeated Hobart Chargers (70)

The Waverley Falcons kept their finals hopes alive with the 97-90 home victory against the Hobart Chargers with the visitors providing a big finish.

The Falcons were back home at Waverley Basketball Centre having won their past three matches and trying to keep their finals aspirations alive as they take on a Chargers team currently inside the top eight despite coming off a loss to the Knox Raiders.

Waverley made a fast start on their home floor racing out to a 13-point lead and putting up 33 points in the first quarter to be eight points up by quarter-time.

That advantage for the Falcons got out to 18 points in the second quarter as well before they were leading 57-44 by half-time.

Waverley were still leading by 15 points at three quarter-time but Hobart did provide a big finish with 24 points in the last term although they couldn’t quite bridge the gap.

The Falcons went on to score the important seven-point victory to make it four straight wins to improve to a 9-8 record to stay in the finals hunt.

Robbie Heath finished with 19 points and three rebounds in the win for Waverley with Matthew McCarthy adding 19 points and eight boards on 9/13 field goal shooting.

Khalil Shabazz also had 18 points and five steals with 4/8 three-point shooting, Madut Akec 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Bennie Lewis 12 points and four boards, Mason Forbes eight points and three rebounds, and Malik Meunier seven points, six assists, four boards and four steals.

Hobart do still remain inside a playoff position at 9-7 with another game to come on Sunday on the road to the Nunawading Spectres.

Ole Angerstein produced 31 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks on 11/16 shooting for the Chargers with Jacob Richards contributing 17 points, three assists and two boards.

Henry Makeny added 15 points and 11 rebounds, Jordan Straatsma 14 points and two boards, and Will Cranston-Lown seven points, assists and two blocked shots.

WAVERLEY FALCONS 97 (McCarthy 19, Heath 19, Shabazz 18)

HOBART CHARGERS 90 (Angerstein 31, Richards 17, Makeny 15)