South Recap | Round 12 Sunday

Image credit: Trent Moore Sports Photography

Imogen Rock put up 28 points to help Dandenong Rangers to Sunday NBL1 South win before Bryton Hobbs and Ryan Rapp hit huge late shots for their men to also prevail by a solitary point at home to the Frankston Blues.

SOUTH RECAP | ROUND 12 SATURDAY

SOUTH RECAP | ROUND 12 FRIDAY

WOMEN

Ringwood Hawks (82) defeated Ballarat Miners (70)

Nyaduoth Lok and Geogia Woolley had 31 points for their respective teams but the Ringwood Hawks had more other threats on the way to the 82-70 win to see them remain right in the playoff hunt.

The Hawks were back home at The Rings looking to bounce back from a loss to Keilor Thunder on Saturday night while the Miners arrived also having lost two straight including to the Sandringham Sabres the previous evening.

Both teams are trying to stay in the playoff race with time running out and it was a tight first quarter with the Hawks clinging to the 17-16 lead at quarter-time.

Ringwood pulled away in the second quarter with 26 points to 16 including knocking down 5/7 from three-point range to open up an 11-point lead by the half-time interval.

The Hawks took further control in the third quarter opening up a 23-point lead and even though the Miners did finish well with 29 points in the last term, the home team still went on to score the 12-point victory.

Ringwood finished up shooting 47 per cent to Ballarat's 33 while hitting 11/21 from three-point range to 7/35 even with the Miners winning the possession game with 10 extra shots and eight more free-throw attempts for the game.

Nyaduoth Lok starred in the win for Ringwood with 31 points, seven rebounds and two assists on 11/15 field goal shooting, 4/4 three-point shooting and going 5/6 at the foul line.

Camille Hobby added 20 points, 12 rebounds and two assists for the Hawks, Annabel Deerbon 14 points on 4/7 three-point shooting, and Lana Hollingsworth seven points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Ballarat slips to a 5-12 record with the loss to fall further from playoff calculations with Georgia Woolley finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and five steals while Micah Simpson added 19 points and six assists, and Laura Taylor 15 rebounds to go with three points and three assists.

RINGWOOD HAWKS 82 (Lok 31, Hobby 20, Deerbon 14)

BALLARAT MINERS 70 (Woolley 31, Simpson 19, Gladkova 8)

Dandenong Rangers (93) defeated Frankston Blues (88)

Imogen Rock came up huge with 28 points for the Dandenong Rangers as they consolidated fourth place with the 93-88 win over the Frankston Blues.

The Rangers came into the match up at Dandenong Basketball Stadium on a five-match winning streak as they played host to a Blues team also inside the top eight and needing to keep winning to make sure they stay there.

It was a scorching start on their home floor from Dandenong with a 13-0 run in the first quarter to see them open up the 32-15 advantage by quarter-time on the back of shooting 12/18 from the field opposed to 6/19 from Frankston.

The lead for Dandenong then grew to 19 points in the second quarter and they were still leading 52-36 by the half-time interval.

The Rangers were still 18 points in front during the fourth quarter, but then the Blues threw everything at a massive fightback and they got all the way back within three points when Jacqui Trotto scored with just over a minute to play.

From there, Dandenong steadied with the game's next three points at the foul line and from there were able to complete the deal on the important five-point win.

The win improves the Rangers to a 13-4 record to remain in fourth position with Imogen Rock playing a starring role with 28 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals on 11/19 shooting and 3/6 from three-point range.

Dallas Loughridge added 26 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four steals, and Nyadiew Puoch 22 points, seven boards and two assists.

The Blues do remain in eighth place despite the loss with a 10-7 record with Lauren Scherf providing 27 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and two steals with 3/5 three-point shooting.

Marta Hermida also had 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds, Lou Brown 18 points, 14 boards, three assists and two steals, Emily Monaghan 12 points and five assists, and Jacqui Trotto nine points, four assists and three rebounds.

DANDENONG RANGERS 93 (Rock 28, Loughridge 26, N Puoch 22)

FRANKSTON BLUES 88 (Scherf 27, Hermida 20, Brown 18)

Diamond Valley Eagles (92) defeated Launceston Tornadoes (87)

The Launceston Tornadoes put up an impressive fight with just seven players available but 30 points and seven three-pointers from Steph Reid saw the Diamond Valley Eagles escape with the 92-87 victory.

Diamond Valley were fresh off a 20-point win on the road to the Mount Gambier Pioneers back on Friday night ahead of hosting the Tornadoes on Sunday at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre.

It was the second game of a road double for Launceston after they lost a heart stopper the previous night to the Melbourne Tigers and they had a chance to put a dent in the top four aspirations of the Eagles on Sunday.

It would prove to be a tight contest right throughout the afternoon with Diamond Valley narrowly leading most of the way including by two points at quarter-time and then by three at half-time.

Launceston hit back from an eight-point deficit in the third quarter to cut the Diamond Valley lead to just one at three quarter-time, and then the Tornadoes even briefly did hit the front in the final term.

However, Diamond Valley responded once more and ended up securing the five-point victory even while they shot just 41 per cent from the field and Launceston were on fire going 54 per cent.

The difference came with the Eagles attempting 23 extra shots for the game on the back of collecting 19 offensive rebounds to six, and forcing the Tornadoes into 15 turnovers.

The win improves Diamond Valley to a 12-5 record to be still in fifth position and knocking on the door of fourth place after Steph Reid was outstanding with 30 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals.

She shot 11/22 from the field and 7/14 from three-point territory but struggled at the foul line going 1/6.

Tayha Watkins added 24 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Eagles, Erin Riley 11 points and three boards, Abbey Ellis 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Carly Turner eight points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Launceston return home having put in two strong showings against Melbourne and Diamond Valley, but ultimately without a win for them to now be sitting at 3-15 having lost four straight.

Keely Froling had a big performance for the Tornadoes with 34 points, nine rebounds and six assists while shooting 11/18 from the field, 4/6 from behind the arc and 8/9 at the free-throw line.

Megan Mullings added 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, Ava McDonald 16 points and three boards, and Sarah O'Neill six points, five rebounds and two assists.

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 92 (Reid 30, Watkins 24, Riley 11)

LAUNCESTON TORNADOES 87 (Froling 34, Mullings 19, McDonald 16)

Melbourne Tigers (98) defeated Bendigo Braves (61)

The Melbourne Tigers continue to close in on a top four spot by winning a fourth consecutive match beating the Bendigo Braves 98-61.

The Tigers were back home at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre having won their past three matches including at home to the Launceston Tornadoes in a thriller on Saturday.

Bendigo were also coming off a loss to the Casey Cavaliers at home on Saturday night and it was the Tigers who managed to start strongly to open up an early 12-point lead on the back of scoring 11 consecutive points.

Bendigo had done well to get that deficit back to just five points at quarter-time before Melbourne again opened up a handy lead in the second term, this time by as much as 17 points.

The Tigers went into half-time 46-35 by half-time and then extended that lead back out to 17 in the third term before Melbourne totally dominated the final 10 minutes.

The Tigers outscored the Braves 30 points to nine to close out the game on the back of shooting 13/21 from the field with Bendigo managing just 3/15 shooting.

That saw Melbourne end up securing the 37-point victory which gives them four wins in-a-row to improve to an 11-6 record to be knocking on the door of a top four position.

Eve Braslis ended up top-scoring for the Tigers with 24 points, eight rebounds and three steals with 12/15 field goal shooting.

Izzy Borlase added 19 points and five rebounds as well for Melbourne with Sara Blicavs contributing 14 points and five boards, Indiah Bowyer 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals, and Charlotte Brancatisano eight points, six boards and two assists.

The Braves remain in bottom spot as a result of suffering the seventh straight defeat with Poppy Blanch top-scoring with 14 points and three rebounds on 4/12 three-point shooting.

Taisheka Porchia added 13 points and six rebounds, Cassidy McLean 11 points, eight assists and five boards, and Elsie Noonan nine points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

MELBOURNE TIGERS 98 (Braslis 24, Borlase 19, Blicavs 14)

BENDIGO BRAVES 61 (Blanch 14, Porchia 13, McLean 11)

Nunawading Spectres (81) defeated Hobart Chargers (69)

The Nunawading Spectres started strongly and then maintained that advantage the rest of the way to end up beating the Hobart Chargers 81-69.

The Spectres came into the Sunday match up at Nunawading Basketball Centre needing to get back to winning to stay in the finals hunt having lost on Saturday night to the undefeated Geelong United by 41 points.

They were playing host to a Chargers team on a six-game losing streak and having lost to the Waverley Falcons in a tight one the night before to start their road double.

Nunawading had a strong first quarter outscoring Hobart 27 points to 16 while making 4/5 of their three-point attempts.

The Spectres turned that into a 19-point advantage in the second quarter and they home team went into the half-time break on top 51-36.

That lead got out to 22 points in third period as well for Nunawading before they went on to confirm the 12-point victory to keep their finals prospects intact.

The Spectres improve to an 8-9 record as a result of the win with Rachel Brewster top-scoring with 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Rachel Antoniadou added 16 points and nine assists, Izzy Feller 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, Faith Dut 10 points and five rebounds, and Laina Snyder five points, 16 boards and five assists.

The Chargers have now lost seven straight matches this season to be sitting on a 4-14 record despite Chelsea D'Angelo top-scoring with 28 points, nine assists and five rebounds on 11/16 field goal shooting.

Kayla Steindl added 16 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and Sharna Thompson 11 points and two boards.

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 76 (Brewster 18, Antoniadou 16, Feller 13)

HOBART CHARGERS 47 (D'Angelo 28, Steindl 16, Thompson 11)

Casey Cavaliers (78) defeated Eltham Wildcats (69)

The Casey Cavaliers made it a double win weekend with the 78-69 win at home on Sunday against the Eltham Wildcats.

The Cavs were back home at Casey Stadium on Sunday on the back of beating the Bendigo Braves by 14 points on Saturday while the Wildcats fell to a third straight win with the 44-point defeat at home at the hands of the Knox Raiders.

Both teams backed up to face off on Sunday afternoon and by the end of the first quarter they couldn't be separated with scores all locked up at 22-22.

It was in the second quarter when the Cavaliers blew the game open when they put up 23 points to seven including going on an 11-0 scoring run and opening up a 16-point lead thanks to shooting 9/23 and holding the Wildcats to 3/15.

That lead for the Cavs grew to 19 points in the second half and then despite a strong finish from Eltham including a 7-0 scoring run in the final term, Casey went on to score the nine-point victory.

The win improves the Cavaliers to a 7-10 record on the season to be three games out of the top eight with just five matches to play with Esra McGoldrick providing another 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots with 3/4 three-point shooting.

Sharne Robati added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Cavs, Lauryn Hippolite 13 points and four boards, Ahlise Hurst 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Jaden Owens eight points, 11 assists, seven boards and four steals.

Eltham have now lost their past four matches for the season to be sitting at 3-14 despite the best efforts of Kennedy Dickie who finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

Julia Drop added 14 points and six assists, Bec Pizzey 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Jayde Cadee 12 points and five boards.

CASEY CAVALIERS 78 (McGoldrick 15, Robati 13, Hippolite 13)

ELTHAM WILDCATS 69 (Dickie 26, Drop 14, Cadee 12, Pizzey 12)

MEN

Ringwood Hawks (61) lost to Ballarat Miners (102)

The Ballarat Miners consolidated themselves inside the top eight with the dominant 102-61 win on the road on Sunday against the Ringwood Hawks.

The Hawks did score a thrilling Saturday night win over Keilor Thunder in the absence of Angus Glover who is with the NBL Select team in Japan this weekend ahead of backing up against the Miners.

Ballarat arrived at The Rings having lost on Saturday night at home by 21 points to the red hot Sandringham Sabres, and the Miners did start strongly going on a 10-0 run in the first term to open up a 12-point lead.

Ringwood did hit back with 10 straight points of their own and by quarter-time it was Ballarat just clinging to the 26-24 advantage.

Ballarat then caught fire in the second quarter by completing a 13-0 scoring run and opening up a 23-point lead on the back of outscoring Ringwood 29 points to 10 on the way to heading into half-time on top 55-34.

It was another 20 points to six in the third quarter for Ballarat with that lead growing 36 points, and then 43 in the fourth before they secured the eventual 41-point victory.

As a result of the win, Ballarat improves to a 10-7 record on the season to be sitting in sixth position by the end of Round 12 with five matches of their season remaining.

Nick Stoddart produced 22 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win for the Miners with 5/9 three-point shooting.

Dayne Prim also had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists, Majok Majok 15 points, 12 boards, three assists and two steals, Mackuei Puondak 13 points and four rebounds, and Luke Rosendale 11 points, four boards and three assists.

Ringwood are now 9-9 following the defeat to be sitting in 11th position with Tanner Krebs finishing with 13 points, two rebounds and two assists despite shooting 6/15 from the floor and 1/7 from downtown.

Jonathan Lawton had 41 points the night before and finished with 13 points, two rebounds and two assists on Sunday on 5/15 shooting with Anton Stratov adding nine points, and Matthew Fennell eight points and eight rebounds.

RINGWOOD HAWKS 61 (Krebs 13, Lawton 13, Stratov 9)

BALLARAT MINERS 102 (Stoddart 22, Prim 19, Majok 15)

Dandenong Rangers (104) defeated Frankston Blues (103)

A couple of late three-pointers from Tom Garrett gave the Frankston Blues a chance but just prior to that and it was three balls from Bryton Hobbs and Ryan Rapp that ultimately sealed the deal on the 104-103 win for the Frankston Blues.

The Rangers came into the match up still in last place in the NBL1 South after a Saturday night loss to the Kilsyth Cobras while Frankston hadn’t played since losing to the Ballarat Miners the previous Saturday.

Playoffs might have been out of reach for Dandenong but Frankston did need a win to try and break back into the top eight, but it was the Rangers who started on fire with 35 points to 27 in the first quarter.

Dandenong knocked down eight three-pointers in those first 10 minutes and then still by half-time the Rangers were leading 52-45.

The lead for Dandenong got out to 15 points in the third quarter but that's when Frankston made their move and they were back within a point at three quarter-time thanks to a triple from Michael Harris on the buzzer.

Tom Garrett then hit a three as well early in the last quarter to put the Blues in front only for San Davidson to respond in kind for Dandenong.

The lead would continue to switch hands the rest of the way until Ryan Rapp landed from downtown for Dandenong with 3:45 to play.

Bryton Hobbs added another three ball 30 seconds later which had Dandenong back up by four points before Hobbs added another triple.

Even with Garrett keeping Frankston close with a couple more threes late, Dandenong closed the deal thanks to Hobbs and Rapp hitting one more three ball apiece, and then Hobbs and Ruot Monyyong closing the deal at the free-throw line.

That saw the Rangers secure the one-point victory to get a fourth win on the board for the season with Sam Davidson delivering 34 points and seven rebounds on 6/16 three-point shooting.

Bryton Hobbs added 23 points, four assists and three rebounds on shooting 5/6 from downtown while Ruot Monyyong put up 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks, and Ryan Rapp 14 points, four boards and four assists.

Frankston have now lost four straight matches to be outside the top eight with an 8-9 record with Michael Harris outstanding with 40 points, 12 assists and five rebounds with 6/12 three-point shooting.

Daniel Trist also had 21 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Blues, Tom Garrett 17 points and three rebounds, Kingsley Box eight points and three boards, and Vincent Monaghan eight points and five rebounds.

DANDENONG RANGERS 104 (Davidson 34, Hobbs 23, Monyyong 18)

FRANKSTON BLUES 103 (Harris 40, Trist 21, Garrett 17)

Diamond Valley Eagles (85) defeated North West Tasmania Thunder (77)

The Diamond Valley Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak with Jock Perry and Ngor Manyang combining for 43 points in the 85-77 victory against the North West Tasmania Thunder.

The Eagles were back on their home floor at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre having suffered a fifth straight defeat on Friday night on the road to the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

North West, meanwhile, arrived also having gone down on Saturday night to the Melbourne Tigers to begin their road double not quite able to back up their win last Saturday against the Knox Raiders.

Diamond Valley started strongly with 26 points to 15 in the first quarter on the back of shooting 11/19 from the floor including 4/6 from downtown while the Thunder went 1/8 from behind the three-point line.

The Eagles were still leading by 10 points at half-time and then maintained their advantage to be up by 11 at three quarter-time, and then completing the eventual eight-point victory.

The win improves Diamond Valley to a 5-12 record on the season with Jock Perry continuing his terrific form with another 23 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals on 10/20 shooting from the floor.

Ngor Manyang added 20 points and three steals with 5/9 shooting from downtown with Noah Todd contributing nine points and two rebounds, Aleksandar Bandilovski eight points, seven boards and five assists, and Ryley Haywood eight points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists.

North West Tasmania return home with the two losses this weekend and now also sitting on a 5-12 record with five matches remaining in their season.

Lachlan Barker top-scored with 19 points, four rebounds and two assists for the Thunder with Kye Savage contributing 16 points and four boards, and Isaac Atuer 12 points and four rebounds.

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 85 (Perry 23, Manyang 20, Todd 9)

NORTH WEST TASMANIA THUNDER 77 (Barker 19, Savage 16, Atuer 12)

Melbourne Tigers (85) defeated Bendigo Braves (66)

With an NBL great coaching either side, the game was always going to be fascinating but the Melbourne Tigers had too much firepower in the finish for the 85-66 win over the Bendigo Braves.

The Tigers were back home at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre fresh off beating the North West Tasmania Thunder the night before while the Braves were coming off a loss to the Casey Cavaliers.

The Braves did need a win to stay in the playoff hunt while the Tigers could even close in on a top two finish with a win setting up the match with Melbourne coached by Andrew Gaze and Bendigo by Steve Black.

The Braves started impressively away from home with 26 points to 17 on the back of shooting 10/15 from the field to the 7/18 from the Tigers.

Bendigo's lead got out to 14 points in the second quarter and they were still on top 42-34 by the half-time interval.

The work was ahead of the Tigers coming out of the half-time break and they were up to the challenge with 20 points to 13 in the third quarter, and 31 to 11 in the fourth term.

In the second half alone Melbourne shot 20/39 from the field with 7/17 from three-point range while the Braves managed just 24 points on 8/37 shooting.

The Tigers improve to an 11-6 record with a third straight victory to now sit in third position and having to do so without the presence of Harry Froling once more.

Tom Wilson continues to gear up nicely for a return to the NBL at Melbourne United with another 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists on 5/13 shooting from three-point territory.

Michael Wearne had a day out too producing 22 points and four assists with 4/6 three-point shooting with Jack Purchase contributing 18 points, 18 boards, six assists and three blocked shots.

The Braves slip to an 8-11 record having now lost their past three matches with Charles Matthews top-scoring with 21 points and five rebounds.

Lual Diing added 16 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals, Lachlan O'Brien 12 points and five boards, and Josiah Pattinson nine points, three rebounds and two steals.

MELBOURNE TIGERS 85 (Wilson 25, Wearne 22, Purchase 18)

BENDIGO BRAVES 66 (Matthews 21, Diing 16, O'Brien 12)

Nunawading Spectres (91) lost to Hobart Chargers (92)

The Hobart Chargers had to dig deep to complete their road double and it was Will Cranston-Lown that gave them a dream start to overtime, and Jacob Richards who sealed the eventual 92-91 win over the Nunawading Spectres.

The Spectres came into the clash at Nunawading Basketball Centre needing a win to try and stay in touch of a playoff position while the Chargers also could have dropped back to the pack with a second loss of their double-header on the road.

Hobart had lost to the Waverley Falcons on Saturday night and it was the visitors who had the better of the start getting out to a 27-21 lead by quarter-time.

The Chargers took further control in the second term with 25 points to 14 to go into half-time leading the Spectres 52-35 thanks to shooting 21/41 for the half along 7/13 from downtown opposed to the 12/31 from the Spectres who landed just 3/15 from deep.

However, it was a different Nunawading team that came back out of the locker room with 29 points to 18 in the fourth quarter but they were still playing catch up the rest of the way.

Nunawading had completely eclipsed that deficit when Tristan Devers landed a three ball with five minutes to go, but the Spectres could never find a way in front the rest of regulation either.

They still needed to score the last four points starting with a dunk to Devers and then a bucket to Brian Mack II to level scores up at 84-84 and force the game to overtime.

At the start of the extra period, two-time NBL1 East MVP Will Cranston-Lown knocked down a pair of three balls for Hobart, and eventually the visitors completed the deal on the one-point win thanks to go the ahead free throws from Jacob Richards in the final minute.

It was a crucial win in the context of the season as well for the Chargers as they stay in fifth position right in contention still for a top four place with a 10-7 record.

Jordan Straatsma top-scored in the win for Hobart with 24 points and four rebounds with 10/16 field goal shooting and going 3/4 from three-point range.

Jacob Richards added 19 points, six rebounds and five assists, Ole Angerstein 15 points, 12 boards and two blocked shots, Will Cranston-Lown 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Henry Makeny 11 points and three boards.

It's a cruel blow to the playoff hopes of the Spectres as they slip to an 8-9 record behind the eighth placed Kilsyth Cobras.

Tristan Devers finished with 29 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals for Nunawading on 6/11 three-point shooting with Brian Mack II adding 24 points, 11 boards and four blocked shots.

Cameron Cranston also had 15 points, Jack Gandolfo 10 points, three rebounds and three assists, and Keith Robinson seven points, six boards, two assists and two steals.

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 91 (Devers 29, Mack II 24, Cranston 15)

HOBART CHARGERS 92 (Straatsma 24, Richards 19, Angerstein 15)

Casey Cavaliers (83) lost to Eltham Wildcats (93)

The Casey Cavaliers missed a chance to move clear in fourth spot with the Eltham Wildcats keeping their championship defence alive with the 93-83 Sunday road victory.

Both teams arrived at Casey Stadium coming off Saturday night victories with the Cavaliers beating the Bendigo Braves while the Wildcats kept their season alive with the win at home over the top ranked Knox Raiders.

There was plenty at stake for both teams with Casey trying to stay in the top four and Eltham attempting to break into the top eight to ensure their title defence sees them reach the playoffs at least.

The scores were all level at 21-21 by the end of the first quarter before Eltham managed to open up a seven-point lead in the second term but by half-time the Cavs had managed to bring that deficit back to just two.

Eltham opened up a handy lead once more in the third term getting out to 12 points this time and by three quarter-time they had maintained an eight-point advantage.

And even with Casey going on an 8-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter, Eltham made sure of the 10-point victory to see them improve to a 9-8 record on the season to be banging right on the door of eighth position.

Eltham had six players scoring in double figures with Gabe Hadley leading the way with 18 points, six rebounds and two steals.

Sam Short added 16 points, six assists and five rebounds, Xavier Bledson 16 points, nine boards, three assists and three steals, Mitch McCarron 13 points, eight assists and three rebounds, Josh Sykes 13 points and two boards, and Zak Cunningham 11 points and two assists.

The Cavaliers remain in fourth position despite the loss with a 10-7 record with Trendon Hankerson finishing with 26 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists with 6/12 three-point shooting.

Preston Bungei added 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Ben Waller 13 points and four boards, and Hunter Marks 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

CASEY CAVALIERS 83 (Hankerson 26, Bungei 15, Waller 13)

ELTHAM WILDCATS 93 (Hadley 18, Short 16, Bledson 16)