South Recap | Round 14 Friday

Image credit: Shane Panther | @shanejpg.sport

Both Melbourne Tigers teams scored important NBL1 South wins with defending champions Waverley Falcons and Eltham Wildcats doing the same while Geelong United women stayed perfect and Sandringham Sabres men made it 10 straight.

SOUTH RECAP | ROUND 14 TUESDAY

WOMEN

Waverley Falcons (87) defeated Sandringham Sabres (79)

The defending champion Waverley Falcons continue to eye off a top four spot with a fourth straight win beating the Sandringham Sabres 87-79 with all five starters scoring at least 11 points.

The Falcons were back home at Waverley Basketball Centre on a three-game winning streak with a chance to end the evening in the top four should the Dandenong Rangers lose to Geelong United at the same time.

However, it wasn’t going to be easy up against a Sandringham team trying to stay in the finals hunt too and bounce back from the Tuesday night loss to Keilor Thunder.

It was a strong start on their home floor from Waverley going on a 10-0 streak and opening up a 14-point advantage before still being on top 26-16 by the end of one.

Sandringham knew what was at stake for them and they fired back in the second quarter with their own 12-0 run to even briefly grab the lead, and end up limiting the Waverley advantage to 45-41 by the half-time break.

The Sabres had another strong showing in the third quarter to and were even leading 65-64 by three quarter-time, but the Falcons responded including scoring nine straight points in the final term.

Waverley ended up outscoring Sandringham 23 points to 14 on the way to scoring the eight-point win to get a step closer to a top four finish in their championship defence with a 14-6 record.

Fresh off re-signing with the Southside Flyers in the WNBL, Carley Ernst delivered 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocks in the win for Waverley.

New import Jenna Batsch added 17 points and three rebounds with Bec Cole contributing 15 points, four boards, three assists and three steals, Amelia Todhunter 13 points, four steals and three rebounds, Sophia Locandro 11 points and eight boards, and Katelyn Shumate 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

The Sabres remain outside the top eight with the second straight loss to now sit on a 9-10 record with games to go against the Launceston Tornadoes, Eltham Wildcats and Bendigo Braves.

Haylee Andrews will be joining the Adelaide Lightning or the upcoming WNBL season and she delivered 23 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals for Sandringham with the absence of Funda Nakkasoglu tough to overcome.

Lucy Cochrane added 20 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, Isis Lopes 18 points, four boards and four assists, and Keeley Frawley 11 points, 11 rebounds and three assists with 3/5 three-point shooting.

WAVERLEY FALCONS 87 (Ernst 21, Batsch 17, Cole 15)

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 79 (Andrews 23, Cochrane 20, Lopes 18)

Melbourne Tigers (102) defeated Diamond Valley Eagles (55)

Hannah Giddey, Eve Braslis and Tylah Hooper stepped up to contribute 54 points as the shorthanded Melbourne Tigers consolidated their playoff spot with the 102-55 win over the Diamond Valley Eagles.

It was a battle of sixth against seventh at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre with both teams missing two crucial players each to the Australian Opals team at the FIBA Asia Cup in China.

Sara Blicavs and Izzy Borlase were out for the Tigers as were Steph Reid and Abbey Ellis for the Eagles, and it was all about whose supporting cast could step up the best.

Melbourne did manage to open up a 23-18 lead by the end of the first quarter before the Tigers dominated the second frame with 27 points to 12 on the back of shooting 11/19 from the field opposed to the 2/14 from the Eagles.

That saw Melbourne leading 50-30 at the half-time break and then the Tigers rammed home their dominance even further in the third quarter with another 30 points to 11.

It was 22 to 14 then in the last term as well with the Tigers going on to score the 47-point win to improve to a 12-8 record to steady themselves in the playoffs with games to finish against the Casey Cavaliers and Waverley Falcons.

Hannah Giddey stepped up for 18 points, five assists and four rebounds on 9/10 field goal shooting for Melbourne with Eve Braslis adding 18 points on 7/12 shooting, and Tylah Hooper 18 points on 4/6 three-point shooting.

Indiah Bowyer added 16 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, five blocks and four steals, Charlotte Brancatisano 10 points, eight boards, six assists and three steals, and Abbey Sutherland eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Diamond Valley are still in a fight to reach the finals slipping to a 12-7 record with games to finish against the Hobart Chargers, Nunawading Spectres and Frankston Blues.

Tayha Watkins finished with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals with Lucy Oakford contributing nine points, three boards and three assists, and Lara McSpadden eight points and four rebounds.

MELBOURNE TIGERS 102 (Braslis 18, Giddey 18, Hooper 18)

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 55 (Watkins 14, Oakford 9, McSpadden 8)

Dandenong Rangers (78) lost to Geelong United (87)

Geelong United's undefeated season was in serious jeopardy at three quarter-time but they finished strongly away from home for the 87-78 win against the Dandenong Rangers.

The Rangers were back on their home floor at Dandenong Basketball Stadium and still sitting in fourth position despite a last up loss to the Casey Cavaliers.

It always had the potential of being a match up to seriously jeopardise Geelong's perfect record and that was still the case by quarter-time with scores locked at 20-20.

The Rangers then narrowly outscored Geelong 24 points to 22 in the second quarter to go into the break leading 44-42 on the back of shooting 18/34 from the field opposed to the 17/33 from Geelong with precious little separating the teams.

By three quarter-time the scores were all locked together at 67-67 with Geelong needing to dig deep to avoid a first loss of 2025, and that's exactly what the visitors did.

United outscored the Rangers 22 points to 13 in the last quarter with 7/13 shooting and 5/6 at the foul line to the 6/17 shooting from Dandenong who didn’t get to the foul line at all.

That saw Geelong secure the nine-point victory to improve to a perfect 19-0 record with games to finish the regular season against the Casey Cavaliers, Keilor Thunder and Eltham Wildcats.

Hannah Hank top-scored in the win for Geelong with 23 points and seven rebounds with Gemma Potter contributing 19 points, six boards, five assists and two steals.

Lilly Rotunno also had 14 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals with 3/5 three-point shooting, and Jaz Shelley knocked down 4/9 from behind the arc for 14 points, eight assists, six boards and five steals.

Dandenong's top four hopes took a hit with the second straight defeat to slip to a 13-6 record despite 29 points, eight rebounds and two assists on 11/19 field goal shooting from Nyadiew Puoch.

Dallas Loughridge also had 15 points, three assists and two rebounds, Georgia Booth 13 points, five boards and five assists, and Amber Smith 10 points and three rebounds.

DANDENONG RANGERS 78 (N Puoch 29, Loughridge 15, Booth 13)

GEELONG UNITED 87 (Hank 23, Potter 19, Shelley 14, Rotunno 14)

Frankston Blues (98) defeated Eltham Wildcats (64)

The big guns of the Frankston Blues all fired to keep them solid inside a playoff position with the emphatic 98-64 win against the Eltham Wildcats.

It might have technically been a home game for Frankston, but it was held at Montmorency Secondary College with the Blues needing a win to stay in the top eight with the Wildcats just trying to finish the season with some momentum.

Frankston made a strong start with 26 points to 18 in the first quarter before the Blues pushed that lead out to as much as 16 in the second term before they went into half-time on top 43-33.

Frankston then further took control of the contest in the third period outscoring Eltham 29 points to 10 before opening up a 19-pont lead, and then that blew out to 34 by the final buzzer.

The win snaps a two-game losing slide for the Blues as they improve to a 10-8 record to stay inside the top eight with three games remaining against the Hobart Chargers, Mount Gambier Pioneers and Diamond Valley Eagles.

Lou Brown delivered 25 points, 14 rebounds and two assists in the win for Frankston while Marta Hermida top-scored with 34 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to narrowly miss the triple-double while making 6/8 from behind the three-point arc.

Lauren Scherf also flirted with a triple-double with 18 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Eltham have now lost six straight matches on the season to slip to a 3-16 and to now occupy bottom spot in the NBL1 South.

Kennedy Dickie top-scored with 21 points, 14 rebounds and two steals with Taylah Short adding 16 points, four boards and two steals, and Julia Drop nine points, five rebounds and three assists.

FRANKSTON BLUES 98 (Hermida 34, Brown 25, Scherf 18)

ELTHAM WILDCATS 64 (Dickie 21, Short 16, Drop 9)

Casey Cavaliers (92) defeated Kilsyth Cobras (86)

They are still going to need a lot to fall their way but the least the Casey Cavaliers could do was win on Friday night to keep their playoff hopes alive and they got that with the 92-86 overtime victory against the Kilsyth Cobras.

The Cavs were back home at Casey Stadium and likely needing to win all four of their remaining games to be any chance to reach the playoffs having already put together three straight wins coming into the match up.

Kilsyth arrived having lost their past three to be out of the finals hunt themselves but still with a talented team and wanting to finish the season with momentum.

Despite Casey knocking down five three-pointers in the first quarter it was Kilsyth who went on an 11-0 scoring run to be leading 28-22 at quarter-time.

Casey did manage to outscore the Cobras 18 points to 14 in the second term but it was still Kilsyth leading narrowly 42-40 by the half-time break.

Then after Kilsyth managed to push back out to a nine-point lead early in the second half, Casey responded with eight straight points and precious little separated the two teams the rest of the way.

The Cavaliers were still leading by five with just over three minutes to play when Brooke Malone scored, but then Kilsyth responded firstly with a pair of free throws from Shannon Dufficy before she also scored going to the basket.

It was a one-point ball game before Nikita Young returned Kilsyth to the lead and then Ahlise Hurst hit a three ball to give the Cavs the two-point lead once again.

Anamaria Virjoghe levelled scores up once more when she scored for the Cobras and that where things stayed with the teams locked at 81-81 by the end of regulation.

Then in overtime, it was all the Cavs who were playing to keep their season alive and they scored the opening eight points including a three ball to Brooke Malone who is settling nicely in the NBL1 South having started 2025 playing with the South West Metro Pirates of the North, and previously with the Perth Redbacks in the West.  

From there, the Cavaliers completed the six-point victory with 11 points to five in the extra five minutes to keep their slim playoff hopes alive at 9-10 with games to finish against Geelong United, Melbourne Tigers and Ballarat Miners.

Ahlise Hurst top-scored in the win for Casey with 23 points and six rebounds with 7/10 three-point shooting while Sabrina Haines added 22 points, eight boards and two assists on 4/7 shooting from downtown.

Brooke Malone also ended up with 19 points and 14 rebounds, Jaden Owens 16 points, nine assists and seven boards, and Sharne Robati seven points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Kilsyth are now 5-15 having lost four straight with the defeat with Georgia Dale ending up with 20 points, six rebounds and two steals on 4/10 three-point shooting.

Abby O'Connor top-scored with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists while Shannon Dufficy added 16 points, 11 boards, two assists and two steals, Nikita Young 16 points and eight rebounds, and Anamaria Virjoghe 10 points and 10 boards.

CASEY CAVALIERS 92 (Hurst 23, Haines 22, Malone 19)

KILSYTH COBRAS 86 (O'Connor 22, Dale 20, Dufficy 16, Young 16)

Mount Gambier Pioneers (65) lost to Bendigo Braves (68)

The Mount Gambier Pioneers threw everything at a big comeback but the Bendigo Braves held firm to snap their eight-game losing streak for the 68-65 win on the road.

Both teams came into the match up at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre out of the playoff hunt but looking to finish their seasons on a high not.

The Pioneers were on a five-game losing slide and the Braves had lost their past eight so both teams were looking to build some confidence, but it didn’t happen early with just the 26 combined points in the first quarter on shooting 8/37 between them.

It was Bendigo holding the slender 14-12 lead by quarter-time and was a similar story in the second term with 15 points to 14 for Mount Gambier despite both teams combining to shoot 11/42 from the field.

That had Bendigo on top 28-27 by half-time and then finally the scoring picked up a little in the second half starting with 21 points to 15 from Bendigo in the third term to open up a seven-point lead.

That advantage got out to 12 points in the fourth quarter and then they held out the fast finishing home team for the three-point victory to score a first win since back on May 24.

The win improves Bendigo to a 4-17 record to get them out of bottom place too with Taisheka Porchia delivering 21 points and six rebounds.

Mia Harvey contributed 14 points, three rebounds and two steals, Cassidy McLean 14 points, 11 boards and three assists, and Jessica Smith 12 points and four rebounds.

Mount Gambier have now lost six straight to slip to a 6-14 record with Isa Brancatisano finishing with 19 points, 20 rebounds and three assists.

Mackenzie Burke also had 15 points and five rebounds, Chloe Hildebrand 11 points and three boards, and Keryl Ousey eight points, four rebounds and two assists.

MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 65 (Brancatisano 19, Burke 15, Hildebrand 11)

BENDIGO BRAVES 68 (Porchia 21, Harvey 14, McLean 14)

Ballarat Miners (87) defeated Keilor Thunder (80)

Laura Taylor and Kaleena Lewis combined for 57 points and nine three-pointers as the Ballarat Minders scored what is likely their best win of the season knocking off the second placed Keilor Thunder 87-80.

Ballarat were back home at The Minerdome Stadium coming off a last up win over the Kilsyth Cobras and even though finals were out of reach, they wanted to continue to finish the season off with some momentum.

Keilor did arrive without the injured Maddy Rocci and with Issie Bourne with the Australian Opals at the Asia Cup, but still the Thunder won without that pair last Saturday over the Diamond Valley Eagles and on Tuesday against the Sandringham Sabres.

And Keilor remained in second place on a nine-game winning run and last year's grand finalists still started well with 21 points to 14 in the first quarter away from home.

Ballarat turned things around in the second quarter with 25 points to 13 and as a result went into the half-time break on top 39-34.

That lead got out to double-figures for the Miners in the second half and was as much as 13 points in the fourth quarter, and from there the home time secured the seven-point victory to snap the nine-game losing run from the Thunder.

Ballarat improve to 7-12 on the season with the second straight win with Kaleena Lewis starring with 30 points, five rebounds and four assists with 13/25 shooting from the floor.

Laura Taylor added 27 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals on 6/11 three-point shooting with Micah Simpson contributing 14 points, five boards and five assists, and Julia Gladkova 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Keilor suffer a first loss this season since May 10 now with their hold on second spot shaky at 16-3 especially with the continued absence of their two superstars.

Jasmine Dickey did all she could to life Keilor with 29 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and three steals on 12/34 shooting from the field.

Penina Davidson also finished with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists, Nikki Metcalfe 14 points on perfect 7/7 shooting, and Isobelle Wightman 10 points, three rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals.

BALLARAT MINERS 87 (Lewis 30, Taylor 27, Simpson 14)

KEILOR THUNDER 80 (Dickey 29, Davidson 19, Metcalfe 14)

MEN

Waverley Falcons (102) lost to Sandringham Sabres (128)

The Sandringham Sabres remain the hottest team in the NBL1 South making it 10 straight wins beating the Waverley Falcons 128-102 with seven players scoring in double-figures led by 34 points from Ben Ayre.

Sandringham arrived at Waverley Basketball Centre as the hottest team in the league with a nine-game winning streak to have shot up to third spot while the Falcons needed to win their past three games to be any chance of still playing finals.

It was a spectacular start from both teams as they combined for 63 points in the first quarter with the Sabres leading 33-30 by quarter-time on shooting 13/20 while the Falcons went at 11/27 including 6/14 from downtown.

Sandringham were better equipped to keep that hot scoring going and put up another 29 points in the second term while holding Waverley to 16 to go into half-time leading 62-46.

Waverley did well to stay in touch with 33 points to 28 in the third quarter, but then the Sabres dominated again in the last term with 38 point to 23 on the back of shooting 13/21 from the field.

That saw the Sabres pile on the 128 points for the 26-point win on the back of shooting a scintillating 59 per cent from the field to the 39 per cent from the Falcons.

Sandringham have won 10 straight matches now to improve to a 12-7 record to stay in third place with Ben Ayre delivering 34 points and five assists but he had plenty of help.

Elliott Brown also had 16 points, four rebounds and three assists, Dane Pineau 15 points and 15 boards, Malith Machar 21 points and four rebounds, CJ Asuncion-Byrd 13 points and four boards, Tom Koppens 12 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Fabijan Krslovic 11 points, 12 boards and seven assists.

Waverley have now lost three in-a-row with a 9-11 record while having just two games to finish the season with against the Kilsyth Cobras and Melbourne Tigers.

The Falcons only had seven players available to suit up and that ended up seeing Malik Meunier, Bennie Lewis and Matthew McCarthy playing all 40 minutes, and Khalil Shabazz all but 1:28 of the game.

Shabazz finished with 36 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals with Meunier adding 20 points, 10 boards, five assists and three steals, Lewis 18 points and five rebounds, McCarthy 15 points, 10 boards, three assists and three steals, and Ryan Dean 11 points and five rebounds.

WAVERLEY FALCONS 102 (Shabazz 36, Meunier 20, Lewis 18)

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 128 (Ayre 34, Machar 21, Brown 16)

Melbourne Tigers (87) defeated Diamond Valley Eagles (77)

Jack Purchase put up 25 points to help the Melbourne Tigers overcome the challenge of the Diamond Valley Eagles for the 87-77 win to stay in the top four.

The Tigers were still holding on to fourth position despite having lost their past two matches including to the Sandringham Sabres on Tuesday night while Diamond Valley came into the match up at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in bottom place.

Melbourne got off to a flying start to be leading already 25-10 by the end of the first quarter having shot 10/20 from the field and 4/8 from downtown while the Eagles went at 4/17 and 1/6 from three-point range.

That lead for the Tigers grew to 19 points in the second quarter and by half-time they were on top 47-33.

That advantage was back out to 17 points in the second half as well for Melbourne and while Diamond Valley did keep fighting to make things interesting, the Tigers did enough for the 10-point victory.

The win improves Melbourne to a 12-8 record on the season to keep them in fourth position as well with just two games to play against the Casey Cavaliers and Waverley Falcons.

Jack Purchase ended up with 25 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the win for the Tigers with 4/10 three-point shooting.

Harry Froling added 15 points, four assists, three rebounds and two blocks, Mason Gaze 14 points, two boards and two assists, and Tom Wilson 10 points and five assists.

Diamond Valley remains last with the defeat to now be 5-18 with three matches left against the Hobart Chargers, Nunawading Spectres and Frankston Blues.

Adam Thoseby produced 30 points and three assists for Diamond Valley on 4/5 three-point shooting with Jock Perry providing 23 points, 13 boards and three assists, and Ryley Haywood nine points, three rebounds and three assists.

MELBOURNE TIGERS 87 (Purchase 25, Froling 15, Gaze 14)

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 77 (Thoseby 30, Perry 23, Haywood 9)

Dandenong Rangers (106) defeated Geelong United (84)

The Dandenong Rangers continued their late season momentum beating Geelong United 106-84 on the back of Ryan Rapp and Ruot Monyyong combining for 56 points.

Both teams came into the Friday night contest at Dandenong Basketball Stadium out of the playoff race and just looking to finish their seasons on a high.

Dandenong were on a two-game winning run while Geelong were fresh off a defeat at the hands of the Frankston Blues.

It was Geelong who got the better of the start opening up an eight-point first quarter lead and still being on top 25-21 by quarter-time before still being on top 53-47 by the main break.

Dandenong came out a different team to open the second half by piling on 34 points to 13 thanks to shooting 13/17 from the field including 5/8 from long range while restricting Geelong to 5/16 shooting.

That saw the Rangers turn that six-point deficit into a 15-point lead by three quarter-time, which got out to a 21-point victory by the final buzzer.

It makes it three straight wins for Dandenong as they improve to a 6-13 record with Ryan Rapp continuing to impress with another 33 points, nine assists and five rebounds with 5/8 three-point shooting.

Ruot Monyyong added 23 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals, Sam Davidson 17 points, four boards, two assists and two steals, and Mason Peatling 12 points, 12 rebounds and two assists.

Geelong are now 7-12 on the season with George Blagojevic top-scoring with 20 points to go with seven rebounds and two assists.

Kaelen Malone also had 14 points, two assists and two steals, Tristan Forsyth 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Liam Herbert nine points, three steals and two assists.

DANDENONG RANGERS 106 (Rapp 33, Monyyong 23, Davidson 17)

GEELONG UNITED 84 (Blagojevic 20, Forsyth 14, Malone 14)

Frankston Blues (89) lost to Eltham Wildcats (98)

The defending champion Eltham Wildcats finished strongly to make it four straight wins and to consolidate their hold on a playoff spot with the 98-89 win over the Frankston Blues.

Coming into the match up at Montmorency Secondary College and the Blues were still clinging to playoff hopes on the back of beating Geelong United while Eltham remained ahead of them in eighth place having won three straight with the defending champions building some momentum.

The Wildcats made a strong start with 27 points to 19 in the first quarter but the Blues were able to hit back in the second term to even briefly grab the lead before it was Eltham still clinging to the 51-46 half-time lead.

Frankston managed another 8-0 scoring run in the third quarter to open up a four-point lead of their own, but again by three quarter-time Eltham had worked back on top to lead 71-69.

That set the stage for a big finish with the result crucial in the seasons of both teams and it was Eltham who had the best of the last quarter with 27 points to 20 while going 10/13 at the foul line with Frankston not getting there once.

In the end the Wildcats secured the nine-point win to make it four wins in-a-row and to stay solid inside the top eight with an 11-8 record.

Gabe Hadley knocked down another 4/9 from three-point range for 24 points and five assists for Eltham with Xavier Bledson adding 22 points and four boards, and Sam Short 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Josh Sykes also provided 14 points and five rebounds, and Mitch McCarron 13 points, nine boards and six assists.

Frankston remain outside a playoff spot with a 9-10 record and with three games to go against the Hobart Chargers, Mount Gambier Pioneers and Diamond Valley Eagles.

Taane Samuel top-scored once more for the Blues with 22 points, six rebounds and two assists while Lucas Barker added 18 points and five assists with 6/9 three-point shooting.

Michael Harris also had 18 points, eight rebound and six assists, and Kingsley Box 10 points, six boards and three assists.

FRANKSTON BLUES 89 (Samuel 22, Harris 18, Barker 18)

ELTHAM WILDCATS 98 (Hadley 24, Bledson 22, Short 16)

Casey Cavaliers (87) lost to Kilsyth Cobras (109)

Jamie Ahale put up 35 points while knocking down eight three-pointers as the Kilsyth Cobras kept their top four hopes alive with the 109-87 win away to the Casey Cavaliers.

The Cavs were back home at Casey Stadium and only just holding on to a spot in the top eight having lost their past two matches while the Cobras had won their past three to be knocking on the door of the top four.

That set up a tantalising match up on Friday night with Kilsyth getting the better of the start to be leading 27-18 by the end of the opening term.

That lead for the Cobras grew to 14 points in the second quarter and by half-time they were still leading 45-41 despite Casey making a strong finish to the half to work back into the contest.

It was then 30 points to 22 in the third quarter where Kilsyth opened up a match winning advantage before then another 34 to 24 in the fourth saw the Cobras secure the 22-point victory.

The win improves Kilsyth to a 12-8 record to have won four in-a-row to remain right knocking on the door of fourth position with games against the Ringwood Hawks and Waverley Falcons to go.

Jamie Ahale produced a huge performance for the Cobras finishing with 35 points, six rebounds and four assists while going 8/20 from three-point range.

Khadim Sy also had 21 points and seven rebounds, Adrian Tomada 16 points, six assists and five boards, and Dillon Stith 15 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Casey could now end the weekend outside of the top eight currently sitting at 10-9 with the three straight defeats and with three games to go against Geelong United, Melbourne Tigers and Ballarat Miners.

Preston Bungei finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Cavaliers, Trendon Hankerson 16 points, six assists and five boards on 4/8 three-point shooting, Ben Waller 16 points on 3/6 shooting from downtown, and Hunter Marks 15 points and three assists.

CASEY CAVALIERS 87 (Hankerson 16, Bungei 16, Waller 16)

KILSYTH COBRAS 109 (Ahale 35, Sy 21, Tomada 16)

Mount Gambier Pioneers (89) defeated Bendigo Braves (51)

The Mount Gambier Pioneers made it four consecutive wins to remain in second spot in the NBL1 South with the dominant 89-51 home win over the Bendigo Braves.

The Pioneers were back home at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre having won three straight to be solid in second position ahead of hosting a Braves team on their own four-game losing run and all but out of playoff contention.

It was a flying start from the Pioneers on their home floor as they went on an early 12-0 scoring run on the way to leading by 13 points, and still being on top 26-15 by quarter-time thanks to shooting 10/15 opposed to the 6/16 from the Braves.

Mount Gambier's lead grew to 18 points in the second quarter before they maintained the 49-31 advantage by the half-time break.

That lead only continued to grow in the second half an got to as much as 37 points in the third quarter and 39 in the fourth before Mount Gambier secured the eventual 38-point victory.

The win improves the Pioneers to a 14-6 record having won four in-a-row to remain in second position with Joe Palmer delivering 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Akech Aliir also had 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks, Titus

Robinson 12 points, 14 boards, three steals, three blocks and two assists, Austin Shelley 12 points, three rebounds and three steals, and Alex Mudronja nine points, eight boards and six assists.

Bendigo are now 8-13 on the season having lost their past five matches and with only one game to go against the Sandringham Sabres they no longer will be able to break into the top eight.

Lual Diing produced 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in the loss for Bendigo with Isaac Murphy contributing 10 points, five boards and two blocks.

MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 89 (Palmer 19, Aliir 17, Robinson 12, Shelley 12)

BENDIGO BRAVES 51 (Diing 18, Murphy 10, O'Brien 6)

Ballarat Miners (79) defeated Keilor Thunder (69)

The Ballarat Miners kept their finals aspirations alive with the hard fought 79-69 home win against Keilor Thunder on Friday night.

Ballarat were back home at The Minerdome Stadium needing to win the majority of their last four matches should they want to play finals ahead of hosting a Thunder team out of the playoff hunt.

Keilor opened up an eight-point lead in the first quarter before Ballarat responded with a 12-0 run which helped them to the 25-22 lead by quarter-time.

It remained a tight contest with Ballarat only leading 43-40 by the half-time break and then it was a low-scoring third term from both teams with just the combined 24 with the Miners extending their advantage to 56-51 by three quarter-time.

Ballarat were able to pull way in the fourth quarter to make it a 16-0 scoring rut to lead by 15 and secure the 10-point win to keep their finals hopes well and truly alive.

The Miners improve to an 11-8 record with the win with games to finish against the Dandenong Rangers, Knox Raiders and Casey Cavaliers, all above them coming into Round 14.

Tasmania JackJumpers guard Nick Stoddart finished with 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals with Luke Rosendale adding 16 points, three boards and two assists, Zac Dunmore 15 points, six steals, five rebounds and five assists, and Dayne Prim 15 points, 10 boards, four assists and two steals.

Keilor have now lost their past two matches with a 7-12 record with South East Melbourne Phoenix development player Daniel Foster finishing with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Dante Thompson added 14 points, 12 boards and three assists, and Daniel Poelsma 10 points and six rebounds.

BALLARAT MINERS 79 (Stoddart 20, Rosendale 16, Prim 15, Dunmore 15)

KEILOR THUNDER 69 (Foster 18, Thompson 14, Poelsma 10)