South Recap | Round 5 Saturday

Image credit: Trent Moore Sports Photography

Geelong United's women won in overtime to stay unbeaten in the NBL1 South with Steph Reid spectacular for Diamond Valley Eagles while Michael Harris hit the game winner for the Frankston Blues on a huge Saturday night.

SOUTH RECAP | ANZAC ROUND SUNDAY

WOMEN

Sandringham Sabres (94) lost to Geelong United (101)

Haylee Andrews hit a three to send the game to overtime but Geelong United stayed undefeated with Jaz Shelley and Gemma Potter combining for 53 points in the 101-94 victory over the Sandringham Sabres.

It was all set up to be a tremendous match up at Southern Basketball Stadium with the Sabres at home and trying to bounce back from a loss to Ringwood but having won five of six games prior to that ahead of hosting the undefeated Geelong who arrived the lone undefeated women's team.

Geelong got up 13 three-point attempts in the first quarter but made just four of those and with more of an inside focus, Sandringham were able to take a 22-20 lead into quarter-time.

Geelong did manage an 8-0 scoring run in the second quarter to grab the lead, but Sandringham answered again and ended up going into half-time still leading 44-39.

That advantage for the Sabres got out to 11 points as well in the third quarter but United did fire back and had cut Sandringham's lead back to just four at three quarter-time.

A couple of early threes in the fourth quarter from Funda Nakkasoglu and Haylee Andrews pushed Sandringham back out to a 10-point lead once more but Geelong weren’t going to lie down and accept a first loss of 2025.

They scored the next eight points to get back within two before Lily Rotunno scored inside to tie scores up and then then Shelley knocked down another three ball to give them the lead with 1:30 to play.

In the end, it was Geelong leading by three with Sandringham having one last chance and Andrews knocked down the three ball to lock scores up at 86-86 to send the game to overtime.

It was all Geelong in the extra five minutes, though, as they outscored the Sabres 15-8 on the back of shooting 6/9 from the field opposed to the 3/6 from the Sabres.

The win keeps Geelong undefeated at 7-0 for the season with Jaz Shelley delivering 28 points and eight rebounds on 4/11 three-point shooting with Gemma Potter adding 25 points, 10 boards, three steals and two assists on 4/12 shooting from deep.

Annika Stewart also had 14 points and four rebounds, Lilly Rotunno 11 points, nine boards, six assists and two blocks, Dakota Crichton 11 points and five steals, and Tanielle Knight 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Sandringham has now suffered consecutive defeats to slip to 5-3 on the season despite another 22 points, four assists and three rebounds from Funda Nakkasoglu.

Lucy Cochrane also ended up with 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks with Klara Wischer contributing 19 points, six boards and five assists, Haylee Andrews 12 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals, and Emma Nankervis 11 points and four boards.

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 94 (Nakkasoglu 22, Cochrane 20, Wischer 19)

GEELONG UNITED 101 (Shelley 28, Potter 25, Stewart 14)

Bendigo Braves (80) lost to Dandenong Rangers (89)

The Dandenong Rangers overcame an eight-point deficit in the third quarter to end up scoring 19 straight points to turn the game on its head with sisters Nyadiew and Manuela Puoch starring in the eventual 89-80 win over the Bendigo Braves.

The Braves were back on their home floor at Red Energy Arena looking to snap a three-game losing streak as they hosted a Rangers team also having lost their last two after starting off 2025 winning four of their opening five games.

No more than three points separated the teams in the first quarter with Bendigo ending it narrowly leading 20-19 before it was a similar story in the second and by half-time it was the Braves clinging to a 42-38 advantage.

Bendigo were then able to open up an eight-point lead halfway through the third quarter when Cassidy McLean scored, but that was the signal for Dandenong to fire up.

The Rangers ended up outscoring the Braves 18 points to three for the rest of the quarter to turn that eight-point deficit into a seven-point lead.

Dandenong then scored the first 11 points of the final period to complete the 19-0 scoring run to break the game open and lead by 18 points, and to go on to secure the eight-point victory from there.

The Rangers finished the game going 23/35 at the foul line opposed to the 8/12 from the Braves which did ultimately prove the major difference between the two teams.

Nyadiew Puoch delivered 22 points, 13 rebounds and two assists in the win for the now 5-2 Dandenong with her sister Manuela providing 18 points, six boards and five assists.

Georgia Booth also had 22 points, six rebounds and four assists, Imogen Rock 13 points, four boards and four steals, and Dallas Loughridge 10 points, three assists and two rebounds.

Bendigo has now lost four straight to be 2-5 on the season despite the 24 points, four assists and two rebounds from Cassidy McLean.

Mikayla Pivec added 17 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, Poppy Blanch 14 points and three boards, and Ash Hannan 13 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

BENDIGO BRAVES 80 (McLean 24, Pivec 17, Blanch 14)

DANDENONG RANGERS 89 (N Puoch 22, Booth 22, M Puoch 18)

Kilsyth Cobras (75) lost to Casey Cavaliers (93)

The Casey Cavaliers returned to the winners list in emphatic fashion with Esra McGoldrick providing 21 points and 17 rebounds in the 93-75 road victory against the Kilsyth Cobras.

Both teams came into the match up at Kilsyth Sports Centre on two-game losing streaks so both of them were hungry to stay in touch with the top eight teams with a win in the Saturday night match up.

The Cavaliers made the fast start to open up a 12-point lead in the first quarter on the way to leading 25-16 by quarter-time before another 25 points to 18 in the second frame.

That saw Casey in control leading 50-34 going into the half-time break on the back of knocking down 7/13 from three-point range and 11/12 at the free-throw line.

The lead got out to as much as 17 points in the third quarter for the Cavs and then 20 in the fourth before they ended up securing the 18-point win to improve to a 4-3 record on the season.

Esra McGoldrick finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks for the Cavaliers on 6/12 shooting from the floor and 7/8 from the free-throw line.

Ahlise Hurst added 17 points, six rebounds and three steals, Sabrina Haines 14 points and six boards, Sharne Robati 13 points, two rebounds and two assists, and Hailey Wynd 11 points and seven boards.

Kilsyth is now 2-6 with the third straight defeat despite Abby O'Connor delivering 28 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Nikita Young added 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, Anamaria Virjoghe 10 points, six boards and two steals, and Shannon Dufficy 10 points and five rebounds.

KILSYTH COBRAS 75 (O'Connor 28, Young 15, Dufficy 10, Virjoghe 10)

CASEY CAVALIERS 93 (McGoldrick 21, Hurst 17, Haines 14)

Ballarat Miners (65) lost to Waverley Falcons (74)

Momentum continues to build for the defending champion Waverley Falcons as they made it three straight wins with Bec Cole back in the line-up as she led them to the 74-65 win over the Ballarat Miners.

On the back of winning both the NBL1 South and National championships last year, Waverley started a little slow in 2025 winning just two of the first four games, but they had big wins over the Mount Gambier Pioneers and Bendigo Braves over Anzac Round.

They arrived at Selkirk Stadium looking to keep the momentum going up against a Ballarat team attempting to back up their last up win against the Eltham Wildcats.

The Miners jacked up 12 three-point attempts in the first quarter and made five of them, but despite that the Falcons had the better of the start to be leading 25-19 by quarter-time.

There was just a combined 23 points between the two teams in the second period as they combined to shoot 7/32 from the field but Waverley still went into half-time leading 38-29.

Ballarat hit back with 18 points to 10 in the third period and they grabbed the lead briefly early in the fourth quarter, but Waverley had the answers in the end with 26 points to 18 in the last term.

That saw the Falcons end up winning by nine points to make it three wins on the trot to improve to 5-2 on the season with Bec Cole playing a starring role with 25 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Katelyn Shumate added 18 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists with Amelia Todhunter contributing eight points, two rebounds and two assists, and Renae Mokrzycki seven points and 12 boards.

The Miners are now 2-4 following the defeat with Julia Gladkova finishing with 14 points and six rebounds while Laura Taylor added 13 points and five boards, Micah Simpson 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Opal Bird nine points, four assists and three boards.

BALLARAT MINERS 65 (Gladkova 14, Taylor 13, Simpson 11)

WAVERLEY FALCONS 74 (Cole 25, Shumate 18, Todhunter 8)

Ringwood Hawks (76) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (78)

The Mount Gambier Pioneers scored five straight points late when trailing by one with their experience shining through in the 78-76 road win against the Ringwood Hawks.

The Pioneers hadn’t had the start to their season they were hoping with just one win from the opening six matches as they arrived at The Rings for the Saturday night match up with a Hawks team having split their opening six games.

Ringwood were looking to back up a win over the Sandringham Sabres and started well with 23 points to 16 in the opening quarter thanks to going 8/16 from the floor including 4/8 from downtown.

The lead for the Hawks grew to as much as 12 points in the second quarter and by half-time the home side was still in front 45-36 thanks to getting to foul line 16 times to the eight from Mount Gambier.

The Pioneers were able to turn things around in the third period by landing four threes and shooting 9/17 to even hit the lead briefly to be up 59-58 at three quarter-time.

Ringwood had worked back on top be leading by four when Annabel Deerbon and Sarah Elsworthy scored on back-to-back possessions with two minutes to play.

That's when Mount Gambier made their move starting with a triple to Isabella Brancatisano before Maddy Timms also made a jumper.

Elsworthy put Ringwood back in front by a point in response, but then Maddy Timms scored going to the basket for the Pioneers, Jayda Jansen knocked down a pair of free throws and ultimately Haliegh Reinoehl sealed the win with a couple of foul shot makes.

It was a second win of the season as a result for Mount Gambier with Reinoehl ending up with 22 points, 12 rebounds and four assists on 7/14 shooting from the floor and 8/12 at the free-throw line.

Isabella Brancatisano also had 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Jayda Jansen 15 points, five boards, four assists and three steals.

Ringwood are now 3-4 following the defeat with Sarah Elsworthy finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Camille Hobby contributed 16 points, two boards and two assists, and Annabel Deerbon 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Alex Wittinger added nine points, eight rebounds and two assists, and Nyaduoth Lok eight points, 12 boards and four assists.

RINGWOOD HAWKS 76 (Elsworthy 21, Hobby 16, Hollingsworth 12)

MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 78 (Reinoehl 22, Brancatisano 17, Jansen 15)

Frankston Blues (86) defeated Launceston Tornadoes (66)

Lou Brown came up big and Lauren Scherf was back on deck to help the Frankston Blues to the 86-66 home victory against the Launceston Tornadoes.

The Blues were back home at Dreamstreet Lending Arena looking to back up their last up win against the Dandenong Rangers ahead of hosting a Tornadoes team looking to start their double on the road with a first win of 2025.

Frankston got off to a dominant start with 23 points to 12 in the first quarter while shooting 7/20 but 8/8 at the foul line while holding Launceston to just the 4/19 shooting.

That Blues advantage grew all the way to 22 points in the second period and by half-time they were still leading 45-31 with the Tornadoes managing just 2/13 three-point shooting in the opening half.

The lead for Frankston continued to grow throughout the second half growing to 25 points in the third frame and 29 in the fourth before the eventual 20-point victory.

The win improves the Blues to a 3-3 record on the season with Lou Brown outstanding with 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots.

Lauren Scherf also was on deck to have a significant impact with 19 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals with Bonnie Deas contributing 15 points, 10 boards, five assists and four steals, and Tori Jackson 12 points, five rebounds and two steals.

The Tornadoes are now 0-8 on the season ahead of taking on the Ballarat Miners on Sunday with Megan Mullings top-scoring with 16 points and eight rebounds with Sarah O'Neill adding 13 points, four boards and two assists, and Taya Webb 12 points, three steals and two rebounds.

FRANKSTON BLUES 86 (Brown 21, Scherf 19, Deas 15)

LAUNCESTON TORNADOES 66 (Mullings 16, O'Neill 13, Webb 12)

Keilor Thunder (95) defeated Nunawading Spectres (67)

The tandem of Issie Bourne and Maddy Rocci was back together and fired Keilor Thunder to the 95-67 home win against the Nunawading Spectres.

The Thunder were back home at Keilor Stadium on Saturday night with Bourne rejoining Rocci in the line-up as they played host to a Spectres outfit trying to improve on their .500 record and bounce back from a last up loss at home to the Eltham Wildcats.

Keilor looked unstoppable starting the season when both Bourne and Rocci were playing together and it was a similar story to start the game as they opened up a 17-point lead in the first quarter before leading 29-16 at quarter-time on the back of shooting 10/17 as a team.

The Thunder continued on their merry way in the second frame with another 24 points to 16 to lead by as much as 25 and to be on top still 53-32 by half-time on the back of still shooting 19/32 as a team including 8/14 from behind the three-point line.

It was another 26 points to 14 from Keilor in the third quarter as the lead grew to 36 points and it got to as much as 39 from the fourth term before the Thunder scored the 28-point win to improve to 7-1 on the season with four wins on the trot.

Issie Bourne finished the game with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals with 5/8 three-point shooting while Maddy Rocci put up 16 points, eight assists, six boards and two steals.

Isobelle Wightman also had 16 points on 4/6 shooting from downtown with Tayah Burrows having nine points and five assists, Madeline Puli eight points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Nikki Metcalfe eight points and four boards.

Nunawading is now 3-4 on the season having lost two straight with Rachel Antoniadou top-scoring with 23 points and six assists with 4/7 shooting from downtown while Rachel Brewster contributed 19 points, three boards and two steals.

KEILOR THUNDER 95 (Bourne 22, Wightman 16, Rocci 16)

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 67 (Antoniadou 23, Brewster 19, Dut 5)

Knox Raiders (100) defeated Hobart Chargers (74)

The Knox Raiders sent a message with a 40-point opening quarter to set up the eventual 100-74 home victory against the Hobart Chargers.

The Raiders were back home at the State Basketball Centre having won five of six games so far this season ahead of hosting a Hobart team starting their double on the road this weekend looking to avoid a third consecutive defeat.

It was a remarkable first quarter display from Knox as they piled on 40 points on the back of hitting 8/9 from three-point range to already be leading by as much as 26 points.

That lead continued to grow and was out to as much as 36 points in the second frame before they went into half-time leading 57-24.

The lead got out to as much as 40 points for the Raiders in the second half and even with the Chargers outscoring them 29 points to 21 in the fourth quarter, Knox still went on to score the 26-point victory.

The win improves the Raiders to a 6-1 record with three straight wins on the back of shooting 53 per cent for the game and making 15/29 of their three-point attempts.

Alicia Froling ended up with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win for Knox with Rachel Bell adding 17 points, five boards, two assists and two steals, and Paige Burrows 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Emily Sewell also had 14 points and four rebounds, Kiera Glover (nee Rowe) 12 points, three boards, two assists and two steals, and Paige Bradley 11 points, 12 assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Hobart are now 2-6 on the season having lost three in-a-row with Chelsea D'Angelo top-scoring with 22 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Tayla Roberts also had 21 points and 17 rebounds, and Sharna Thompson 12 points, eight boards, four assists and two steals.

KNOX RAIDERS 100 (Froling 19, Bell 17, Burrows 15)

HOBART CHARGERS 74 (D'Angelo 22, Roberts 21, Thompson 12)

Diamond Valley Eagles (104) defeated Eltham Wildcats (93)

Just days after celebrating a championship in Hungary, Steph Reid made a scintillating return to the NBL1 South putting up 37 points for the Diamond Valley Eagles in their 104-93 win against the Eltham Wildcats.

It was only a week ago that Reid had 14 points in Game 5 of the championship series that saw her help Sapron win the title in Hungary and she was right back to Melbourne and ready to fire for Diamond Valley on Saturday night.

The Eagles were already on a four-game winning streak coming into the game ahead of hosting the Wildcats at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre with Eltham looking to hit back themselves from a last up loss to the Ballarat Miners.

Eltham did well to try and keep pace with Diamond Valley in the first quarter by shooting 5/9 from three, but the Eagles were on fire shooting 12/21 including four triples to be leading already 31-23 at quarter-time.

That lead for Diamond Valley got out to 15 points in the second term as well but Eltham fired back and again shot well going 12/17 for the quarter and by half-time had cut the Eagles lead all the way back to 52-51.

The Wildcats even kept on with that momentum in the third quarter to lead by six points themselves, but then Diamond Valley hit back to have reclaimed a lead to the tune of eight by three quarter-time.

The Eagles went on to lead by as much as 13 in the final period on the way to the 11-point win to make it five straight and to improve to a 5-3 record.

Steph Reid showed just what a difference maker she is by delivering 37 points, eight steals, seven assists and three rebounds including shooting 13/22 from the floor, 6/12 from downtown and 5/5 at the foul line.

Abbey Ellis also had 27 points, nine rebounds and three assists with Erin Riley contributing 17 points, 10 boards and three assists, Orla O'Reilly seven points and two rebounds, and Tayha Watkins seven points, five boards, three steals and two assists.

Eltham are now 2-4 following consecutive defeats with Kennedy Dickie battling hard for 26 points, five rebounds and three assists on 12/17 shooting.

Bec Pizzey provided 19 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals, Taylah Short 16 points and three assists, and Lil Dart 14 points and six assists with 4/8 three-point shooting.

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 104 (Reid 37, Ellis 27, Riley 17)

ELTHAM WILDCATS 93 (Dickie 26, Pizzey 19, Short 16)

MEN

Sandringham Sabres (85) defeated Geelong United (73)

The Sandringham Sabres took charge against Geelong United in the second half at home on Saturday night on the way to the eventual 85-73 victory.

The Sabres were back home at Southern Basketball Stadium fresh off their first win of the season last Sunday against the Ringwood Hawks with Geelong arriving also having won their last two games.

The teams might have combined to shoot 1/12 from three in the first quarter, but still  put up 45 points with Sandringham leading 25-20 by quarter-time.

The shooting didn’t necessarily improve in the second quarter as the teams went 0/12 from behind the three-point line and even just 10/26 inside it, but things remained close and by half-time the Sabres were leading 37-31.

The scoring picked up a little in the third quarter with Sandringham able to open up an 11-point lead and that got out to 12 in the fourth and eventually they put up 27 points in the last term to score the 12-point victory.

It was a shooting night to forget for both teams with the Sabres going 4/17 from deep and Geelong 4/32, but Sandringham secured the win thanks to 17/21 free-throw shooting to 9/17 along with winning the rebound count by 12 and shooting 48 per cent to 34 to overcome taking 21 less field goals.

It's back-to-back wins for the Sabres after the six straight losses to start the season with Malith Machar finishing with 15 points and six rebounds, Tom Koppens 15 points and 20 boards, and CJ Asuncion-Byrd 14 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Elliott Brown also had 11 points and three assists, playing-coach Dave Barlow 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks, and Sammy Cartwright eight points and six boards.

Geelong slips to a 3-4 record with the defeat despite another huge performance from Tristan Forsyth with 34 points and nine rebounds on 14/31 shooting.

Liam Herbert added 14 points and three rebounds, DeMarcus Gatlin nine points, nine boards, eight assists and three steals, and Owen Odigie nine points and six rebounds.

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 85 (Machar 15, Koppens 15, Asuncion-Byrd 14)

GEELONG UNITED 73 (Forsyth 34, Herbert 14, Odigie 9, Gatlin 9)

Bendigo Braves (100) defeated Dandenong Rangers (89)

The Bendigo Braves overcame a huge performance for the Dandenong Rangers from Ruot Monyyong to come away with the 100-89 Saturday night home victory.

The Braves were home at Red Energy Arena looking to back up a last up win over the Waverley Falcons as they hosted a Rangers team having won just once from six games so far in 2025.

It was a tight start to the contest with Dandenong leading 23-20 by the end of the first quarter before it was Bendigo that took over in the second period with 31 points to 20.

The Braves shot 12/19 for the second quarter to score those 31 points to open up a 12-point lead and to go into half-time on top 51-43.

Bendigo went on with the job from there to open up a 15-point lead in the third quarter and 22 in the fourth before Dandenong did finish strongly to make the final winning margin for the Braves 11 points.

Bendigo improves to a 4-3 record with the win with Charles Matthews finishing with 24 points, five assists and four rebounds on 5/10 three-point shooting.

Justin Johnson added 20 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals with Josiah Pattinson contributing 16 points and three boards, and Lual Diing 17 points and seven rebounds.

Billy Smythe also had 10 points and seven rebounds on 5/6 shooting, and Isaac Murphy nine points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals.

Dandenong are now 1-6 with three straight defeats with Ruot Monyyong delivering a huge performance made up of 33 points, 19 rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 14/20 shooting.

Bryton Hobbs added 13 points, three rebounds and three assists, Ryan Rapp 12 points, four boards and four assists, Sam Davidson 11 points, and Puoch Puoch 10 points, four rebounds and four steals.

BENDIGO BRAVES 100 (Matthews 24, Johnson 20, Diing 17)

DANDENONG RANGERS 89 (Monyyong 33, Hobbs 13, Rapp 12)

Kilsyth Cobras (61) lost to Casey Cavaliers (82)

The Casey Cavaliers might have only had eight players available but they produced a dominant display all the same to end up beating the Kilsyth Cobras 82-61.

The Cavaliers arrived at Kilsyth Sports Centre with just the eight players suiting up as they looked to bounce back from a loss to the Diamond Valley Eagles while Kilsyth were attempting to win a third straight match this season.

It was a flying start from the Cavs as they went on a 14-0 scoring run in the first quarter to open up a 28-16 lead by quarter-time where they shot 10/19 from the floor opposed to the 6/19 from the Cobras.

Casey then dominated further in the second quarter by putting up 25 points with 4/9 three-point shooting while the Cobras went 1/12 for just the eight points.

That saw the Cavaliers lead 53-24 by half-time and from there the lead got out to 37 points in the third quarter, and they would go on to score the eventual 21-point victory.

The win improves the Cavs to a 5-2 record on the season with Trendon Hankerson delivering 25 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals with Hunter Marks contributing 15 points, three boards, three blocks and two assists on 6/9 shooting.

Sydney Kings NBL guard Tyler Robertson also had 13 points and four rebounds, Preston Bungei 12 points, 10 boards, three steals and two assists, and Ben Waller 11 points, four rebounds and two steals.

The Cobras are now 4-4 following the defeat at home with Khadim Sy continuing his good form despite the result with 17 points and nine rebounds including going 3/6 from three on a team that went 4/28 outside of his shooting.

Hamish MacDonald added 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Corey Jeffs 11 points, five rebounds and two assists.

KILSYTH COBRAS 61 (Sy 17, Jeffs 11, MacDonald 11)

CASEY CAVALIERS 82 (Hankerson 25, Marks 15, Robertson 13)

Ballarat Miners (100) defeated Waverley Falcons (90)

Nick Stoddart showed that he belongs at NBL level this past season and put up a match winning performance with 41 points and five three-pointers as the Ballarat Miners beat the Waverley Falcons 100-90.

The Miners were back home at Selkirk Stadium with last year's grand finalists looking to bounce back from a loss to the Eltham Wildcats in a rematch from the 2024 decider as they hosted a Falcons team also having lost their previous two matches.

After Waverley opened up an early five-point lead, Ballarat took over the contest with an 8-0 run and would go on to lead 31-23 by quarter-time thanks to shooting 10/19 from the floor and 8/10 at the foul line.

Ballarat managed another 27 points to 21 in the second quarter before going into half-time leading 58-44.

The Miners pulled away to lead by as much as 17 points in the second half on the way to the eventual 10-point win to improve to 4-2 on the season.

Nick Stoddart was the star of the win for the Miners with him coming into this NBL1 South fresh off impressing with his opportunities as a development player in NBL25 at the Tasmania JackJumpers.

He finished the night with 41 points, three rebounds and two assists while shooting 13/21 from the field, 5/9 from downtown and 10/14 at the free-throw line.

Majok Majok also provided 26 points and six rebounds for Ballarat, Aiden Krause 11 points, five boards and two steals, Luke Rosendale seven points, nine assists and four rebounds, and Zac Dunmore seven points, four boards and two assists.

The Falcons have now lost their past three games to sit on a 3-4 record with Bennie Lewis top-scoring with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 4/11 from long-range.

Robbie Heath added 21 points and three assists on 4/6 shooting from downtown while Mason Forbes contributed 18 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, and Malik Meunier 15 points, nine boards, nine assists and two steals.

BALLARAT MINERS 100 (Stoddart 41, Majok 26, Krause 11)

WAVERLEY FALCONS 90 (Lewis 22, Heath 21, Forbes 18)

Ringwood Hawks (118) defeated Mount Gambier Pioneers (88)

Angus Glover got rolling and his new Ringwood Hawks teammates joined in on the fun for the thumping 118-88 home win against the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

The Pioneers arrived at The Rings on Saturday night in top spot in the NBL1 South having won five of six matches so far in 2025 ahead of taking on a Ringwood team on a four-game losing streak.

The form line went out the window, though, with the Hawks making a stunning start with 34 points to 20 in the first quarter on the back of shooting 13/22 from the field including 5/11 from behind the three-point arc.

That saw Ringwood already leading by as much as 16 points but Mount Gambier did respond in the second term with 30 points to 27 including shooting 11/18 themselves to cut the Hawks lead to 61-50 by half-time.

Ringwood took control once more in the third quarter with 26 points to nine while the Pioneers went cold shooting 4/18 from the field.

That saw the Hawks get out to a 28-point lead which grew to 35 in the fourth term before they settled on the 30-point win to snap their losing run and improve to 3-4 on the season.

Ringwood shot 51 per cent from the floor while making 15/39 from three and 19/23 at the foul line with Angus Glover delivering 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists with 4/10 three-point shooting.

Jonathan Lawton added 20 points and four steals, Harry Sealey 19 points and three assists, Josh Tomasi 18 points and six rebounds, and Tanner Krebs 10 points, nine boards and four assists.

The Pioneers are now 5-2 with the loss Joe Palmer delivering 22 points and 12 rebounds with 5/8 three-point shooting.

Kaden Archie also had 18 points and four assists on 8/10 shooting, Austin Shelley 14 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Titus Robinson 13 points and five boards.

RINGWOOD HAWKS 118 (Glover 25, Sealey 19, Tomasi 18)

MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 88 (Palmer 22, Archie 18, Shelley 14)

Frankston Blues (91) defeated North West Tasmania Thunder (90)

Michael Harris nailed the game winning three-pointer as the Frankston Blues pulled off a come from behind 91-90 home victory against the North West Tasmania Thunder.

Thrilling finishes have become the order of the day for North West Tasmania so far this NBL1 South season and they took part in another nail-biter on Saturday night at Dreamstreet Lending Arena.

Frankston were back home looking to back up their win over the Dandenong Rangers back on Anzac Day eve while North West started their road double this weekend having beaten Keilor at home by 45 points last Saturday.

It was a high scoring opening from both teams with the Thunder leading 29-26 by the end of the first quarter before they extended that lead to eight points in the second frame before still leading 48-41 by half-time despite only attempting two free throws to the 17 from Frankston.

After North West's lead got to 10 points early in the third quarter, Frankston built come momentum and even grabbed the lead briefly but still by three quarter-time it was the Thunder leading 69-65.

The game always felt destined to head for a big finish and that's how it played out with North West still looking on track to win when up five with just over 20 seconds to go after a free-throw from Archie Woodhill.

Coming out of a timeout, Kingsley Box drained a three-pointer for Frankston before they forced a turnover on Tre Armstrong to give Michael Harris the shot at a game winner.

His three ball went down to give the Blues the one-point lead and then an answering attempt from Kye Savage was no good for North West with Frankston pulling off the miraculous one-point win.

The Blues improve to a 4-2 record thanks to the win with Harris ending up with 25 points, eight rebounds and two assists on 5/13 three-point shooting on top of hitting the game winner.

Taane Samuel also had 26 points and 10 rebounds on 9/11 shooting from the floor and 7/10 at the stripe with Igor Hadziomerovic contributing 10 points, four boards, three assists and two steals, and Lucas Barker seven points, four rebounds and four assists.

It's a heartbreaking way for the Thunder to slip to a 3-4 record with Kye Savage putting up 18 points, four rebounds and three assists, Lachlan Barker 19 points and three assists, Logan Gibson 16 points and six rebounds, and Tre Armstrong 14 points, four boards, three steals and two assists.

FRANKSTON BLUES 91 (Samuel 26, Harris 25, Hadziomerovic 10)

NORTH WEST TASMANIA THUNDER 90 (Barker 19, Savage 18, Gibson 16)

Keilor Thunder (102) defeated Nunawading Spectres (100)

Keilor Thunder gave up 37 points in the first quarter but ended up firing back and then overcoming the Nunawading Spectres 102-100 in a rollercoaster ride of a match up.

The Thunder were back at Keilor Stadium on Saturday night to host the Spectres looking to snap a two-game losing run while Nunawading arrived hunting a third successive victory.

Nunawading made a spectacular start including making 7/9 of their three-point attempts in the first quarter on the way to putting up 37 points and leading by as much as 21 points.

The Spectres then went on to lead by as much as 22 points in the second period but Keilor fired back by going on a 13-0 scoring run on their way to a 28-15 quarter to cut the Nunawading lead to 52-46 by half-time.

While Keilor did nab the lead in the third frame, the Spectres were still up by three at three quarter-time and they remained on top most of the fourth quarter.

That was until the last couple of minutes when Daniel Foster hit a pair of free throws with just under two minutes to play to put Keilor in front before Deng Dut hit two more free throws, and then Dut scored inside to give the home team the five-point lead.

They ended up winning by two only thanks to a three on the buzzer for Nunawading from Joe Mutimer with Keilor improving to a 3-5 record on the season.

Deng Dut had a big showing in the win for the Thunder with 32 points, six rebounds and five assists on 10/18 shooting from the floor, 3/6 from downtown and 9/11 at the foul line.

Newly signed South East Melbourne Phoenix development player Daniel Foster finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and three assists too for Keilor with Adetomi Ayilara contributing 18 points, 10 boards, three steals and two assists, and Jayce Beasley 12 points and five rebounds.

The Spectres are now 3-4 following the defeat with Christian D'Angelo top-scoring with 28 points to go with five rebounds and five assists.

Cameron Cranston added 15 points on 5/5 three-point shooting with Jack Gandolfo providing 14 points and seven assists, Joe Mutimer 12 points and five assists, Brian Mack II 11 points and 14 rebounds, and Daniel Baxter 10 points, seven boards and three assists.

KEILOR THUNDER 102 (Dut 32, Foster 26, Ayilara 18)

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 100 (D'Angelo 28, Cranston 15, Gandolfo 14)

Knox Raiders (88) defeated Hobart Chargers (65)

The Knox Raiders continued their impressive start to the season taking advantage of the shorthanded Hobart Chargers for the 88-65 home win on Saturday night.

The Raiders were back home at the State Basketball Centre having won five of six matches so far in 2025 as the two-time defending National Champions.

They were playing host to a Hobart team without Will Cranston-Lown and his injury replacement Anthony Drmic, and Knox did manage to open up a four-point lead by quarter-time having hit 4/11 from downtown opposed to the 1/5 from the Chargers.

It was another 28 points to 15 from Knox in the second quarter with the home team taking full control of the contest with a 12-0 scoring run and to end up leading by as much as 20 points while shooting 11/21 from the floor in the term.

The Raiders went into the half-time break leading 49-32 and then remained in control right throughout the second half leading by as much as 28 points on the way to the eventual 23-point victory.

The win improves Knox to a 6-1 record on the season with Ade Murkey finishing with 16 points, six rebounds and three steals while Henry Sewell added 16 points, two boards, two assists and two steals.

Sydney Kings NBL powerhouse Keli Leaulepe also had 15 points, 17 rebounds and four assists, Brody Nunn 12 points, Sunday Dech 11 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Tad Dufelmeier eight points, six boards and five assists.

The Chargers are now 4-3 on the season with a second straight defeat ahead of taking on the Bendigo Braves on Sunday and they struggled with their shooting going 3/18 from three-point range.

Jordan Straatsma top-scored with 20 points and five rebounds with Jacob Richards contributing 12 points and eight boards, and Ambros Eugster nine points.

KNOX RAIDERS 88 (Sewell 16, Murkey 16, Leaulepe 15)

HOBART CHARGERS 65 (Straatsma 20, Richards 12, Eugster 9)

Diamond Valley Eagles (100) lost to Eltham Wildcats (104)

It was only fitting that it was a trademark Josh Sykes dunk that sent the Eltham Wildcats to overtime with the Diamond Valley Eagles with the defending champions ending up winning 104-100 at the end of the extra five minutes.

The Eagles were back home at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre looking for a third straight win as they played host the defending champion Wildcats still trying to find momentum in their title defence.

Eltham had the better of the start opening up an 11-point lead in the first quarter but Diamond Valley were back within five by quarter-time.

The Wildcats again pulled away in the second quarter with another 25 points to 18 to be leading 55-43 by half-time and then the advantage got out to a game high 17 points in the third period.

By three quarter-time, Diamond Valley had pulled the Eltham lead back to 71-64 before the Eagles managed to go on an 8-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter to grab the lead.

In the finish, Diamond Valley were up by two with 30 seconds to go before the Wildcats executed perfectly out of a timeout for Josh Sykes to throw down a dunk and by the end of regulation scores remained 87-87.

Then getting towards the end of the extra five minutes and the biggest play of the night ended up coming from Gabe Hadley who completed a three-point play with 40 seconds to go to put Eltham up by two.

From there they completed the four-point win with the reigning champs improving to 3-3 on the season having now won two straight.

Xavier Bledson delivered 25 points, six assists and four rebounds with Josh Sykes finishing with 27 points and five boards, Gabe Hadley 11 points and four rebounds, Sam Short 10 points, nine boards and nine assists, and Ovie Magbegor 10 points and six rebounds.

Diamond Valley did plenty right but ultimately just came up short to slip to a 3-5 record with Jesse McIntosh coming up huge for the home team with 28 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Ryley Haywood also had 20 points, six rebounds and two steals, Ngor Manyang 14 points and five boards, Jesse Ghee 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Adam Thoseby 12 points, three boards, three assists and two steals.

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 100 (McIntosh 28, Haywood 20, Manyang 14)

ELTHAM WILDCATS 104 (Sykes 27, Bledson 25, Hadley 11)