NBL1 South Recap | Saturday Round 12

Abbey Sutherland hit a dramatic game winner for the Kilsyth Cobras over the Diamond Valley Eagles in Saturday's NBL1 South Round 12 action while Matthew McCarthy was the hero in an overtime Geelong United Supercats win over the Frankston Blues.

Saturday's NBL1 South women's results saw the Launceston Tornadoes beat the Knox Raiders 57-55 while the Keilor Thunder defeated the Nunawading Spectres 71-69, the Geelong United Supercats downed the Frankston Blues 78-69, the Kilsyth Cobras won 79-77 against the Diamond Valley Eagles, and the Casey Cavaliers beat the Hobart Chargers 110-85.

In the men's matches, the Raiders beat the North West Tasmania Thunder 85-80, the Spectres beat the Keilor Thunder 105-90, the Supercats downed the Blues 98-97, the Eagles beat the Cobras 87-77, and the Chargers prevailed 95-80 against the Cavs.

NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | FRIDAY ROUND 12

WOMEN

Tornadoes win hard fought grind with Raiders

Neither team might have got rolling offensively but as they say, a close game's a good game and the Launceston Tornadoes further jeopardised the playoff hopes of the Knox Raiders with the 57-55 victory.

By the end of the night the two teams had only combined to score 112 points while shooting 38/126 at 30.2 per cent from the floor including 11/45 from three-point range, but neither team could get much separation from the other throughout the contest.

Knox did have their Froling playing and Alicia was tremendous for the home team, but it wasn’t quite enough in the finish.

No more than six points ever separated the two teams throughout the contest and it was perhaps fitting that the last six points scored were done so at the foul line.

Alicia Froling put the Raiders up two with a minute to play when she knocked down her free-throws but then both Olivia West and Macey Crawford did the same for Launceston to give them the 57-55 lead.

That's where the final score would stay despite Rachael Quirk getting off a three. That didn’t fall but the fight over the rebound, it was deemed a jump ball and the possession arrow was with Knox.

Quirk ended up having another look at a layup but that didn’t go either and Launceston claimed the win to improve to 7-11 while Knox is now 9-9 having lost their past two.

Micah Simpson finished with 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals for Launceston with Olivia West contributing 11 points and nine boards, Macey Crawford 11 points, two rebounds and two steals, and Riley Lupfer 10 points and four boards.

It was a tough loss to take for Knox but Alicia Froling did all she could with 22 points, 21 rebounds and three blocks. Kiera Rowe added 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Emily Angela Fisher nine points and five boards.

Keilor overrun Nunawading at home

As strong an offensive rebound as you are likely to see and then good finish following it from Anna Clephane was the difference in Keilor Thunder putting a dent in the Nunawading Spectres' playoff hopes with the 71-69 win.

The Thunder were at home at Keilor Stadium and while they are out of the playoff hunt themselves, they can play spoilers for other teams and that was the case on Saturday with Nunawading needing to bounce back from a Friday loss to the Sandringham Sabres.

The Spectres made the perfect start as well racing to a 16-point lead and still being up by that margin in the second term, and by as much as 15 in the third.

However, they ran out of gas and Keilor kept on coming and eventually when they were down one with two minutes to play, Macey Boyle missed a three-pointer. 

The effort of Anna Clephane to fight through two waiting Nunawading players, snatch the offensive rebound and then put it up and score was inspirational. It put the Thunder in front by a point and then the only other score in the game was one free-throw to Ai Yamada. 

Keilor scored the two-point win to score a fifth win of the season while Nunawading loses for a second time in 24 hours to slip to 8-11 to be further outside the top eight.

Not only did Clephane get that critical offensive rebound and basket, but she finished with 17 points and seven rebounds for Keilor on 5/10 shooting with 7/7 at the foul line.

Juna Umezawa added 17 points and five rebounds, Lana Hollingsworth 16 points, five boards, five assists and three steals, Madeline Puli eight points and seven rebounds, and Ai Yamada seven points, seven boards and five assists.

Rachel Antoniadou top-scored for Nunawading with 25 points on 7/14 shooting from behind the three-point arc with Emma Pearce contributing 14 points and 11 rebounds, Rachel Brewster 11 points, four boards and four assists, and Cassidy Mihalko 10 points and eight rebounds.

Supercats replace Blues in top four

Fourth spot in the NBL1 South went on the line on Saturday night and the Geelong United Supercats replaced the Frankston Blues in that position with the 78-69 victory.

With Frankston still clinging to fourth and Geelong closing in after beating the Melbourne Tigers on Friday, it was a critical match up at Dreamstreet Lending Arena.

Frankston did start well enough to lead by as much as four points in the first quarter, but Geelong took charge in the second and completed an 11-0 run to lead by as much as seven.

The Supercats then continued to build on that for much of the second half to lead by as much as 15 in the third quarter, 16 in the fourth and then hold out the late charge from Frankston to claim the nine-point win.

The victory sees Geelong replace Frankston in fourth place as they improve to a 13-5 record with the Blues slipping to 12-6.

Ela Tofaeono had another tremendous all-round performance for Geelong United with 20 points and 18 rebounds on 8/14 shooting.

Sarah Elsworthy contributed 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Eve Braslis 14 points and four boards, and Agnieszka Skobel 13 points, seven steals, three assists and two rebounds.

Lou Brown did what she could for Frankston finishing with 22 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks, four assists and two steals.

Chelsea D'Angelo also had 20 points, four rebounds and two steals, Micaela Cocks 16 points, seven boards and four assists, and Ella Batish 10 points and three rebounds.

Micaela Cocks had her defender on skates?? ?

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Cobras beat Eagles at the buzzer

The Kilsyth Cobras made it five straight wins and handed the Diamond Valley Eagles what could be a crucial loss in a controversial finish at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre.

The Eagles came into the clash on their floor with a chance to break into the top eight if they were able to make it a third straight win, but it wasn’t going to be easy against a Kilsyth team who had won four consecutively themselves.

The Cobras did take charge of the game leading by eight points at quarter-time before that advantage blew out to 17 in the second term, and they went into the major break leading 40-28.

Kilsyth was still leading by double-figures most of the second half but all of a sudden Diamond Valley came to life and by the time Monique Andriuolo scored with two minutes to go, the home team had grabbed the lead.

Alisia Jenkins and Isis Lopes then scored baskets to put Kilsyth back up three but once more it was Andriuolo who stepped up for the Eagles to level scores.

Eventually the scores were still tied with 0.5 seconds on the clock with Kilsyth having time for a prayer. 

Usually that amount of time only allows for an immediate catch and shoot, however, Abbey Sutherland caught the pass from Jenkins, put in a spin move to create some space, and then flicked up the one-handed shot for the long two.

It was all net for her only points of the game and the Cobras had pulled off the remarkable win even if the Eagles will long be left wondering how she did all that in half a second.

Alisia Jenkins produced 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the win for Kilsyth with Isis Lopes contributing 20 points, four assists and three boards, Alexa Hart 15 points, three rebounds and two blocks, and Nikita Young eight points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Sophie Burrows top-scored for Diamond Valley with 15 points and three rebounds with Monique Andriuolo adding 11 points and 14 boards, Eliza Bannan 10 points and two steals, and Kara Tessari eight points and eight assists.

Abbey Sutherland WINS IT FOR KILSYTH ?

One of the most clutch shots you'll ???? see??

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Cavs catch fire to blow away Chargers

The Casey Cavaliers knocked down 14 three-pointers as they snapped a seven-game losing streak to beat the Hobart Chargers 110-85 at home on Saturday night.

The Cavs played host to the Chargers at Casey Stadium with Hobart without Kayla Steindl. They still got a combined 56 points from Paige Bradley and Cori Coleman, but it wasn’t enough against Casey.

It was an impressive offensive onslaught from the Cavaliers as they put up 34 points in the second quarter to go into half-time leading 55-47. The Cavs kept it going with another 33 points in the fourth stanza to lead by as much as 27 and ending up scoring the 25-point victory.

It's a third win of the season for Casey to snap a seven-game losing slide while it's a tough loss for Hobart who slip to 7-11 ahead of playing the Sandringham Sabres on Sunday.

Lauren Van Kleunen finished the night with 24 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Cavaliers on 10/13 shooting from the floor and 3/3 from behind the arc.

Rachel Bell added 19 points and three assists, Taylah Simmons 18 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and four steals, and Steph Blicavs 17 points, eight assists, four boards, two steals and two blocks while hitting 5/7 from downtown.

Caitlin Cunningham contributed 13 points and four rebounds, Taylah Gillam 10 points, three boards and three assists, and Maighan Hedge nine points, three rebounds and three assists.

Paige Bradley produced 31 points, six rebounds and four assists for Hobart with Cori Coleman adding 25 points, five boards, three steals and two assists, and Zoe Banks 10 points and three assists.

MEN

Raiders stay top with win over Thunder

The Knox Raiders moved further clear on top of the NBL1 South with a hard earned 85-80 home victory against the North West Tasmania Thunder.

Knox came into the game in top spot having won the last five matches including the last two by a combined 70 points against the Keilor Thunder and Eltham Wildcats, but North West Tasmania arrived to make them earn another win.

It was a low scoring start from both teams with the Raiders leading 13-8 by quarter-time but things opened up in the second and the Raiders piled on 30 points to 15 to go into the main break leading 43-23.

However, the Thunder fired back in the second half to outscore the Raiders 29 points to 20 in the third quarter, and then they got as close as three points with 30 seconds to go after a flying finish including a layup off a steal to Cameron Brown.

However, Knox was able to hold firm in those dying seconds and Wayne Stewart Jr sealed the win at the foul line for the five-point win for the Raiders to improve to 14-4 in top spot. North West Tasmania is now 7-11 following the loss.

Ke'Jhan Feagin led the charge for the Raiders once more with 24 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals including shooting 5/9 from behind the three-point line.

Wayne Stewart Jr added 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, Deng Acouth 13 points and eight boards, and Mason Peatling nine points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Thunder might have lost but not without the best efforts of Sekou Sylla who finished with 34 points, 15 rebounds and four assists including knocking down 3/3 from three-point range and 9/9 at the free-throw line.

Tre Armstrong added 14 points, two rebounds and two steals, Joe Chilcott 12 points, four assists and three boards, and Vionte Daniels 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Spectres fire in second half to overcome Thunder

The Nunawading Spectres strengthened their push for a top four finish with a dominant second half performance to beat the Keilor Thunder 105-90.

Keilor was back home at Keilor Stadium to play host to a Spectres team having won their past two matches and trying to break into the top four.

The Thunder put together a strong first half on their home court, though, and they were leading by as much as five points in the first quarter, and seven in the second before going into half-time on top 54-47.

Nunawading needed to respond because any loss from here could cost them a top four opportunity. The Spectres did fire up and ended up outscoring Keilor 58 points to 36 in the second half to end up leading by as much as 16 points, and winning by 15.

The victory improves Nunawading to a 12-7 record with Keilor slipping to 7-11 with consecutive defeats.

Jalen Gibbs finished the night with 26 points, four rebounds and four assists for Nunawading while Josh Tomasi contributed 17 points, 14 boards and three assists, and Jack Gandolfo 13 points, eight assists and four rebounds.

Tristan Devers also had 13 points, three rebounds and two steals, Daniel Baxter 13 points and three boards, and Jordan Geer 11 points, three rebounds and two assists.

William Jenkins III produced 26 points and four rebounds for Keilor on 11/21 from the floor with Oliver Hayes-Brown adding 21 points and 14 boards, and Robbie Heath 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Zac Triplett also had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Theus Evan Wardlow 14 points, nine assists and four boards.

Will Jenkins III got ? to the rim?

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McCarthy the hero for Supercats over Blues

The Geelong United Supercats kept their NBL1 South playoff hopes alive in a remarkable overtime classic where Matthew McCarthy proved the hero in the 98-97 win against the Frankston Blues.

With the Blues trying to hold onto their top two position and the Supercats attempting just to stay in the playoff race, there was plenty at stake at Dreamstreet Lending Arena.

It ended up being an outstanding contest between two talented teams and it just always felt destined to go down to the wire.

It was quite the dramatic end to regulation beginning with Lachlan Barker knocking down a game tying three-pointer for Frankston. Lucas Barker then picked the pocket of DeMarcus Gatlin and went in for the layup to put the Blues up by two.

The Supercats still had time and a strong post move from Matthew McCarthy saw him force it up against Daniel Trist to tie scores up again, and the game went to overtime when Igor Hadziomerovic three on the buzzer didn’t quite fall.

Then in the extra period, the lead continued to exchange hands until Gatlin made two late free-throws to put Geelong in front by one. The Blues had one last possession to try to snatch the win, but a big block from McCarthy on Lachlan Barker secured the one-point win for the Supercats.

The victory improves the Supercats to a 9-9 record bouncing back from a one-point loss to the Melbourne Tigers while the Blues have now lost two straight at 13-5.

DeMarcus Gatlin finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Supercats while knocking down 7/12 from three-point territory.

Gabe Hadley added 24 points, nine boards and four assists, Liam Herbert 12 points and two rebounds, Matthew McCarthy 12 points and 10 boards, and George Blagojevic 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Lucas Barker delivered 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five steals for Frankston with Daniel Trist contributing 24 points, 11 boards and six assists, Igor Hadziomerovic 21 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists, and Lachlan Barker 12 points, three boards, three assists and two steals.

Eagles maintain playoff spot with win over Cobras

The Diamond Valley Eagles came from 16 points behind against the Kilsyth Cobras to score the crucial 87-77 home victory on Saturday night.

Diamond Valley came into the contest clinging to a spot in the top eight with Kilsyth still holding out a faint hope of remaining in playoff contention.

It was Kilsyth who got the better of the start racing to an 11-point lead and then going up by as much as 16 in the second quarter to be leading 54-43 at the main break.

The Cobras maintained a double-digit lead in the third quarter but eventually the Eagles fired back into the contest, and then went on a 13-0 scoring run on the way to outscoring Kilsyth 21 points to 10 in the final period.

Diamond Valley ended up winning by 10 having earlier trailed by 16 and it improved the Eagles to an 11-7 record inside the top eight. The Cobras are now 7-11 after the defeat.
Erik Kafritsas top-scored once more in the win for the Eagles with 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 11/18 shooting from the floor.

Desmond Owili added 20 points, five rebounds and two blocks on 9/10 shooting with Mandrell Worthy contributing 13 points and five boards, Jock Perry eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks, and Ngor Manyang eight points and two boards.

Jamie Ahale put up 31 points, three rebounds and two assists while knocking down 5/11 from behind the three-point line.

Adrian Tomada also hit 3/5 from deep for 19 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Richards helps shoot Chargers to important win

Jacob Richards came up huge as the defending champion Hobart Chargers stayed in touch of a playoff position by beating the Casey Cavaliers 95-80 on Saturday night.

The Cavs were back home at Casey Stadium attempting to end a six-game losing streak and knowing they could all but end the playoff hopes of the Chargers in the process.

However, Hobart came out strongly with 18 straight points in the opening quarter to lead by 16, and they were never headed the rest of the evening.

From there, the Chargers would be leading by nine at quarter-time and extending that advantage to 13 by half-time, 15 at three quarter-time and then holding firm to score the important 15-point win.

The victory improves the Chargers to an 8-10 record in their championship defence while the Cavaliers have lost seven in-a-row to be 3-15.

Jacob Richards produced a tremendous performance for Hobart with 26 points, nine rebounds and three assists while hitting 11/17 from the floor and 4/6 from downtown.

Sam McDaniel added 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 10/13 shooting as well for the Chargers with Zach White contributing 18 points on 6/8 shooting, and Jarred Bairstow 18 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Patrick Emilien delivered 18 points and six rebounds for Casey with Jack Perry adding 15 points and three boards with 5/8 three-point shooting. Mitchell Riggs also had 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists.