NBL1 South Recap | Saturday Round 14

Megan McKay and Kelly Wilson again dominated to keep the Bendigo Braves perfect on the last Saturday night of the NBL1 South season with Amber Smith keeping the Dandenong Rangers alive, the Knox Raiders men securing top spot and Gabe Hadley scoring 43 and Jonathan Lawton 41.

The final Saturday night's women's results saw the Geelong United Supercats beat the Keilor Thunder 76-72 while the Nunawading Spectres beat the Ringwood Hawks 86-82, the Kilsyth Cobras defeated the Knox Raiders 71-66, and the Dandenong Rangers downed the Casey Cavaliers 87-76.

The Bendigo Braves also beat the Ballarat Miners 91-75, the Sandringham Sabres defeated the Frankston Blues 92-59, the Eltham Wildcats downed the Diamond Valley Eagles 92-83, and the Mount Gambier Pioneers defeated the Waverley Falcons 77-71.

The men's results saw the Supercats beat the Thunder 116-85, the Spectres beat the Hawks 91-87, the Raiders defeat the Cobras 87-86, the Rangers down the Cavaliers 83-72, the Braves win 99-93 against the Miners, the Blues defeat the Sabres 99-90, the Wildcats beat the Eagles 97-69, and the Pioneers prevail 83-78 against the Falcons.

NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | FRIDAY ROUND 14

WOMEN

Supercats hold out determined Thunder

The Geelong United Supercats enhanced their chances of a top four finish in the NBL1 South by beating the Keilor Thunder 76-72 at The Arena on Saturday night.

Coming into the last round of the season and the Supercats are still capable of finishing as high as second on standings if things went their way, but first they had to take care of Keilor on Saturday.

Geelong United made a flying start and never looked back leading by as much as 10 points in the opening quarter and still being on top by six at quarter-time.

The lead for the home team grew to 16 points in the second quarter and they maintained a double-digit lead most of the rest of the way until Keilor did throw everything at a stunning fightback.

The Thunder did go on an 11-0 scoring run and did get as close as two points with an Anna Clephane bucket with five minutes remaining.

However, Geelong responded with the next six points from Sarah Elsworthy, Agnieszka Skobel and Eve Braslis but still couldn't shake off Keilor. Clephane hit a three to make it a one-point game, but Chantel Horvat this time responded for the Supercats who managed to cling to the four-point win.

The victory improves Geelong United to a 15-6 record ahead of Sunday's match up with the second placed Waverley Falcons. Keilor is now 6-15 with a game to finish away to Casey.

Chantel Horvat finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and four assists for Geelong with Sarah Elsworthy contributing 17 points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds.

Ella Tofaeono also had 11 points and eight rebounds, Agnieszka Skobel 11 points, four assists, four steals and three boards, and Eve Braslis 10 points and four rebounds.

Anna Clephane did all she could to inspire Geelong to the win with 26 points, eight rebounds and two steals while shooting 10/17 from the floor, 2/3 from downtown and 4/4 from the foul line.

Juna Umezawa also had 11 points and eight rebounds for Keilor, Grace Graham 13 points and three boards, and Lana Hollingsworth 10 points and three rebounds.

Kunek and Spectres put spanner in Hawks' hopes

The Ringwood Hawks missed the chance to officially confirm their playoff place with Alice Kunek and the Nunawading Spectres ending their own season on a high with the 86-82 victory.

Nunawading was playing its last game of the season and might have been out of playoff contention, but still came out on a mission as they opened up a 15-point lead already in the opening period.

However, with so much to play for Ringwood worked back into the contest and did grab the lead on multiple occasions in the second half including again by four points early in the fourth quarter when Marena Whittle scored.

Rachel Brewster knocked down a three soon after to put Nunawading back in front but the lead continued to exchange hands and Jacqui Trotto put the Hawks back on top with 4:45 to play.

But Nunawading had Alice Kunek and she scored a three-point play as the Spectres grabbed the lead again and eventually they pulled away once more to an eight-point edge with yet another three-point play from Kunek.

In the end, Nunawading kept having the answers and Rachel Antoniadou sealed the deal at the foul line for the four-point win as the Spectres finish their season at 9-13. Ringwood faces a nervous wait to find out its fate as defending champions at 13-9.

Alice Kunek led the charge for Nunawading with 21 points and seven rebounds with Rachel Brewster adding 17 points, five boards and five assists, Cassidy Mihalko 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, Devon Brookshire 10 points and five boards, and Emma Pearce 10 points and eight rebounds.

Marena Whittle did all she could to try and will Ringwood to the important victory finishing with 28 points, 14 rebounds and four steals.

Ariel Jones added 15 points and four boards for the reigning champions, Shelby Britten 11 points and two assists, and Marta Hermida 10 points, eight boards and five assists.

Cassidy Mihalko with control ?

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 15, 2023

Kilsyth end Knox's playoff hopes

The Kilsyth Cobras ended the playoff hopes of the Knox Raiders on Saturday night with the 71-66 win at home.

While the Cobras couldn’t make playoffs anymore themselves, the Raiders needed to win both their games this weekend to be any hope so they couldn’t afford a slip up against Kilsyth.

Knox was coming into the game on a four-game losing streak, but did get off to a confidence boosting start to lead by four points by quarter-time.

The lead for the Raiders was out to 16 in the second quarter and they appeared well on target to get the win they needed to keep their season alive.

However, Kilsyth soon turned the game on its head with the last 10 points of the first half and the first 14 of the second to go on a remarkable 24-0 run to have turned that 16-point deficit into a double-digit lead of their own.

Despite that, Knox did briefly regain the lead in the final period with so much at stake, but that only lasted a manner of seconds and Kilsyth pulled away once more to win by five.

The victory means the Cobras finish the season on a 10-12 record while the Raiders are now 9-12 having lost five straight before finishing up on Sunday away to the undefeated Bendigo Braves.

Alisia Jenkins ended up with 18 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks for Kilsyth while Nikita Young contributed 14 points, five boards, two assists and two steals, Isis Lopes 14 points, two rebounds and two assists, and Alexa Hart 11 points and eight boards.

Alicia Froling did what she could to try and will Knox to the win with 22 points, 13 rebounds and three assists with Georgia Koopman contributing 10 points, and Kiera Rowe six points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Amber Smith fires Rangers to keep season alive

The Dandenong Rangers still need some luck to make the playoffs but all they could do is take care of business themselves and they did exactly that with a strong finish to beat the Casey Cavaliers 87-76.

The Rangers have just the one game this weekend and that was against the Cavs on Saturday at Casey Stadium and they had to win to remain any hopes of still being a chance to reach the playoffs.

Casey has two games to close its season this weekend and started well to lead by as much as eight points in the first quarter. They were still up as much as seven in the second on the way to leading 35-33.

Dandenong's season was hanging by a thread coming into the second half and the Rangers responded well to grab the lead in the third quarter, and then maintain the edge for most of the fourth including blowing it out to a 15-point advantage.

Dandenong ended up winning by 11 points to improve to an 11-11 record to now face a nervous wait on Sunday to find out their fate. The Cavs are 3-18 now with a game to come at home to Keilor.

Amber Smith had a massive performance in the finish for Dandenong with 35 points and 13 rebounds on the back of shooting 13/21 from the field, 3/7 from downtown and 6/8 from the free-throw line.

Bree Whatman added 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Sarah Boothe 10 points, eight boards and four assists.

Lauren Van Kleunen delivered 22 points, five rebounds and three assists for Casey with Rachel Bell contributing 19 points, seven boards and four assists, Taylah Simmons 14 points, 12 rebounds and two assists, and Steph Blicavs eight points, eight boards and two blocks.

McKay huge, Wilson brilliant as Braves stay perfect

It was top against bottom in the NBL1 South on Saturday night with the Bendigo Braves moving to within one more win of a perfect regular season beating the Ballarat Miners 91-75.

The Miners did their best to make it a contest at Red Energy Arena, but the Braves just had far too much after starting with 29 points to 17 in the opening period.

Bendigo kept building on that over the next two quarters leading by as much as 23 points in the second stanza and 33 in the third, but to the credit of Ballarat they fought the game out in their last game of the season.

The Miners did outscore the Braves 28 points to 18 in the final period with Bendigo still going on to win by 16 points to improve to a 21-0 record. Ballarat is now 3-19 with their season over.

Megan McKay produced a spectacular performance that has to have her a serious chance at the MVP on the back of 35 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and two steals with shooting 14/21 from the floor and 7/8 from the foul line.

Kelly Wilson also had another triple-double for Bendigo with 14 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds while Amy Atwell scored 24 points and four boards on 6/15 three-point shooting.

Abbey Wehrung finished the season with a huge performance for Ballarat too with 33 points, six rebounds and four assists while knocking down 5/11 of her three-point attempts.

Emma Karamovic contributed 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals, and Tayanna Jones nine points and four boards.

The best duo in the #NBL1?

Kelly Wilson: 1??4?? points, ? rebounds, 1??2?? assists ?

Megan McKay: 3??5?? points, 1??7?? rebounds, 5?? assists ?‍??

Watch #NBL1South via https://t.co/NEk1I7kaV8 or the NBL1 App ?&? pic.twitter.com/OSQM0VmkAG

— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 15, 2023

Sabres close in on playoffs with win over Blues

The Sandringham Sabres went a long way to securing a playoff spot and potentially denying the Frankston Blues a top four finish with the 92-59 victory.

Sandringham has two games this weekend and two wins would guarantee a playoff spot while one victory likely will be enough but Frankston also came into the contest knowing it needed to win to guarantee fourth place.

That set up an intriguing contest and it was the Sabres who started on fire with 25 points to 13 in the opening quarter and they were never threatened from there.

Sandringham put up another 30 points to 13 in the second quarter and that saw the Sabres leading 55-26 by the half-time break.

That lead got out to as much as 35 points in the final stanza too before Sandringham ended up winning by 33 to improve to a 12-9 record before finishing the season against the Melbourne Tigers on Sunday. Frankston is now 15-7 and has to win to find out its finishing position.

Funda Nakkasoglu led the charge in the win for Sandringham with 22 points, three rebounds and three assists while shooting 9/18 from the field and 4/4 from the free-throw line.

Britt Smart also produced 16 points, seven assists, three steals and two rebounds, Georgia Pineau 16 points, five boards and four assists, Klara Wischer 15 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Morgan Ili 10 points, seven boards, three steals and two assists.

Chloe Bibby top-scored for Frankston with 16 points and three rebounds with Chelsea D'Angelo 14 points, five boards and three assists, and Lou Brown 13 points, 14 rebounds and four assists.

Wildcats cement playoff spot at expense of Eagles

The Eltham Wildcats secured a playoff position by beating the Diamond Valley Eagles 92-83 on Saturday night with Anneli Maley, Bec Pizzey and Hailey Leidel all outstanding.

With Eltham coming into the round eighth at 11-9 and Diamond Valley ninth at 11-10, there was plenty at stake for the match up at Montmorency Secondary College in the race for the playoffs.

Diamond Valley led by two points at quarter-time before Eltham started to open up a handy lead in the second quarter with 27 points to 17 to go into the main break leading 53-45.

Eltham maintained that momentum in the third quarter with another 20 points to 12 with the lead getting out to as much as 18 points before the Wildcats held on to win by nine.

It guarantees that the Wildcats will make the playoffs even with a game to play on Sunday at home to the Mount Gambier Pioneers. The Eagles' season is now finished at 11-11 and with Sandringham and Eltham winning on Saturday, they can't get back into the top eight.

Anneli Maley was instrumental in the win for Eltham ending up with 22 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists and two steals to go with the 19 points, 12 boards, five assists and three steals from Bec Pizzey.

Hailey Leidel also delivered 20 points, six boards and two steals, and Louise Forsyth 17 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Kara Tessari top-scored for Diamond Valley with 20 points, 12 assists, four rebounds and three steals including knocking down 4/7 from three-point territory.

Jade Compton also had 16 points, three boards, two assists and two steals, and Jennie Rintala 14 points, six rebounds and four steals.

Pioneers beat Falcons to heat up second spot fight

The Mount Gambier Pioneers set up a fascinating last day in the NBL1 South season where second position will be decided after defeating the Waverley Falcons 77-71 on the road on Saturday night.

Coming into the game at Waverley Basketball Stadium and the Falcons were sitting second at 16-4 and the Pioneers third at 15-5 with both teams having two games in the last round of the regular season.

Waverley could lock away second spot with the win and the home team did start well to lead by as much as eight points in the first quarter, and then still by four at quarter-time.

That lead for the Falcons got out to as much as 12 points in the second stanza as well until the Pioneers went on a 9-0 scoring run to work back into the contest, and then even head into the half-time break leading 41-40.

Mount Gambier took charge for much of the second half but the Falcons were still close enough to strike and were briefly back in front with eight minutes to play following a bucket to Maddi Utti.

Cassandra Brown responded with a three-pointer for Mount Gambier and they would never surrender the lead again going on to score the important six-point win.

It sets up the final day with the Falcons to play the Geelong United Supercats at 16-5 while the Pioneers are also 16-5 ahead of playing the Eltham Wildcats.

Miela Goodchild delivered a terrific performance in the win for Mount Gambier finishing with 25 points and nine rebounds including going 10/10 at the free-throw line.

Cass Brown added 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals, Haliegh Reinoehl 11 points, five boards and three assists, Zitina Aokuso 11 points and four rebounds, and Sherrie Calleia 10 points.

Carley Ernst delivered 32 points and 10 rebounds for Waverley on the back of knocking down 8/15 from behind the three-point line with Maddi Utti contributing 11 points, six boards, three assists and three steals, and Bec Cole eight points, seven assists, two rebounds and two steals.

MEN

Hadley scores 43, Gatlin a triple-double for Supercats

There might not have been a playoff spot at stake, but DeMarcus Gatlin produced a triple-double and Gabe Hadley scored 43 points as the Geelong United Supercats hammered the Eltham Wildcats 116-85.

While neither team could reach the playoffs coming into the last weekend of the season, it didn’t stop the Supercats putting on quite the show at The Arena in their final home game.

It was a high-scoring opening from both teams and Keilor stuck with Geelong with the home side only leading by a point at quarter-time.

It was in the second period when the Supercats put their stamp on the contest as they outscored the Thunder 40 points to 17 to head into intermission leading 68-44.

The lead for Geelong United blew out to 34 points in the second half and they would end up winning by 31 to improve to a 10-11 record before finishing the season on the road to Waverley on Sunday.

Keilor now holds an 8-13 record before a last game on Sunday away to the Casey Cavaliers.

It was a spectacular night all around for the Supercats with Gabe Hadley delivering 43 points, four rebounds and two assists while shooting 15/21 from the floor, 8/12 from three-point territory and 5/5 from the free-throw line.

DeMarcus Gatlin also ended up with a triple-double consisting of 12 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists, four steals and three blocks with George Blagojevic adding 24 points, nine boards, three assists and two steals.

William Jenkins III ended up with 26 points, 10 rebounds and three steals with Robbie Heath contributing 13 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals, and Cirkook Riak 18 points and six rebounds while hitting 4/7 from behind the three-point arc.

Gabe Hadley went off ?

4??3?? points, 8?? triples and the W ?

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 15, 2023

Spectres prevail over Hawks despite Lawton's 41

The Nunawading Spectres geared up for their playoff campaign with a hard earned 91-87 victory at home to the Ringwood Hawks on Saturday night.

The Spectres couldn’t drop out of the top eight ahead of their last game of the regular season against a Ringwood team out of contention but on a four-game winning streak.

On the back of those last four wins, Ringwood kept the momentum going with 29 points to 17 in the opening quarter.

The Hawks kept on going in the second term with another 29 points to 26 to lead by as much as 19 points and to go into the half-time break on top 58-43.

The Spectres responded in scintillating fashion in the third quarter by piling on 35 points to turn that 15-point deficit into their own seven-point advantage, which they converted into the eventual four-point win.

The victory means that Nunawading finishes the regular season with a 13-9 record while Ringwood ends up at 8-14.

Josh Tomasi top-scored for Nunawading with 22 points and eight rebounds on 9/13 shooting with Will Carius delivering 19 points, 12 boards and three assists, Kingsley Box 15 points and eight rebounds, Jordan Geer 11 points and four assists, and Christian D'Angelo 10 points.

Despite the loss, Jonathan Lawton produced yet another spectacular performance to continue his hot form for Ringwood with 41 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals while shooting 15/26 from the floor, 4/13 from downtown and 7/9 at the charity stripe.

Kyle Daggett also had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Hawks, and Luke Shelley 11 points on 3/4 three-point shooting.

Knox hold out Kilsyth to secure top spot

The Kilsyth Cobras went ever so close to ending their season on a high by knocking off the league leading Knox, but the Raiders just managed to hold on for the 87-86 victory.

Coming into the last weekend of the regular season and all the Raiders needed to do was win one of their final two matches to secure the regular season championship.

That started on Saturday night on the road to Kilsyth and Knox started impressively with 28 points to 18 in the first quarter.

The Raiders would continue to build their lead to 13 points in the second quarter and 14 in the fourth, but the Cobras weren’t going away and threw everything at what would have been a dramatic comeback win to close their season.

Knox's lead was 14 points with four minutes to play but then Jamie Ahale hit a pair of three balls for Kilsyth. When he hit another with two minutes to play and turned it into a four-point play, suddenly it was just a six-point game.

Ahale continued his remarkable shooting to end the season with yet another three-point bomb with just over 30 seconds to play to make it a three-point game before Mitch Dielemans was fouled by Mason Peatling attempting a three.

Dielemans would make two at the line to make it a one-point game, and that's where it stayed with Knox holding on to secure top spot heading into the playoffs.

Wayne Stewart Jr finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the one-point win for Knox with 10/16 shooting from the field.

Ke'Jhan Feagin added 15 points, three rebounds and two assists, Austin Rapp 11 points and four boards, Madut Akec 10 points and four rebounds, and Mason Peatling six points, 15 boards, three assists and three steals. 

Jamie Ahale finished the night knocking down 7/15 from three-point range for Kilsyth on his way to 37 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Mitch Dielemans ended up with 17 points for the Cobras, Adrian Tomada 16 points, six boards, three assists and two steals, and Auryn MacMillan eight points, 10 rebounds and three steals.

Wayne Stewart Jr rocked it BACK ?

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 15, 2023

Rangers snap losing run to end season

The Dandenong Rangers finished their season by giving themselves a shot at avoiding the wooden spoon with the 83-72 road victory against the Casey Cavaliers.

The bottom two teams in the NBL1 South did battle at Casey Stadium on Saturday night and it was the home team who started well with 28 points to 22 in the opening quarter.

Dandenong turned the tide with 25 points to 16 in the second quarter, and then the Rangers secured the 11-point victory on the back of outscoring the Cavs 19 points to 11 in the fourth quarter.

The result means that the Rangers finish the season on a 4-18 record having snapped a seven-game losing streak. The Cavs are now 3-18 and have lost 10 in-a-row and will finish last unless they can beat Keilor on Sunday.

Mike Amius delivered 26 points and nine rebounds for Dandenong on the back of shooting 10/13 from the field.

Jack Roberts added 17 points, seven boards, four steals and two assists, Deng Puoch 15 points, five rebounds and four steals, and Jesse Ghee 10 points and six boards.

Sidy Djitte delivered 20 points, 18 rebounds and three assists in the loss for Casey with Patrick Emilien contributing 17 points, four boards and two steals, and Mitchell Riggs 12 points.

Bendigo finish season at home on a high

The Bendigo Braves held out the fast finishing Ballarat Miners to officially end their playoff hopes with the 99-93 victory at home on Saturday night.

Bendigo was looking send their home fans off on a high note for the season and the Braves started well with 27 points to 23 in the opening quarter.

The home team extended their lead out to a 16-point advantage in the second stanza and 18 in the third before then holding out the Miners down the stretch to secure the six-point victory.

The win sees the Braves improve to a 10-11 record before one last game on the road to the Knox Raiders on Sunday while Ballarat's season is now over with an 11-11 record.

Adam Pechacek ended the night producing 30 points and nine rebounds for Bendigo on shooting 11/16 from the floor and 3/4 from behind the three-point line.

Luke Rosendale added 27 points, four rebounds and four assists, Lat Mayen 15 points, 10 boards and three assists, and Dylan McCauley 11 points with 3/6 three-point shooting.

Jack Davidson top-scored for Ballarat with 27 points, five assists and two rebounds on 5/13 shooting from downtown. Tyler Rudolph continued his hot form with another 25 points and 17 rebounds with Adam Thoseby contributing 14 points, three boards, two assists and two steals.

Blues knock off Sabres in top four battle

The Frankston Blues took a significant step towards a top two finish this NBL1 South season but it's not quite yet secure despite the 99-90 victory against the Sandringham Sabres.

It was a second against third battle on Saturday night at Dreamstreet Lending Arena and it was a close contest throughout the first half with scores tied at quarter-time and then Sandringham holding just a one-point lead at the main break.

Frankston then built some momentum in the third quarter by outscoring the Sabres 32 points to 21 and they would end up leading by as much as 11 in the fourth stanza before securing the nine-point win.

The result leaves the Blues in second position with a 16-6 record and they will stay there unless Mount Gambier beats the Eltham Wildcats on Sunday.

Sandringham will now likely finish fourth currently holding a 14-7 record before playing the Melbourne Tigers on the season's last day.

Brad Newley is showing no signs of slowing down and delivered a standout performance for the Blues with 26 points, five rebounds and two assists on 10/17 shooting from the floor.

Daniel Trist continued his dominant patch of form too with 25 points and 12 rebounds with Lachlan Barker contributing 15 points, four boards and three assists, Igor Hadziomerovic 10 points and six rebounds, and Lucas Barker eight points, 11 assists, three boards and three steals.

Ben Ayre top-scored for Sandringham with 24 points, five assists and three rebounds with CJ Asuncion-Byrd delivering 17 points, three boards and two assists, and Tom Koppens 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and four blocks.

Dane Pineau also had 13 points and 17 rebounds, and Campbell Blogg 12 points, five assists and three boards.

Wildcats close in on top four spot with win over Eagles

The Eltham Wildcats kept their hopes of a top four finish in the NBL1 South alive with a thumping 97-69 home win against the Diamond Valley Eagles on Saturday night.

Coming into the last weekend of the season and if the Wildcats could win both their games they would still be a chance to end up with a top four position, and they took care of that first task on Saturday at Montmorency Secondary College.

The Wildcats led by five points at quarter-time before extending that advantage to 13 points in the second term, 24 in the third and 33 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 28-point triumph.

The victory improves Eltham to a 13-8 record before taking on the Mount Gambier Pioneers also at home on Sunday. It was a tough loss for Diamond Valley who will finish the season at 12-10 with their fate now out of their hands heading into the last day.

Owen Foxwell finished the night with 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Eltham on the back of knocking down 6/10 from behind the arc.

Callum Dalton added 18 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and two assists while also hitting 4/8 of his three-point attempts with Sam Short contributing 12 points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals, Sam Whelan 14 points and four boards, and Josh Sykes nine points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

BJ Symons produced 20 points and six rebounds for Diamond Valley with Ngor Manyang adding 19 points, four boards, two assists and two steals, and Desmond Owili 12 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Pioneers close in on second with win over Falcons

The Mount Gambier Pioneers strengthened their hopes of a top two finish and denied the chance of the Waverley Falcons to climb the ladder with Saturday night's 83-78 road victory.

Both teams had two games this weekend to close the regular season with the Pioneers a chance to move up into second position and the Falcons till a chance of finishing as high as fifth.

Mount Gambier made the fast start to lead by as much as nine points early in the game but Waverley was able to turn that around to lead by five points at quarter-time. 

The swings continued right through the rest of the game with the Pioneers ending up leading 42-38 by half-time before the Falcons got back on top by four points during the third term.

However, Mount Gambier was back in charge again in the fourth quarter to open up an 11-point lead before going on to secure the five-point victory.

The victory improves the Pioneers to a 15-6 record and they will finish second should they beat the Eltham Wildcats on Sunday. The Falcons are now 12-9 and while they will still play playoffs, it will likely be from seventh or eighth spot after they play Geelong on Sunday.

Titus Robinson ended up top-scoring for Mount Gambier in the win with 19 points and five rebounds on 8/12 shooting from the floor.

Nick Marshall contributed 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, Austin Shelley 12 points and four boards, Jacob Lampkin 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Tom Kubank 12 points and four boards.

Tristan Forsyth ended up with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Waverley, AJ Harris 16 points, four assists and three boards, and Dillon Stith 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.