NBL1 South Recap | Saturday Round 7

Both Geelong United Supercats teams kept their hot NBL1 South form going while Ke'Jhan Feagin, Dexter Kernich-Drew, Sam McDaniel and Sidy Djitte had match winning men's performances, and Amy Atwell, Megan McKay, Kayla Steindl, Chloe Bibby and Micaela Cocks did for the women.

Round 7 in the NBL1 South women's action on Saturday night saw the Geelong United Supercats defeat the Nunawading Spectres 86-67 while the Kilsyth Cobras beat the Casey Cavaliers 64-60, Waverley Falcons down the Ballarat Miners 86-72 and Frankston Blues overcome the Knox Raiders 80-69.

The Hobart Chargers also beat the Keilor Thunder 80-74, Eltham Wildcats down the Ringwood Hawks 87-66, Bendigo Braves beat the Diamond Valley Eagles 89-68 and the Dandenong Rangers prevail 78-71 against the Launceston Tornadoes.

Then the men's results saw Geelong United beat Nunawading 90-82, Casey defeat Kilsyth 72-64, Waverley overcome Ballarat 108-95, Knox down Frankston 87-78, Hobart beat Keilor 81-78, Eltham prevail 104-99 over Ringwood and then Diamond Valley defeated Bendigo 107-93 and the North West Tasmania Thunder beat the Dandenong Rangers 95-92.

WOMEN

Supercats keep winning roll going over Spectres

The Geelong United Supercats started on fire to ensure they kept their stark turnaround in form going with the 86-67 victory against the Nunawading Spectres.

The Supercats were back home at The Arena having won their past four matches having lost three of the first five games of the season as they hosted a Spectres team arriving fresh off a victory against the Casey Cavaliers.

Fresh off winning four straight, Geelong United came out on fire to open up a 13-point lead over Nunawading by quarter-time. The Supercats were never really in danger from there to end up leading by as much as 27 points in the second half before winning by 19.

As a result of the win, the Supercats improve to a 7-3 record with the five straight wins while the Spectres are 5-5 with the defeat.

Supercats coach Matthew Paton largely went with a six person rotation with no other player notching more than seven minutes, but the six players who played the bulk minutes were outstanding.

Agnieszka Skobel finished with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals while Ella Tofaeono added 15 points and 11 boards, and Chantel Horvat 14 points and seven rebounds.

Eve Braslis also had 13 points, eight boards and two blocks, Sarah Elsworthy 13 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals, and Jess Scannell nine points, three assists and three steals.

Alice Kunek did what she could to try and keep Nunawading in the contest with 27 points, three rebounds and three assists with Taylah Schmidtke adding 11 points, and Devon Brookshire eight points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Kilsyth get much-needed win over Casey

The Kilsyth Cobras and Casey Cavaliers were both desperate for the win on Saturday night and ultimately the home team prevailed at Kilsyth Sports Centre 64-60.

Kilsyth came into the contest having lost seven straight since winning the first two games of the season while Casey had won last up against Frankston but had just two wins for the season as well.

That meant it was desperation stakes for both teams trying to stay in the top eight race and it was a tight battle right throughout the evening.

The biggest lead was the eight points that Kilsyth led by in the second quarter on the back of scoring 10 consecutive points, but it was a game that was always going to potentially be decided on the last play.

They continued to trade score for score with Steph Blicavs scoring to tie things up for the Cavs with just over 30 seconds to go. Alisia Jenkins then put Kilsyth back on top and in the end it was Alexa Hart sealing the deal at the foul line for the four-point win.

The victory improves the Cobras to a 3-7 record on the season snapping their seven-game losing run while the Cavaliers are now 2-9.

Alisia Jenkins finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and five steals in the win for Kilsyth with Nikita Young contributing 14 points, seven boards, three assists and three steals, Alexa Hart 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks, and Isis Lopes 11 points, five boards and three assists.

Rachel Bell top-scored for Casey with 22 points, 10 rebounds and three assists with Lauren Van Kleunen adding 13 points and two assists, Taylah Simmons 10 points and six rebounds, and Taylah Gillam nine points, three boards and two assists.

Falcons hold off Miners in tough contest 

The Waverley Falcons did end up beating the bottom placed Ballarat Miners on Saturday night but they were made to earn it before prevailing 86-72.

The Falcons are looking to build up another streak after suffering their first loss of the season to the Mount Gambier Pioneers last Friday night. They did bounce back to beat Dandenong on Sunday before arriving in Ballarat on Saturday to take on the last placed Miners.

Waverley started well with 26 points to 16 in the first quarter but Ballarat wasn’t going away with new import Tayanna Jones finding her feet in her third weekend with the team.

The Miners were putting up a good fight to limit the Falcons lead to four points at three quarter-time, but Waverley delivered 18 points to eight in the fourth quarter to claim the 14-point victory.

The win improves the Falcons to 9-1 with consecutive wins while Ballarat has lost 10 straight since winning its first game of 2023.

Carley Ernst finished with 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals for Waverley with Amelia Todhunter contributing 18 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals, and Bec Cole 18 points and six assists.

Renae Mokrzycki also had 13 points and 13 rebounds, Sophia Locandro 11 points and five boards, and Maddi Utti six points, 14 rebounds and three assists.

Tayanna Jones produced a spectacular performance for Ballarat with 26 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks with Abbey Wehrung adding 17 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals, and Kristy Rinaldi nine points and five assists.

Bibby, Cocks lift Blues over Raiders

The Frankston Blues joined the Knox Raiders on seven wins this NBL1 South season on the back of the 80-69 victory at the State Basketball Centre.

Micaela Cocks and Chloe Bibby delivered spectacular performances for the Blues to ultimately lead them to the important victory to strengthen their top four push.

Frankston managed to lead by seven points at quarter-time but Knox kept things close with the Blues lead down to just three at half-time.

Frankston was just clinging to a four-point edge at three quarter-time, but the Blues then delivered 19 points to 12 in the fourth quarter to end up winning by 11 points.

The victory improves Frankston to 7-4 on the season while with the loss Knox is now 7-4 with consecutive losses.

Chloe Bibby produced 24 points, five rebounds and three assists in the win for the Blues on 8/14 shooting from the field and 7/7 at the foul line. Micaela Cocks added 23 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists with 3/4 three-point shooting.

Alicia Froling finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks for Knox while Leah Santomaggio added 14 points with 3/6 three-point shooting, and Aneta Bandilovska 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Steindl leads Chargers from the foul line

The Hobart Chargers denied the Keilor Thunder a third straight NBL1 South victory when they scored the 80-74 win on the road on Saturday night.

The Thunder's season was starting to pick up some momentum with the last two victories ahead of hosting the Chargers, and the home team started well to lead by two at quarter-time.

However, Hobart turned things around with 23 points to 19 in the second quarter, and ultimately 25 to 21 in the fourth to see the Chargers claim the six-point win away from home.

The result means that Hobart improves to 4-6 on the season while Keilor is 3-5 with its two-game winning run coming to an end.

Kayla Steindl came up huge once again in the win for Hobart with 23 points and 12 rebounds even though she shot just 4/15 from the field. She did make 14/14 at the free-throw line.

Angeliki Vintsilaiou added 14 points, three assists and two rebounds, Sarah O'Neill 16 points and four boards, and Paige Bradley 10 points, seven rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocked shots.

Despite the loss, Lana Hollingsworth delivered 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Keilor while shooting 11/17 from the floor, 3/4 from beyond the arc and 6/7 at the free-throw line.

Juna Umezawa produced 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Anna Clephane eight points, two assists and two steals.

Lana Hollingsworth over the defender! ?

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Eltham beat Ringwood for third straight win

The Eltham Wildcats scored a third successive victory putting together a terrific first half to set up the 87-66 victory against the Ringwood Hawks.

Eltham came into the contest on the back of winning their past two matches with the Hawks looking to bounce back from their third loss of the season last week against the Frankston Blues.

The Wildcats started strongly with 29 points to 19 in the opening quarter before they continued to dominate pushing the lead out to 21 in the second term.

Eltham would end up leading by as much as 26 points in the fourth quarter before ending up winning by 21 to improve to 5-5 on the season with three straight wins. Ringwood is now 6-4 with consecutive defeats.

Lily Scanlon finished the night with 24 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists for Eltham while hitting 4/7 from three-point land.

Louise Forsyth added 20 points and eight rebounds, Taylah Wynne 17 points and four boards, and Bec Pizzey 15 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocked shots.

Zoe Jenkins ended up top-scoring for Ringwood with 17 points with shooting 5/7 from beyond the arc. Marena Whittle added 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals, and Ariel Jones 11 points, two boards, two assists and two blocked shots.

Taylah Wynne is on FIRE ?

She has 5?? triples before half-time ?

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Atwell, McKay fire to keep Braves undefeated

Amy Atwell and Megan McKay combined for 58 points as the Bendigo Braves maintained their perfect record this NBL1 South season beating the Diamond Valley Eagles 89-68.

The Braves put their undefeated record on the line away to the Eagles at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre on Saturday night, and for three quarters the home team did well to stick with them.

Bendigo led by just two points at quarter-time, three at half-time and eight at three quarter-time, but then the Braves pulled away with 24 points to 11 in the final period to secure the 21-point victory.

The result improves Bendigo to a 10-0 record this season while Diamond Valley is now 5-5 with the defeat.

Fresh off re-signing with the Perth Lynx for the 2023/24 WNBL season, Amy Atwell had a terrific performance for Bendigo with 32 points, four rebounds and three steals while shooting 5/11 from three-point land.

Megan McKay was also an imposing force with 26 points, nine rebounds and three assists on 10/13 shooting with Cassidy McLean finishing with 11 points and four assists, and Kelly Wilson four points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals.

Sophie Burrows finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, Allison Day 11 points and seven boards, and Jennie Rintala 10 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Huge last quarter lifts Rangers over Tornadoes

The Dandenong Rangers overcame a nine-point deficit at three quarter-time to beat the Launceston Tornadoes 78-71 at home on Saturday night.

The Rangers were back at Dandenong Basketball Stadium looking to snap a four-game losing slide up against a Tornadoes team trying to snap their own three-game run.

It was Launceston who opened the game on fire with 32 points to 16 in the first quarter. The Tornadoes were still leading by 12 points at half-time and then by nine at three quarter-time but the game was far from done yet.

Dandenong dug deep and scored 25 points to nine in the fourth quarter to come from nine points down to win by seven and improve to 5-7 in the process. Launceston is now 3-7 with the four straight losses.

Nyadiew Puoch produced 24 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the win for the Rangers with Amber Smith contributing 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals, and Briahna Whatman 10 points and five boards.

Keely Froling delivered 21 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Tornadoes while Macey Crawford produced 16 points, four boards and three assists, and Riley Lupfer 15 points, two rebounds and two assists.

"Block by Puoch!" and all the way! ?

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MEN

Hadley ensures Supercats win sixth straight

The hot form of the Geelong United Supercats now that they are at full strength continued on Saturday night with a 90-82 victory at home to the Nunawading Spectres.

After losing their opening four matches of the season, the Supercats had won five straight heading into the Saturday night match up with the Spectres at The Arena.

On the back of those five straight wins, Geelong United started well again with 24 points to 21 in the opening quarter and were up by as much as 12 at one point.

They were back out to an 11-point lead during the second quarter and then blew the game wide open in the second half to lead by 27 points. 

The Spectres responded in spectacular fashion to score the next 19 points, but couldn’t quite keep it going with the Supercats holding on for the eight-point victory.

The win improves Geelong United to 6-4 on the season with the six straight wins while Nunawading is 6-4 also with the defeat.

Captain Gabe Hadley continued his tremendous form for the Supercats as he tries to earn another NBL opportunity after spending this past season at the Cairns Taipans. He finished with 33 points, five rebounds and three assists on shooting 6/12 from deep.

DeMarcus Gatlin added 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals for Geelong, Liam Herbert 18 points, three boards, three assists and two steals, Nick Velasquez 10 points and three rebounds, and Maalo Hicks eight points, 12 boards, three assists and three steals.

Jalen Gibbs put up 19 points and four assists for Nunawading but it was Will Carius who top-scored with 29 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks while knocking down 4/9 from three-point territory.

Things that don't phase Jalen Gibbs ??

? Shot clock
? Double-team
? Fadeaway on the corner

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Djitte leads Cavs to drought breaking win

The Casey Cavaliers produced a strong finish to overrun the Kilsyth Cobras for the 72-64 road victory on Saturday night.

The Cobras were back home at Kilsyth Sports Centre attempting to snap a five-game losing run but the Cavs were on their own five-match winless run meaning someone was going to be a relieved outfit by Saturday night.

Casey led by three at quarter-time but Kilsyth had got the margin back to just one at half-time. The Cavs lead was then only three at three quarter-time, but the visitors then delivered 19 points to 14 in the final period to secure the eight-point win.

The victory for the Cavaliers improves them to a 3-8 record while Kilsyth is now 4-6 having lost its sixth straight after opening the season winning its opening four matches. 

Sidy Djitte produced a dominant showing in the win for the Cavs finishing with 21 points and 19 rebounds on 9/13 shooting.

Mason Perry added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, Jack Perry 11 points, and Nathan Frost nine points, eight boards and two assists.

Nicholas Feller top-scored for the Cobras with 22 points and eight rebounds while knocking down 5/8 of his three-point attempts.

Adrian Tomada also had 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, Jamie Ahale 10 points, four boards and two assists, and Mitch Dielemans seven points, five assists and four rebounds.

Kernich-Drew helps lift Falcons to fourth straight win

It was quite the rollercoaster ride between Ballarat and Waverley at Selkirk Stadium on Saturday night with the Falcons ending up keeping their winning run going with the 108-95 victory.

With Ballarat at home and attempting to end its three-game losing slide and Waverley trying to make it four straight wins, it was always going to be a fascinating match up.

It was all the Miners in the opening quarter and by the end of it they were leading 32-19, but then Waverley responded in the most emphatic way possible putting up 38 points to 18 in the second term.

That saw the Falcons turn a 15-point deficit into a 57-50 lead at half-time, and that advantage grew to 17 points in the third term and 19 in the fourth.

Ballarat did try valiantly to fight back but it wasn’t to be with Waverley going on to win by 13 points to improve to 5-5 on the season with four wins in-a-row. The Miners have lost four straight now to fall to 5-6.

Dexter Kernich-Drew produced his best performance of the season for Waverley with 28 points and five assists on 10/13 shooting from the floor, 4/4 from three-point range and 4/4 at the free-throw line.

Tristan Forsyth added 24 points and 10 rebounds on 9/10 shooting with Bennie Lewis contributing 21 points on 5/10 from three-point land, Dillon Stith 18 points and seven rebounds, and AJ Harris six points, 13 assists and three boards.

Tyler Rudolph put in a huge performance despite the loss for Ballarat with 34 points and 11 rebounds on 14/24 shooting with Adam Thoseby contributing 22 points on 4/8 three-point shooting, and Nic Pozoglou 15 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Feagin shoots Raiders to OT win over Blues

It was an overtime cracking contest at the State Basketball Centre in the first versus third battle in and it was the Knox Raiders who delivered when it mattered most for the 87-78 win over the Frankston Blues.

Knox played host to Frankston with the Raiders having won five straight in third place while the Blues were on top of the NBL1 South having won their last three.

The Raiders started well to lead by 10 points during the first quarter and with the lead growing to 11 in the second before they were still clinging to a 36-32 advantage at half-time.

You couldn’t help but think the game was destined to go down to the wire and it did, but it was the Blues leading by six with six minutes to play after a bucket to Lachlan Barker.

They were still up six when Lucas Barker scored almost a minute later but stuck with it Ke'Jhan Feagin and he scored five quick points for Knox to put the home team back up by a point with three minutes to play.

Brad Newley restored the lead for Frankston but ultimately it was a spectacular driving layup finish from Bailey Nunn that bounced all round the rim that tied scores up, and sent the game to overtime.

Then in the extra period, it was Feagin again who blew the game wide open starting with a three-pointer and then another jumper to stretch the lead to eight, and from there it was Knox going on to win by nine.

Ke'Jhan Feagin finished with a spectacular night for the Raiders going for 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 11/21 shooting from the floor, 5/11 from three-point range and 3/3 at the foul line.

Madut Akec added 13 points and four boards, Wayne Stewart Jr 17 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three assists, and Mason Peatling five points and 15 boards.

The five Frankston starters were exhausted by the end of the 45 minutes with all of them playing at least 36 minutes with no player off the bench scoring, grabbing a rebound or playing 10 minutes.

Lachlan Barker top-scored for the Blues with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals with Daniel Trist contributing 17 points, 11 boards and three steals, Lucas Barker 14 points and 10 rebounds, Brad Newley 14 points and three boards, and Igor Hadziomerovic 14 points and five rebounds.

McDaniel leads defending champs over Thunder

He led the Hobart Chargers to the NBL1 South championship last season and put the team on his back again on Saturday night in the eventual 81-78 victory against the Keilor Thunder.

Hobart's four-game winning run ended at the hands of the Geelong Supercats last week as they arrived to Keilor Stadium to play a Thunder team also trying to bounce back from a defeat to the Sandringham Sabres.

It proved to be a tight affair throughout the evening even though the Chargers were on top most of the way, including leading by as much as 10 points during the fourth quarter.

However, Oliver Hayes-Brown scored with just under five minutes to play to give Keilor a four-point lead and the momentum.

They were still up four after a Robbie Heath three-pointer a couple of minutes later but when Devin Watson responded in kind with 1:30 on the clock, Hobart regained the one-point lead.

From there, Sam McDaniel hit a couple of free-throws to push the Chargers lead to three and they proved the last scores of the game as the reigning champs scored the three-point victory.

As a result, Hobart improves to 6-4 on the season to remain solid inside the top eight while Keilor is 4-5 with back-to-back losses.

McDaniel continued his standout form for Hobart since signing at the Brisbane Bullets for NBL24. He put up another 31 points, eight rebounds and two assists on 11/20 shooting from the field, 4/5 from deep and 5/7 at the charity stripe.

Devin Watson added 20 points, four rebounds and four assists, Jarred Bairstow 14 points and nine boards, and Jacob Richards seven points and six rebounds.

Zac Triplett ended up with 24 points and six rebounds with William Jenkins III contributing 18 points, 12 boards, four assists and two blocks, and Robbie Heath 13 points, four rebounds and two steals.

Sam McDaniel went off ?

3??1?? points, 8?? rebounds and 4?? triples ?

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Wildcats snatch OT classic from Hawks

The Eltham Wildcats pulled it out of the fire to get its clash with the Ringwood Hawks to overtime in the first place and then got the better of the extra period to win 104-99.

The Wildcats did well enough at home on Saturday night to lead the Hawks by a point at quarter-time and by seven at the half-time break.

However, the Hawks took over in the third quarter to make a statement with 29 points to 15 to take charge and lead by as much as 12 points in the final term.

The Eltham fightback began with a Sam Short three-pointer before Angus Glover took the ball to the rack. Owen Foxwell then scored going to the basket and by the time Short hit another from downtown, the margin was back to two.

Josh Sykes can GET UP ??

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Josh Sykes made it a one-point game soon after when he also landed from beyond the arc and his two free-throws put the home team back in front.

Ringwood weren’t lying down and regained the lead thanks to a three ball to Matthew Fennell but Eltham responded with three straight buckets including a dunk to Sykes to suddenly be leading by five.

It was back up to the Hawks to respond and Jonathan Lawton connected from deep and then Adrian Sturt delivered the putback finish after a Fennell miss which eventually sent the game to overtime at 88-88.

It was quite the high-scoring overtime period too with the Wildcats beginning it with a triple from Short. In the end, another three ball from Callum Dalton, a dunk from Sykes and free-throws from both Glover and Foxwell sealed the five-point win for Eltham.

Callum Dalton delivered 27 points and 11 rebounds on 11/16 shooting from the field and 5/7 from three-point land for the Wildcats with Josh Sykes contributing 22 points and eight boards on 8/11 shooting.

Owen Foxwell also had 17 points, seven assists and four rebounds, Angus Glover 13 points, seven assists and six boards, and Sam Short 15 points, four assists and three rebounds with 5/11 three-point shooting.

Kyle Daggett delivered 28 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Ringwood while going 11/14 from the field and 5/7 from three-point range.

Jonathan Lawton also ended up with 26 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals, Adrien Sturt 14 points, 10 boards and three assists, Shaun Clarke 10 points, three rebounds and two steals, and Matthew Fennell 10 points and six boards.

Ovie Magbegor with the clean strip & SLAM ?

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Manyang inspires Diamond Valley to win over Bendigo

Ngor Manyang continued his superb form for the Diamond Valley Eagles leading his team to a 107-93 victory at home to the Bendigo Braves.

Even still without Sydney Kings superstar DJ Vasiljevic, Diamond Valley made a fast start at home with 32 points to 17 in the first quarter.

It was a tight affair the rest of the way but Bendigo could never seriously threaten to close the gap and the Eagles led by as much as 21 points in the fourth quarter before ending up winning by 14.

The victory improves Diamond Valley to a 6-4 record on the season with consecutive wins while Bendigo is now 3-7 and unable to string victories together.

Ngor Manyang was the star of the night for the Eagles and that wouldn’t have come for a surprise to Braves coach Stephen Black who had coached against him out west when Manyang was at the Warwick Senators.

Manyang ended up with 25 points, four rebounds and two assists on 10/19 shooting with Jock Perry contributing 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists, and BJ Symons 11 points, eight boards and two assists.

Lat Mayen did all he could to try and lift Bendigo to the win with 35 points and 13 rebounds with 7/12 from beyond the three-point line.

Bijan Johnson also had 20 points, two assists and two steals, Luke Rosendale 11 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals, Billy Smythe 10 points and three boards, and Dylan McCauley nine points.

North West Tasmania hold out fast finishing Dandenong

The North West Tasmania Thunder just managed to hold out a Dandenong Rangers who came flying home to secure the 95-92 road victory.

The Thunder arrived at Dandenong Basketball Stadium looking to snap a two-game losing streak up against a Rangers team trying to break its eight-match losing slide.

North West Tasmania went on to open up a five-point lead in the opening period before seeing that grow to 13 in the second and 22 in the third.

The Thunder were still on top by 22 in the fourth period but the Rangers weren’t going to throw in the towel. The home side threw everything at a miraculous fightback and by the time Jack Roberts scored in the dying seconds, it was a two-point ball game.

Sekou Sylla made of his two free-throws in the clutch for the Thunder to push the lead out to three but when Dandenong couldn’t collect the defensive rebound on the missed second, North West Tasmania had done enough for their fourth win of 2023.

Venky Jois not only put up 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists on 10/15 shooting for North West Tasmania, but he was also the reason the Rangers didn’t get a chance to snatch it by his competing for the offensive rebound on the missed free-throw from Sylla.

Sylla himself ended up with 20 points and 13 rebounds with Tre Armstrong contributing 18 points, three boards, three assists and two steals, and Vionte Daniels 12 points and six assists.

Deng Puoch top-scored for Dandenong with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists with Harry Bowater contributing 13 points and three boards, Jack Roberts 16 points and five rebounds, Jacob Eyman 12 points, and Elijah Duol 10 points, five boards, three blocks and two assists.