NBL1 South Recap | Sunday First Nations Round

Micaela Cocks led the Frankston Blues to a win in a stunning Sunday NBL1 South overtime battle against Alice Kunek and the Nunawading Spectres while Tyler Rudolph was again brilliant for the Ballarat Miners, and the Eltham Wildcats and Melbourne Tigers won with huge finishes.

First Nations Round in the NBL1 Sound wrapped up on Sunday with the women's results seeing the Eltham Wildcats beat the Kilsyth Cobras 77-62, Dandenong Rangers defeat the Knox Raiders 79-62, Diamond Valley Eagles down the Ballarat Miners 88-81, Bendigo Braves down the Sandringham Sabres 80-74, Frankston Blues winning 92-91 over Nunawading Spectres, and the Melbourne Tigers beating the Casey Cavaliers 71-64.

The men's results had the Wildcats beat the Cobras 77-67, the Raiders defeat the Rangers 112-87, the Miners down the Eagles 105-87, the Sabres prevail 105-65 against the Braves, the Blues beat the Spectres 100-83, and the Tigers win 90-79 against the Cavaliers.
 
NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | SATURDAY FIRST NATIONS ROUND

NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | FRIDAY FIRST NATIONS ROUND

WOMEN

Maley returns as Wildcats stay in top eight

The Eltham Wildcats produced a big finish to get a crucial 77-62 road victory against the Kilsyth Cobras on Sunday to close Round 13 in the NBL1 South.

With Eltham coming into the game eighth at 10-9 and Kilsyth 9-11 and clinging to a playoff dream, and plenty went on the line for the two teams at Kilsyth Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon.

Kilsyth were fresh off beating the Melbourne Tigers back on Friday night and then started well again on Sunday to lead Eltham 20-16 by quarter-time.

It remained a tight contest throughout the opening three quarters as well with Eltham just clinging to a five-point lead by three quarter-time. It was then all the Wildcats in the fourth stanza as they put up 24 to 14 on the way to building the final 15-point margin.

It's a significant result with the Wildcats going to close to wrapping up a playoff spot at 11-9 with two games to go next weekend at home to Diamond Valley and Mount Gambier.

It's a tough blow for Kilsyth who slip to 9-12 with the defeat with just one game to go at home to the Knox Raiders.

Anneli Maley returned for Eltham on the back of playing with the Australian Opals at the FIBA Asia Cup and ahead of joining the Perth Lynx in the WNBL. She delivered 24 points, 22 rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Bec Pizzey added 13 points, seven boards, four blocks, three steals and two assists, Hailey Leidel 13 points, two assists and two steals, and Louise Forsyth 16 points and seven rebounds.

Alisia Jenkins top-scored for Kilsyth once more with 16 points to go with 13 rebounds, seven steals and two assists with Georgia McBean adding nine points and three boards, Nikita Young eight points, five assists and four rebounds, and Sarah Haberfield eight points and three boards.

Rangers with important win over Raiders

The Dandenong Rangers made a flying start and converted that into an eventual 79-62 win against the Knox Raiders in a contest featuring two teams trying to keep their playoff hopes alive.

With the Rangers at 9-11 and the Raiders at 9-10 coming into the game sitting outside a top eight position, any hopes they had of still making it went on the line on Sunday at Dandenong Basketball Stadium.

The Rangers ended up making a flying start on their home court racing out to a 12-point lead by quarter-time and they never looked back from there. 

The lead for Dandenong grew out to 17 points in the second quarter, eight in the third and 19 in the fourth with the Rangers then ending up winning by 17.

It sets up a fascinating final round with the Rangers improving to a 10-11 record with a game to go away to Casey while the Raiders are now 9-11 with an away game to Kilsyth and home clash with Bendigo next week.

Amber Smith had another strong showing for Dandenong in the win with 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists while Sarah Boothe contributed 19 points, 10 boards and three blocks, and Bree Whatman 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Alicia Froling did all she could to try and keep Knox in the contest with 21 points and 11 rebounds with Emily Fisher adding 12 points, four assists and three boards, and Kiera Rowe 10 points, five boards and three assists.

Emilie Hesseldal hits the ???? ?

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 9, 2023

Eagles spoil Rinaldi's final home game to stay alive

The Diamond Valley Eagles had to fight hard but eventually got the important 88-81 win over the Ballarat Miners to keep themselves in the playoff hunt with a round to go.

Diamond Valley arrived at Selkirk Stadium on Sunday just outside the top eight at 10-10 as they took on the bottom placed Ballarat on a six-game losing run attempting to win their last home game of the season.

Both teams had their moments in the opening quarter with Ballarat finishing it leading by a point before the Eagles got on a roll in the second term and would end up leading by as much as 18 points.

However, Ballarat were desperate for a strong finish at home for the season and dominated the third quarter with 25 points to 12 and that saw the home team regain the advantage.

Ballarat still led by three early in the fourth quarter to give them a chance, but Diamond Valley just had too much at stake to turn the tide once more to end up securing the seven-point victory.

The win keeps the Eagles alive in the finals race improving to 11-10 with a game to go in the last round away the Eltham Wildcats. It's a daunting task for Ballarat to end their season in Bendigo against the unbeaten Braves.

Jade Compton was terrific for Diamond Valley with 26 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals including knocking down 4/8 from behind the three-point arc.

Jennie Rintala delivered another 22 points and 11 rebounds as well for the Eagles with Kara Tessari contributing 10 points and nine assists, Allison Day nine points, eight boards and six assists, and Monique Andriuolo nine points and four rebounds.

Abbey Wehrung played the full 40 minutes for the second time this weekend for Ballarat for 32 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and two steals while going 10/20 from the field, 5/10 from downtown and 7/7 at the foul line.

Emma Karamovic also put up 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Kristy Rinaldi 12 points, 10 boards and three assists in what was her last ever home game with the Miners, and the 351st in her remarkable career.

Braves survive late scare from Sabres

The Sandringham Sabres threw everything at a massive fightback to hand the Bendigo Braves their first loss of 2023, but it wasn’t quite to be with the unbeaten league-leaders prevailing 80-74.

Sandringham was looking for a win to lock away a playoff berth too as they hosted the Braves at Southern Basketball Stadium, but it wasn’t going to be an easy task.

Bendigo might have had top spot locked away but weren’t lacking any motivation still and raced out to a 17-point lead on the road on Sunday in the first quarter.

On the back of that, the Braves were still leading 42-28 by half-time and extended that lead out to 23 points in the third term and were still up by 22 in the fourth.

Just when the result looked locked away, the Sabres threw everything at what would have been a remarkable comeback and scored 14 consecutive points.

They did get the deficit back to six points by the final buzzer but ran out of time of doing something truly special with the Braves securing the win to improve to 20-0 on the season.

The Sabres missed the chance to secure a playoff spot with them now sitting at 11-9 with two games to finish away to Frankston and Melbourne next weekend.

After a huge performance on her return the previous night from the FIBA Asia Cup, Amy Atwell delivered another 24 points, eight rebounds and three steals for Bendigo.

Megan McKay strengthened her push for the MVP award this season with another 23 points, 14 rebounds and two assists with Cassidy McLean contributing 15 points, five assists, three blocks and three rebounds.

Funda Nakkasoglu put in a terrific effort for Sandringham to finish with 24 points and two steals while Georgia Pineau contributed 18 points, 10 boards, three assists and two steals, Britt Smart 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks, and Klara Wischer 10 points, 10 boards and four steals.

Cassidy McLean gets the block ??? keeps the ball in play ?

Serious hustle ?

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 9, 2023

Blues beat Spectres in overtime classic

A huge three from Cassidy Mihalko and a massive performance from Alice Kunek saw the Nunawading Spectres push them all the way, but the Frankston Blues prevailed on Sunday 92-91 in an overtime thriller.

Nunawading might have been out of the playoff race but were looking to snap a three-game losing run up against a Frankston team trying to finish as high up in the top eight as possible.

In the end, Kunek and Micaela Cocks combined for 72 points, 24 rebounds and eight assists for their respective teams in what proved to be a cracking overtime contest.

The Spectres opened up impressively to lead by 12 points in the first quarter but Frankston fired back in the second term with 23 points to nine which saw them hold a 40-36 lead by half-time.

Things remained tight throughout the second half, though, and ultimately after Micaela Cocks hit two free-throws to put Frankston up three, Nunawading had to find something special on the last possession.

That's exactly what they did with Cassidy Mihalko knocking down the three-pointer to tie scores up. There was still time for the Blues to get one last crack at it, but Ella Batish's shot wouldn’t fall and the game went to overtime.

Chloe Bibby took charge in the extra period starting with a three-pointer to put Frankston up five, she scored another jumper soon after to make the lead six and then despite Alice Kunek continuing to keep Nunawading close, the Blues held on for the one-point win.

It's an important win for Frankston too who improve to 15-6 on the season with a home clash with Sandringham to finish in the last round. The Spectres slip to 8-13 having lost their past four.

Micaela Cocks finished the afternoon with 34 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals for Frankston on the back of shooting 10/13 from the floor, 4/5 from three-point range and 10/10 at the foul line.

Chloe Bibby also put up another 15 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists, Lou Brown 15 points, 12 boards and four assists, Ella Batish 10 points, five assists and three rebounds, and Chelsea D'Angelo 10 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Alice Kunek delivered a huge performance for Nunawading with 38 points, 15 rebounds and four assists with 11/21 shooting from the floor and 14/14 at the free-throw line.

Rachel Brewster also had 13 points and five rebounds, Devon Brookshire 12 points and seven boards, and Cassidy Mihalko 11 points and four rebounds with 3/5 three-point shooting.

Tigers snap losing run at expense of Cavs

The Melbourne Tigers snapped a 10-game losing streak in their second last game of the NBL1 South season by beating the Casey Cavaliers 71-64.

The Tigers and Cavs came into the clash on Sunday to close First Nations Round at MSAC with a combined 7-32 record, but that didn’t stop them producing an entertaining affair.

Hunting a first win since May 14, the Tigers started strongly opening up a 15-point lead in the first quarter and to still be on top 27-15 by quarter-time.

Melbourne wouldn’t let up and ended up leading by as much as 18 points in the second period, and maintained a double-digit lead through most of the second half on the way to the eventual seven-point victory.

It snaps a 10-game losing run for the Tigers as they improve to 5-16 on the season with the Cavs slipping to 3-17 with the defeat.

Sam Simons continued her strong form for Melbourne with 14 points, six assists, five steals and three rebounds with Tylah Hooper contributing 13 points, three boards and two steals, Lily Carmody 13 points and five rebounds, and Angelique Francis 11 points, seven boards and three assists.

Lauren Van Kleunen delivered 22 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, Taylah Simmons 14 points, nine boards, eight assists and three steals, Taylah Gillam nine points and three assists, and Rachel Bell nine points, six boards and two steals.

MEN

Wildcats fire late to stay in playoff spot

With their season hanging by a thread at three quarter-time, the Eltham Wildcats produced a standout fourth quarter to overrun the Kilsyth Cobras to win 77-67 and consolidate a top eight spot.

The Wildcats came into the clash at Kilsyth Sports Centre only just hanging onto eighth position and while the Cobras are all but out of the playoff race despite winning their last couple, they did want to keep on winning.

Eltham did start well with 24 points to 20 in the first quarter and then the lead for the Wildcats got out to 10 points in the second term, but the Cobras hit back the rest of the first half to trail by just a point at the long break.

Kilsyth kept the momentum going in the third quarter too to end up leading by two at three quarter-time. The Cobras then led by three early in the last stanza and the Wildcats were looking at a loss that could potentially cost them a finals spot.

However, Eltham responded from there including going on an 8-0 run to turn that three-point deficit into a 13-point lead and then to end up scoring the important 10-point win.

The victory improves the Wildcats to a 12-8 record to remain inside the top eight and finish their season next week at home to both the Diamond Valley Eagles and Mount Gambier Pioneers.

With the loss, Kilsyth is now 9-12 with a two-game winning streak coming to an end.

Owen Foxwell was back into the line-up for Eltham and delivered 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists while shooting 3/6 from downtown and 7/10 at the foul line.

Josh Sykes also had 19 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, Callum Dalton 14 points and nine boards, and Angus Glover seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Adrian Tomada delivered 22 points, five rebounds and two assists for Kilsyth with Jamie Ahale adding 12 points, 11 boards and three assists, and Auryn MacMillan 10 points and seven rebounds.

Raiders move further clear winning top v bottom clash

It was top against bottom at Dandenong Basketball Stadium on Sunday afternoon and the game went to script with the Knox Raiders moving closer to the regular season championship beating the Dandenong Rangers 112-87.

It was the last home game of the season for the Rangers and they faced the ultimate test up against the league-leading Raiders who had won their past seven matches to be sitting pretty on top of the NBL1 South.

Knox worked its way to a four-point lead by the end of the opening quarter but Dandenong was doing well sticking with them with the Raiders only leading by five at the main interval.

However, the Raiders then turned on the afterburners in the third quarter by outscoring the Rangers 39 points to 13 to see that five-point lead at the break grow to 31.

The advantage then got out to as much as 37 in the final stanza before Knox went on to win by 25 to make it eight wins in-a-row and move further clear in first place at 16-4.

The Rangers also remain in bottom spot at 3-18 having lost their past seven.

Ke'Jhan Feagin continued his brilliant season with Knox with another 28 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals on shooting 6/11 from beyond the arc.

Wayne Stewart Jr also produced 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Austin Rapp 16 points, five boards and two assists, Jacob Foy 12 points on 4/4 three-point shooting, and Mason Peatling 11 points and five rebounds.

Jack Roberts finished with 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds on 10/14 shooting for Dandenong with Lawson Eales adding 13 points and four boards, and Jacob Eyman 10 points and five rebounds.

Rudolph leads Miners to crucial win over Eagles

A second monster performance of the weekend from Tyler Rudolph has lifted the Ballarat Miners to a 105-87 home win over the Diamond Valley Eagles to stay in the NBL1 South playoff race.

Ballarat was fully aware the only way they could still make the finals this season was to keep on winning and coming into their last home game of the season, Diamond Valley were one opponent they could potentially replace in the top eight.

That raised the stakes significantly for the Sunday afternoon match up and the Miners did well in the opening quarter to lead 31-24 by the end of one.

Then after Diamond Valley led briefly by four points in the second quarter, Ballarat got back on top to lead by seven again at half-time and then to take charge throughout the second half in front of their vocal home fans.

The Miners advantage grew to 13 points in the third quarter and then 18 in the fourth, which ended up being the final margin with the home team making it three straight wins to improve to an 11-10 record.

They finish their season away to the Bendigo Braves while the Eagles are only clinging to a spot in the eight at 12-9 before being away to the Eltham Wildcats in the last game and that could well be an elimination final.

Tyler Rudolph backed up what he did the previous night against Eltham to produce another 32 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and two assists for Ballarat while knocking down 6/10 from behind the three-point line.

Adam Thoseby also landed 6/15 of his three-point attempts for 28 points, five assists and four rebounds with Jack Davidson contributing 17 points, three boards, three assists and two steals, Nic Pozoglou 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Max Cody 11 points, five assists and four steals.

Mandrell Worthy top-scored for Diamond Valley with 15 points, three rebounds and two assists with Desmond Owili adding 13 points and five boards, Ngor Manyang 12 points and eight rebounds, Joel Capetola 12 points, six boards, five assists and three steals, Ben Allen 12 points and eight rebounds, and BJ Symons 11 points and seven boards.

Still trying to figure out how Jack Davidson got past a ????? ???? for that bucket ?

Watch #NBL1South via https://t.co/NEk1I7kIKG or the NBL1 App ? & ? pic.twitter.com/1sr1JALtsU

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Sabres stay fourth with big win in Bendigo

The Sandringham Sabres fired back in the most emphatic way possible to a pair off losses to dominate the Bendigo Braves on Sunday on the way to the 105-65 victory.

The Sabres were still sitting in fourth position despite the last two losses to Nunawading and Hobart, but they couldn’t afford another slip up on Sunday at home to Bendigo.

That wasn’t going to be case from early on with Sandringham dominating the opening quarter with 33 points to 13 to be leading already by 20 points at quarter-time.

That advantage for the Sabres grew to 25 points in the second stanza, 38 in the third and 44 in the fourth as they went on to score the 40-point victory.

The win maintains the hold that Sandringham has on a top four position with a 14-6 record with games to finish away to Frankston and Melbourne.

The loss ends any hopes Bendigo still had of reaching the playoffs at 9-12 with games next week at home to Ballarat and away to Knox.

There was a lot to like in the victory for the Sabres with South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL guard Ben Ayre showing the way with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Dane Pineau added 15 points and 11 rebounds, CJ Asuncion-Byrd 19 points and seven boards, Nic Gabsch 12 points and two steals, Campbell Blogg 10 points, three assists and three rebounds, and Tom Koppens nine points, 12 boards and two steals.

Lachlan O'Brien top-scored for Bendigo with 17 points and two rebounds on 4/6 shooting from behind the arc. Lat Mayen added 11 points and five rebounds, Adam Pechacek 10 points and six boards, and Billy Smythe 10 points, three boards and two steals. 

Watch your head, Campbell Blogg is coming in ??? ?

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 9, 2023

Trist ensures Frankston move back to second

The Frankston Blues have had the bounce back weekend they needed to remain in second spot in the NBL1 South with one round to go after beating the Nunawading Spectres 100-83.

Coming into the weekend and Frankston had lost three straight games but they bounced back with a steadying Saturday win over Casey coming into Sunday's match up with Nunawading on the road.

It was a Spectres team still hoping to break into the top four too potentially at the expense of the Blues so there was plenty at stake.

It was a tight game for the first half with scores level by quarter-time before the Blues began to pull away to lead by six points at half-time.

That advantage for Frankston blew out to 13 points in the third quarter, and then 21 in the fourth before the Blues secured the 17-point victory to improve to a 14-6 record in second spot with a game to finish at home to the fourth placed Sandringham.

Nunawading now will just hope to secure fifth spot with a win next week at home to Ringwood.

Daniel Trist continued his superb finish to the season for Frankston with another 32 points, 11 rebounds and two assists on 10/22 shooting from the floor, 3/6 from downtown and 9/10 from the foul line.

Lachlan Barker added 15 points and five rebounds, Lucas Barker 14 points, 13 boards, nine assists and two steals, and Igor Hadziomerovic 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Jalen Gibbs top-scored for the Spectres with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists, Jack Gandolfo 13 points, five assists and two rebounds, Will Carius 12 points and seven boards, and Kingsley Box 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Nicolas Tata caught a body ?

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Huge Tigers finish delivers win over Cavs

Finals might have slipped away for the Melbourne Tigers but that didn’t stop them from putting up a huge fourth quarter to come from behind to beat the Casey Cavaliers 90-79 on Sunday.

The Tigers slipped out of playoff contention with losing their past two games but they played host to a Cavs team on an eight-game winning streak on Sunday at MSAC.

Casey was hunting a fourth win of the season and started well to lead by eight at quarter-time and that advantage got out to 11 in the second term, but by half-time the Tigers closed the gap to two.

The Cavs remained in control in the third quarter, though, to still be leading 57-50 by three quarter-time.

The Tigers needed to respond and they produced a massive final term with 40 points to 22 to turn that seven-point deficit into the 11-point victory to improve to 10-11 on the season.

Mason Gaze put up 26 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Tigers while landing 6/9 from three-point territory.

Jack Purchase delivered another 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots, Michael Wearne 15 points, two boards and two assists, and Remo Simankevicius 13 points and four rebounds.

Despite the loss, there were some huge performances for the Cavaliers with Preston Bungei scoring 28 points to go with three rebounds and two assists with Sidy Djitte adding 13 points and 24 rebounds, and Mitch Riggs 16 points and three boards.