NBL1 South Recap | Sunday Round 12

Hailey Leidel shot the Eltham Wildcats back into the NBL1 South top eight while Riley Lupfer knocked down seven threes for the Launceston Tornadoes, Jock Perry inspired the Diamond Valley Eagles to a fifth consecutive win and Dexter Kernich-Drew helped Waverley Falcons to another win.

Round 12 in the NBL1 South wrapped on Sunday with the women's action seeing the Eltham Wildcats beat the Ballarat Miners 91-87, Mount Gambier Pioneers defeat the Dandenong Rangers 92-59, and Waverley Falcons down the Melbourne Tigers 84-50.

The Sandringham Sabres also beat the Hobart Chargers 89-71, the Frankston Blues won 69-63 against the Kilsyth Cobras, and the Launceston Tornadoes beat the Diamond Valley Eagles 79-77.

Then in the men's matches, the Eagles beat the North West Tasmania Thunder 97-85, the Miners defeated the Wildcats 82-68, the Pioneers downed the Rangers 90-71, the Falcons won 82-73 against the Tigers, the Chargers defeated the Sabres 102-89, and the Cobras beat the Blues 98-90.

NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | SATURDAY ROUND 12

NBL1 SOUTH RECAP | FRIDAY ROUND 12

WOMEN

Leidel shoots Wildcats back into top eight

The Eltham Wildcats returned to the NBL1 South's top eight with two rounds of the season remaining but they were made to earn the 91-87 victory over the Ballarat Miners.

With the Miners coming off a Friday night loss to the Ringwood Hawks and the Wildcats going down to the Waverley Falcons, they were both looking to bounce back but Eltham just had too much at stake to let it slip.

The Wildcats managed to build a four-point lead by quarter-time which stretched out to as much as nine points in the second term and then 10 in the second half, but Ballarat weren’t going away at home at Selkirk Stadium.

The Miners even grabbed the lead when Emma Karamovic scored with just over three minutes to go to set up a thrilling finish.

Hayley Munro put Eltham back in front and that's where they would stay but not without Ballarat giving them an almighty scare.

The Wildcats held on for the four-point win to improve to a 10-9 record to move back into the top eight while the Miners are 3-16 having lost five straight.

Hailey Leidel produced another 22 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks for Eltham while hitting 5/11 from three-point range.

Louise Forsyth added 22 points and seven rebounds, Bec Pizzey 12 points and three boards, Hayley Munro 12 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, and Claudio Armato 11 points, eight assists, three boards and two steals.

Tayanna Jones had a huge performance for Ballarat made up of 27 points and 13 rebounds with 4/6 shooting from deep while Annie Collins added 21 points and three assists with 5/7 three-point shooting.

Abbey Wehrung also had 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds, and Emma Karamovic 14 points, eight boards, seven assists and two steals.

The full court defence is ?? ??????? for Ally Marshall and Eltham ?‍??

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Pioneers hit back impressively over Rangers

The Mount Gambier Pioneers bounced back from a Friday night loss to win big on Sunday 92-59 at home to the Dandenong Rangers.

The Pioneers lost at home in an entertaining affair to the undefeated Bendigo Braves on Friday ahead of hosting the Rangers on Sunday who are still in the fight for a playoff position.

However, it didn’t take long for Mount Gambier to assert their authority with 29 points to 13 in the first quarter while scoring 14 straight points and leading by 16 at quarter-time.

The Pioneers continued to dominate with the lead growing to 24 points in the second term, 31 in the third and then finally 35 in the fourth before they scored the 33-point victory.

The victory improves Mount Gambier to a 13-5 record on the season with Dandenong remaining outside the top eight at 9-10 with two rounds remaining.

Cassandra Brown ended up with 25 points, six rebounds and four steals for Mount Gambier with 8/16 shooting from the field, 3/8 from downtown and 6/6 at the foul line.

Perth Lynx WNBL signing Miela Goodchild added 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals, Imogen Rock 12 points, seven boards and four assists, Haliegh Reinoehl 11 points, five rebounds and five steals, and Sherrie Calleia 10 points, 10 boards, nine assists and two steals.

Nyadiew Puoch continued her brilliant form for Dandenong despite the loss with 26 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks with 12/13 free-throw shooting.

Amber Smith added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Rangers.

Nyadiew Puoch took that all the way ?

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Cole fires as Falcons maintain second spot

The Waverley Falcons maintained second position in the NBL1 South with a commanding 84-50 Sunday home victory over the Melbourne Tigers.

The Falcons had beaten the Eltham Wildcats back on Friday night and kept the momentum going at Waverley Basketball Centre on Sunday against a Tigers team who had also lost to the Geelong United Supercats by 28 points to open the weekend.

Waverley raced out to a double-figure lead early and that advantage was out to as much as 23 points in the second quarter before the Falcons led 54-31 by half-time.

It was nother 22 points to nine in the third quarter and the Falcons would lead by as much as 41 before ending up with the 34-point victory to improve to a 15-3 to remain locked into second spot with two weeks remaining.

The Tigers are now 4-15 having lost nine consecutively.

Bec Cole was outstanding once more for Waverley with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists on the back of shooting 9/14 from the floor, 3/6 from behind the arc and 4/4 at the line.

Maddi Utti contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, Carley Ernst 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Sophia Locandro 11 points and seven rebounds.

Sam Simons put up another 14 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Tigers with Nikki Metcalfe contributing 10 points and six boards, and Jade Odom nine points and seven rebounds.

 

Nakkasoglu, Smart shoot Sabres to sixth straight

The Sandringham Sabres kept on winning with Funda Nakkasoglu and Britt Smart combining for eight three-pointers in Sunday's 89-71 victory against the Hobart Chargers.

Sandringham made it five straight wins beating the Nunawading Spectres back on Friday night while the Chargers began their double-header on the road losing to the Casey Cavaliers on Saturday.

After Hobart started well to lead by seven points early on, the Sabres took over the contest with 10 straight points to be leading 26-21 by quarter-time.

Sandringham's lead got out to as much as 17 points in the second stanza, 23 in the third and 24 in the fourth before the Sabres beat the Chargers by 18 to improve to an 11-8 record to be solid in the top eight with six wins in-a-row.

Funda Nakkasoglu led the charge for Sandringham knocking down 4/9 from three-point range on her way to 25 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Britt Smart also hit 4/10 from three-point range for 20 points, four rebounds and two blocks with Georgia Pineau contributing 20 points and 12 boards, and Klara Wischer 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Paige Bradley fought hard for Hobart to end up with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Sarah O'Neill added 16 points and two boards, and Cori Coleman nine points, four rebounds and three steals.

Frankston hit back with crucial win over Kilsyth

The Frankston Blues needed the win on Sunday at home to the Kilsyth Cobras and they got it by prevailing 69-63 but only after holding out the fast finishing visitors.

Frankston slipped outside the top four with a loss to the Geelong United Supercats the previous night ahead of hosting a Kilsyth team who were fresh off their own win in a thriller of the Diamond Valley Eagles.

The Blues took charge of the contest in the second quarter by outscoring the Cobras 23 points to seven to go into half-time on top 39-27.

The lead for Frankston got out to as much as 19 points in the third quarter but they could never quite fully shake Kilsyth.

The Cobras would go on a 10-0 run in the fourth term and got back to as close as four points a couple of times down the stretch, but the Eagles did enough to just hold on for the six-point victory.

The win improves Frankston to a 13-6 record splitting their games this weekend while Kilsyth are 8-11 having also gone 1-1 in Round 12.

Chelsea D'Angelo finished with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals in the win for Frankston while Lou Brown had another 18 points, 15 boards, three steals and two assists.

Micaela Cocks also produced 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals, and Ella Batish 11 points, five assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Alisia Jenkins did all she could once more for Kilsyth ending up with 28 points and eight rebounds with Alexa Hart contributing 11 points, two rebounds and two steals, and Nikita Young 10 points, five boards and two steals.

Lupfer's seven threes lift Tornadoes over Eagles

It's quite remarkable but Launceston's 79-77 win over Diamond Valley means that the Tornadoes have won twice this weekend by two points and the Eagles have lost twice by two points.

Not only that, but Diamond Valley lost on Saturday night to the Kilsyth Cobras 79-77 and then lost to Launceston in the exact same scoreline on Sunday at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre.

After the Eagles led by six points early on, Launceston began to take over to lead by as much as seven in the first half before being up 38-34 in the opening half.

That lead for the Tornadoes blew out to 14 points in the third quarter and they were still up eight in the fourth, but Diamond Valley made a late charge on their home floor.

Huge threes in the final minutes from Kara Tessari and Sophie Burrows did get the Eagles back within a point, but ultimately a tech foul against Jade Dunne which was converted by Olivia West, and two more free-throws from West sealed the win for the visitors.

The pair of two-point wins this weekend for the Tornadoes despite the absence of Keely Froling improves them to an 8-11 record while the two losses for the Eagles leaves them at 9-10 and outside the top eight still.

Riley Lupfer hit 7/13 from three-point range for Launceston on her way to 25 points, five rebounds and three assists with Olivia West adding 20 points, nine boards, four assists and four steals along with the clutch foul shots.

Macey Crawford also had 14 points, six rebounds and three assists, Micah Simpson 11 points, five boards and three assists, and Taya Webb eight points, four rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Kara Tessari top-scored for Diamond Valley with 17 points and six assists while hitting 5/9 from beyond the arc.

Jennie Rintala also had 14 points, 15 rebounds and three assists, Sophie Burrows 10 points and nine boards, Jade Dunne nine points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Monique Andriuolo eight points and eight boards.

MEN

Miners stay alive with Rudolph brilliant with 38

Tyler Rudolph put in a dominant performance with 38 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Ballarat Miners to the 82-68 win against the Eltham Wildcats to keep their season alive.

It always shaped as a fascinating match up with the Wildcats trying to consolidate their top eight position while the Miners need to get back to winning break into the playoffs.

Eltham was fresh off a terrific win over the Waverley Falcons on Friday while Ballart went down in a cracking contest to the Ringwood Hawks so the stage was set for Sunday's battle.

Ballarat made a flying start on their home floor with an 18-0 run in the first quarter to still then be leading by 12 at quarter-time.

The Miners would end up leading by 20 in the second quarter and maintained a double-figure lead throughout most of the second half on the way to the important 14-point win that keeps their playoff dream alive.

The Miners now sit on a 9-10 record with the Wildcats at 11-8 with both teams splitting their two games in Round 12.

Tyler Rudolph was outstanding for Ballarat in the win putting up 38 points, 12 rebounds and three steals on the back of shooting 17/29 from the floor.

Adam Thoseby added 16 points and two assists, Jack Davidson 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Nic Pozoglou eight points, 11 boards, three assists and three steals, and Max Cody six points and eight assists.

Angus Glover produced 19 points and four assists for Eltham while Sam Whelan added 14 points with 4/9 three-point shooting, and Ovie Magbegor six points and 14 rebounds.

Clear the runway for Angus Glover ?

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Pioneers make it seven consecutive wins

The Mount Gambier Pioneers continue to charge towards the NBL1 South playoffs recording a seventh consecutive win to beat the Dandenong Rangers 90-71.

Mount Gambier had won six straight coming into the game at home to the bottom placed Dandenong and the Pioneers started well to lead by 12 already at quarter-time.

Mount Gambier continued to build on that advantage with the lead growing to 16 points in the second period, 27 in the third and 30 in the fourth before the Rangers did fire up a little late.

However, the Pioneers cruised to the 19-point victory to make it seven consecutive wins to improve to a 13-5 record to be solid in the top four. The Rangers remained in bottom place at 3-16 with five consecutive losses.

Nick Marshall continues to build his form back for Mount Gambier on return from injury with another 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Austin Shelley also had 20 points, four assists, four steals and two rebounds on 6/7 three-point shooting for the Pioneers with Dylan Marshall adding 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals, and Jacob Lampkin 12 points, nine boards and three assists.

Mike Amius delivered 17 points, 14 rebounds, five steals and four assists in the loss for Dandenong with Harry Bowater contributing 13 points and three boards, Jack Roberts eight points and six rebounds, James Roche eight points and four boards, and Lawson Eales eight points and five rebounds.

Kernich-Drew fires Falcons to win over Tigers

The Waverley Falcons were able to put a stop to the hot form of the Melbourne Tigers to consolidate their own playoff position with the 82-73 home victory.

The Falcons were back home at Waverley Basketball Centre looking to bounce back from Friday's loss to the Eltham Wildcats while the Tigers arrived in terrific form having won four straight to be knocking on the door of the top eight.

That set up a mouth watering Sunday afternoon battle with finals approaching and the Falcons got the better of the opening racing to a 26-13 lead by the end of one.

The Falcons continued to be in charge the rest of the contest leading by 18 points in the second quarter and 23 in the third, but the Tigers didn’t give up the ghost. 

They did score 12 straight points to fire back into the contest but could never quite totally bridge the gap with Waverley ending up winning by nine points.

The victory improves the Falcons to 11-7 on the season to remain solid inside the top eight while the Tigers missed a chance to close in on a spot slipping to 9-10.

The win was all the more impressive for Waverley considering they were without star Dillon Stith but Dexter Kernich-Drew stepped up to deliver 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals on shooting 9/14 from the floor, 3/4 from downtown and 4/4 at the foul line.

AJ Harris added 22 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Falcons, Tristan Forsyth 16 points and 12 boards, and Bennie Lewis eight points and seven rebounds.

Jack Purchase's form in the latter half of the season could very well put him in the MVP discussion and he continued on Sunday with another 29 points, five rebounds and three assists with 5/11 three-point shooting.

Felix von Hofe contributed 11 points, Mason Gaze eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Remo Simankevicius eight points and two rebounds.

 

Chargers stay alive with win over Sabres

Things remain fascinating in the NBL1 South playoff race with the defending champion Hobart Chargers staying alive by knocking off the third placed Sandringham Sabres 102-89.

The Sabres were back home at Southern Basketball Stadium looking to bounce back from Friday night's loss to the Nunawading Spectres but the Chargers knew they had to keep winning to remain any hope of sneaking into the top eight.

The Chargers did win the previous night against the Casey Cavaliers before starting well on Sunday against Sandringham to already be leading by seven at quarter-time.

Hobart built on that lead the rest of the afternoon to be leading by as much as 17 points in the second term, 21 in the third and to end up winning by 13 to keep their playoff aspirations alive while handing the Sabres a second loss for the weekend.

Devin Watson was superb for Hobart finishing the afternoon with 38 points, nine rebounds and three assists on 14/20 from the floor, 4/9 from three-point range and 6/6 at the foul line.

He had plenty of help too with reigning Grand Final MVP Sam McDaniel putting up 27 points and 11 rebounds with Zach White adding 14 points and three assists, and Jarred Bairstow 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

CJ Asuncion-Byrd put up 28 points and four rebounds for Sandringham with Campbell Blogg delivering 23 points, eight boards and five assists, and Tom Koppens 16 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Cobras hand Blues third straight defeat

The Frankston Blues slumped to a third straight NBL1 South defeat with the Kilsyth Cobras scoring the 98-90 Sunday win with Jamie Ahale knocking down seven three-point bombs.

The Blues had conceded top spot to the Knox Raiders by losing their past two matches coming into Sunday's clash with the Cobras at Dreamstreet Lending Arena.

Kilsyth might be all but out of playoff contention having also lost to the Diamond Valley Eagles on Saturday, but they arrived on Sunday ready to put in a strong showing.

The Cobras had already opened up an 11-point lead by the end of the first quarter but Frankston did hit back after falling 15 points down in the second term to get the deficit back to just six at the main break.

However, Kilsyth pulled away once more to lead by as much as 14 points in the third stanza and then 15 in the fourth before holding out the Blues to beat them by eight points.

With the win, the Cobras improve to 8-11 on the season but the real story is the Blues who have now lost three straight to slip to 13-6 to be further behind the league leading Raiders.

Chris Galbreath put together a strong showing for Kilsyth consisting of 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks on 12/21 shooting.

Jamie Ahale hit 7/11 from behind the three-point line for 24 points and eight rebounds with Adrian Tomada adding 21 points, 11 assists, five boards and three steals, and Auryn MacMillan 11 points and seven rebounds.

Daniel Trist did have another terrific performance for Frankston with 32 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals with 12/15 shooting from the foul line.

Lucas Barker had a triple-double despite the loss with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists with Igor Hadziomerovic adding eight points, eight boards and four assists, Vincent Monaghan eight points, and Josh Cleary eight points and two assists.

Daniel Trist found space where there was none ?

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Perry lifts Diamond Valley to fifth straight win

Jock Perry put in a dominant performance and the Diamond Valley Eagles set up their 97-85 win over the North West Tasmania Thunder with a commanding first half.

Diamond Valley was back home on Sunday on a four-game winning streak hosting the North West Tasmania who were fresh off losing a tight one to the Knox Raiders on Saturday night to begin their road trip.

The Eagles made a tremendous start to the contest to open up an 18-point advantage in the first quarter and that lead blew out to as much as 25 in the second period before Diamond Valley were in control 65-40 at the major break.

While North West Tasmania did battle hard to fight back into the match in the second half, they could never get close enough to seriously threaten with Diamond Valley ending up winning by 12.

It makes it five straight wins for the Eagles who improve to 12-7 on the season to be further consolidated in the top eight. The Thunder return home winless from this weekend at 7-12.

Jock Perry was superb for Diamond Valley finishing with 26 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 9/13 from the field, 6/8 from three-point range and 2/2 at the free-throw line.

BJ Symons added 16 points, five rebounds and two assists, Ngor Manyang 15 points, three rebounds and two assists, Desmond Owili 12 points and five boards, Mandrell Worthy 10 points and two assists, and Joel Capetola 10 points, three assists and two rebounds.

Sekou Sylla finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for the Thunder with Tre Armstrong top-scoring with 19 points, five assists and four rebounds with Vionte Daniels contributing 16 points and three assists, and Joe Chilcott 13 points with 3/7 three-point shooting.

Ngor Manyang has hit 3?? triples in a quarter of basketball ?

Get the rock in his hands ?

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