Recap NBL1 South | Round 5 Saturday

Feature images via: Scott Gick

Shaneice Swain hit the game winner for Geelong United to hand Mount Gambier Pioneers a first loss of the NBL1 South season with Steph Reid and Lou Brown leading Frankston to another win, and the Diamond Valley Eagles pulled off a stunning finish for their first win.

In Saturday night's women's NBL1 South, the Bendigo Braves beat the Waverley Falcons 93-60, the Knox Raiders downed the Casey Cavaliers 80-62, the Ballarat Miners defeated the Keilor Thunder 90-72, and the Eltham Wildcats won 89-79 against the Ringwood Hawks.

The Dandenong Rangers also beat the Kilsyth Cobras 94-64 while the Nunawading Spectres beat the Diamond Valley Eagles 81-74, Frankston Blues downed the Launceston Tornadoes 74-66, Sandringham Sabres won 79-69 against the Melbourne Tigers, and Geelong United beat the Mount Gambier Pioneers 81-79.

Then in the men's fixtures, Mount Gambier beat Geelong United 93-81, Sandringham defeated Melbourne 85-71, Diamond Valley downed Nunawading 91-88, Frankston won 101-76 over the North West Tasmania Thunder, and Dandenong beat Kilsyth 100-90.

The Hawks also beat the Wildcats 86-77, the Miners defeated Keilor 113-83, Knox beat Casey 107-83 and Waverley won big 110-75 against Bendigo.

RECAP NBL1 SOUTH | ROUND 5 FRIDAY

WOMEN

Geelong United (81) defeated Mount Gambier Pioneers (79)

Shaneice Swan was the hero hitting a massive go-ahead three for Geelong United with eight seconds to go to lead to the eventual 81-79 win over the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

The Pioneers came into the contest having won all six of their games to start the season ahead of taking on Geelong United at The Arena with Geelong looking to improve on their 1-4 start.

It had all the makings of being a terrific contest and it certainly delivered with no more than seven points separating the two teams the entire night.

Scores were level at 22-22 by quarter-time before Mount Gambier did manage to outscore Geelong 23 points to 16 in the second term to go into the half-time break leading 45-38.

United hit back in the third stanza and outscored the Pioneers 25 points to 15 to turn that half-time deficit into their own 63-60 lead heading into the fourth.

Lasha Petree hit a three with seven minutes to play to put Mount Gambier back in front and the lead would continue to exchange hands the rest of the way.

The Pioneers were leading by one once more thanks to a jumper with Haliegh Reinoehl leading into a Geelong timeout with just under 30 seconds to play.

The ball ended up in the hands of Shaneice Swain and she would pull up to take a three from up top and it never looked like missing. That went down with eight seconds to play with Mount Gambier having one more chance out of a timeout.

The ball got to Zitina Aokuso in the post but her pass went right into the waiting hands of Petree and Geelong United would go on to win by two and improve to 2-4 as a result.

Not only did Swain hit what was ultimately the winning three, but she finished with 28 points, seven steals and three rebounds on 5/12 from downtown.

Petree also ended up with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals with Sarah Elsworthy contributing 14 points, seven boards, three assists and three steals, and Jada Rice nine points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Sherrie Calleia finished with 23 points, four rebounds and three assists for a Mount Gambier team who suffered a first loss of 2024.

Zitina Aokuso added 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists with Haliegh Reinoehl contributing 17 points and six boards, and Samantha Fatkin 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Both teams back up to play on Sunday with Geelong on the road to the Kilsyth Cobras while the Pioneers are on the road to the Bendigo Braves.

GEELONG UNITED 81 (Swain 28, Petree 19, Elsworthy 14)

MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 79 (Calleia 23, Aokuso 18, Reinoehl 17)

Sandringham Sabres (79) defeated Melbourne Tigers (69)

The Sandringham Sabres backed up their stunning win over the Bendigo Braves by returning home and beating the Melbourne Tigers 79-69.

The Sabres became the first team since Ringwood in the 2022 Grand Final to beat Bendigo last week before backing up beating Nunawading coming into Saturday's match up at Southern Basketball Stadium.

The Tigers came into the match up looking to bounce back from a loss to the Eltham Wildcats and it was a tight contest in the opening quarter with Sandringham leading 25-23 by the end of one.

The scoring dried up significantly in the second quarter with the two teams combining for just 22 points, but the Sabres scored 15 of those and that saw the home team go into half-time leading 40-30.

Sandringham remained on top through most of the second half too to end up winning by 10 and to improve to a 6-2 record on the season with six straight wins after losing the first two of 2024.

Funda Nakkasoglu was an imposing force once more for Sandringham finishing with 23 points, five assists and four rebounds on shooting 8/16 from the field, 3/5 from three-point land and 4/4 at the free-throw line.

Juna Umezawa added 19 points and nine rebounds on 9/13 shooting with Natasha Rivas Lee contributing 11 points and five boards, Emma Nankervis 10 points and three rebounds, and Eilidh Simpson four points, six boards and seven assists.

Cierra Dillard finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists for the now 4-4 Tigers with Abbey Sutherland contributing 12 points and four boards, and Sam Simons 10 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Sandringham is next in action next Saturday away to Geelong United while the Tigers head over Bass Strait to play Hobart on Friday and Launceston on Saturday.

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 79 (Nakkasoglu 23, Umezawa 19, Rivas Lee 11)

MELBOURNE TIGERS 69 (Dillard 24, Sutherland 12, Simons 10)

Launceston Tornadoes (66) lost to Frankston Blues (74)

Steph Reid and Lou Brown once again inspired the Frankston Blues to a win in Tasmania, this time beating the Launceston Tornadoes 74-66.

The Blues opened their Tasmanian double on Friday night by beating the Hobart Chargers with Reid brilliant with 42 points with good support from Brown, and that continued on Saturday against the Tornadoes at Mazda BT-50 Thunder Stadium.

Launceston was looking for a second win of the season at the same time and it was the home team who had a 17-13 advantage by quarter-time.

The Tornadoes turned that into a seven-point lead in the second term and they were still clinging to the 41-40 edge by the main break.

The game was still up for grabs by three quarter-time with Frankston leading by just a point, but the Blues had the better of the final period with 18 points to 11 to secure the eight-point win and make it a perfect road double in Tasmania to improve to 5-4.

It was WNBL championship winners Steph Reid and Lou Brown who ultimately were the match winners for the Blues for the second time this weekend.

Reid finished with 28 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals with Brown delivering 25 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and two assists.

The Tornadoes are now 1-7 following the loss despite 18 points and six rebounds from Keely Froling with Lore Devos contributing 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Sarah O'Neill 13 points.

The Tornadoes remain home to host the Melbourne Tigers next Saturday while Frankston remains on the road to the Bendigo Braves next Saturday.

LAUNCESTON TORNADOES 66 (Froling 18, Devos 16, S O'Neill 13)

FRANKSTON BLUES 74 (Reid 28, Brown 25, Wilkins 7)

Nunawading Spectres (81) defeated Diamond Valley Eagles (74)

The Nunawading Spectres finished strongly on their home floor for their second win of 2024, beating the Diamond Valley Eagles 81-74.

With the Spectres coming into the contest at Nunawading Basketball Centre hunting a second win of the season and the Eagles a third, it was always going to be a fascinating match up.

It was a hard fought contest all evening long with precious separating the two teams and no more than seven points separated them at any point, and that was the margin at the final buzzer.

Diamond Valley did manage to open up a 19-13 advantage by the end of the first quarter but by half-time and Nunawading had cut that lead back to just two points.

By three quarter-time and it was the Spectres clinging to a one-point lead, and the home team were able to do enough down the stretch to secure the eventual seven-point win to improve to 2-6 on the season as result.

Rachel Antoniadou finished up with 20 points, three rebounds and three assists in the win for Nunawading with Batabe Zempare contributing 19 points and 15 boards.

Isabel Feller contributed 17 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Louise Forsyth nine points, three boards and two steals.

Gemma Potter stepped up for 26 points, 10 rebounds and three steals for Diamond Valley with Jennie Rintala delivering 18 points, three boards and two assists, and Sophie Byrnes 12 points, eight assists and three steals.

The Spectres are on the road to the Mount Gambier Pioneers on Friday night while the Eagles are also away to the Ringwood Hawks on Saturday.

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 81 (Antoniadou 20, Zempare 19, Feller 17)

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 74 (Potter 26, Rintala 18, Byrnes 12)

Dandenong Rangers (94) defeated Kilsyth Cobras (64)

WNBA draftee Nyadiew Puoch starred again as the Dandenong Rangers kept on winning with the 94-64 home victory against the winless Kilsyth Cobras.

The Rangers were back home at Dandenong Basketball Stadium looking to continue their impressive start to the season going up against a Kilsyth team still hunting a first win of 2024.

It was a close contest throughout the first half and the Cobras were even able to open up a six-point lead in the second quarter while by half-time it was the Rangers clinging to the 41-40 advantage.

Dandenong then blew the game open by scoring 11 consecutive points in the third period to end up leading by 18.

That lead continued to grow with the Rangers out to a 32-point edge in the final stanza on the way to the 30-point victory to improve to 8-2 on the season.

Fresh off being drafted into the WNBA by the Atlanta Dream, Nyadiew Puoch has been on fire coming back to the Rangers to continue the NBL1 South. She delivered another 29 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocks on 10/17 shooting from the field and 8/11 at the foul line.

Dallas Loughridge added 21 points and four assists for Dandenong, Amber Smith 15 points and three boards, and Manuela Puoch 14 points and eight rebounds.

The Cobras fought hard despite now being 0-7 with Georgia Booth ending up with 14 points, six rebounds and four steals, Tegan Cunningham 13 points, seven boards, four assists and four steals, and Nikita Young 11 points and four assists.

The Cobras head home on Sunday to play host to Geelong United while Dandenong remain at home next Saturday against Keilor Thunder.

DANDENONG RANGERS 94 (Puoch 29, Loughridge 21, Smith 15)

KILSYTH COBRAS 64 (Booth 14, Cunningham 13, Young 11)

Eltham Wildcats (89) defeated Ringwood Hawks (79)

The Eltham Wildcats made it four wins in-a-row with the 89-79 home victory against the Ringwood Hawks.

The Wildcats came into the contest back home at Montmorency Secondary College on a three-game winning run after losing three straight to start 2024 up against a Ringwood team out to bounce back from Sunday's loss to Bendigo.

It was an entertaining opening from both teams with them combining for 51 points in the first quarter and Ringwood leading 26-25 by quarter-time.

It remained a tight battle in the second quarter as well with both teams adding another 22 points with the Hawks clinging to the 48-47 half-time advantage.

Late in the third quarter and Eltham were able to assume the lead and from there the Wildcats went on with the job with 22 points to 14 in the final stanza on the way to the eventual 10-point victory.

The win improves Eltham to a 4-3 record thanks to the four straight wins with Erin Riley leading the charge with 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Hailey Leidel added 19 points, seven assists, six steals and two rebounds for the Wildcats with Bec Pizzey contributing 16 points and 11 boards, and Shannon Dufficy 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Ahlise Hurst top-scored for the now 7-3 Ringwood with 15 points while Lana Hollingsworth contributed 13 points and six assists, and Aneta Bandilovska 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Annabel Deerbon also delivered 12 points, four boards, four assists and three steals with Digna Strautmane contributing 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals.

Eltham are on the road to Ballarat Miners next Saturday with Ringwood to host the Diamond Valley Eagles also on Saturday.

ELTHAM WILDCATS 89 (Riley 26, Leidel 19, Pizzey 16)

RINGWOOD HAWKS 79 (Hurst 15, Hollingsworth 13, Deerbon 12, Bandilovska 1)

Keilor Thunder (72) lost to Ballarat Miners (90)

Chloe Bibby was unstoppable and backed up by Abbey Wehrung and Mehryn Kraker as the Ballarat Miners overcame the 35 points from Penina Davidson for the 90-72 road win.

Ballarat arrived at Keilor Stadium at 2-4 with Keilor trying to keep its hot start of winning seven of eight going, but the Thunder were without key pair Maddy Rocci and Terra Reed – two of their four leading scorers.

It proved to be a spectacular evening with Ballarat opening up a 12-point lead in the first quarter before still leading 25-17 by the end of one.

It was Keilor who finished the first quarter the better and then turned that into a 13-0 scoring run during the second term, but Ballarat turned the tide once more with Chloe Bibby leading the way.

The Miners went on their own 10-0 run to go back up nine, but it was a tight contest still at half-time with the visitors up 41-38.

It was still just a six-point lead for Ballarat at three quarter-time but then it was all the Miners in the final period with 30 points to 18 to blow it out to an 18-point victory.

Ballarat improves to a 3-4 record on the back of the win with Chloe Bibby outstanding with 36 points and 10 rebounds with 9/17 shooting from the floor, 4/9 from downtown and 14/15 from the free-throw line.

Abbey Wehrung added 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists with 5/9 three-point shooting while Mehryn Kraker came in and delivered 22 points, four boards, three assists and three steals.

It's just a second loss of the season for Keilor with Penina Davidson delivering 35 points and five rebounds on 14/19 shooting.

Grace Graham also had 12 points and four rebounds, and Issie Bourne eight points, 12 boards, seven assists and two steals.

Keilor is on the road to the Dandenong Rangers next Saturday with the miners to play host to the Eltham Wildcats also on Saturday.

KEILOR THUNDER 72 (Davidson 35, Graham 12, Bourne 8)

BALLARAT MINERS 90 (Bibby 36, Wehrung 27, Kraker 22)

Knox Raiders (80) defeated Casey Cavaliers (62)

The Knox Raiders made it four consecutive wins with Alicia Froling and Paige Bradley starring in the 80-62 home victory against the Casey Cavaliers.

It was the first home game of the season at Knox Basketball Stadium with the Raiders arriving on a three-game winning streak against a Cavs team also having won their last two after an 0-5 start to 2024.

That set the stage nicely for the contest and it was a tight battle throughout the first half with Casey up by two at quarter-time, and then Knox managing to take a 41-38 advantage into the half-time break.

The Raiders did begin to work on top in the third quarter opening up an eight-point lead and then pulled away in the fourth to end up winning by 18 to celebrate their homecoming in style and improving to 6-1 as a result.

Alicia Froling starred again for Knox with 23 points and 18 rebounds with Paige Bradley also producing 25 points and seven assists.

Emma Pearce added 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals, Paige Burrows 11 points and four boards, and Kiera Rowe eight points and six rebounds.

Casey couldn’t quite make it three wins on the trot despite another 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Taylah Simmons.

Sharne Robati finished with 14 points and seven rebounds with Lauryn Hippolite adding 11 points and three boards, and Alex Wittinger nine points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.

Knox remains at home to host to the Waverley Falcons next Saturday with the Cavaliers also at home to the Kilsyth Cobras on the same evening.

KNOX RAIDERS 80 (Bradley 25, Froling 23, Pearce 11, Burrows 11)

CASEY CAVALIERS 62 (Simmons 16, Robati 14, Hippolite 11)

Waverley Falcons (60) lost to Bendigo Braves (93)

The Bendigo Braves continue to respond impressively to their streak ending and despite missing two key players with a 93-60 road win over the Waverley Falcons.

The Braves went through 2023 undefeated on the way to winning the NBL1 South and National Championship, but lost their first game since the 2022 Grand Final last Saturday at home to the Sandringham Sabres.

They did bounce back on Sunday beating the Ringwood Hawks by 35 points and hit the road to take on the Falcons this Saturday at Waverley Basketball Centre.

The Braves were still without star pair Amy Atwell and Ally Wilson to take on a Falcons team attempting to snap a four-game losing slide.

It didn’t take long for Bendigo to take charge opening up a 12-point advantage in the first quarter and still being leading 27-16 by the end of one.

The lead for the defending champions got out to 18 points in the second frame too and the Braves went into the half-time break leading 50-34.

That lead got out of hand from a Waverley point of view in the second half with Bendigo's lead growing to 32 points in the third quarter, and 40 in the fourth.

The Braves went on to score the 33-point win to improve to 7-1 on the season with Megan McKay a dominant force once more with 21 points and 12 rebounds with Cassidy McLean adding 19 points, six boards, five assists and two steals.

Kelly Wilson had another 15 points and eight assists for Bendigo with Caitlin Richardson contributing 14 points and five rebounds, and Lavinia Cox 13 points and five boards.

Waverley is now 2-7 following a fifth consecutive defeat with Sharna Thompson finishing with 12 points and three rebounds.

Amelia Todhunter added eight points and three assists, Bec Cole eight points and six assists, Carley Ernst eight points, three rebounds and two blocks, and Orla O'Reilly eight points and three boards.

The Braves back up on Sunday to play host to the Mount Gambier Pioneers while Waverley are on the road to the Knox Raiders next Saturday.

WAVERLEY FALCONS 60 (Thompson 12, Todhunter 8, Cole 8, Ernst 8, O'Reilly 8)

BENDIGO BRAVES 93 (McKay 21, McLean 19, K Wilson 15)

MEN

Geelong United (81) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (93)

The Mount Gambier Pioneers shook off losing two of its past three matches to beat Geelong United 93-81 at The Arena on Saturday night.

The Pioneers arrived in Geelong having lost two of its past three matches to Bendigo and Keilor while Geelong were also looking to hit back from going down to the Dandenong Rangers last week.

Mount Gambier started well to lead 18-10 by the end of the opening quarter but Geelong United hit back to close the first half with 28 points to 19 in the second term to take a narrow 38-37 lead into the main break.

The Pioneers responded with a massive third quarter putting up 36 points which saw them set up the eventual 12-point victory to improve to a 5-2 record on the season.

Nick Marshall top-scored in the win for Mount Gambier with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists on 9/15 shooting from the field.

Titus Robinson added 17 points and four rebounds, Akech Aliir 14 points, nine boards, three steals and two assists, Austin Shelley 14 points and three rebounds, and Christian Peevy 10 points, five boards, three steals and two assists.

Geelong United is now 2-4 on the season after the defeat with Liam Herbert top-scoring with 16 points on 4/7 three-point shooting.

George Blagojevic added 15 points and four rebounds, Latrell Jones 14 points and four boards, DeMarcus Gatlin 11 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists, and Ma'alo Hicks 10 points, eight boards and three assists.

Both teams back up to play on Sunday with Geelong on the road to the Kilsyth Cobras while the Pioneers are on the road to the Bendigo Braves.

GEELONG UNITED 81 (Herbert 16, Blagojevic 15, Jones 14)

MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 93 (N Marshall 23, Robinson 17, Aliir 14, Shelley 14)

Sandringham Sabres (85) defeated Melbourne Tigers (71)

The Sandringham Sabres got back to winning at home on Saturday night with Tanner Krebs putting up 32 points in the 85-71 win over the Melbourne Tigers.

Sandringham went down to the Nunawading Spectres last Sunday to slip to a 3-4 record ahead of hosting the also 3-4 Tigers at Southern Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.

The Tigers were on track for the upset win throughout the first half leading by as much as five points in the first quarter and then 14 in the second on the back of completing a 12-0 scoring run.

The Tigers were still leading 41-35 by half-time, but it was all the Sabres throughout the second half starting with them going on a run of scoring 20 straight points to open up a double-figure lead of their own.

Sandringham went on to lead by as much as 16 and win by 14 to improve to 4-4 on the season with the Tigers now 3-5 after the defeat.

Melbourne United NBL star Tanner Krebs delivered 32 points and seven rebounds in the win for the Sabres on the back of shooting 13/18 from the floor and 4/6 from three-point land.

His United teammate Shea Ili also had 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists with Tom Koppens contributing 11 points, five boards and three assists, and CJ Asuncion-Byrd nine points and three rebounds.

Tom Wilson continues to thrive this season back at the Tigers as he continues to attract attention from NBL suitors with another 26 points, 15 rebounds and two assists.

Michael Wearne added 11 points on 3/6 three-point shooting for Melbourne while Mason Gaze had seven points and five rebounds.

Sandringham is next in action next Saturday away to Geelong United while the Tigers head over Bass Strait to play Hobart on Friday and Launceston on Saturday.

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 85 (Krebs 32, Ili 21, Koppens 11)

MELBOURNE TIGERS 71 (Wilson 26, Wearne 11, Gaze 7)

North West Tasmania Thunder (76) lost to Frankston Blues (101)

Daniel Trist proved tough to stop and the Frankston Blues hit back from a loss the previous night in Tasmania to beat the North West Tasmania Thunder 101-76.

The Blues started their Tasmanian double with a loss to the Hobart Chargers on Friday ahead of taking on the Thunder at Mazda BT-50 Thunder Stadium on Friday with North West looking for a third consecutive victory.

It was a tight contest for the opening three quarters as well with Frankston leading 22-19 by the end of the first quarter before North West turned the tide in the second term with 28 points to 23 to go into half-time on top 47-45.

It was then Frankston clinging to a 69-65 advantage heading into the fourth term and while it was all set up for a thrilling finish, the Blues ensured that wouldn’t be the case.

Frankston would end up outscoring North West 32 points to 11 in the final period to score the eventual 25-point victory to split the road double and improve to a 5-2 record on the season.

Daniel Trist had a big night for the Blues with 29 points, 12 rebounds and three assists on 10/19 shooting from the floor and 7/8 at the foul line.

Lachlan Barker added 23 points with 4/8 three-point shooting while Lucas Barker delivered 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds on a perfect 3/3 from three-point land.

Kynan Phillippe also had 10 points and two assists, Igor Hadziomerovic 10 points and three rebounds, and Stokley Chaffee nine points and four steals.

Sekou Sylla put up 26 points and 10 rebounds despite the loss at home for the Thunder with Seth Swalve contributing 15 points and seven assists, and Isaac Atuer 12 points, two rebounds and two assists.

The Tornadoes remain home to host the Melbourne Tigers next Saturday while Frankston remains on the road to the Bendigo Braves next Saturday.

NORTH WEST TASMANIA THUNDER 76 (Sylla 26, Swalve 15, Atuer 12)

FRANKSTON BLUES 101 (Trist 29, Lachlan Barker 23, Lucas Barker 15)

Nunawading Spectres (88) lost to Diamond Valley Eagles (91)

The Diamond Valley Eagles produced a big finish to shock the league-leading Nunawading Spectres for the 91-88 road victory to open their 2024 account.

The Spectres were back home on Saturday night at Nunawading Basketball Centre looking to maintain its hold on top spot in the NBL1 South up against a Diamond Valley team looking for its first win.

It might have been top against bottom, but it would turn out to be quite the Saturday night match up with both teams having their turn in front in the first quarter before Nunawading led 21-18 by quarter-time.

It remained a close contest through the second quarter with the Spectres only narrowly clinging to the 46-44 advantage.

The Spectres started to take control in the second half with the lead growing to eight points in the third quarter and that grew to 13 in the fourth with only four minutes to play following a pair of free-throws to Trendon Hankerson.

Diamond Valley had to pull out something special to find a first win of the season and that's exactly what the Eagles did to outscore the Spectres 20 points to five over the final four minutes.

Jock Perry knocked down a three-pointer to tie scores up before Zachary Tavitian put Diamond Valley in front before his dunk ended up sealing the deal and the Eagles opened their account for the season in scintillating fashion against the league-leaders.

Bryton Hobbs has previously played some standout basketball out west at the Perry Lakes Hawks and Perth Redbacks, and now he's doing it at Diamond Valley finishing with 28 points and seven assists in the win.

Jock Perry added 20 points and 16 rebounds on 4/7 three-point shooting with Zachary Tavitian contributing 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Erik Kafritsas 17 points and five boards.

The Spectres slip from top spot with the loss at 5-3 with Jalen Johnson ending up with 38 points and eight rebounds on 14/27 shooting from the floor and 5/10 from three-point land.

Jack Gandolfo added 14 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Trendon Hankerson 11 points, seven boards and seven assists.

The Spectres are on the road to the Mount Gambier Pioneers on Friday night while the Eagles are also away to the Ringwood Hawks on Saturday.

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 88 (Johnson 38, Gandolfo 14, Hankerson 11)

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 91 (Hobbs 28, Perry 20, Kafritsas 17)

Dandenong Rangers (100) defeated Kilsyth Cobras (90)

The Dandenong Rangers put in a strong showing at home to score the 100-90 victory against the Kilsyth Cobras.

Both teams came into the contest looking to return to the NBL1 South winner's list when they met at Dandenong Basketball Stadium, and they couldn’t be split with scores tied at 27-27 by quarter-time.

The Cobras had done well in that opening term to hit back from a 13-point deficit to level scores up, but the Rangers pulled away again in the second period to be leading by 10, and still be up 51-43 by the half-time break.

Dandenong then extended that advantage out to 17 points in the third frame and then 19 in the fourth before holding out the fast-finishing Cobras for the 10-point victory.

The win improves Dandenong to a 6-4 record on the season with Tad Dufelmeier finishing with 23 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals on 10/15 shooting from the floor and 3/5 from downtown.

Jake Heath added 18 points with 3/6 three-point shooting while Jack Roberts put up 17 points, six assists and five rebounds, Jacob Tryon 15 points and five boards, and Mason Peatling 13 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.

Kilsyth is now 1-6 on the season with four straight losses despite 23 points and 11 rebounds from Deng Riak.

Corey Jeffs added 17 points with Mitch Dielemans adding 15 points and five assists, Adrian Tomada 14 points and four rebounds, and Josh Duach 10 points, three boards and two assists.

The Cobras head home on Sunday to play host to Geelong United while Dandenong remain at home next Saturday against Keilor Thunder.

DANDENONG RANGERS 100 (Dufelmeier 23, Heath 18, Roberts 17)

KILSYTH COBRAS 90 (Riak 23, Jeffs 17, Dielemans 15)

Eltham Wildcats (77) lost to Ringwood Hawks (86)

The Ringwood Hawks made it back-to-back wins by taking advantage of an Eltham Wildcats without Angus Glover for the 86-77 road victory.

Eltham were back home at Montmorency Secondary College looking to avoid consecutive defeats for the first time in 2024 while Ringwood arrived out to back up a win against Bendigo.

Despite being without Angus Glover, the Wildcats got out to a strong start leading by as much as 13 points in the first quarter after scoring eight straight points.

Eltham were still on top 20-15 by the end of one but Ringwood fired back emphatically in the second period by scoring nine consecutive points to open up a lead as much as seven points and then going into half-time on top 43-39.

Ringwood then remained on top the entire second half to lead by as much as 10 points in the third frame, and 14 in the last to end up winning by nine and improve to 6-4 on the season as a result.

Jonathan Lawton put in a starring performance for Ringwood with 26 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists on 11/17 shooting from the floor and 3/6 from behind the three-point line.

Braelen Bridges added 18 points and 14 rebounds on 8/11 shooting with Harry Sealey contributing 13 points and two assists, and Tom Carroll nine points and nine rebounds.

Owen Foxwell produced 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals for Eltham with Ralph Bissainthe contributing 18 points and four boards, Josh Sykes 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Sam Short nine points, eight boards and seven assists.

Eltham are on the road to Ballarat Miners next Saturday with Ringwood to host the Diamond Valley Eagles also on Saturday.

ELTHAM WILDCATS 77 (Bissainthe 18, Foxwell 17, Sykes 15)

RINGWOOD HAWKS 86 (Lawton 26, Bridges 18, Sealey 13)

Keilor Thunder (83) lost to Ballarat Miners (113)

The Ballarat Miners flexed their muscles over a shorthanded Keilor Thunder with the 113-83 victory on the road.

The Thunder were back home at Keilor Stadium on a three-game winning streak ahead of hosting a Miners team arriving also having won four of six matches so far in 2024.

However, Keilor came into the contest without leading scorer Kyle Zunic and then Jayce Beasley would last less than five minutes and they were able to get only 20 minutes from Trevor Lakes.

Ballarat got off to the fast start with 33 points to 21 in the first quarter and never looked back with the lead for the Miners growing to 22 points in the second term before they went into the long break leading 55-36.

That lead for Ballarat continued to grow in the second half getting out to as much as 27 points in the third quarter and 39 in the fourth before they ended up winning by 30 to improve to 5-2 on the season.

The Miners would end up shooting 61 per cent from the field as a team with Nick Stoddart delivering 30 points, five rebounds and three assists on 11/20 from the floor and 6/8 at the foul line.

Majok Majok was a strong presence inside with 23 points and 12 rebounds on 9/12 shooting with Tyler Rudolph adding 15 points and eight boards, Zac Dunmore 13 points and four rebounds, Makuei Puondak eight points and three boards, Luke Rosendale eight points and six assists, and Ned Renfree eight points.

The Thunder are now 5-4 following the defeat with Kuany Kuany top-scoring with 22 points with Jalen Gibbs adding 19 points and two assists, and Daniel Poelsma 16 points and three assists.

Keilor is on the road to the Dandenong Rangers next Saturday with the miners to play host to the Eltham Wildcats also on Saturday.

KEILOR THUNDER 83 (Kuany 22, Gibbs 19, Poelsma 16)

BALLARAT MINERS 113 (Stoddart 30, Majok 23, Rudolph 15)

Knox Raiders (107) defeated Casey Cavaliers (83)

The defending champion Knox Raiders made it consecutive wins once again highlighting their depth of talent in the 107-83 homecoming win against the Casey Cavaliers.

The Raiders were back at Knox Basketball Stadium after playing the opening six matches of their championship defence on the road to start the 2024 season coming up against a Cavs team trying to arrest a two-game losing slide.

Knox did manage to lead by three points at quarter-time and then stretched that advantage to 47-41 by the half-time interval.

The Raiders then built their lead out to as much as 12 points in the third quarter and it got to 27 in the fourth with the defending champions ending up scoring the 24-point win to celebrate their return home.

Knox improves to a 5-2 record on the back of the win with last year's championship hero KJ Feagin producing another 19 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals while shooting 4/6 from three-point territory.

Malith Machar also added 19 points and six rebounds with Austin Rapp contributing 19 points and seven rebounds on 7/11 shooting from the floor and 3/5 from behind the three-point line.

Anzac Rissetto also had 17 points and six rebounds, Brody Nunn 12 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Kyle Bowen six points, 11 boards, five assists and two blocked shots.

Preston Bungei finished with 21 points, four blocks, three rebounds and three steals for Casey with Adam Thoseby contributing 21 points and five boards, and Dillon Stith 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Knox remains at home to host to the Waverley Falcons next Saturday with the Cavaliers also at home to the Kilsyth Cobras on the same evening.

KNOX RAIDERS 107 (Feagin 19, Machar 19, Rapp 19)

CASEY CAVALIERS 83 (Thoseby 21, Bungei 21, Stith 16)

Waverley Falcons (110) defeated Bendigo Braves (75)

The Bendigo Braves did well to stick with the Waverley Falcons for a half but were then blown away with Waverley going on to win 110-75.

The Braves arrived at Waverley Basketball Centre still minus their leading scorer Rowan Mackenzie up against a Waverley team attempting to string wins together.

Bendigo started well away from home to lead 25-22 by quarter-time and they were able to stay just in front throughout the second period as well to go into half-time leading 50-49.

However, it was all Waverley coming out of the break with the Falcons outscoring the Braves 25 points to 15 in the third period and 36 to 10 in the fourth.

That saw Waverley end up winning by 35 points to improve to a 5-4 record on the season while shooting at 62 per cent from the field as a team with Adelaide 36ers NBL star DJ Vasiljevic delivering 22 points, four rebounds and three assists on 6/9 three-point shooting.

Mason Forbes added 22 points and five blocks on 11/12 shooting as well for the Falcons with Bennie Lewis adding 16 points on 7/9 shooting, Malik Meunier 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals, Michael Harper 11 points and six boards, and Maurice Howard 10 points and six assists.

Andrew Robinson top-scored for Bendigo with 19 points with 4/6 shooting from deep while Lachlan O'Brien added 16 points, Koch Bar 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Isaac Murphy nine points and four assists.

The Braves back up on Sunday to play host to the Mount Gambier Pioneers while Waverley are on the road to the Knox Raiders next Saturday.

WAVERLEY FALCONS 110 (Vasiljevic 22, Forbes 22, Lewis 16)

BENDIGO BRAVES 75 (Robinson 19, Lachlan O'Brien 16, Bar 10)