Recap NBL1 South | Round 7 Saturday

Featured images: Trent Moore Photography

The Waverley Falcons women needed double overtime to overcome the Kilsyth Cobras in the NBL1 South while Chloe Bibby had 37 for the Ballarat Miners, Issie Bourne 39 for Keilor Thunder while Tom Wilson inspired Melbourne Tigers to the comeback win.

In the women's Saturday night fixtures, the Bendigo Braves defeated the Casey Cavaliers 90-78, Geelong United beat the Nunawading Spectres 81-70, the Ballarat Miners downed the Melbourne Tigers 101-92, and the Dandenong Rangers won 76-64 against the Diamond Valley Eagles.

The Sandringham Sabres also beat the Eltham Wildcats 68-59, Keilor Thunder downed the Hobart Chargers 83-75, the Mount Gambier Pioneers defeated the Knox Raiders 81-63, the Launceston Tornadoes won 74-71 against the Ringwood Hawks, and the Waverley Falcons won 86-81 over the Kilsyth Cobras.

Then in the men's match ups, the Braves beat the Cavs 81-64, Geelong defeated Nunawading 87-86, the Tigers defeated the Miners 80-78, the Rangers downed the Eagles 88-77, the Sabres prevailed 90-85 against the Wildcats, the Thunder beat the Chargers 77-69, the Pioneers downed the Raiders 98-77, North West Tasmania beat Ringwood 87-82, and the Falcons beat the Cobras 87-82.

RECAP NBL1 SOUTH | ROUND 6 SUNDAY

WOMEN

Bendigo Braves (90) defeated Casey Cavaliers (78)

The Bendigo Braves welcomed back Ally Wilson and Amy Atwell and returned to the winner's list with the 90-78 home victory against the Casey Cavaliers.

Having not lost a game since the 2022 Grand Final, Bendigo had lost three of the past five games including the last two ahead of hosting the Cavaliers at Red Energy Arena.

While the Braves were still without the imposing Megan McKay, they did welcome back significant firepower in the form of Atwell and Wilson hosting a Casey team with just the two wins so far this season.

Casey came out firing and produced a stunning first quarter with 30 points to 11 to leave Bendigo staring down the very real prospect of three consecutive defeats.

The Braves did begin to turn it around with 26 points to 22 in the second quarter but it wasn’t until the third when the defending champions took control.

Bendigo outscored Casey 25 points to four in the third quarter and that was enough to set up the eventual 12-point victory for them to steady their season with an 8-3 record.

Kelly Wilson ended up delivering 19 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and five assists in the win for the Braves with Ally Wilson contributing 18 points, nine boards, seven assists and two steals.

Cassidy McLean also had 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists while Amy Atwell added 13 points and six rebounds, and Caitlin Richardson 10 points.

The Cavaliers are now 2-8 following a third successive defeat with Alice Kunek putting up 26 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Alex Wittinger contributed another 20 points and 12 rebounds with Lauryn Hippolite adding nine points and three assists, and Taylah Simmons seven points, six assists and four rebounds.

The Braves play again on Sunday on the road to the Dandenong Rangers as do Casey who host the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

BENDIGO BRAVES 90 (K Wilson 19, A Wilson 18, McLean 17)

CASEY CAVALIERS 78 (Kunek 26, Wittinger 20, Hippolite 9)

Geelong United (81) defeated Nunawading Spectres (70)

Geelong United produced a strong second half to make it back-to-back victories with the 81-70 win at home to the Nunawading Spectres.

Geelong were back at The Arena looking to build on the win against the Ringwood Hawks hosting a Nunawading team looking to improve on a 2-7 record.

It was the Spectres who got the better of the start to open up a 10-point advantage during the second quarter but Geelong were able to work back into the contest to close the deficit to just two points at half-time.

United then took charge throughout the second half with 18 points to 11 in the third quarter, and 17 to 11 in the fourth to end up winning by 11 and improving to 4-6 on the season as a result.

Shaneice Swain had a strong impact on the win despite shooting 2/11 from beyond the arc finishing with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Sarah Elsworthy also contributed 18 points, eight assists and four rebounds, Jada Rice 16 points and nine boards, Eva Braslis 14 points, and Lasha Petree 12 points and nine rebounds.

Nunawading slips to 2-8 with the loss despite Batabe Zempare delivering 22 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.

Rachel Antoniadou added 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Louise Forsyth 15 points, five boards and three assists.

Geelong again plays on Sunday away to the Frankston Blues as do Nunawading who play host to Keilor Thunder.

GEELONG UNITED 81 (Swain 21, Elsworthy 18, Rice 16)

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 70 (Zempare 22, Antoniadou 18, Forsyth 15)

Melbourne Tigers (92) lost to Ballarat Miners (101)

It was a night for the stars to shine but in the end it was Chloe Bibby with 37 points that helped the Ballarat Miners overcome the 36 points from Sam Simons to beat the Melbourne Tigers.

With Bibby and Mehryn Kraker combining for 63 points for Ballarat, and Simons and Cierra Dillard for 64 for the Tigers, it was quite the entertaining affair at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.

Ballarat got off to the fast start with an early 13-point lead but Melbourne hit back and the stage was set for the rest of the evening with both teams combining for 61 points in the opening period.

The Miners led 31-30 at quarter-time before it was the Tigers narrowly in front 55-54 by half-time.

Ballarat again opened up a handy lead in the third term with 28 points to 16, and ultimately that would be enough to secure the nine-point win to improve them to a 5-5 record on the season with three wins on the trot.

Ballarat ended up collecting 16 more rebounds for the game and taking 10 extra free-throws with Chloe Bibby outstanding with 37 points, 12 rebounds and four assists on 13/24 shooting from the floor and 9/11 at the charity stripe.

She had plenty of help too with Mehryn Kraker finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while Abbey Wehrung contributed 18 points, five assists and four boards, and Alex Bunton 13 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

Melbourne is now 5-6 after consecutive losses despite the 36 points, three assists and two rebounds from Sam Simons with 8/10 three-point shooting.

Cierra Dillard also delivered 28 points, 13 rebounds and five assists with Steph Blicavs adding 13 points and three boards, and Charlotte Brancatisano eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Tigers take on the Nunawading Spectres away next Saturday with Ballarat to host the Knox Raiders the same evening.

MELBOURNE TIGERS 92 (Simons 36, Dillard 28, Blicavs 13)

BALLARAT MINERS 101 (Bibby 37, Kraker 26, Wehrung 18)

Diamond Valley Eagles (64) lost to Dandenong Rangers (76)

WNBA draftee Nyadiew Puoch was once again outstanding to lead the Dandenong Rangers to the 76-64 victory on the road to the Diamond Valley Eagles.

The Eagles were back home at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre on a two-game winning run as they hosted a Rangers team out to bounce back from a loss to the Keilor Thunder.

Diamond Valley started well and were out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter but scores were back level at 22-22 by the end of one.

The Rangers managed to lead by three at half-time and Dandenong then took charge in the third period with 17 points to nine which would be enough to set up the eventual 12-point victory.

The win improves Dandenong to a 9-3 record on the season with Nyadiew Puoch again outstanding with 26 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.

Manuela Puoch also produced 14 points and 10 rebounds with Amber Smith contributing 17 points and nine rebounds, and Imogen Rock seven points, nine boards and four assists.

Diamond Valley are now 3-6 on the season with Gemma Potter finishing with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists with Naomi Mbandu contributing 12 points and eight boards, and Sophie Byrnes 11 points, four boards, four assists and four steals.

The Rangers are back in action on Sunday at home to the Bendigo Braves while the Eagles are on the road to Bendigo as well next Saturday.

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 64 (Potter 16, Mbandu 12, Byrnes 11)

DANDENONG RANGERS 76 (N Puoch 26, Smith 17, M Puoch 14)

Eltham Wildcats (59) lost to Sandringham Sabres (68)

The Sandringham Sabres produced a big finish to overrun the Eltham Wildcats for the 68-59 road victory.

The Wildcats were back home at Montmorency Secondary College looking to snap a two-game losing run up against a Sandringham team on a three-game winning run looking to maintain pace with the top sides.

Eltham were in control of the contest for a lot of the evening with a one-point lead by quarter-time which they were able to grow to eight during the second term, and still be leading 35-33 at the half-time break.

The Wildcats were still clinging to a one-point lead at three quarter-time, but in the final frame it was all the Sabres as they put up 24 points to 14 to end up securing the nine-point triumph.

The win improves the Sabres to an 8-2 record with four straight wins with Funda Nakkasoglu delivering 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Juna Umezawa also had 17 points and five rebounds, Eilidh Simpson 11 points and five boards, Isis Lopes 10 points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds, and Klara Wischer six points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and six steals.

Hailey Leidel finished with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals for Eltham with Shannon Dufficy contributing 12 points and seven boards, and Taylah Wynne 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Erin Riley also ended up with seven points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Eltham now plays on the road to the Mount Gambier Pioneers on Friday night with Sandringham away to the Frankston Blues next Saturday.

ELTHAM WILDCATS 59 (Leidel 16, Wynne 12, Dufficy 12)

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 68 (Nakkasoglu 17, Umezawa 17, Simpson 11)

Keilor Thunder (83) defeated Hobart Chargers (75)

Issie Bourne was scintillating with 39 points to be the star in Keilor Thunder's 83-75 home victory over the Hobart Chargers.

The Thunder were back home at Keilor Stadium sitting top of the NBL1 South ahead of hosting a Chargers team having lost their past four matches.

Keilor started well on its home floor to lead 26-20 by quarter-time before the lead got out to 15 points in the second term, and they went into the half-time break on top 50-38.

Hobart did fire back in the third quarter and outscored Keilor 27 points to 18 but the Thunder were able to regain control and score the eight-point victory to make it four straight and retain top spot at 10-1.

Issie Bourne was outstanding for Keilor with 39 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 15/23 shooting from the floor and 4/10 from three-point range.

Penina Davidson added 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks with Maddy Rocci contributing eight points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and Lily Carmody eight points and five assists.

The Chargers have now lost five in-a-row to be 3-7 with Jayda Jansen top-scoring with 24 points, seven assists and three rebounds.

Cierra Walker contributed 19 points, six rebounds and three steals with Kayla Steindl adding 15 points, three boards and two assists, and Zoe Richards eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Chargers back up on Sunday also away to the Knox Raiders with Keilor to play host to the Kilsyth Cobras next Saturday.

KEILOR THUNDER 83 (Bourne 39, Davidson 15, Carmody 8, Rocci 8)

HOBART CHARGERS 75 (Jansen 24, Walker 19, Steindl 15)

Knox Raiders (63) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (81)

The Mount Gambier Pioneers made it nine wins from 10 games so far this season with the 81-63 road victory over the Knox Raiders.

The Pioneers arrived at Knox Basketball Stadium having responded well to their lone loss of the season to Geelong United while Knox were also on a six-game winning run setting the stage for a fascinating battle.

The Pioneers shot out of the blocks on the road with a 10-0 run to race out to a 26-10 advantage by quarter-time.

That lead for Mount Gambier got out to 26 points in the second period as well and the visitors went into the half-time break on top 46-24.

It was a big job to do for Knox to get back into the contest and they did outscore Mount Gambier 22 points to 11 in the third quarter, but it would prove a bridge too far.

The Pioneers again pulled away in the final period to end up winning by 18 points to improve to 9-1 on the season.

Sherrie Calleia produced a standout performance for Mount Gambier in the win with 26 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals on 11/17 from the floor and 3/5 from behind the three-point line.

Haliegh Reinoehl had another 22 points and seven rebounds, Zitina Aokuso 11 points, 14 boards and five blocks, and Zoe Hurley nine points.

The Raiders see their six-game winning run come to an end despite another 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots from Alicia Froling.

Paige Bradley also had 19 points, seven assists and four rebounds, Kiera Rowe eight points, five boards and four steals, and Paige Burrows seven points, two rebounds and two assists.

The Raiders remain at home to host the Hobart Chargers on Sunday while the Pioneers remain on the road to the Casey Cavaliers.

KNOX RAIDERS 63 (Froling 20, Bradley 19, Rowe 8)

MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 81 (Calleia 26, Reinoehl 22, Aokuso 11)

Ringwood Hawks (71) lost to Launceston Tornadoes (74)

The Launceston Tornadoes have started their road double this weekend with the narrow 74-71 victory against the Ringwood Hawks scoring the last seven points to do so.

The Hawks were back home at The Rings looking to snap a four-game losing slide with Launceston attempting to back up their last up win against the Melbourne Tigers.

It was a tight and competitive contest the entire evening with Launceston clinging to a four-point lead at quarter-time and then leading by that same margin at the half-time break.

Ringwood put up 26 points to 19 in the third quarter to grab the advantage and then to lead by a game-high eight points in the final term.

However, the Tornadoes came roaring back even though Ringwood were back up by four again with two minutes to play following a three-pointer from Lana Hollingsworth.

Launceston had to dig deep and the visitors would end up scoring the last seven points of the game including the go-ahead three-point play from Lore Devos to grab the three-point victory.

Along with that big play late, Devos finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Tornadoes in the win to improve them to 3-7.

Ava McDonald added 14 points, three rebounds and three assists, Trinity Oliver 13 points, 13 boards, four assists and three steals, and Sarah O'Neill 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Hawks have now lost five straight despite getting 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals from Jack Animam.

Digna Strautmane added 12 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks, Annabel Deerbon nine points and three assists, Zoe Jenkins eight points and four assists, and Ahlise Hurst seven points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals.

The Tornadoes are back in action on the road to the Kilsyth Cobras on Sunday with Ringwood on the road to the Dandenong Rangers next Saturday night.

RINGWOOD HAWKS 71 (Animam 15, Strautmane 12, Deerbon 9)

LAUNCESTON TORNADOES 74 (Devos 17, McDonald 14, S O'Neill 13, Oliver 13)

Waverley Falcons (86) defeated Kilsyth Cobras (81)

The Waverley Falcons had too much talent and experience to continue losing and it was Bec Cole and Carley Ernst leading them to the 86-81 double overtime win over the Kilsyth Cobras.

The Falcons were back home at Waverley Basketball Centre looking to snap a six-game losing streak as the bottom two teams in the NBL1 South locked horns on Saturday evening.

Waverley opened up a nine-point lead in the first quarter but by the end of the period that margin was back to just two with the home team then going into the half-time interval leading 36-30.

It was Kilsyth who pulled away during the second half to lead by as much as nine points in the fourth quarter but Waverley hit back and it was a huge three from Carley Ernst that levelled scores up and sent the game to overtime.

The game then went to a second overtime when Paige Price made one free-throw late for Kilsyth to tie scores up, but missed the second and then both teams had missed opportunities prior to the buzzer.

With both teams exhausted, ultimately Waverley was able to close out the game to end up winning by five by getting it done at the foul line to snap the six-game losing streak and improve to 3-8 on the season.

Waverley got big performances from their WNBL championship winning pair Bec Cole and Carley Ernst. The former finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and the latter 21 points, 15 boards, two assists and two steals.

Amelia Todhunter added 11 points, four assists, three steals and two rebounds, and Sophia Locandro 10 points and three boards.

Kilsyth slips to 2-9 with the heartbreaking double overtime loss with Tegan Cunningham finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

Nikita Young added 16 points, five rebounds and two assists, Georgia Booth 14 points, nine boards and three assists, Paige Price nine points and eight rebounds, and Tyra Whitehead seven points and 12 boards.

Kilsyth backs up on Sunday at home to the Launceston Tornadoes while Waverley is next in action next Sunday also against Launceston.

WAVERLEY FALCONS 86 (Cole 25, Ernst 21, Todhunter 11)

KILSYTH COBRAS 81 (Cunningham 21, Young 16, Booth 14)

MEN

Bendigo Braves (81) defeated Casey Cavaliers (64)

The Bendigo Braves welcomed back leading scorer Rowan Mackenzie and made it back-to-back wins with the 81-64 victory at home to the Casey Cavaliers.

Bendigo returned to the winner's list last Saturday against the Frankston Blues ahead of hosting the Cavaliers this Saturday at Red Energy Arena with Mackenzie back in the line-up for the Braves.

With his fellow former NBL1 West player Mitch Clarke now settling back in too and Bendigo was looking to build on that win from last week, and the home team opened up a 29-20 lead already by quarter-time.

After the Bendigo lead got out to 16 points in the second period, Casey did make a game of it with a good finish to the first half to cut the Braves lead to 46-42 at the interval.

It was still just a four-point lead for Bendigo at three quarter-time, but the Braves then pulled away in the final quarter with 22 points to nine to claim the 17-point victory.

The win improves the Braves to a 5-6 record on the season with Mitch Clarke producing 19 points, four assists and three rebounds while Andrew Robinson contributed 19 points.

Rowan Mackenzie returned from a back injury with 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals with Koch Bar contributing 13 points and nine boards, and Billy Smythe 10 points and five rebounds.

Casey is now 2-8 with the fifth straight defeat with Devin Watson finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds, Adam Thoseby 18 points on 4/6 three-point shooting, and Josh Tomasi 12 points, five blocks, four rebounds and three assists.

The Braves play again on Sunday on the road to the Dandenong Rangers as do Casey who host the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

BENDIGO BRAVES 81 (Robinson 19, Clarke 19, Mackenzie 16)

CASEY CAVALIERS 64 (Watson 21, Thoseby 18, Tomasi 12)

Geelong United (87) defeated Nunawading Spectres (86)

Geelong United produced a huge finish to overrun the Nunawading Spectres and score the 87-86 home victory against the Nunawading Spectres.

Geelong were back at The Arena to host the Spectres looking to back up a win over the Ringwood Hawks up against a Nunawading team trying to snap a two-game losing slide.

It would prove to be quite the thrilling contest with the Spectres leading by three points at quarter-time and then pushing out to an eight-point advantage in the second term, and going into half-time leading 39-33.

That lead for Nunawading was out to as much as 14 in the third quarter as well and it was still nine during the final period, but Geelong United delivered a huge finish.

United would end up outscoring the Spectres 31 points to 22 in the final period to overrun their opponents and score the eventual one-point victory to improve to a 4-6 record with consecutive victories.

Geelong won despite only shooting 3/21 from beyond the arc and 16/28 at the foul line with Latrell Jones putting up 26 points on 11/21 shooting from the field.

DeMarcus Gatlin added 23 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists, George Blagojevic 18 points, seven boards, six assists and five steals, and Desmond Owili 10 points on 5/5 shooting.

Nunawading are now 5-5 with a third consecutive defeat with Jalen Johnson producing 20 points and 15 rebounds.

Jack Gandolfo also had 13 points and four assists, Christian D'Angelo 11 points and four rebounds, Kingsley Box 11 points, six boards and three steals, Jordan Geer 10 points and two assists, and Trendon Hankerson 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Geelong again plays on Sunday away to the Frankston Blues as do Nunawading who play host to Keilor Thunder.

GEELONG UNITED 87 (Jones 26, Gatlin 23, Blagojevic 18)

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 86 (Johnson 20, Gandolfo 13, D'Angelo 11, Box 11)

Melbourne Tigers (80) defeated Ballarat Miners (78)

Tom Wilson's return to basketball continues to go from strength to strength as he led a stunning come from behind 80-78 win for the Melbourne Tigers against the Ballarat Miners.

The Tigers were coming off a win over the North West Tasmania Thunder ahead of hosting the league-leading Miners at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on Saturday night.

Ballarat arrived on a four-game winning streak and the Miners started strongly to lead by 10 points at quarter-time before extending that advantage to 14 in the second frame.

The Miners were still leading 44-36 at half-time before going back up double-figures and leading again by 13 points with nine minutes to play, but the Tigers weren't going away.

Michael Wearne and Jack Purchase knocked down three-pointers to chop away at the deficit but it was Tom Wilson proving to be the difference maker.

Two scores at the basket in the space of 30 seconds from him suddenly had the Tigers within two points and then when he knocked down a three with 45 seconds on the clock, it was a one-point ball game.

Wilson then forced the turnover on Tyler Rudolph to set up Wearne to make the go-ahead layup. From there Wilson would hit a free-throw to make the margin two, miss the second and Ballarat didn’t have time to get off a proper shot.

Melbourne scored the two-point win to improve to 5-6 on the season with Wilson finishing with 24 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Mason Gaze added 16 points, three steals and three rebounds, Jack Purchase 16 points, nine boards, three assists and two blocked shots, and Michael Wearne 12 points and four assists.

Ballarat slips to 7-3 with the loss with Luke Rosendale delivering 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Nick Stoddart also had 19 points, three rebounds and two blocks, Majok Majok nine points and 13 boards, and Ned Renfree eight points and two assists.

The Tigers take on the Nunawading Spectres away next Saturday with Ballarat to host the Knox Raiders the same evening.

MELBOURNE TIGERS 80 (Wilson 24, Gaze 16, Purchase 16)

BALLARAT MINERS 78 (Rosendale 20, Stoddart 19, Majok 9)

Diamond Valley Eagles (77) lost to Dandenong Rangers (88)

The Dandenong Rangers shook off a slow start and with Mason Peatling leading the way, scored the 88-77 road victory over the Diamond Valley Eagles.

The Eagles might have won only two games for the season, but they have been their last two matches coming into the contest at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre up against a Dandenong team looking to hit back from a last up loss to Keilor.

Diamond Valley would make the flying start to lead 29-18 by the end of the first quarter and then the Eagles' lead got out to as much as 15 points in the second quarter.

The challenge was right back onto the Rangers to respond and that's just what they did to level scores up by half-time.

The Rangers then built their own lead out to as much as 16 points in the fourth period before ending up winning by 11 to improve to a 7-5 record on the season.

Illawarra Hawks NBL forward Mason Peatling delivered 24 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals in the win for Dandenong with 6/10 three-point shooting.

Brandon Betson added 19 points and seven assists, Tad Dufelmeier 12 points and seven boards, Christian Yammouni nine points and five rebounds, and Jack Roberts eight points, six rebounds and four assists.

Diamond Valley is now 2-7 following the loss with Jock Perry finishing with 21 points and 12 rebounds with Bryton Hobbs contributing 13 points, four assists and three boards, and Zach Tavitian 12 points and four rebounds.

The Rangers are back in action on Sunday at home to the Bendigo Braves while the Eagles are on the road to Bendigo next Saturday.

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 77 (Perry 21, Hobbs 13, Tavitian 12)

DANDENONG RANGERS 88 (Peatling 24, Betson 19, Dufelmeier 12)

Eltham Wildcats (85) lost to Sandringham Sabres (90)

The Sandringham Sabres overran the Eltham Wildcats for the 90-85 road victory in a match up full of star power at Montmorency Secondary College.

Both teams came into the match up on identical 5-4 records as well just to add to the occasion with Eltham getting the better of the start with a 27-21 advantage by quarter-time.

That lead for the Wildcats grew to 12 points in the second period but Sandringham would go on an 11-0 scoring run to cut that Eltham advantage to 43-42 by the half-time break.

Eltham were then still leading by three at three quarter-time, but it was Sandringham who produced the big finish with 26 points to 18 in the final period to end up scoring the five-point victory.

The Sabres improve to 6-4 on the season with the win with Melbourne United wing Tanner Krebs leading the charge with 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Tom Koppens also had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists, CJ Asuncion-Byrd 15 points and eight boards, Dane Pineau eight points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two assists, and Joel Foxwell eight points, five boards and three assists.

The Wildcats slip to 5-5 on the season with the defeat with Owen Foxwell finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists with Angus Glover adding 18 points, nine boards, five assists and four steals with the pair combining to go 7/22 from deep.

Ralph Bissainthe also had 20 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals for Eltham, and Josh Sykes 12 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.

Eltham now plays on the road to the Mount Gambier Pioneers on Friday night with Sandringham away to the Frankston Blues next Saturday.

ELTHAM WILDCATS 85 (Foxwell 23, Bissainthe 20, Glover 18)

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 90 (Krebs 23, Koppens 18, Asuncion-Byrd 15)

Keilor Thunder (77) defeated Hobart Chargers (69)

Keilor Thunder welcomed Deng Acouth and Junior Madut into the line-up and took care of business against the shorthanded Hobart Chargers for the 77-69 victory.

The Thunder were back home at Keilor Stadium with Acouth into the line-up on the back of his presence in Knox's championship triumph last year along with former South East Melbourne and Tasmania JackJumpers NBL player Madut.

That was quite the pair of additions for Keilor up against the visiting Hobart team who had just the eight players suiting up for the night.

Hobart did come out firing, though, to be leading 21-15 by the end of the opening quarter and the Chargers were still on top 40-34 by the half-time break.

Keilor was able to work on top in the second half, though, and that included the Thunder outscoring the Chargers 25 points to 18 in the third quarter, and then 18 to 11 in the fourth.

That saw the Thunder end up prevailing by eight points to improve to a 7-4 record on the season with Deng Acouth making the immediate impact with 23 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Kyle Zunic also delivered 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Junior Madut 12 points, 10 boards and three assists, Kuany Kuany 10 points and three rebounds, and Daniel Poelsma eight points and seven boards.

The Chargers slip to a 6-4 record with the defeat with all five starters playing well over 30 minutes. Tasmania JackJumpers championship winning captain Clint Steindl top-scored with 19 points to go with six rebounds.

Terrell Brown added 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists, Vionte Daniels 18 points and eight boards, and Ole Angerstein 10 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Chargers back up on Sunday also away to the Knox Raiders with Keilor to play host to the Kilsyth Cobras next Saturday.

KEILOR THUNDER 77 (Acouth 23, Zunic 13, Madut 12)

HOBART CHARGERS 69 (Steindl 19, Brown 18, Daniels 18)

Knox Raiders (77) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (98)

The Mount Gambier Pioneers started and finished on fire to score the 98-77 victory on the road to hand the Knox Raiders a third straight defeat.

The defending champion Raiders were back home at Knox Basketball Stadium looking to snap a two-game losing slide while Mount Gambier arrived on its own three-match winning run.

It was a hot start on the road from the Pioneers as they opened up a 19-point lead already by quarter-time with the 32-13 advantage.

Mount Gambier pushed the lead out to 22 points in the second quarter and went into half-time on top 51-30.

The lead for the Pioneers got out to as much as 26 points in the second half as well before they went on to beat the defending National Champions on their home floor by 21 points to improve to an 8-2 record with a fourth straight win.

Mount Gambier ended the night shooting 52.3 per cent from the field opposed to 37.8 from the Raiders along with hitting 12/28 from beyond to arc to the 9/32 from Knox.

Nick Marshall led the charge once more for the Pioneers with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two assists with Christian Peevy contributing 18 points and five boards, and Akech Aliir 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

Austin Shelley also had 16 points, three rebounds and two assists, Dylan Marshall 14 points and four boards, and Kane de Wit seven points, six assists and four rebounds.

KJ Feagin did what he could to keep Knox in the contest with 20 points and six assists with Malith Machar contributing 16 points and three rebounds, Kyle Bowen 13 points and 14 boards, and Brody Nunn 13 points, six rebounds and three assists.

The Raiders remain at home to host the Hobart Chargers on Sunday while the Pioneers remain on the road to the Casey Cavaliers.

KNOX RAIDERS 77 (Feagin 20, Machar 16, Nunn 13, Bowen 13)

MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 98 (N Marshall 21, Peevy 18, Aliir 17)

Ringwood Hawks (82) lost to North West Tasmania Thunder (87)

The North West Tasmania Thunder came storming home to beat the Ringwood Hawks 87-82 to start their road double weekend in style.

Ringwood was back home at The Rings trying to bounce back from the last two losses up against the visiting Thunder who were also on a two-game losing run.

It was North West leading by two points at quarter-time but Ringwood took charge with 26 points to 19 in the second period to go into the half-time break on top 41-36.

The Hawks continued to build on that lead in the third quarter until the Thunder were able to turn the momentum and keep the deficit to three by three quarter-time.

It was then North West who had the best of the final period outscoring Ringwood 31 points to 23 to end up securing the five-point road victory to improve to a 4-6 record on the season.

Sekou Sylla delivered 27 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists in the win for the Thunder on 13/18 shooting from the field.

Seth Swalve added 25 points and 11 assists while hitting 7/9 from three-point territory with Tre Armstrong contributing 13 points, Ben Woolley nine points and five assists, and Archer Woodhill seven points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

Jonathan Lawton ended up with 25 points, six steals, five assists and four rebounds for Ringwood with Braelen Bridges adding 20 points, 10 boards and four assists, and 11 points each to Tom Carroll, Matt Roberts and Ngor Nai.

The Thunder are back in action on the road to the Kilsyth Cobras on Sunday with Ringwood on the road to the Dandenong Rangers next Saturday night.

RINGWOOD HAWKS 82 (Lawton 25, Bridges 20, Carroll 11, Roberts 11, Nai 11)

NORTH WEST TASMANIA THUNDER 87 (Sylla 27, Swalve 25, Armstrong 13)

Waverley Falcons (87) defeated Kilsyth Cobras (82)

A combined 53 points from DJ Vasiljevic and Mason Forbes lifted the Waverley Falcons to the come from behind 87-82 home victory against the Kilsyth Cobras.

The Falcons were back home at Waverley Basketball Centre looking to keep their momentum going from a three-game winning streak up against a Cobras team looking to bounce back from a last up defeat to the Ballarat Miners.

Kilsyth started strongly away from home as well opening up an eight-point lead in the first quarter and going into quarter-time on top 23-17.

The lead for the Cobras was out to nine in the second term and they went into half-time still on top 45-41, and were clinging to a two-point advantage still at three quarter-time.

Kilsyth remained clinging to a narrow advantage with Waverley not hitting the lead for the first time until Mason Forbes scored with just under five minutes remaining.

From there the Falcons were able to get the job done with the five-point victory to make it four wins in succession and to improve to a 7-4 record.

DJ Vasiljevic produced 28 points, six assists and three rebounds in the win for Waverley with Mason Forbes also delivering 25 points, 12 boards, three blocks and two steals on 11/14 shooting from the field.

Dexter Kernich-Drew also had nine points, two rebounds and two blocked shots, and Matthew McCarthy eight points, seven boards and two assists.

Keilor slips to a 3-8 record with the back-to-back losses with Adrian Tomada putting up 31 points and four assists on shooting 11/16 from the field and 7/9 at the charity stripe.

Kyle Adnam added 14 points, six assists and four rebounds, and Deng Riak 10 points, nine boards, three blocks and two assists.

Kilsyth backs up on Sunday at home to the North West Tasmania Thunder while Waverley is next in action next Sunday also against North West Tasmania.

WAVERLEY FALCONS 87 (Vasiljevic 28, Forbes 25, Kernich-Drew 9)

KILSYTH COBRAS 82 (Tomada 31, Adnam 14, Riak 10)