NBL1 Central Mens Round 1 Recap

Recapping all the action from round one of the NBL1 Central men's competition. 

Harris deals Mavs heavy hand

The money man of the NBL1 Central Men Michael Harris made his presence known on opening night as the Eagles crushed the Mavericks 104-77 at Wayville. Harris had 37 points including 7 of 14 from beyond the arc but missed a double double by one rebound with 9. Greg Mays wasn’t far behind him with his double double of 23 points and 13 rebounds while Brandon Brine chimed in with 18 points and 9 rebounds for the night. Nathaniel Koko was a newcomer for the Mavs with 19 points and 6 rebounds and was the standout for the team of the Hills.  

“Boon Town” is back for Warriors

Shooting guard James Boonstoppel after missing a majority of last year’s ABC 2020 led the impressive Woodville Warriors as they opened their 2021 season with a 90-75 win over the Norwood Flames at St Clair Recreation Centre. Boonstoppel buried 22 points to lead all Warriors however the Double J attack was unveiled for the night as well. Highly touted import duo of Julian Jacobs (who flirted with a triple double of 19 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists) and Joe Jackson (13 points and 20 rebounds) had solid first nights out as the Warriors had too many answers for the Flames. CJ Turnage including a 19-point opening quarter finished with 36 points and 8 rebounds with Moses Nuangki (16 points and 7 rebounds) joined the party late.   

Starling sets Rockets alight as Panther’s pouch win

Star import Alex Starling put on a clinic half a season in the making as the South Adelaide Panthers eventually roared away from the North Adelaide Rockets 91-71 at Marion Stadium. Starling destroyed all categories notching a near quadruple double of 20 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 steals. Sharp shooting Todd Davies dropped 21 points with four rebounds while reliable Adam Brown shot himself to 17 points including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. On debut NBL Brisbane Bullets training player Verle Williams helped himself to 33 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists including 4 of 9 from the three point line to lead the Rockets.   

Lions roar silences Bearcats in opening stunner

Two former NBL Perth Wildcats starred for the Bearcats but the Lions had the last roar as they stunned the home side 76-83 at Port Adelaide. Lual Diing had a massive double double for the night collecting 27 points, 15 rebounds and some backboard shattering dunks. For the Bearcats, Earnest Ross (21 points and 8 rebounds) and Bryan Michaels (28 points) led the way in a tight tussle between the two sides majority of the night.   

Coleman kicks goals but Sabres squeeze past Southern

Cameron Coleman had a strong debut for the Southern Tigers but the Sturt Sabres second half scoring saw them squeeze past Southern 62-70 at Morphett Vale Stadium. Coleman tallied 24 points at 58.8 percent from the field while he had help from Koop McCalop with 15 points and 6 rebounds. The Sabres had an all-round performance in the scoring with four players in double figures including former Mt Gambier Pioneer and Sydney King Sam Daly (13 points), Joel Spear (12 points), Nik Fassos and rookie Keanu Rasmussen (11 points).