NBL1 North Recap | Saturday Round 12

Alex Fowler lifted the Townsville Flames to a big second half in the NBL1 North on Saturday night while the Northside Wizards women hit back, and then Isaac White, Lachie Dent, Majok Deng and Kouat Noi all flexed their muscles in wins for their respective teams.

The women's matches in Round 12 of the NBL1 North on Saturday night saw the Townsville Flames defeat the Mackay Meteorettes 81-75 while the Rockhampton Cyclones beat the Brisbane Capitals 69-63, the Northside Wizards downed the South West Metro Pirates 97-84, USC Rip City beat the Sunshine Coast Phoenix 83-63, and Logan Thunder prevailed 103-78 against the Cairns Dolphins.

Then in the men's action, the Mackay Meteors beat the Townsville Heat 94-83 while Brisbane beat Rockhampton 100-94 and the Pirates defeated the Wizards 99-87, Rip City downed the Phoenix 100-84, and the Thunder defeated the Cairns Marlins 108-68.

NBL1 NORTH RECAP | FRIDAY ROUND 12

WOMEN

Fowler lifts Townsville to huge second half

The Townsville Flames had to come from behind but produced a big finish to continue their winning ways in the NBL1 North beating the Mackay Meteorettes 81-75.

The Flames came into the clash at Townsville StarFM Stadium having won their last two matches since being at full strength, but Mackay arrived desperate to snap their own seven-game losing slide.

The Meteorettes shot out of the blocks with 24 points to 12 in the opening quarter and kept it rolling in the second period with another 24 points to 16. The visitors would lead by as much as 22 points and still be on top 48-28 at the main break.

That left Townsville with plenty of work to do but the defending NBL1 North champs were up to the task with 28 points to 12 in the third quarter including scoring 13 straight points.

The Flames were able to complete the job despite still being down six in the fourth term. They would ride the momentum to end up winning by six and improve to 8-7 on the season in the process.

It was a tough loss for Mackay after such an impressive first half performance to have now lost eight in-a-row to sit at 2-12.

Alex Fowler ended up delivering a monster performance for Townsville with 32 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 11/17 shooting from the field and 8/9 from the foul line.

Indiah Bowyer added 16 points, three rebounds and two blocks, Majella Carey 13 points, 11 boards, seven assists and two blocks, and Shaylee Browning 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Davida Dale led the charge for Mackay with 24 points, six rebounds and four assists with Courtney Virgo producing 17 points and four boards, and Brittany Reeves 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Cyclones back up win over Wizards against Caps

The Rockhampton Cyclones kept their momentum going from handing the Northside Wizards their first loss of the season by beating the Brisbane Capitals 69-63.

The reward for the Cyclones for knocking off the Wizards in spectacular fashion on Friday night to begin their triple-header on the road was to take on another hot team away from home on Saturday.

The Capitals came into the clash having won their past three games to consolidate themselves inside the top eight so the stage was set for a terrific match up at Auchenflower Stadium.

It was a low-scoring start to the contest with Brisbane just leading 13-11 by the of the first quarter before the Cyclones grabbed control in the second term with 20 points to 11 to head into the long break leading 31-24.

Rockhampton was able to keep the momentum going in the third period to stretch that lead out to 17 points. The lead for the Cyclones was still 15 points in the fourth quarter but the Caps threw everything at the fightback.

Brisbane did get back as close as three points thanks to a three-pointer from Lily Sarra with a minute to play, but Rockhampton had the answers started with a bucket to captain Lara McSpadden to end up winning by six.

The win means the Cyclones have won the first two games of their triple-header this weekend to improve to 9-4 while the Caps see their winning streak end to sit at 8-6.

Sam Bowman had another imposing performance in the win for Rockhampton with 19 points, 18 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks.

Lauren Heard put up another 18 points and six assists, Elizajane Loader 15 points and four assists, and Lara McSpadden 11 points and four rebounds.

Mia Loyd also had a huge night despite the loss for Brisbane with another 36 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals on 13/21 shooting from the field and 10/12 from the free-throw line.

Courtney Middap also had nine points, six rebounds and six assists.

Logan keep impressive form rolling over Cairns

Momentum continues to build at the Logan Thunder with another thumping win with all five starters impressive in the 103-78 victory against the Cairns Dolphins.

The Dolphins arrived at Bendigo Bank Cornubia Park Sports Centre on a five-game winning streak themselves including starting their triple-header on the road beating the Red City Roar on Friday.

Mikhaela Cann rotates across for the nasty REJECTION ?

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However, taking on a fresh Logan team was a different task altogether and the Thunder raced to a 33-18 lead already by quarter-time.

The Thunder weren’t in the mood to take their foot off the gas and would go on to lead by as much as 24 points in the second period, 38 in the third and to end up beating a Cairns team who had been in terrific form by 25 points.

The victory is a sixth in-a-row for Logan who improve to a 10-4 record with Cairns now 8-6 ahead of finishing their road triple-header on Sunday against Ipswich.

The presence of Mikaela Ruef has sparked Logan's resurgence this season and she had another 18 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in the win.

Ashley Taia also ended up with 19 points and five boards with 5/7 shooting from long-range while Mikhaela Cann produced 17 points and 12 assists, Ula Motuga 14 points, and Chevannah Paalvast 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Taylor Mole top-scored for Cairns with 15 points to go with three rebounds and two steals with Shaneice Swain adding 14 points and four boards, Jennifer Coleman 11 points, five rebounds and five assists, Penina Davison 11 points and five assists, and Leichan Williams 10 points.

Shaneice Swain from DEEEEPPP ?

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Rip City snap losing run agianst Phoenix

With both teams on nine-game losing streaks, one of them was going to come away happy and it was USC Rip City who defeated the Sunshine Coast Phoenix on Saturday night.

Both the Phoenix and Rip City came into the match up at Maroochydore Stadium having lost their previous nine matches in the NBL1 North.

Playoffs might be out of reach for both but getting a morale boosting win was the mission on Saturday and it was the visiting Rip City who started well scoring 13 straight points to end up leading by as much as 12.

However, the game continued to swing with Sunshine Coast regaining control in the second quarter with 26 points to 13 to go into the main break leading 42-36.

The momentum turned once more in the third stanza with Rip City scoring 23 points to nine to go back up by 12, and then they turned that into a 21-point lead in the fourth period and eventually the 83-65 victory.

Carlie Smith delivered 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals in the win for Rip City with Steph Bairstow contributing 19 points, five boards and two blocks.

N'dea Flye also had 16 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists, and Megan Mullings 15 points, seven boards, two steals and two blocks.

Alex Wittinger put up 16 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and two assists with Caitlin Reed adding 14 points and three steals, and Kathleen MacLeod 13 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Wizards hit back with emphatic win over Pirates

The Northside Wizards had to do something they hadn’t done this season yet on Saturday night and that was respond to a loss in the NBL1 North and they did it well to beat the South West Metro Pirates 97-84.

The Wizards lost their first game of the season after 12 straight wins against the Rockhampton Cyclones on Friday night to open Round 12 before hitting the road on Saturday night to take on a Pirates team only just behind them in the NBL1 North standings.

That set up a tantalising match up between the top two teams in the competition and the Wizards came out with quite the point to prove on the back of that first loss 24 hours earlier.

Northside raced out of the blocks and put up 33 points in the first quarter on the way to leading by 17 before being up 33-18 by the end of one.

South West Metro did try to fight back into the contest in the second term and outscored the Wizards 22 points to 16, but still it was the Wizards in control 49-40 at the interval.

Northside took back charge even further in the third quarter with a 9-0 run to open up a 22-point lead and from there would go on to win by 13 to consolidate top spot at 13-1. The Pirates missed a chance to close the gap and are now 11-4.

Courtney Woods continued her MVP level form for the Wizards with another 33 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals with 12/16 shooting from the field, 3/5 from downtown and 6/7 from the foul line.

Nadeen Payne had another terrific performance with 23 points, 12 boards, four assists and two blocks while even stepping out to hit all three of her three-point attempts.

AJ Johnson added 18 points, five assists and four boards, Lil Dart 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Kelsey McDermott nine points, four assists and three rebounds.

Leah Scott had another first-rate performance for South West Metro with 29 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals with Maddy Rocci adding 19 points, five assists and four boards, Hannah Young 13 points and five rebounds, and Kellie Page 12 points.

Leah Scott crosses her way to 2?? points ? the foul ?

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MEN

White fires Mackay to important win in Townsville

The Mackay Meteors produced a standout second half inspired by 34 points from Isaac White to stay right in the NBL1 North's top four hunt beating the Townsville Heat 94-83 on Saturday night.

Both teams were playing their only games of Round 12 in the NBL1 North with Townsville attempting to snap a 10-game losing streak.

The Heat started well too to lead by as much as eight points in the first quarter before being up five still at quarter-time, and by two at half-time and then to again open up a nine-point advantage during the third stanza.

Mackay was staring down the barrel of a third successive defeat but with Isaac White leading the charge, the Meteors responded to go on a 14-0 scoring run to go from six points down to eight points in front.

Mackay would go on to lead by as much as 12 points in the fourth term to end up winning by 11 and improve to an 8-6 record. Townsville has now lost 11 straight to be 3-12.

Ahead of his first NBL season at the Brisbane Bullets, Isaac White was again superb for Mackay with another 34 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and six steals on 11/21 shooting from the floor and 12/13 at the foul line.

Tyler Williams added 14 points, two assists and two steals for the Meteors, Isaiah Lee 13 points, two assists and two steals, and Brad Rasmussen nine points, five rebounds and two steals.

Michael Cedar finished with 20 points, five assists and three rebounds for Townsville with Ethan Betts contributing 16 points, seven boards and four assists, Matthew Rees 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Luca Yates 13 points, six boards and three assists.

34 points ? 10 rebounds ? 6 assists = A regular day at the office for Isaac White ?

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Dent inspires Caps to last 12 points to knock off Rockets

The hot form of the Brisbane Capitals continued in quite the dramatic 100-94 victory at home to the Rockhampton Rockets on Saturday night.

The Caps came into the clash at Auchenflower Stadium having won their past four matches by an average of 28.3 points and while they started impressively against the Rockets, it was anything but another comfortable win.

The Capitals did start well to lead by as much as nine points in the opening quarter and by 17 in the second while still being on top 58-47 at half-time.

Brisbane was still leading by 14 points early in the fourth term thanks to a jumper from Lachie Dent but then the Rockets made a stunning run in the hunt for a second win of the season.

From the moment the Capitals led 86-75, Rockhampton went on a simply remarkable run of scoring the game's next 16 points capped off with a thunderous dunk from Damian Prgomet. 

In the space of just over four minutes, the Rockets put up the 16 straight points to go from being 11 points down to leading by five, and the onus was back on Brisbane to respond.

That's exactly what the home team did in the last four minutes and it was Dent at the forefront of it all. Brisbane scored the last 12 points of the game to go from six points down to winning by six with Dent hitting nine of those points in an incredible final quarter.

Dent finished the night with 34 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists to help ensure the Capitals stay in the finals hunt having won five straight at 6-8.

Trevor Lakes contributed 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Caps on 4/9 three-point shooting with Nick Stoddart adding 12 points and four boards, and James Moors 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Damian Prgomet produced a massive performance in the loss for Rockhampton ending up with 37 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks on 15/22 shooting overall and going 5/6 from three-point range.

Malcolm Bernard added 24 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, Sean Biernacki 14 points, six boards and five assists, and Jarvis Summers 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Deng helps Logan to 12th straight win

Logan Thunder remain on top of the NBL1 North with 12 consecutive wins after Saturday night's 108-68 win against the Cairns Marlins on the back of another standout Majok Deng performance.

Cairns was playing its second game of a triple-header weekend on the road having beaten the Red City Roar by 14 points on Friday, but taking on the league-leading Thunder on their home floor was a whole different story.

It wasn’t until the second quarter when Logan was able to take charge of the contest with the Thunder piling on 36 points for the term to just 14 from Cairns to lead by as much 23 points.

Logan was on top 59-36 at the half-time break and then went on with the job from there to lead by as much 35 points in the third quarter, and 41 in the fourth before ending up winning by 40.

The victory keeps the Thunder in top spot at 13-1 with 12 consecutive wins while Cairns slips to 7-7 with a game to come on Sunday against Ipswich.

Majok Deng might not yet have signed another NBL contract to continue his 201-game career, but he can't be doing much more to make that happen. He delivered another 23 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals for Logan in Saturday night's win.

Shaun Bruce produced another 17 points and three assists with Mitch Young contributing 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists, Tom Howard 13 points and three assists, and Rasmus Bach 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Jonah Antonio finished with 13 points, three assists and three steals for Cairns with Lachlan Anderson contributing 13 points, two boards and two assists, Ky Stattmann 12 points and six rebounds, and Tad Dufelmeier 11 points, nine boards and seven assists.

Noi fires Rip City to crucial win over Phoenix

Reigning NBL1 MVP Kouat Noi showed his quality once more on Saturday night putting up 40 points with six three-pointers to lift USC Rip City to the 100-84 victory away to the Sunshine Coast Phoenix.

Rip City came into the clash on the road to the Phoenix having lost three of their last four matches to be just clinging to being in playoff contention, but Noi was not going to let them lose another game.

With Noi setting the stage, Rip City raced to a 16-point lead in the opening quarter to still be leading 30-20 by quarter-time.

The lead was still just 10 by half-time and then only eight by three quarter-time, but USC pulled away further with a dominant fourth quarter with 26 points to 18 to lead by as much as 17, and to win by 16.

The victory improves Rip City to a 6-7 record on the season to stay in the playoff hunt while the Phoenix join them now on the same record.

On the back of winning last year's MVP award and lifting Rip City to the NBL1 North grand final, Noi went on to help the Sydney Kings to the NBL championship, he put on a dominant performance on Saturday night.

Noi finished with 40 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals while shooting 13/22 from the field, 6/10 from beyond the arc and 8/8 from the foul line.

Matt Kenyon added 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals for USC, Verle Williams 16 points, five assists, five steals and three rebounds, and Kai Bloom nine points, three boards and three steals.

Jamaal Robateau put up 24 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals for Sunshine Coast with Jonathan Janssen contributing 17 points, 13 boards and two blocks, and Max Kerle 15 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds.

Verle Williams splits the defense for 2???

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Teys shoots Pirates to important win over Wizards

With Brendan Teys on fire with his shooting touch, the South West Metro Pirates stayed in the top four hunt in the NBL1 North beating the Northside Wizards 99-87 on Saturday night.

The Wizards arrived at Hibiscus Sports Stadium fresh off a win against the Rockhampton Rockets on Friday night to take on a Pirates team where both combatants were attempting to break into the top four.

Northside started well away from home to lead 25-18 by quarter-time and then to open up a 10-point advantage during the second period before still leading 50-46 by half-time.

However, South West Metro took control in the third quarter scoring 12 consecutive points to open up an 11-point lead with Teys having knocked down five three-pointers already up to that point.

On the back of 30 points to 15 in the third quarter, the Pirates would go on to win by 12 points to make it three wins on the trot to improve to a 9-6 record. The Wizards slip to 7-7 with the defeat.