NBL1 South Round 10 Saturday Men’s Recap

Catch up on all the action from the return of the NBL1 South Men's competition.

Geelong Supercats 101 def Sandringham Sabres 76

The Geelong Supercats have handed Sandringham its seventh consecutive loss on the back of a monster performance from debutant George Blagojevic.
It took Blagojevic under 2 minutes to find the bottom of the net for Geelong, and once the ball got rolling, there was seemingly no stopping the forward.
His 36 points led all scorers and helped the Supercats maintain the lead for the entirety of the contect.
Isaac Turner was also in fine form for the home side, tallying 23 points and eight assists.
For Sandringham, the contest was a game of runs.
The Sabres went on a 15-4 run to close the first half thanks in part to its own debutant, Preston Bungei.
Bungei hit a tough fadeaway to cap off the run and reduce the Geelong lead to just 48-45 at half-time.
This would be as close as Sandringham would come for the remainder of the contest, as Geelong put together its own series of runs to secure the win, including a 31-16 run to end the game.
The win will keep the Supercats firmly in the top eight.

NW Tasmania Thunder 82 def Bendigo Braves 70

The NW Tasmania Thunder have made sure it will remain on top of the competition ladder with a comfortable victory over Bendigo at home.
The Thunder never trailed in the contest, matching every effort put forward by a tired looking Bendigo side coming off a loss to Hobart on Friday.
Joseph Chilcott (17 points) scored well from the guard position in limited minutes due to foul trouble, while debuting New Zealand import Michael Karena impressed in his time off the bench, scoring 17 points.
For Bendigo, Ray Turner led the way, fighting hard to keep his side in the game.
Turner scored 26 points and pulled down eight rebounds, however it was ultimately not enough as the Braves fell to its fourth loss in a row.
The loss will see Bendigo drop out of the top eight.

Frankston Blues 111 def Diamond Valley Eagles 93

The Frankston Blues have extended its winning streak to six games following its victory over the visiting Diamond Valley Eagles.
The lead swung back and forth across the first half, with Diamond Valley holding the advantage the majority of the time.
Led by an enormous 38-point performance from Robert Heath, the Eagles were feeling confident heading into halftime.
As the second half played out, the momentum gathered by Diamond Valley started to dissipate, the result of 22 turnovers in the contest.
Frankston were able to make the visitors pay for their mistakes, attacking the rim with its size and kicking it out to open shooters.
Forward duo Dillon Stith and the debuting Daniel Trist combined for 50 points, while sharpshooter Lachlan Barker contributed 29 points of his own.
The Blues rode this hot shooting in the second half, taking the lead before the end of the third quarter before running away with the win in the final 10 minutes.

Knox Raiders 103 def Ringwood Hawks 80

The Knox Raiders have put a stop to its three-game skid, beating the Ringwood Hawks at home.
The first quarter was played at a blistering pace, with each side possessing the lead before Knox ended the term on a 12-0 run.
The Raiders would lead by as many as 17-point in the second term before Ringwood put together a run of its own, outsourcing the home side 13-3 to make it a one-possession game going into the main break.
Knox were able to hold onto its lead across the third quarter despite the best efforts of Ringwood guard Aiden Sturt, who finished the contest with a game high 36 points.
Despite Sturt’s heroics, the Raiders entered the final term with a seven-point lead before blowing the Hawks away in the final term.
Led by Bul Kuol (25 points), Knox outscored the Hawks 28-15 in the final 10 minutes to secure the victory.

Nunawading Spectres 79 def by Waverley Falcons 88

The Waverley Falcons have put a stop to Nunawading’s two-game winning streak, beating the reigning champions on the road.
Nothing could separate the two sides across the first three quarters, as each time one team would pull ahead, the other would claw back into the game.
Nunawading leaned on its experience throughout much of the game, running actions through big duo Dain Swetalla and Simon Conn, who combined for 30 points.
However, it would be the Falcons getting the last laugh thanks to some stellar play from the debuting Daniel Dillon (24 points, six assists) and Dexter Kernich-Drew (21 points).
On the back of the duo’s scoring and playmaking, Waverley were able to grab a two-point lead heading into the final break before holding on for a nine-point win.
Waverley will look to back up the strong performance at home against Eltham on Sunday afternoon.

Eltham Wildcats 85 def by Albury-Wodonga Bandits 93
The Albury-Wodonga Bandits have secured its second win of the season, taking down the Eltham Wildcats on the road.
Led by the likes of Justin Aver (25 points), Taylor Dyson (18 points) and Adam Doyle (17 points), the Wildcats were able to take the lead and remain in front for the entire first half.
The trio combined for 10 of Eltham’s 14 three-pointers in the contest, however coming out of the main break, momentum swung quickly towards the visitors.
Debutant guard Lochlan Hutchison controlled the Bandits offence well, leading his teammates into easy baskets.
Thanks in part to this slick passing, Albury Wodonga trio Jack Saunders, Mitchell Dance and Sharif Watson were able to combine for 62 points, helping the Bandits outscore the Wildcats 50-39 in the second half.
Albury-Wodonga will aim to keep its winning ways going against the struggling Sandringham Sabres tomorrow afternoon.

Ballarat Miners 50 def by Kilsyth Cobras 61

In a battle of teams searching for consistent form, the Kilsyth Cobras have beaten the Ballarat Miners in Ballarat.
Throughout much of the game, each side relied heavily in the three point shot to get its offence going.
While the Cobras were able to hit 10 of its 31 deep-range attempts, Ballarat seemed to struggle shaking the rust from the extended layoff, hitting only three of its 31 attempts.
The subpar shooting was also found inside the arch, with neither team really able to string together momentum.
However, while Kilsyth were able to find some consistency at the free-throw line, hitting all 11 of its attempts, Ballarat floundered, only making five of its eight shots from the charity stripe.
Despite all the shooting issues, the Miners held a five-point lead in the third term before the Cobras turned on the afterburners.
Kilsyth outscored Ballarat 15-31 across the final 13 minutes of the game, securing the Cobras its fifth victory of the year.
Ballarat will be hoping to bounce back against last-placed Melbourne on Sunday.

Picture: Ian Knight Photography