NBL1 South Round 11 Saturday Men’s Recap

Catch up on all the action from an exciting night of NBL1 South men's action.

NW Tasmania 70 def by Geelong Supercats 98
The ladder-leading NW Tasmania Thunder have been destroyed at home by the Geelong Supercats on Saturday evening.
After a competitive opening five minutes, Geelong throttled the Thunder, outscoring the home side 18-7 to close the quarter.
Up by 14 points after 10 minutes of action, the Supercats put together an unbelievable performance over the next two quarters, allowing NW Tasmania only 17 points while scoring 51 points of its own and extending its lead to as many as 48 points.
Six Geelong players scored in double figures, led by Goerge Blagojevic (20 points).
While the Thunder were able to outscore the visitors 33-13 across the final quarter, it was too little too late, as Geelong ran away with the 28-point victory.
The loss drops NW Tasmania out of the top spot on the ladder after Frankson’s win.

Knox Raiders 101 def Waverley Falcons 100
In perhaps the most exciting game of the weekend so far, the Knox Raiders have won a thrilling outing against the visiting Waverley Falcons.
Each side traded the lead across all three quarters as the game's stars shone brightly.
Waverley’s Dexter Kernich-Drew led all scorers with 28 points as he helped his side take a two-point lead into half-time before erasing a nine-point Knox lead in the final term and take a one point advantage in the final seconds.
Searching for an answer, Ben Ayre (22 points) came up with the biggest basket of the game, driving down the left side of the key before floating in a basket that kissed off the backboard and into the bottom of the net, giving Knox back the lead with five seconds remaining.
Still with plenty of time, Waverley turned to Daniel Dillon, who beautifully split a trap and found space for a game-winning floater, only to have his shot denied by the rotating Bul Kuol (24 points), ensuring the victory for the Raiders.
The loss ends a three-game winning streak for the Falcons ahead of its game against the top-of-the-table Frankston Blues.

Frankston Blues 137 def Ringwood Hawks 102
A lights-out shooting performance against the Ringwood Hawks has gifted the Frankston Blues the top spot on the NBL1 South men’s ladder.
Frankston seemingly couldn’t miss in the first quarter, scoring 44 points and connecting on 18 of its 22 shots.
Forced to play catch up from that point on, Ringwood pushed the pace, scoring efficiently, however the speed of the contest suited the Blues perfectly.
Lachlan Barker (32 points, 10 made three-pointers) and Alister MacDonald (27 points, six made three-pointers) were content to bomb away from downtown for Frankston while Dillon Stith (28 points) and Daniel Trist (16 points) pounded the ball at the rim.
Despite the huge deficit, Ringwood worked its way back into the game, closing the gap to eight points in the third term after an Adrien Sturt (28 points, eight rebounds) jumpshot, however that would be as close as the visitors came for the rest of the contest, as Frankston pulled away to close the game.
The win lifts the Blues to the top of the ladder. 

Ballarat Miners 94 def Nunawading Spectres 67
The Ballarat Miners have notched another win in its push towards finals contention, beating the Nunawading Spectres at home.
The Miners got off to a hot start, outscoring Nunawading 53-32 in the first half on the back of fantastic shooting from all over the floor.
Deng Acuoth was active on both ends for Ballarat, scoring 19 points and denying four shots at the rim.
Searching for an answer offensively in the second half, the Spectres faltered, shooting poorly from three-point range and generating little creativity with its passes (five assists, 15 turnovers).
Ultimately, Ballarat ran away with the victory, leading by as many as 30 points in the third quarter before finishing as 27-point victors.

Kilsyth Cobras 77 def by Mt Gambier Pioneers 87
The Mt Gambier Pioneers have locked in another victory to remain in the upper echelon of the competition against the Kilsyth Cobras.
Searching for its third win in a row, the Cobras never seemed to find a consistent scoring groove, leaning heavily on three-point attempts to keep up with Mt Gambier.
Ben Ursich did his best to keep Kilsyth within reach of the Pioneers, scoring 19 points, however Mt Gambier were able to hold off the home side throughout the contest.
The Pioneers led for all 40 minutes, relying on a heavy dose of shots at the rim to maintain its lead.
Titus Robinson led all scorers with 27 points while pulling down seven rebounds for the visitors.
Mt Gambier will look for its eighth win of the season tomorrow against the Nunawading Spectres.

Dandenong Rangers 84 def by Albury-Wodonga Bandits 99
The Albury-Wodonga Bandits have secured its third win in four games, sparking some hope the side could make a late finals push over the second half of the season.
Facing the Dandenong Rangers, the Bandits trailed for much of the first half before pulling ahead midway through the second term.
Mitchell Dance was again in fine form, leading all scorers with 26 points, while teammate John Crnogorac contributed a strong performance, tallying 19 points, 10 of which came in a four minute stretch in the third term, and 16 rebounds while frustrating Rangers centre Oliver Hayes-Brown.
Protecting the lead in the final term, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk helped seal the victory for Albury-Wodonga, scoring 19 points off the bench in the 15-point win.
The loss ended a two-game winning streak for Dandenong.

Picture: Ian Knight Photography