NBL1 South Round 15 Saturday Men’s Recap

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

Geelong Supercats 90 def Bendigo Braves 80
The Geelong Supercats have continued its push towards a top-four finish, holding off the Bendigo Braves at home.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Supercats took control of the game in the third term thanks to a spectacular performance from George Blagojevic (32 points, 14 rebounds, three steals).
Each time the Supercats forward let a shot go, it looked as though it would find its way into the bottom of the net, connecting on 13 of his 16 attempts.
After pulling ahead by eight points heading into the final term, Geelong was forced to fight hard to keep its lead.
Led by 19 points each from Brennan Rymer and Ray Turner, the Braves got back into the game, reducing the deficit to just three points in the closing minutes.
However, Bendigo was unable to take the lead thanks to great team defence from the Supercats.
The home side clogged passing lanes and challenged every Braves attempt to outscore the visitors 9-2 over the final four minutes and win the game.
Bendigo’s two-game winning streak was snapped with this loss.

Knox Raiders 124 def Melbourne Tigers 75
The Knox Raiders have completed one of the biggest thrashings of the season, destroying the Melbourne Tigers at home by 49 points.
Knox dominated the contest from the opening tip, jumping out to a 16-point lead in the first term before increasing its advantage to 31 at half time.
Firing on all cylinders on both ends of the court, the Raiders could simply do no wrong.
All 12 players scored for the home side, including six reaching double-figures.
On the other end, Melbourne struggled to deal with the Raiders’ defensive pressure, shooting poorly from the field and turning the ball over 13 times.
The win brings Knox to 6-6 on the season and ends a two game losing streak for the Raiders. 

Ballarat Miners 86 def Eltham Wildcats 76
The Ballarat Miners have extended its winning streak to five games following its victory over Eltham at home on Saturday evening.
The Miners set the tone early, scoring the first 16 points of the game before closing the opening term with a  30-11lead .
From that point on it was a case of Eltham playing catch-up while Ballarat looked to avoid the upset.
William Hickey (21 points, seven rebounds) led the Miners in scoring, while Emmett Naar (16 points, six assists) continued to showcase his importance as a bench initiator.
Mid-way through the third term, Ballarat opened up its largest lead of the game, 21 points, before Eltham suddenly sprung to life.
The Wildcats went on a 30-13 run across the next 10 minutes, reducing the lead to just four points.
Adam Doyle (19 points, eight rebounds) led the way for Eltham, while Geremy McKay (14 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, nine turnovers) scored well in his debut, despite running into some trouble taking care of the ball.
After coming within four points of tying the game, the Wildcats simply didn’t have the juice to finish the comeback effort, as Ballarat pulled away over the final five minutes to lock in the 10-point win.
The loss in Eltham’s sixth in a row.

Ringwood Hawks 88 def by Diamond Valley Eagles 97
The Diamond Valley Eagles have ensured Ringwood’s losing streak continued on Saturday night, handing the Hawks its fourth straight loss.
After a competitive first half, Diamond Valley settled into a comfortable scoring groove, led by Robert Heath (29 points, seven rebounds, five steals), Ngor Manyang (22 points) and Blacia Owili (19 points, eight rebounds).
On the back of the trio’s effort, the Eagles never trailed across the final 20 minutes of action and led by as many as 15 points in the final term.
CJ Ascuncion-Byrd (28 points) did his best to match Diamond Valley in the scoring department, while Matt Snow (13 assists) distributed the ball around well for his teammates, however it would not be enough for Ringwood, as the side sinks two games below .500. 

Kilsyth Cobras 83 def Dandenong Rangers 71
The Kilsyth Cobras have held on at home to win a close game against the Dandenong Rangers.
Despite Kilsyth opening up a 14-point first quarter lead, the game remained close throughout, with Dandenong consistently coming back from behind.
Star addition Deng Deng struggled for the Cobras across the first three terms, managing only two points, forcing his teammates to step up.
Adrian Tomada (19 points), Corey Jeffs (19 points) and Ben Ursich (16 points) all helped Kilsyth remain in control for much of the game.
On the other side, Oliver Hayes-Brown continued his hot run of form (17 points, 14 rebounds), while frontcourt-mate Venky Jois (10 points, six rebounds, three steals) battled Deng down low.
Jois created lots of opportunities for himself at the free-throw line, but struggled to convert, connecting on only two of his 11 attempts.
Despite those missed opportunities, the Rangers managed to tie the game in the final term, only for Deng to come alive.
The Cobras forward scored nine points across the final six minutes of action, helping his side hold off the Rangers and secure the important win.
The win is Kilsyth’s third in a row and will keep the team in the top eight.

Picture: Ian Knight Photography