NBL1 South Round 5 Saturday Men’s Recap

Catch up on all the action from a busy night of games in the NBL1 South Men's competition.

Geelong Supercats 90 def Melbourne Tigers 66
The Geelong Supercats have bounced back from its first loss of the season last week, beating the Melbourne Tigers at home.
After a back and forth opening term, Geelong pulled ahead to close the first quarter, taking a 30-22 lead into the first break.
After holding onto the lead throughout the second quarter, the Supercats ran away with the game in the third term.
Geelong used its length and athleticism to out-work the Tigers, forcing Melbourne into bad shots and dominating on the glass.
Guard duo Gabriel Hadley and Jack Macdonald led the way for the Supercats in the scoring department (23 and 21 points respectively), while Ma-alo Hicks came off the bench and put in some work rebounding the ball (17 rebounds).
Tigers guard Felix von Hofe tried his best to get his side back into the contest, but struggled finding consistency shooting the ball (18 points, 6-21 attempts).
Melbourne will look to stop its five game losing streak on Sunday against the Dandenong Rangers.

North West Tasmania Thunder 100 def Diamond Valley Eagles 78
The North West Tasmania Thunder have ensured it will remain in a top-two position on the ladder following its win over the Diamond Valley Eagles.
After an opening flurry which saw each team take an early lead, the Thunder pulled ahead in the first term, leading by as many as 10 points.
The lead didn’t last long, as Diamond Valley closed the gap quickly in the second term, briefly taking the lead before entering the main break down by two points.
While the momentum appeared to be with the Eagles coming out of halftime, it was NW Tasmania which took control after the break, scoring points in bunches while limiting Diamond Valley’s production.
Taran Armstrong led the way for the Thunder, scoring 19 points on only eight shots.
Armstrong was one of four NW Tasmania players who scored in double-figures in the contest.
The well-rounded scoring attack, combined with control on the glass (52 rebounds to 30) helped the Thunder outscore Diamond Valley 49-29 in the second half en route to the comfortable win.

Bendigo Braves 92 def Eltham Wildcats 78
The Bendigo Braves have continued to push towards a top two spot, beating the Eltham Wildcats in a hard fought game at home.
There was not much to separate the two sides across the first three quarters, as both teams leaned on its stars.
Adam Doyle continued his hot run of form for Eltham, putting up 32 points to lead all scorers in the contest and pushing the Wildcats into the lead in the first and third quarter.
However, his efforts were not enough, as Ray Turner and the rest of the Braves maintained control of the lead for much of the game before pulling away in the final term.
Turner finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Nelson Larkins contributed 16 points and seven assists as Bendigo overcame the Wildcats best efforts.
Eltham will look to bounce back when it hosts Sandringham on Sunday afternoon.

Dandenong Rangers 96 def by Frankston Blues 104
The Dandenong Rangers have squandered a double-digit fourth-quarter lead to remain without a win this season, losing to the Frankston Blues at home.
The Rangers led for the majority of the first three quarters thanks to some great play from the likes of Oliver Hayes-Brown and Sean Macdonald.
Hayes-Brown scored 31 points and pulled down 16 rebounds, while Macdonald tallied 25 points and six assists.
Leading by 11 points with just over eight minutes remaining, Dandenong looked on track for its first win of the season, which would have been a treat for its faithful fans in attendance.
The win would ultimately never materialise, as Frankston roared back to life in the final quarter, outsourcing the Rangers 40-24.
Dillon Stith led the Blues in scoring, putting up 32 points to go along with nine rebounds and four blocks.
Stith benefitted from an often open lane thanks to Lachlan Barker and Alister MacDonald, who stretched the floor and connected on three three-pointers each.
Frankston took the lead with just under five minutes remaining and never looked back, ultimately winning by eight points.

Kilsyth Cobras 72 def Nunawading Spectres 61
The Kilsyth Cobras have won a closely contested matchup at home against the Nunawading Spectres.
The Cobras opened up an early lead in the opening minutes, which the side was able to hold onto for most of the game.
Ben Ursich led Kilsyth in scoring with 17 points, while Deng Riak made his presence felt on the interior with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
While Dain Swetalla and Andrew Steel did their best to get the Spectres back in front, combining for 42 points, Kilsyth was able to showcase its resilience, holding on for the 11-point win.
Nunawading, who now sit at 3-3, were without veteran leader Simon Conn for the second straight game. 

Albury Wodonga Bandits 94 def Waverley Falcons 82
The Albury Wodonga Bandits have secured its first win of the season, securing an impressive wire-to-wire victory against the Waverley Falcons as home.
The Bandits opened up a nine-point lead within the first five minutes and worked hard to maintain that lead for the remainder of the game.
Mitchell Dance was huge for Albury Wodonga, scoring 28 points and pulling down 10 rebounds to guide his team.
It was by no means smooth sailing for the Bandits, as Bennie Lewis pulled out all the stops to get the Falcons back into the game.
The guard scored 32 points, connecting on six three-pointers, helping Waverley get back within two points of tying the game in the third quarter.
That would be the closest the Falcons would come for the rest of the contest, as the Bandits quickly extended its lead back out to nine, before running away with the win in the final term. 

Ringwood Hawks 87 def Ballarat Miners 85
In perhaps the most exciting game of the round, the Ringwood Hawks have come away with a win in front of its home fans, edging out the Ballarat Miners.
It was a tight, neck-and-neck affair from the opening tip, with neither team leading by more than seven points at any point in the game.
Foul trouble was an issue for both sides, with Ringwood lead guard Matthew Snow and Ballarat playmaker Sam Short both fouling out in under 25 minutes.
In Short’s absence, the Miners looked towards the strong one-two punch of Jock Perry and William Hickey, who combined for 46 points.
It was Hickey who nearly proved to be the hero for the Miners, after collecting his own miss and scoring in the final 20 seconds to give Ballarat a one point lead.
That lead would be short lived, as Ringwood hit back quickly through Jack Barry, who drained a three pointer in the final seconds to give the Hawks the advantage once again.
Hickey had one final shot to win the game, however his three pointer was off-line.
The loss is the third in a row for Ballarat, who will face top-two side Mt Gambier next week.

Mt Gambier Pioneers 118 def Knox Raiders 93
The Mt Gambier Pioneers have secured another dominant victory, this time against the Knox Raiders at the Ice House on Saturday evening.
The Pioneers led from the opening minutes to the final horn, controlling every aspect of the game.
After opening up an 18-point first quarter lead, Mt Gambier has the Raiders playing catchup for the remaining three quarters.
While Knox were able to score well, with six players reaching double figures, the side simply couldn’t keep up with the lightning-fast offence coming from the Pioneers.
Seven Mt Gambier players scored over 12 points, with Nick Marshall leading the way with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Thomas Daly was also a big contributor for the Pioneers, as he came close to tallying a triple-double in just 28 minutes (17 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists).
Mt Gambier led by as many as 29 points as it cruised to the easy victory.