NBL1 South Round 12 Saturday Women’s Recap

From big upsets to late game heroics, catch up on all the action from a busy Saturday night in the NBL1 South Women's competition.

Kilsyth Cobras 66 def Ringwood Hawks 65
A late-game surge has secured Kilsyth an impressive home win over a Ringwood Hawks side that came in looking to extend its three-game winning streak.
It was a game of runs, with Ringwood landing the first blow, pulling ahead 12-4 to start the game, before the Cobras responded, scoring 14 unanswered points across the end of the first term and start of the second quarter.
Kilsyth held off the Hawks for the remainder of the first half, however, after many attempts, Ringwood pushed past the hosts to close the third quarter thanks to a 12-2 run.
Funda Nakkasoglu (19 points) played her usual attacking brand of basketball for the visitors as the Hawks held its lead until the final second of the contest.
Down by a single point with eight seconds left, everyone assumed the Cobras would get the ball to Lauren Scherf (25 points, 16 rebounds), however, it would be Brihana Whatman, who to that point of the game had only one basket to her name, that stepped up in the biggest moment.
Whatman drove down the right side of the lane before scooping up a layup attempt that cooly rolled in to give Kilsyth what would ultimately be a game-winning lead.
With one final attempt to win the game, Nakkasoglu faltered, failing to get a shot up in time as Kilsyth celebrated in front of its home fans.  

Bendigo Braves 94 def Nunawading Spectres 80
The Bendigo Braves have continued its push towards the top of the ladder after winning its fifth game in a row, this time at home against Nunawading.
The Braves led for 38 of the 40 minutes of action, answering every question presented by a Spectres team hungry to win its second game in as many nights.
Rachel Antoniadou (24 points) led the visitors in scoring and helped keep her side within reach for much of the game.
With Bendigo holding onto a three-point lead with just under nine minutes of action remaining, the Braves showed its class, outscoring Nunawading by 11 over the remainder of the game to run away with the win.
Kate Oliver (34 points, eight rebounds, five assists) shined all over the court, while Kelly Wilson (17 points, 11 assists) orchestrated Bendigo's offence perfectly from the point guard spot.
The loss ends a three-game winning streak for the Spectres.

Ballarat Rush 52 def by Knox Raiders 67
The Knox Raiders have notched another win, it’s ninth in 10 games, after dominating the Rush in Ballarat.
The Raiders started the game perfectly, stifling the home side across the first two quarters, allowing just 17 points.
Leading by as many as 29 points mid-way through the third term, Knox opted to rest some of its stars, going deep into its bench before cruising to a 15-point victory.
Poor execution weighed down the Rush for much of the game, as the home side failed to convert all over the court.
Knox will return home tomorrow to face a bottom of the table Hobart team aiming to end its eight-game losing streak. 

Diamond Valley Eagles 79 def Frankston Blues 73
In perhaps the upset of the season so far, the Diamond Valley Eagles have stunned the ladder-leading Blues, beating Frankston in overtime.
After trailing for much of the first term, Frankston turned the tables, showcasing why it has looked like one of the league’s best teams thus far this season.
Led by Darcee Garbin (35 points, 13 rebounds), the Blues pulled ahead by a game-high 11 points coming out of the half-time break and looked very much in control.
Despite this, the ever-resilient Eagles kept coming, tying the contest in the opening second of the fourth quarter before taking the lead through Imogen Rock (15 points, 10 rebounds) with five minutes remaining.
Determined not to let the upset happen, Frankston looked to have wrestled the game away from the home side, going on a 7-2 run to take a five-point advantage with less than one minute remaining.
That lead was however quickly erased by Olivia Bontempelli (23 points), who converted a three-point play and a layup to send the game into overtime.
Once the extra period began, it became clear which team wanted it more, as Diamond Valley forced eight turnovers to run away with the 79-73 victory.
Youngster Sophie Burrows had a blinder of an overtime, scoring eight of the Eagles’ 12 points and coming up with three big steals.
The win is Diamond Valley’s second in its past three outings after starting the season with 10 straight losses.  

Albury-Wodonga Bandits 85 def Hobart Chargers 52
After a difficult start to the season, the Albury-Wodonga Bandits have now won three of its last four games.
Led by a well-rounded scoring attack (five Bandits scored in double figures), Albury-Wodonga was able to secure a comfortable, wire-to-wire victory over a Hobart side missing one of its best players.
Without leading scorer Madeleine Garrick, the Chargers failed to find any scoring consistency, with only four players managing to make a mark on the scoreboard.
Turnovers also played a large part in Hobart’s downfall, as the visitors tallied more turnovers (26) than made field goals (19).
Capitalising off these mistakes, the Bandits were able to run away with the game early, never letting its lead drop below 10 points across the final three quarters, and leading by as many as 36 points mid-way through the last term.
Hobart has now lost eight games in a row and remain on the bottom of the competition ladder.

Dandenong Rangers 75 def by Launceston Tornadoes 96
Led by a pair of 30 point scorers, Launceston has won its 10th game of the season after beating the Dandenong Rangers.
Following a close first quarter, the scoring power of the Tornadoes proved too much for Dandenong in its second game in as many nights.
Mariah Payne (34 points, 11 assists) and Keely Froling (30 points, nine rebounds) weaved their way through the Rangers’ defence comfortably, while Launceston’s shooters connected on its opportunities from beyond the arc (11 of 24 from three-point range).
The Torns built on its lead every quarter, pulling ahead by a game-high 24 points in the third term.
For Dandenong, Emilee Harmon (24 points) led her side in scoring, while Maxine Allan (20 points) put together her best performance since joining the Rangers.
The loss is Dandenong’s sixth in its last seven outings.

Mt Gambier Pioneers 83 def Sandringham Sabres 51
The Mt Gambier Pioneers have showcased its resilience against the Sandringham Sabres.
It looked like it could be an easy night at the office for the Pioneers after the home side allowed only four points in the opening term.
Without Jenna O’Hea, Sandringham looked lost early on, but settled into a comfortable groove in the second quarter, despite trailing 22-4.
The Sabres chipped away at the deficit across the middle two periods of action, going on a 37-19 run to tie the game up at 41 apiece.
Unfortunately for the visitors, it appeared as though all of Sandringham’s energy was expelled across that run, as Mt Gambier put together a 42-10 run of its own to secure its third win of the season.
Jasmin Howe (28 points) top scored for the Pioneers, while Sherrie Calleia flirted with a triple-double (11 points, nine rebounds, eight assists).
The win ends a four-game losing streak for Mt Gambier. 

Picture: Rachel Louise Photography