North Recap | Round 6 Saturday

Image credit: @taylorearnshaw.photog

Southern Districts Spartans women stayed unbeaten in NBL1 North, Sunshine Coast Phoenix had two wins in Townsville, Lamar Patterson had 33 for Ipswich Force and Matt Kenyon, Callum Dalton and Zac Triplett delivered 83, 33 and 11 for Logan Thunder.

NORTH RECAP | ROUND 6 FRIDAY

WOMEN

South West Metro Pirates (82) lost to Ipswich Force (92)

Ipswich Force delivered a dominant first half performance to set up their 92-82 victory on the road against the South West Metro Pirates.

Both teams arrived at Hibiscus Sports Stadium to play their only game of the weekend with the Pirates at home looking for their first win of the season still up against an Ipswich team attempting to snap a three-game losing run.

It was a tight contest in the first half with the Force just leading 23-22 by quarter-time but it was in the second term where Ipswich were able to take control.

The Force outscored the Pirates 28 points to 11 on the back of shooting 5/7 from three-point range and 9/9 at the foul line to go into the half-time break leading 51-33.

From there Ipswich were able to maintain a double-figure lead throughout the second half on the way to securing the 10-point win to score their third win of the season and snap a three-game losing run.

The major difference between the two teams was the hot three-point shooting for the Force who went 15/23 for the night opposed to the 4/21 from the Pirates.

Of those 15 three-point makes for Ipswich, Anna Bassett made all seven of her attempts on the way to 23 points to go with four assists and three rebounds.

Kahlaijah Dean top-scored with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists also hitting 3/6 from downtown along with 10/10 at the foul line.

Hannah Young also had 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Olivia West 11 points and two boards, Iris Cubit nine points and five rebounds, and Kate Head eight points, five boards and three assists.

South West Metro remain winless on the season now with a 0-5 record with four of those defeats coming on their home floor with Steph Bairstow top-scoring with 20 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Beyonce Bea added 18 points, six rebounds and three assists, Grace Champion 15 points, five boards and two assists, and Alana Fraser seven points, seven assists and three rebounds.

SOUTH WEST METRO PIRATES 82 (Bairstow 20, Bea 18, Champion 15)

IPSWICH FORCE 92 (Dean 27, Bassett 23, West 11, Young 11)

 

Southern Districts Spartans (96) defeated Rockhampton Cyclones (45)

The Southern Districts Spartans kept their undefeated record on the season going with the dominant 96-45 win over a Rockhampton Cyclones unable to back up their win from the previous night.

Rockhampton did win on Friday night in their grand final rematch with the Northside Wizards to start their gruelling triple-header on the road this weekend that continued on Saturday night at Rowland Cowan Stadium.

The Cyclones also lost Moira Joiner from Friday night who had 15 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and three assists in the win over the Wizards, and the Spartans were able to take advantage from the outset.

Southern Districts were already leading 30-16 by the end of the first quarter before the Spartans took further control in the second term with 29 points.

At the same time, they held the Cyclones to just five points in the entire 10 minutes on the back of 2/16 shooting which saw the Spartans open up a 38-point lead and going on a remarkable 30-0 scoring run.

That saw Southern Districts end up leading 59-21 by half-time before then dominating the third quarter as well with another 24 points to 10 with that lead getting out to 52 points.

It was then 59 in the fourth term before the Spartans ended up scoring the 51-point win even with just shooting 39 per cent from the field while the Cyclones went at 29 per cent.

But the difference game with Southern Districts pulling down an incredible 32 offensive rebounds and forcing the Cyclones into 24 turnovers which saw them end up attempting 34 extra field goals in the game.

The win improves the Spartans to a perfect 6-0 record on the season with Nicole Fransson delivering 23 points and 11 rebounds on 10/14 field goal shooting.

Jess McDowell-White knocked down 5/11 from downtown on the way to 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists with Hayley McDowell-White contributing 16 points, three boards and three steals, and Tiana Mangakahia 14 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Rockhampton are now 3-3 with one more game to go on Sunday afternoon against the Brisbane Capitals before getting to return home an exhausted outfit.

Akaysha Muggeridge finished with 14 points, five rebounds and two assists for Rockhampton with Chelsey Perry adding eight points and three boards, and Caitlin Cunningham pulled down 12 rebounds to go with two points, two assists and two steals.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS 96 (Fransson 23, J McDowell-White 19, H McDowell-White 16)

ROCKHAMPTON CYCLONES 45 (Muggeridge 14, Perry 8, Paewai 6)

Logan Thunder (94) defeated Gold Coast Rollers (69)

Leah Scott and Amandine Toi combined for 49 points and Logan Thunder kept their winning run going with the 94-69 home win against the winless Gold Coast Rollers.

Logan were back home at Bendigo Bank Cornubia Park Sports Centre having won five straight to be in second spot in the NBL1 North as they played host to a Gold Coast team still chasing a first win under the coaching of Australian basketball legend Mark Bradtke.

Logan ended up going to the foul line 12 times to zero in the first quarter on the way to outscoring Gold Coast 29 points to 13 including going on a 15-0 scoring run.

That became 17 straight points to start the second quarter but the Rollers did well to hit back and end up outscoring the Thunder 32 points to 19 which saw Logan's lead cut back to 48-45 by the half-time break.

It was then a dominant third quarter from Logan where they scored 19 points themselves but more importantly held Gold Coast to just six points on 2/16 shooting.

That saw the Thunder push back out to a 17-point lead which grew to 28 and in the end Logan were able to score the 25-point win to make it six straight to improve to a 6-1 record on the season.

Amandine Toi knocked down 6/12 from three-point territory for 28 points, three rebounds and two steals with Leah Scott adding 21 points, 14 boards and two assists.

Mikhaela Cann also had 13 points, seven assists, five steals and five rebounds, Sharni Reisinger 12 points and four boards, and Kendell Heremaia eight points and five rebounds.

Gold Coast are now 0-7 on the season and having lost 15 in-a-row dating back to the end of 2024 despite Juna Umezawa finishing with 26 points, 14 rebounds and three assists with shooting 8/14 from the floor, 4/6 from downtown and 6/9 at the foul line.

Jayla Cassidy also had 13 points on 5/7 field goal shooting with Nyah Morris contributing 13 points on 4/7 three-point shooting.

LOGAN THUNDER 94 (Toi 28, Scott 21, Cann 13)

GOLD COAST ROLLERS 69 (Umezawa 26, Cassidy 13, Morris 13)

Townsville Flames (55) lost to Sunshine Coast Phoenix (68)

The Sunshine Coast Phoenix bounced back from a loss in Cairns on Friday night to beat the Townsville Flames 68-55 on the back of 28 points and 15 rebounds from Shannon Ryan.

The Phoenix were backing up from starting their road trip on Friday night with a loss to the Cairns Dolphins ahead of taking on the Flames at Carmichael Ford Stadium on Saturday.

Townsville came into the contest fresh having not played since beating the Ipswich Force two weeks ago and despite the Flames opening up an early seven-point lead, the Phoenix then scored 12 consecutive points and ended up leading 18-14 by quarter-time.

That advantage for Sunshine Coast grew to 15 points in the second frame too and they would end up outscoring Townsville 20 points to 10 on the way to the 38-24 lead by the half-time break with the Flames only managing to shoot a paltry 8/38 at 21 per cent for the half.

Townsville did manage to outscore Sunshine Coast 31 points to 30 in the second half but the Phoenix maintained control to end up scoring the 13-point victory on a night where they shot 48 per cent from the field to just the 25 from the Flames.

Sunshine Coast improve to a 4-3 record on the season having split their road double this weekend with Shannon Ryan putting in a huge performance with 28 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and three assists.

Erin Bollman also produced 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals, Kayla Mathews eight points and three boards, and Jessica Bounding six points on 2/3 three-point shooting.

Townsville are now 3-4 on the season having lost their first game in two weeks with Chailee Ward top-scoring with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists with 4/11 three-point shooting.

Mia Murray added eight points and three rebounds, Shaylee Browning seven points and five boards, and Sam Bowman seven points, six rebounds, there assists and two steals.

TOWNSVILLE FLAMES 55 (Ward 15, Murray 8, Bowman 7, Browning 7)

SUNSHINE COAST PHOENIX 68 (Ryan 28, Bollmann 18, Mathews 8)

MEN

South West Metro Pirates (91) lost to Ipswich Force (96)

The Ipswich Force produced a monster fourth quarter with Lamar Patterson finishing with 33 points as they returned to the winner's list with the 96-91 road win over the South West Metro Pirates.

Patterson was up against the team he played the past two seasons with already for a second time in 2025 since joining Ipswich and Saturday night saw him return back to his old home floor at Hibiscus Sports Stadium.

The Pirates were looking for their second win of the season while Ipswich were also attempting to snap a two-game losing run since Patterson's remarkable game winner against the Townsville Heat.

It was a flying start from South West Metro as they scored 12 straight points in the first quarter on the way to still leading 22-14 by quarter-time.

After that lead for the Pirates got out to 13 points in the second term, that's when Ipswich made their move and ended up hitting 5/7 from three-point range for the rest of the quarter to outscore the home team 29 to 20.

That saw Ipswich end up leading 43-42 going into the half-time break but South West turned things around once more with 33 points to 25 in the third quarter thanks to knocking down 6/10 from three-point range.

That meant the Pirates were leading 75-68 going into three quarter-time but then it was all the Force in the final stanza with 28 points to 16 to turn that eight-point deficit into the eventual five-point victory.

The win improves Ipswich to a 4-3 record on the season with Lamar Patterson torching his former team with 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists on shooting 10/17 from the floor, 4/7 from downtown and 9/9 at the foul line.

Kane Bishop added 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, Ngor Nai 12 points, four boards and two assists, and championship captain from 2023 Jason Ralph eight points, three rebounds and three assists.

South West are now 1-4 on the season and having lost their past three matches with Lachlan Anderson delivering 23 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

Dragan Stajic also had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Jarred Bairstow 16 points, nine boards, five assists and two steals, Ben Volkman 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, and Kai Woodfall 11 points, three assists and two steals.

SOUTH WEST METRO PIRATES 91 (Anderson 23, Stajic 18, Volkman 16, Bairstow 16)

IPSWICH FORCE 96 (Patterson 33, Nai 12, Bishop 12)

Southern Districts Spartans (96) lost to Rockhampton Rockets (117)

Jalen Graham put up 31 points and Malok Majak 21 points and 22 rebounds the Rockhampton Rockets came away with the 117-96 win over the Southern Districts Spartans in the middle game of their road triple.

Rockhampton are in the middle of a gruelling triple-header on the road this weekend having lost to the Northside Wizards on Friday night before arriving at Rowland Cowan Stadium to take on the Spartans.

Southern Districts came into the game trying to bounce back from a loss to the Brisbane Capitals and both teams combined for 65 points in the first quarter with Rockhampton ending up leading 35-30 by quarter-time.

The Rockets then delivered another 29 points to 20 in the second term to go into the half-time break on top 64-52.

That lead continued to grow in the second half for Rockhampton with it getting out to as much 19 points in the third quarter and then 28 in the fourth before they secured the 21-point victory.

In their second game in 24 hours, the Rockets piled on 117 points on the back of shooting 49 per cent from the field to the 41 from the Spartans while collecting 60 rebounds to 41 including 26 at the offensive end to 14.

Rockhampton improves to a 3-3 record with the win ahead of a clash on Sunday with the Brisbane Capitals to wrap up their weekend triple-header on the road.

Jalen Graham continued his standout form in the win for the Rockets with 31 points, eight rebounds and four assists on 14/19 field goal shooting.

Malok Majak also delivered 21 points and 22 rebounds with Malcolm Bernard adding 18 points, eight assists and seven boards, Harrison Hornery 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Isaac Ayoubi 16 points, eight assists and five boards.

Southern Districts are now 3-4 following the loss despite getting 35 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals from Kyla Adnam, and 20 points and seven assists from Tamuri Wigness.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS 96 (Adnam 35, Wigness 20, Kuti 11)

ROCKHAMPTON ROCKETS 117 (Graham 31, Majak 21, Bernard 18)

Logan Thunder (110) defeated Gold Coast Rollers (98)

The big three of Logan Thunder Matt Kenyon, Callum Dalton and Zac Triplett delivered 83 points, 33 rebounds and 11 assists in their team's 110-98 home win against the Gold Coast Rollers.

The Thunder were back home at Bendigo Bank Cornubia Park Sports Centre looking to back up last week's 11-point win over Ipswich where they put up 127 points ahead of hosting a Gold Coast team fresh off beating the Sunshine Coast Phoenix by 31 points.

Gold Coast opened up a 10-point lead in the first quarter before still being on top 28-22 at the end of the period before Logan fired up in the second frame.

The Thunder put up 32 points on the back of hitting 6/13 from three-point land and shooting 11/20 overall to then go into half-time leading 54-47 on the back of that.

The hot offensive performance of the Thunder continued in the third quarter when they put up another 34 points with 5/9 more going down from three-point land as they went 13/20 overall to build a lead as big as 25 points.

That then grew out to 30 points in the fourth term before Gold Coast did deliver a big finish with 31 points to cut the final winning margin of Logan back to 12.

The win improves the Thunder to a 3-4 record on the season with back-to-back wins with Matt Kenyon putting in another standout performance with 33 points, 14 rebounds and six assists with 6/7 shooting from behind the three-point arc.

Callum Dalton added 26 points, 12 rebounds and two assists, and Zac Triplett 24 points, seven boards, three steals and two assists on 5/10 three-point shooting with that trio crucial in the final victory.

Gold Coast are now 3-4 as a result of the road loss with Reuben Te Rangi finishing with 17 points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds.

Boston Mazlin contributed 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, Preston Le Gassick 14 points, four boards and four assists, Jensen Bradtke 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Brodie McGregor 10 points and two boards.

LOGAN THUNDER 110 (Kenyon 33, Dalton 26, Triplett 24)

GOLD COAST ROLLERS 98 (Te Rangi 17, Mazlin 15, Le Gassick 14)

Townsville Heat (77) lost to Sunshine Coast Phoenix (98)

The Sunshine Coast Phoenix made it a perfect road trip to the Tropical Far North with the 98-77 win on Saturday night over the Townsville Heat.

The Phoenix started their double on the road beating the Cairns Marlins 79-63 on Friday night ahead of backing up on Friday on the road to the Heat at Carmichael Ford Stadium.

Townsville were back home attempting to rebound from a loss to the Ipswich Force at the buzzer thanks to Lamar Patterson two weeks ago and this was their first game since.

The Heat were fresh having not played for two weeks and started well opening up an eight-point lead in the first quarter before still clinging to the 26-24 lead by quarter-time.

Sunshine Coast then warmed to the task in the second term with 27 points to 14 on the back of shooting 10/19 from the floor while holding Townsville to 7/20 which saw the Phoenix go into half-time on top 51-40.

It was then another 33 points to 25 in the third stanza for Sunshine Coast as their advantage got out to 27 points before the Phoenix turned that into the eventual 21-point triumph.

Sunshine Coast drained 16/38 from three-point range for the game opposed to 6/23 to make it the perfect weekend on the road and to improve to a 5-2 record as a result.

Six players scored in double-figures in an impressive team performance for the Phoenix with Earnest Ross top-scoring with 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Jamaal Robateau added 17 points on 4/7 three-point shooting with Erik Kafritsas contributing 16 points and four assists, and DeShawn Ross-Paiwan 18 points with 4/7 shooting from downtown as well.

Darnell Robateau also had 11 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals, and Nelson Kahler 11 points, six boards, three steals, two assists and two blocked shots.

Townsville are now 3-4 following the loss with Grant Teichmann ending up top-scoring with 21 points, five rebounds and two assists with 3/6 three-point shooting.

Richard Peachey also provided 15 points and five rebounds, Matthew Rees 10 points and five boards, and Chris Kann seven points and three rebounds.

TOWNSVILLE HEAT 77 (Teichmann 21, Peachey 15, Rees 10)

SUNSHINE COAST PHOENIX 98 (Ross 19, Ross-Paiwan 18, J Robateau 17)