South Recap | Round 7 Saturday

Image credit: Mitchell Barlow

Sarah Elsworthy and Maddy Rocci had triple doubles in NBL1 South wins while Launceston Tornadoes broke through, Dash Daniels shone and Brian Mack II and Josh Sykes made game winners for Nunawading Spectres and Eltham Wildcats.

SOUTH RECAP | ROUND 7 FRIDAY

WOMEN

Sandringham Sabres (109) defeated Ballarat Miners (72)

The Sandringham Sabres snapped a three-game losing slide with Funda Nakkasoglu and Isis Lopes combining for the 52 points in the 109-72 home win against the Ballarat Miners.

The Sabres were back on their home floor at Southern Basketball Stadium looking to snap a three-game losing slide as they hosted a Miners team having also lost their past couple.

There was no shortage of high end talent on either team, though, and it was the Sabres off to the fast start with 24 points to 12 in the first quarter while making 3/6 from deep as the Miners managed just 0/10.

It was then another 33 points to 17 in the second term for Sandringham with the lead growing to as much as 30 points before they went into the half-time break well in control up 57-29.

To Ballarat's credit they did outscore Sandringham 25 to 23 in the third quarter but the Sabres then took further control in the final stanza with 29 points to 18 to end up leading by as much as 37 points and winning by 39.

The Sabres finished up shooting 52 per cent from the floor to the 37 from the Miners while knocking down 9/23 from three to 5/26 along with forcing Ballarat into 23 turnovers from which they scored 15 points from.

Funda Nakkasoglu was outstanding in the win for the Sabres with 26 points and five assists on 7/11 shooting from the field, 4/7 from downtown and 8/8 at the foul line.

Isis Lopes added 26 points, three rebounds and two assists, Haylee Andrews 18 points, nine assists and six boards, Lucy Cochrane 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Klara Wischer 10 points, 10 boards and three assists.

Ballarat have now lost three straight at 3-7 on the season with Abbey Wehrung returning and producing 17 points, three rebounds and three steals.

Opal Bird also had 14 points and five rebounds, and Ally Knights 11 points, eight assists and six boards.

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 109 (Nakkasoglu 26, Lopes 26, Andrews 18)

BALLARAT MINERS 72 (Wehrung 17, Bird 14, Knights 11)

Nunawading Spectres (58) lost to Ringwood Hawks (89)

Sarah Elsworthy produced a triple-double and the Ringwood Hawks made it back-to-back wins with the 89-58 road victory against the Nunawading Spectres.

The Spectres were back home at Nunawading Basketball Centre looking to win a third straight match as they hosted a Hawks team also looking to back up a last up win against the Bendigo Braves.

Nunawading did start well to open up an early seven-point lead but by quarter-time the Hawks had worked their way on top 18-17.

Ringwood then built on that momentum with another 23 points to 14 in the second frame which saw them go into the half-time break with the 41-31 lead.

The Hawks continued to dominate through the third period as well with another 27 points to 15 on the back of 10/18 shooting from the field while Nunawading only managed 6/17.

The lead for Ringwood got out to as much 31 points in the fourth quarter and that would be the final margin as the Hawks improved to a 5-4 record as a result of the win.

Sarah Elsworthy came up with a triple-double for Ringwood made up of 14 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds with Camille Hobby top-scoring with 21 points, four rebounds and two assists on 10/15 shooting.

Annabel Deerbon contributed 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Nyaduoth Lok 12 points and seven boards, and Alex Wittinger 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Nunawading are now 5-5 on the season following the defeat with Rachel Brewster top-scoring with 18 points while shooting 4/9 from three-point territory.

Faith Dut added 13 points and seven rebounds, Rachel Antoniadou 11 points and seven assists, and Laina Snyder nine points, nine rebounds and two assists.

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 58 (Brewster 18, Dut 13, Antoniadou 11)

RINGWOOD HAWKS 89 (Hobby 21, Deerbon 19, Elsworthy 14)

Dandenong Rangers (82) defeated Knox Raiders (70)

Nyadiew Puoch and Dallas Loughridge combined for 50 points as the Dandenong Rangers handed the Knox Raiders a second loss inside 24 ours with the 82-70 home victory.

The Raiders come into the round having lost just once so far this season under the coaching of Al Westover but they went down to the undefeated Geelong United at the State Basketball Centre on Friday night.

They arrived at Dandenong Basketball Stadium looking to hit back against a Rangers team trying to bounce back from a loss last week also to Geelong while they were without Nyadiew Puoch who was on Australian Opals duties.

Dandenong had managed to open up a 23-18 lead by the end of the first quarter before that lead for the Rangers grew to 12 in the second term which was the advantage by the half-time interval.

That lead for Dandenong got out to 16 points in the second half as well before the Rangers secured the eventual 12-point victory to improve to a 6-3 record on the season.

Nyadiew Puoch was back having been part of the Trans-Tasman Throwdown with the Opals and produced 25 points, nine rebounds and assists for the Rangers on 8/11 shooting from the field, 3/3 from downtown and 6/6 at the foul line.

Dallas Loughridge also delivered 25 points, five assists and four rebounds with 5/7 three-point shooting while Georgia Booth contributed 11 points, four boards and four assists, and Manuela Puoch five points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

The two losses in the space of 24 hours leave Knox with a 7-3 record on the season with Paige Bradley finishing with 20 points and five assists with Alicia Froling adding 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Kiera Glover (nee Rowe) 10 points, four boards and three assists.

DANDENONG RANGERS 82 (N Puoch 25, Loughridge 25, Booth 11)

KNOX RAIDERS 70 (Bradley 20, Froling 20, Glover 10)

Bendigo Braves (72) lost to Melbourne Tigers (83)

The big guns were back for the Melbourne Tigers and delivered them the 83-72 road victory on Saturday night against the Bendigo Braves.

The Tigers were still able to score two wins last weekend over the Ballarat Miners and Frankston Blues despite Sara Blicavs, Izzy Borlase and Ella Tofaeono all taking part in the Trans-Tasman Throwdown for either the Opals or Tall Ferns.

They were taking on a Bendigo team on their home floor at Red Energy Arena trying to snap a six-game losing slide but that challenge was always going to be tougher with that international trio back for Melbourne.

The task was even harder by quarter-time with the Tigers having already opening up a 28-19 lead.

Melbourne continued to build on that advantage with another 23 points to 18 in the second term to go into the half-time break on top 51-37.

The Braves did fight hard in the second half and even outscored the Tigers 35-32, but it wasn’t to be and Melbourne had too much experience and got the job done for the 11-point victory.

The Tigers have now won four straight as a result of the victory to sit on a 6-3 record with Sara Blicavs continuing her stunning return in 2025 with another 23 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Izzy Borlase added 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, Ella Tofaeono 13 points and eight boards, Indiah Bowyer 11 points, and Eve Braslis nine points and seven rebounds.

Bendigo have now lost seven straight matches to be 2-8 for the season ahead of an away clash with the Frankston Blues on Sunday.

Taisheka Porchia delivered 18 points and five rebounds for the Braves with Cassidy McLean contributing 17 points, six boards, four steals and three assists, Mikayla Pivec 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals, and Poppy Blanch 11 points.

BENDIGO BRAVES 72 (Porchia 18, McLean 17, Pivec 14)

MELBOURNE TIGERS 83 (Blicavs 23, Borlase 14, Tofaeono 13)

Launceston Tornadoes (90) defeated Eltham Wildcats (77)

The Launceston Tornadoes are on the board for the 2025 season with Keely Froling putting up 26 points and eight rebounds in the 90-77 win at home over the Eltham Wildcats.

The Tornadoes had lost their opening 10 matches of the season ahead of hosting the Wildcats at Harcourts Stadium on Saturday night.

Launceston welcomed back Froling into the line-up too after she was part of the Trans-Tasman Throwdown with the Australian Opals last week as they took on an Eltham team who lost the previous night to the Hobart Chargers by five points.

Neither team could get much going in the opening 10 minutes with Eltham leading 15-13 by quarter-time having shot 7/15 from the field opposed to the 5/18 from the Tornadoes.

It remained a tight contest through the first three quarters with the Tornadoes managing to lead by as much as six points in the second term while the Wildcats never led by more than six either in the third stanza.

By three quarter-time, it was Launceston clinging to a narrow 63-62 lead and then the Torns turned it on the final frame with 27 points to 15 to secure the 13-point win and open their account for 2025 after 10 straight losses.

Keely Froling starred in the win for the Tornadoes with 26 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals with Bailey Flavell adding 18 points, five boards and three assists, Taya Webb 13 points on 3/4 three-point shooting, and Megan Mullings 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Wildcats return home from the Tasmanian double with a pair of defeats to now sit on a 2-8 record for the season with Lil Dart top-scoring with 28 points on 12/16 shooting from the field.

Kennedy Dickie added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Bec Pizzey 14 points, six boards and three assists.

LAUNCESTON TORNADOES 90 (Froling 26, Flavell 18, Webb 13)

ELTHAM WILDCATS 77 (Dart 28, Dickie 17, Pizzey 14)

Diamond Valley Eagles (94) defeated Kilsyth Cobras (78)

Steph Reid and Abbey Ellis were back but Tayah Watkins and Lara McSpadden combined for 50 points as the Diamond Valley Eagles made it seven straight wins in the 94-78 victory over the Kilsyth Cobras.

The Eagles were back home at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre having won their past six matches and they put that winning run on the line against a Cobras team fresh off a win over the Eltham Wildcats.

Diamond Valley had opened up a 26-22 lead by the end of the first quarter and the Eagles did get that lead out to 11 in the second term before being up 47-41 at half-time on the back of shooting 16/36 from the field opposed to 14/39.

It was another 25 points to 19 in the third quarter for Diamond Valley and then 22 to 18 in the fourth with the lead getting out to as much as 22 points before they secured the 16-point victory.

The Eagles finished up shooting 49 per cent from the field to 35 while hitting 10/27 from three to 8/37, and improving to 7-3 on the season as a result of the seventh consecutive victory.

Tayha Wakins had a hot shooting performance with 11/13 from the field and 5/6 from downtown on her way to 27 points and three rebounds.

Lara McSpadden added 23 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals with Steph Reid providing 16 points, nine boards, seven assists and two steals, and Abbey Ellis 12 points, six assists, four steals and two rebounds.

Kilsyth are now 3-7 on the season following the defeat with Shannon Dufficy providing 18 points and 12 rebounds, Nikita Young 14 points, four boards and two assists, Abby O'Connor 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Anamaria Virjoghe 12 points, seven boards and four assists.

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 94 (Watkins 27, McSpadden 23, Reid 16)

KILSYTH COBRAS 78 (Dufficy 18, O'Connor 14, Young 14)

Keilor Thunder (69) defeated Waverley Falcons (59)

Maddy Rocci was back for Keilor Thunder and put up 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for a massive triple-double to lead Keilor Thunder to a 69-59 win in the grand final rematch with the Waverley Falcons.

It was the first time the two teams have met since Waverley won last year's grand final against Keilor to secure the championship and then go on to win the National Finals as well on the Sunshine Coast.

The Falcons entered Saturday night's game at Keilor Stadium in hot form having won five straight since Bec Cole joined the line-up while the Wildcats were coming off a loss to the Knox Raiders but that was without Rocci who was with the Australian Opals last week for the Trans-Tasman Throwdown.

Keilor was in control of the contest for most of the evening and it was all on the back of a terrific defensive performance to end up holding Waverley to 59 points for the game on shooting 30 per cent from the field to go with just 1/23 from three-point territory.

On the back of that, the Thunder were leading by three points at quarter-time, by 11 at half-time and 12 at three quarter-time before opening up an 18-point lead in the final period before securing the 10-point victory.

Keilor finished making 11/36 from three-point range which was the biggest difference between the two teams as they improved to an 8-2 record on the season.

Maddy Rocci put together a brilliant all-round performance finishing with a triple-double made up of 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on 12/23 from the field, 4/9 from downtown and 4/5 at the foul line.

Issie Bourne also produced 13 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots for the Thunder, Isobelle Wightman nine points on 3/6 three-point shooting, Madeline Puli six points, six boards and two blocks, and Kasey Burton five points, seven rebounds and two steals.

The Falcons are now 7-3 with their five-game winning coming to an end with Katelyn Shumate finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds, Renae Mokrzycki 11 points, three boards and two steals, and Amelia Todhunter eight points, four rebounds and two blocks.

It was a tough shooting night for championship stars Bec Cole (nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks) and Carley Ernst (eight points, two boards, two blocks) on combined 6/23 shooting from the field.

KEILOR THUNDER 69 (Rocci 32, Bourne 13, Wightman 9)

WAVERLEY FALCONS 59 (Mokrzycki 11, Shumate 11, Cole 9)

Frankston Blues (70) defeated Casey Cavaliers (64)

Lauren Scherf was back for the Frankston Blues and delivered 36 points and 19 rebounds in the 70-64 win at home over the Casey Cavaliers.

Scherf was back for Frankston after being with the Australian Opals last week for the Trans-Tasman Throwdown while Esra McGoldrick and Sharne Robati also returned for the Cavs after playing for the Tall Ferns.

Both teams lost last week without their key players and each side took some time to warm up with them only combining for 25 points in the first quarter with Casey leading 13-12.

Frankston turned things up a little in the second term with 21 points to 11 which saw them go into the half-time break leading 33-24.

The Blues pushed out to a 14-point lead in the third quarter and then held out the Cavaliers in the finish for the eventual six-point victory on the back of getting to the foul line 25 times to just the 15 for Casey.

Lauren Scherf ultimately was the difference between the two teams finishing the night with 36 points, 19 rebounds and three assists on the back of shooting 13/25 from the floor and 9/13 at the line.

Emily Monaghan also had 15 points, four assists and three rebounds for Frankston, and Lou Brown eight points, nine boards and five assists.

The Cavaliers are now 4-6 on the season following a third straight defeat with Esra McGoldrick finishing with 17 points and four rebounds, Lauryn Hippolite 13 points, six boards and four assists, Jaden Owens nine points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals, and Sharne Robati eight points, seven boards and three assists.

FRANKSTON BLUES 70 (Scherf 36, Monaghan 15, Brown 8)

CASEY CAVALIERS 64 (McGoldrick 17, Hippolite 13, Owens 9)

MEN

Sandringham Sabres (106) defeated Ballarat Miners (87)

Dash Daniels impressed on debut and Malith Machar and Tom Koppens combined for 43 points as the Sandringham Sabres beat the Ballarat Miners 106-87.

The Sabres had won just two of nine games so far this season coming into the Saturday night match at Southern basketball Stadium with a Miners team coming off a win against the Diamond Valley Eagles.

Sandringham added in Daniels for the first time too ahead of his NBL season as a Next Star at Melbourne United with the Sabres the ideal fit for Dyson's younger brother where he can play under the coaching of Dave Barlow.

Despite that, Ballarat started strongly to lead 26-25 by quarter-time before Sandringham delivered 20 points to 15 in the second period to go into half-time leading 45-41.

The Sabres kept that momentum going with another 33 points to 24 in the third frame to open up a 15-point lead. That advantage got out to 20 in the fourth with another 28 points to 22 on the way to the eventual 19-point victory.

The win improves Sandringham to a 3-7 record on the season with Dash Daniels impressive with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes with 4/6 three-point shooting.

Malith Machar top-scored for the Sabres with 24 points and wight rebounds on 6/9 shooting from downtown with Tom Koppens contributing 19 points, six boards and four assists on 3/5 three-point shooting.

Dane Pineau also put up 12 points and 12 rebounds, CJ Asuncion-Byrd 12 points, Elliott Brown 11 points, five boards and two assists, and playing-coach Dave Barlow seven points, six assists and five rebounds.

Ballarat are now 6-4 following the loss with Luke Rosendale top-scoring with 26 points, five rebounds and four assists on 4/13 three-point shooting.

Nick Stoddart added 24 points and four rebounds, Aiden Krause 10 points, 10 boards and two assists, and Mackuei Puondak 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

SANDRINGHAM SABRES 106 (Machar 24, Koppens 19, Daniels 19)

BALLARAT MINERS 87 (Rosendale 26, Stoddart 24, Krause 10, Puondak 10)

Nunawading Spectres (95) defeated Ringwood Hawks (94)

The Ringwood Hawks had a nightmare last minute and the Nunawading Spectres took full advantage with Brian Mack II's match winning offensive rebound and putback giving them the 95-94 victory.

The Spectres were back home at Nunawading Basketball Centre trying to make it three straight wins while the Hawks arrived trying to bounce back from last Saturday's loss at the death to the Bendigo Braves.

Every time the Hawks would threaten to be breaking away to handy lead the Spectres would respond including in the first quarter with Ringwood going up seven but that was back to just one at quarter-time.

Ringwood again got up six in the second frame but by half-time the Hawks were clinging to the 48-45 advantage thanks to shooting 20/36 from the field opposed to the 16/36 from the Spectres.

The Hawks opened up a game high 10-point lead in the third quarter before a couple of threes to start the final stanza to Angus Glover had them back up five.

When Glover nailed his third triple of the last quarter with 5:30 to play, Ringwood was up seven and had all the momentum but Nunawading answered immediately thanks to Cameron Cranston.

Brian Mack II and Christian D'Angelo then also landed from deep to bring the Spectres back within two before Joe Mutimer tied scores up with 1:45 to play with yet another huge triple for the home team.

Glover knocked down a fourth three of the quarter to return Ringwood to the one-point lead with a minute to play, but that's where things went all pear shaped for the visitors.

In the final minute, Glover missed another three-point attempt, Tanner Krebs missed two free throws and then the Hawks turned it over on what was their last possession to try to win the game.

Up the other end the Spectres got things right and even after D'Angelo missed a tough shot down one, Mack was there to collect the offensive board and he scored on the putback which ultimately gave Nunawading the thrilling one-point win.

The Spectres improve to a 6-4 record on the back of a third straight win with Mack not only hitting the game winner but finishing with 21 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.

Joe Mutimer added 18 points and five assists, Cameron Cranston 17 points, five rebounds and three assists, Christian D'Angelo 15 points and two boards, and Jack Gandolfo 12 points and three assists.

Ringwood are now 3-6 following back-to-back losses despite Angus Glover knocking down 5/12 from deep for 23 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Tanner Krebs produced 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, Jonathan Lawton 18 points, four boards, two assists and two steals, Josh Tomasi 12 points, 13 rebounds and two assists, and Tom Carroll 11 points on 3/4 three-point shooting.

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 95 (Mack II 21, Mutimer 18, Cranston 17)

RINGWOOD HAWKS 94 (Glover 23, Krebs 20, Lawton 18)

Dandenong Rangers (72) lost to Knox Raiders (89)

The Knox Raiders hit back from a loss at home on Friday night by producing a monster fourth quarter to overrun the Dandenong Rangers and claim the 89-72 victory.

The Raiders suffered just their second loss of the season when losing to Geelong United at the State Basketball Centre as they looked to try and hit back against the Rangers at Dandenong Basketball Stadium.

The Rangers were at home and looking for their second win of 2025 and to snap a four-match losing slide, and the home team started well to be leading 18-15 by the end of the opening quarter.

Dandenong's lead then got out to 10 points in the second term as well and they remained leading 38-36 by the half-time break.

The Rangers could sense a drought breaking win and were back leading by nine in the third quarter and were still up by six early in the lost term when Justin Bieker hit a three and Bryton Hobbs made jumper.

However, from that point it was a domination from Knox and they outscored Dandenong 28 points to five in just over the last seven minutes of the contest to turn a six-point deficit into the eventual 17-point victory.

The Raiders improve to an 8-2 record as a result having split their double this weekend with Sydney Kings NBL powerhouse Keli Leaulepe producing 23 points and six rebounds fresh off playing for the Boomers last week in the Trans-Tasman Throwdown.

Sunday Dech also put up 19 points, six rebounds and five assists, Brayon Blake 15 points, three boards and two assists, Norvel Pelle 12 points and nine rebounds, and Tad Dufelmeier six points, 11 boards, seven assists and three steals.

The Rangers have now lost five straight matches to sit on a 1-8 record with Bryton Hobbs top-scoring with 16 points and five assists.

Ruot Monyyong added 15 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals, Jack Roberts 11 points, two boards and two steals, and Puoch Puoch nine points and six rebounds.

DANDENONG RANGERS 72 (Hobbs 16, Monyyong 15, Roberts 11)

KNOX RAIDERS 89 (Leaulepe 23, Dech 19, Blake 16)

Bendigo Braves (78) lost to Melbourne Tigers (100)

Jack Purchase put up another 35 points with six threes as the Melbourne Tigers hit the road and came away with the 100-78 win against the Bendigo Braves.

The Tigers arrived at Red Energy Arena trying to shake off losing three of the past four games including when Purchase set a new NBL1 scoring record with 55 points against the Eltham Wildcats.

The Braves came into their seven home match already of the season looking for a fifth consecutive victory but it was Melbourne who were on fire right from the outset on Saturday night.

With Purchase getting off to a hot start, the Tigers put up 35 points to 18 in the first quarter with 5/9 three-point shooting before still retaining control to lead 58-41 by half-time.

That lead for the Tigers got out to 23 points in the third frame and 27 in the fourth before they secured the 22-point triumph on the back of shooting 51 per cent from the field, 52 per cent from deep and 88 per cent at the foul line.

The Braves saw their four-game winning run come to an end on the back of shooting 46 per cent from the floor, 30 per cent from downtown and 57 per cent on 35 free-throw attempts.

Melbourne improves to a 5-4 record with the win with Jack Purchase producing another 35 points, seven rebounds and three assists on 13/22 shooting from the field, 6/12 from behind the arc and 3/3 at the free-throw line.

Tom Wilson added 24 points, five rebounds and three assists, Mason Gaze 15 points, five boards, five assists and two steals, Michael Wearne 10 points and five assists, and Kai Garnaut nine points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.

Bendigo are now 6-4 on the season ahead of a road game against the Frankston Blues on Sunday with Justin Johnson finishing with 17 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Lual Diing also had 13 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and Josiah Pattinson 10 points on 2/4 three-point shooting.

BENDIGO BRAVES 78 (Johnson 17, Diing 13, Pattinson 10)

MELBOURNE TIGERS 100 (Purchase 35, Wilson 24, Gaze 15)

North West Tasmania Thunder (89) lost to Eltham Wildcats (90)

Heart stopping finishes continue to follow the North West Tasmania Thunder this season and this time it was Josh Sykes taking out his frustration on a suspension the previous to hit the game winning dunk as the Eltham Wildcats prevailed 90-89.

The Thunder were back home at Harcourts Stadium attempting to snap a three-game losing streak as they hosted the defending champion Wildcats who started their weekend on the road in Tasmania on Friday with the 20-point loss to the Hobart Chargers.

That loss for Eltham was without Sykes with the explosive big man suspended for that game but he returned on Saturday for the clash with the Thunder.

North West got up 10 three-point attempts in the first quarter for three makes while Eltham only attempted one from beyond the arc but went 9/15 inside it and 8/8 at the foul line with the Thunder leading 29-26 by the end of one.

Things remained tight in the second term with the Thunder making just 1/10 from downtown but Eltham also only shot 7/21 with North West clinging to the 48-47 lead at the main break.

It was the Wildcats who made the biggest break of the game when leading by 10 when Gabe Hadley completed a three-point play with 5:30 left on the clock.

North West hit back beginning with a Lachlan Barker three ball before Tyler Harris scored inside and then added a pair of free throws. Harris continued his hot streak and when he hit a triple with three minutes to play, the scores were all level.

Barker then drained a three ball and the Thunder were not only leading but had all the momentum before Hadley scored a steadying bucket for the Wildcats.

Hadley then put Eltham in front with 1:30 to play before Tasmania JackJumpers NBL big man Archie Woodhill put North West back in front 89-88 with time running.

Eltham had one more chance with coach Craig Stratford drawing up the match-winning play in the timeout that got the ball inside to Josh Sykes. He threw down a trademark done and the Wildcats snatched the one-point win at the death.

Sykes returned to the Wildcats line-up with 14 points, four rebounds and two steals while Gabe Hadley top-scored with 24 points and five assists, Xavier Bledson 19 points and seven rebounds, and Zak Cunningham 13 points and five boards.

North West have now lost four straight to slip to a 3-7 record but five of those seven defeats have all come in single figures.

Lachlan Barker finished with 28 points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds on 6/11 three-point shooting with Tyler Harris adding 16 points, 11 boards and four assists, Tre Armstrong 11 points and five assists, and Archie Woodhill 10 points and four rebounds.

NORTH WEST TASMANIA THUNDER 89 (Barker 28, Harris 16, Armstrong 11)

ELTHAM WILDCATS 90 (Hadley 24, Bledson 19, Sykes 14)

Diamond Valley Eagles (88) lost to Kilsyth Cobras (104)

Kilsyth Cobras had seven players scoring in double figures with Dillon Stith leading the way with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the 104-88 road win over the Diamond Valley Eagles.

The Eagles were back home at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre looking to avoid a third straight defeat while the Cobras regained Stith and were attempt to consolidate their top eight position.

It was Diamond Valley who had a hot three-point shooting first quarter going 6/10 but even then it wasn’t enough to be in front with the Cobras having too many weapons to be leading 26-22 at quarter-time.

Kilsyth then made 7/12 from downtown in the second quarter on the way to outscoring Diamond alley 27 points to 19 to head into the half-time breaking 53-41.

Things remained relatively even for a lot of the second half but Kilsyth's lead did get out to as much as 21 points and they ended up securing the 16-point victory.

The Cobras ended up shooting 56 per cent from the field and 15/29 from three opposed to the 42 per cent and 14/34 from the Eagles.

Kilsyth improves to 6-4 on the season with the win with Dillon Stith delivering 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists but he received plenty of help.

Khadim Sy also had 20 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, Ben Ursich 14 points and eight boards, Adrian Tomada 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds, Mitch Dielemans 12 points and two steals, Corey Jeffs 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Hamish MacDonald 10 10 points on 5/5 shooting.

Diamond Valley have now lost three straight to sit at 3-7 with Jock Perry battling hard for 26 points, 11 rebounds and four assists with 8/11 at the foul line.

Ryley Haywood added 15 points on 5/8 three-point shooting, Ngor Manyang 16 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Adam Thoseby 15 points, three boards, three assists and two steals.

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 88 (Perry 26, Manyang 16, Thoseby 15, Haywood 15)

KILSYTH COBRAS 104 (Stith 22, Sy 20, Ursich)

Keilor Thunder (75) defeated Waverley Falcons (70)

Keilor Thunder scored the last four points of the game over the last three minutes to hold out the Waverley Falcons for the 75-70 home victory.

The Thunder were back at Keilor Stadium on Saturday night looking for a fourth win of the season while the Falcons were attempting to win a fifth with both coming off defeats against the Knox Raiders and the Casey Cavaliers respectively.

It was a hot start from Keilor who opened up an 11-point lead in the first quarter and went into quarter-time still leading 25-16 on the back of shooting 11/17 from the field opposed to 8/22 from the Falcons.

Waverley turned the tide impressively in the second term by piling on 30 points on the back of hitting 5/11 from downtown while holding Keilor to just 14 points which meant the Falcons were leading 46-39 by half-time.

The momentum swings continued but Keilor was threatening to open up a handy lead right throughout the fourth period, but the Falcons stayed in touch and were down just one with three minutes to play when Mason Forbes completed a three-point play.

From there, Waverley didn’t manage to score in the last three minutes despite a host of good looks inside and outside the arc, but Keilor completed the win thanks to free throws from Jayce Beasley and Deng Dut.

The five-point win improves Keilor to a 4-6 record on the season with Deng Dut putting up 23 points, five rebounds and two steals.

South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL development player Daniel Foster also had 13 points, 11 rebounds and four assists with Dante Thompson contributing 10 points, four boards and two assists, and Adetomi Ayilara nine points, six rebounds and two steals.

Waverley slips to a 4-6 record with back-to-back losses with Mason Forbes top-scoring with 20 points and 14 rebounds on 8/13 shooting from the floor.

Khalil Shabazz added 17 points, seven steals, three rebounds and three assists, and Malik Meunier 12 points and four boards.

KEILOR THUNDER 75 (Dut 23, Foster 13, Thompson 10)

WAVERLEY FALCONS 70 (Forbes 20, Shabazz 17, Meunier 12)

Frankston Blues (83) lost to Casey Cavaliers (92)

The Casey Cavaliers welcomed NBL centre Gorjok Gak and continued to impress even with only eight players hitting the floor in the 92-83 road win over the Frankston Blues on Saturday night.

The Cavs arrived at Dreamstreet Lending Arena having won a thriller last Sunday against the Waverley Falcons while the Blues were back on their home floor looking for a fifth consecutive victory.

It was a flying start from the Cavaliers as they put up 30 points to 17 in the first quarter on the back of hot shooting going 11/18 from the floor with 4/8 from downtown.

The Cavs then completed a 12-0 scoring run in the second quarter and their lead blew out to 26 points before they went into half-time well in control leading 59-36.

Frankston did try to mount a fightback and scored 11 straight points in the fourth quarter and they did outscore Casey 47-33 in the second half, but it still ended up being an impressive nine-point win for the Cavaliers.

The Cavs improve to 7-3 on the season following the road win with Sydney Kings NBL guard Tyler Robertson producing 22 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Nate Roberts added 21 points and 16 rebounds on 10/12 shooting, Hunter Marks 19 points, six boards and three assists, Trendon Hankerson 16 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Gorjok Gak two points and six rebounds having just signed during the week.

The four-game winning streak of the Blues comes to an end with them now sitting on a 6-3 record ahead of remaining at home on Sunday to play host to the Bendigo Braves.

Michael Harris delivered 35 points, five rebounds and three assists on 7/18 three-point shooting in the loss for Frankston with Igor Hadziomerovic contributing 18 points, seven boards and three assists, and Kingsley Box 12 points and four rebounds.

FRANKSTON BLUES 83 (Harris 35, Hadziomerovic 18, Box 12)

CASEY CAVALIERS 92 (Robertson 22, Roberts 21, Marks 19)