National Finals | Knox get chance at back-to-back

Featured image: @spencersportsphotography

The Knox Raiders are already back-to-back NBL1 South champions and now have the chance to do the same at the NBL1 National Finals after beating the Mackay Meteorettes 100-80 on Saturday.

Both teams arrived in Adelaide after winning their respective championships and then Knox continued their winning ways having gone on a 16-game streak to win the NBL1 South title beating the Sturt Sabres 82-55 on Friday.

Mackay weren’t quite able to beat the Waverley Falcons on Friday after their NBL1 North triumph, but they were the best of the losers to set up the match up with Knox on Saturday with a spot in Sunday's Championship Game up for grabs.

Knox have come to Adelaide with all their guns available and with their team perhaps playing the most ominous form right around the NBL1 in the country, but Mackay did start well and had an early five-point advantage.

The Raiders did manage to work on top to be leading 23-20 by quarter-time, though, with eight points from Paige Burrows and seven from Agnes Emma-Nnopu.

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Knox did manage to open up an eight-point lead in the second quarter but Mackay were up for the fight and held the Raiders advantage to just 44-42 by the half-time break.

There wasn’t much between the teams with the Raiders shooting 16/38 from the field to 17/32 from the Meteorettes but those six extra shot attempts with eight offensive rebounds to Knox and nine turnovers from Mackay were proving the difference.

Knox then took control with 28 points to 12 in the third quarter to open up an 18-point lead and to be up 72-54 by three quarter-time.

The Raiders went on with the job from there with 28 points to 26 in the last period on the way to the 20-point win to move into a second straight Championship Game at the National Finals after winning it all in Canberra last year.

What makes Knox so tough is that on any given night any number of players can deliver match-winning performances and this time it was the turn of Agnes Emma-Nnopu. She finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and two blocks with 4/7 shooting from the outside.

Paige Bradley produced another 19 points and six assists, Haliegh Reinoehl 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals, Paige Burrows 16 points and five assists, and Rachel Bell 10 points and four rebounds.

It was a valiant effort from Mackay against an imposing Knox line-up with import centre River Baldwin thriving in her match up with Alicia Froling for 27 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.

Cheyenne Bobongie also had 26 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds with Sammie Puisis contributing 14 points, five boards, four steals and two assists, and Chelsea Brook seven points and four rebounds.

NBL1 NATIONALS FINALS 2026 | DAY 2

KNOX RAIDERS 100 (Emma-Nnopu 28, Bradley 19, Reinoehl 18)

MACKAY METEORETTES 80 (Baldwin 27, Bobongie 26, Puisis 14)