NBL1 Wildcard Recap | Friday August 5

The Waverley Falcons became just the fourth NBL1 team this season to beat the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellent Men in 2022 but they couldn't quite beat the margin of victory Logan Thunder had.

The Basketball Australia CoE team have proven tough to overcome for NBL1 teams across the country so far this season with the Waverley Falcons joining the Logan Thunder, Perry Lakes Hawks and Forestville Eagles as the only teams to score wins against them.

The team that beats them by the biggest margin will earn a spot at the NBL1 National Finals in September so there's plenty at stake and the Falcons did appear a chance to take the lead in that race.

Waverley ended up winning 93-77 but that 16-point victory fell short of what Logan beat the CoE team by, with the Thunder scoring the 105-80 win.

That has Logan still in the box seat to get to the National Finals even though they remain in a tight battle to earn a playoff berth in the NBL1 North Men's competition.

The CoE team has still won an impressive 13 of 17 matches against NBL1 teams this season ahead of taking on the Frankston Blues on Saturday and Sutherland Sharks on Sunday this weekend.

The Basketball Australia Women's team will also face the Newcastle Falcons on Saturday and Sutherland Sharks on Sunday.

NBL1 WILDCARD – 2022 SEASON
SATURDAY NIGHT

MEN
WAVERLEY FALCONS 93 defeated BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA CENTRE of EXCELLENCE 77

The Waverley Falcons might not have quite had the NBL1 South season they were hoping for but they produced a strong showing to beat the young guns of the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence on Friday night.

The Falcons come into the last two rounds of the NBL1 South season looking on from the outside of the top eight of the standings with a 9-10 record, but they offered a glimpse of what they are capable of with their eventual 93-77 victory at Waverley Basketball Centre.

The Men's team from the Basketball of Excellence have been in a strong run of form lately too coming into Friday night beating the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 98-56 on Sunday along with previous wins over the Sturt Sabres and Norwood Flames since a last loss to the Perry Lakes Hawks.

But what was at stake for Waverley on Friday was a chance for them to try and win by 26 points which would see them score the biggest victory against the CoE team to be in the box seat to earn a spot at the NBL1 National Finals.

In the end the more experienced and stronger bodies of Waverley proved the major difference between the two teams and by quarter-time they had a narrow 19-16 lead.

The Falcons extended that advantage during the second term with 28 points to 19 to see them eventually lead 47 to 35 by the half-time interval.

The Basketball Australia young guns made a game of it, though, again in the second half and made a run during the third quarter, but the Falcons were able to see that off and pull away once more.

Waverley did end up leading by as much as 18 and there was a chance they might be able to get to that 26-point margin, but it wasn’t to be and they ended up winning 93-77.

In many ways it was the best performance of the season from the Falcons and they shot 54.8 per cent from the field as a team even if they were outrebounded 41 to 29 on the night.

Simon Conn was a powerful inside presence for Waverley and he finished with 24 points on 11/14 shooting with the CoE having no answer for his powerful force and craftiness around the rim.

Dan Dillon added 13 points on 6/9 shooting with Durrell McDonald contributing 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals, Jake Heath 10 points, Dexter Kernich-Drew nine points and three assists, Bennie Lewis nine points and six rebounds, and Jayce Beasley eight points.

Alex Toohey offered a glimpse into what a talented future he has by leading the charge for the CoE. He might have only played 16 minutes for the game, but he scored 25 points on 10/15 shooting from the field and 3/4 from three-point range.

Alex Condon added 11 points and four rebounds, Luca Yates nine points and three boards, Ben Henshall nine points and three assists, Rory Hawke eight points and eight rebounds, Jensen Bradtke six points and three boards.