North Recap | Round 12 Saturday

Image credit: Judd Green

Jess McDowell-White had 28 points in Southern Districts Spartans NBL1 North win before the men overcame Lamar Patterson's 38 points with Reuben Te Rangi having a big last quarter for Gold Coast Rollers, and Sunshine Coast Phoenix stay on top.

NORTH RECAP | ROUND 12 FRIDAY

NORTH RECAP | ROUND 11 SUNDAY

WOMEN

Ipswich Force (80) lost to Southern Districts Spartans (89)

Jess McDowell-White delivered 28 points with six three-pointers and the Southern Districts Spartans maintained pace with top spot with the 89-80 win over the Ipswich Force.

Ipswich were back home at Ipswich Basketball Stadium with only an outside hope of still playing finals, but they did need to win their last two games starting Saturday night at home to the second placed Spartans.

Southern Districts arrived having won four straight to be going neck and neck with Logan Thunder in top spot and the Spartans made a strong start with the 24 points to 14 in the opening quarter.

From there Southern Districts opened up a 15-point lead in the second period before going into half-time leading 46-34.

It was another 24 points to 18 in the third frame and then the Southern Districts leads was 28 points early in the fourth quarter before Ipswich did finish strongly with their season on the line.

The Force did go on a 9-0 run in the last term and ended up scoring 28 points, but the Spartans held firm for the nine-point victory.

The win improves Southern Districts to a 12-1 record to remain in second spot and hot on the heels of Logan Thunder.

Jess McDowell-White produced a standout performance in the win for the Spartans with 28 points and five assists with 6/12 three-point shooting.

Nicole Fransson continued her standout season with another 23 points, seven rebounds and two steals with 10/15 field goal shooting while Majella Carey contributed 15 points and six rebounds, and Taylah Simmons 14 points, four boards and four assists.

Ipswich are now 4-9 for the season to be out of finals contention with just one game remaining next Saturday against the Gold Coast Rollers.

Kahlaijah Dean finished with 23 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Force with 3/5 three-point shooting.

Elissa Brett added 21 points and four rebounds, Olivia West 13 points and four boards, and Hannah Young 13 points and five rebounds.

IPSWICH FORCE 80 (Dean 23, Brett 21, Young 13, West 13)

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS 89 (J McDowell-White 28, Fransson 23, Carey 15)

 

Cairns Dolphins (101) defeated Rockhampton Cyclones (93)

Mikaela Ruef could well be the late added weapon to take the Cairns Dolphins a long way after she starred in the 101-93 win over the defending champion Rockhampton Cyclones.

The Dolphins had won their past two games ahead of returning home to Trinity Ford Stadium on Saturday night to host the defending champion Cyclones who also needed a win to stay in finals contention.

Cairns might be without Cayla George while she's at the FIBA Asia Cup, but they have welcomed WNBL and NBL1 North championship winner Mikaela Ruef to give them that added, size, experience and quality to attack the back end of the season with.

Rockhampton made a strong start with 25 points to 20 in the opening quarter on shooting 11/21 from the field opposed to the 7/17 from the Dolphins.

It was then 25 to 20 in favour of Cairns in the second term and as a result it was all locked together between the two teams at 45-45 by the half-time interval.

It was then a one-point lead in favour of Cairns by three quarter-time before the home team put up 28 points to 21 in the last term with 13/21 shooting to the 8/15 from the Cyclones to see the Dolphins secure the eight-point victory.

The victory is a third in-a-row for Cairns as they improve to a 9-4 record to remain solid in a finals position with one game remaining in their season next Saturday at home to the Townsville Flames.

Mia Loyd continued her tremendous form for the Dolphins with 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals while Mikaela Ruef produced 23 points, eight boards and two assists in her second appearance of the season.

Leichan Williams also had 13 points and three rebounds, Aimee Brett 12 points, three assists and two steals, and Teyahna Bond 10 points, five assists and three rebounds.

Rockhampton are now n real danger of missing the playoffs altogether as defending champions slipping to a 5-7 record with games to go on Sunday away to Townsville and next Saturday against the Mackay Meteorettes.

Moira Joiner battled ferociously for Rockhampton to finish with 32 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and three steals with 5/8 shooting from behind the three-point line.

Chelsey Perry also had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Mary Goulding 12 points and three boards, Alana Pawai 10 points, two rebounds and two assists, and Akaysha Muggeridge nine points, four assists and three boards.

CAIRNS DOLPHINS 101 (Loyd 24, Ruef 23, Williams 13)

ROCKHAMPTON CYCLONES 93 (Joiner 32, Perry 23, Goulding 12)

 

South West Metro Pirates (71) lost to Gold Coast Rollers (80)

Gold Coast Rollers have now won consecutive matches after snapping their 19-game losing streak with the 80-71 road win against the South West Metro Pirates.

Gold Coast broke through to avoid a 20th straight loss last Saturday night beating the Brisbane Capitals which gave them a first win also under the coaching of Australian basketball great Mark Bradtke.

The Rollers were then looking to back that up when they took on the Pirates a week later at Hibiscus Sports Stadium.

South West Metro were back home and needing a win to remain any chance of still playing finals in 2025 even though those prospects are looking increasingly slim after last week's loss to the Cairns Dolphins.

The Pirates did finish the opening quarter strongly with an 8-0 to go into quarter-time leading 21-18 but then in the second frame Gold Coast took over the contest.

The Rollers outscored the Pirates 29 points to 12 in that second period on the back of shooting 12/22 from the field with South West Metro only managing 4/11.

That had Gold Coast leading 47-33 by the half-time break and that lead for the Rollers grew to as much as 18 points in the fourth quarter before they secured the nine-point win even after a late 9-0 run from the Pirates.

As a result of the win, Gold Coast have now won consecutive matches after that 19-game losing streak to be 2-11 on the season with just one game remaining next Saturday away to the Ipswich Force.

Emma Petrie finished with 20 points and five rebounds win the win for Gold Coast with Tara Manumaleuga adding 16 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists, and Juna Umezawa 14 points, seven boards, two assists and two blocked shots.

Tera Reed also delivered 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Rollers with Nyah Morris adding eight points, five boards and four assists.

South West Metro now won't be a chance of playing finals in 2025 having lost their past two matches to be 4-9 on the season with just one game left next Saturday against the league-leading Logan Thunder.

Beyonce Bea finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks, two assists and two steals with Grace Champion adding 17 points, five boards and two assists, and Steph Bairstow 17 points with 5/10 three-point shooting.

SOUTH WEST METRO PIRATES 71 (Bea 18, Champion 17, Bairstow 17)

GOLD COAST ROLLERS 80 (Petrie 20, Reed 20, Manumaleuga 16)

 

Sunshine Coast Phoenix (77) defeated Brisbane Capitals (68)

The Sunshine Coast Phoenix maintained their spot in the top six with the 77-68 win over the Brisbane Capitals with Shannon Ryan and Erin Bollman combining for 54 points and 28 rebounds.

Sunshine Coast might have lost their past two matches but were still occupying a place in the top six ahead of hosting the Capitals at Maroochydore Stadium.

Brisbane remain without Miela Sowah who is on Australian Opals duties at the FIBA World Cup and four straight losses has put them out of the finals hunt, but they were still capable of giving the Phoenix a real challenge.

It was a tight contest from the outset with Sunshine Coast narrowly leading 21-20 by quarter-time before the Phoenix did open up a seven-point lead in the second frame, and went into the half-time break leading 42-37.

That lead for the Phoenix then slowly built throughout the second half and got to as much as eight points in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth, and they ended up securing the nine-point victory.

Sunshine Coast improves to a 7-6 record as a result of the win with one game in their season to go next Saturday against the league leading Southern Districts Spartans.

Shannon Ryan was outstanding in the win for the Phoenix with 31 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots with 15/25 shooting from the floor.

Erin Bollmann added 23 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and six steals with Madeline White contributing nine points and four boards, and Jessica Boundy eight points and three rebounds.

Brisbane have now lost five straight matches with a 3-10 record with just the one game left against the Northside Wizards next Saturday night.

Ashley Arlen top-scored for the Capitals with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals with 5/12 three-point shooting.

Grace Ellis also had 18 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Audrey Fuller eight points, six boards and two assists.

SUNSHINE COAST PHOENIX 77 (Ryan 31, Bollmann 23, White 9)

BRISBANE CAPITALS 68 (Arlen 24, Ellis 18, Fuller 8)

 

MEN

Ipswich Force (110) lost to Southern Districts Spartans (118)

Another 38 points from Lamar Patterson wasn’t quite enough with Tamuri Wigness and Blake Jones combined for 57 as the Southern Districts Spartans prevailed over Ipswich Force 118-110 in a high-scoring spectacle.

The Force were back home at Ipswich Basketball Stadium looking for a third straight win to stay solid in a playoff spot while the Spartans arrived also having won two in-a-row and trying to break into the top six.

That meant there was plenty on the line between two teams with no shortage of top end talent even if the Spartans remain with Cairns Taipans NBL veteran guard Kyle Adnam.

The two teams combined for 55 points in the first quarter with Southern Districts narrowly leading 28-27 by quarter-time even with the Force knocking down six three-pointers in those opening 10 minutes.

Things went up another gear in the second frame with a combined 69 points with Ipswich putting up 35 to 34 and that saw the scores all tied at 62-62 by half-time with Ipswich shooting 21/40 from the field 14/19 at the foul line while Southern Districts were going 25/44 and 6/8.

Ipswich did open up an eight-point lead in the third quarter and again by five in the fourth, but Southern Districts kept having the answers and ultimately the Spartans pulled away in the last term thanks to putting up 35 points.

Southern Districts led by nine with 30 seconds to go and despite a couple of quick threes for Ipswich to Lamar Patterson, the Spartans secured the eventual eight-point win at the foul line.

It was a spectacular 40 minutes of basketball with the combined 228 points with Southern Districts ending up shooting 57 per cent from the field 49 from Ipswich but the Force welt 14/37 from downtown to 10/23 from the Spartans.

The win moves the Spartans into the top six with a 7-6 record and just one game in their season remaining next Saturday at home to the Sunshine Coast Phoenix.

Tamuri Wigness was scintillating once more in the win for Southern Districts with 30 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and five steals.

Blake Jones added 27 points, nine rebounds and three assists, Max Kerle 19 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals, Matt Hodgson 15 points, four rebounds and two blocks, and Nandor Kuti 14 points, six boards, four steals and three assists.

Ipswich now sits on a 7-6 record as well following the loss with one game to go at home to the Gold Coast Rollers next Saturday night.

Lamar Patterson is having a spectacular season with the Force and that continued with the former two-time All-First Team NBL member delivering 38 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists on 12/18 shooting from the field, 5/11 from downtown and 9/14 at the free-throw line.

Will Mahoney added 20 points, six rebounds and five steals, DJ Mitchell 20 points, 10 assists, six boards and two steals, and Ngor Nai 25 points with 6/12 three-point shooting.

IPSWICH FORCE 110 (Patterson 38, Mitchell 20, Mahoney 20)

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS 118 (Wigness 30, Jones 27, Kerle 19)

 

Cairns Marlins (80) lost to Rockhampton Rockets (83)

A huge late three-pointer from Isaac Ayoubi proved the different in a Saturday night thriller as the Rockhampton Rockets kept their finals hopes alive with the 83-80 win on the road to the Cairns Marlins.

The Marlins were back home where they will stay for the last two weeks of the season and they were trying to get off the bottom of the table playing host to a Rockhampton team starting their road double and trying to make it three straight wins.

The Rockets also needed to keep winning to stay in the playoff hunt with the visitors narrowly leading 22-20 by quarter-time.

Cairns then took over in the second period with 26 points to 16 thanks to 9/17 shooting from the field to 6/15 from the Rockets.

That saw the Marlins head into half-time leading 46-38 by the half-time break but then it was in the third term when Rockhampton took control.

The Rockets outscored Cairns 28 points to 14 with shooting 12/21 from the field opposed to the 5/16 from the Marlins.

The game wasn’t done yet, though, with Cairns back in front briefly courtesy of Ky Stattmann with just under six minutes to play only for Rockhampton to immediately respond with the next seven points.

The Marlins again responded with the next eight points topped off with a three ball from James Mitchell to regain the lead but then it would be Rockhampton who had the last say and it was Isaac Ayoubi's three ball with 45 seconds to go that was difference.

The Rockets went on to secure the three-point victory from there to improve to a 6-6 record having won three straight before also taking on the Townsville Heat on the road on Sunday to wrap up Round 12.

Jalen Graham top-scored in the win for Rockhampton with 20 points, 11 rebounds and three assists with Isaac Ayoubi adding 17 points and five steals, Malcolm Bernard 15 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four steals, and Malok Majak 12 points and 13 boards.

Cairns remain in bottom spot with a 3-10 record having lost three straight with their season to end next Saturday night at home to Townsville as well.

Kody Stattmann finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks for the Marlins to continue his career-best form this season.

Travis Drinnan added 14 points and three rebounds with 3/5 three-point shooting, Ky Stattmann 14 points and six boards, and James Mitchell 11 points, nine rebounds, five steals and two assists.

CAIRNS MARLINS 80 (Kody Stattmann 31, Ky Stattmann 14, Drinnan 14)

ROCKHAMPTON ROCKETS 83 (Graham 20, Ayoubi 17, Bernard 15)

 

South West Metro Pirates (93) lost to Gold Coast Rollers (96)

It was Boston Mazlin who knocked down the biggest shot of the night to ultimately deliver the 96-93 win for the Gold Coast Rollers against the South West Metro Pirates after Reuben Te Rangi had a spectacular fourth quarter.

The Pirates came into the match up at Hibiscus Sports Stadium clinging to sixth position while Gold coast were one win ahead of them so there was every chance the winner would go a long way to guaranteeing their finals appearance for 2025.

South West did open up a seven-point lead early but Gold Coast hit back and by quarter-time the scores were tied at 24-24 and then it was 19 points each in the second term with scores still locked at 43-43 by the main break.

The scoring picked up in the third frame and Gold Coast managed 29 points to 26 and then ended up leading by as much as eight points in the final term, but the Pirates kept firing back.

Lachlan Anderson knocked down a three-pointer early in the last term to put the Pirates back in front before Preston Le Gassick immediately responded for Gold Coast.

Reuben Te Rangi then completed a three-point play from the Rollers before he also hit a three ball ahead of his return to the New Zealand Breakers for NBL26.

Te Rangi then hit another three ball and then also scored inside twice either side of a pair of free throws and in the space of five minutes, the 358-game NBL veteran had scored 15 points for Gold Coast.

It wasn’t enough to break the spirit of South West Metro, though, with a three-pointer from Junior Madut putting them back in front with 45 seconds to play.

It was then Boston Mazlin that responded to put Gold Coast back in front and from there the visitors were able to complete the three-point victory to improve to an 8-5 record with the three consecutive victories.

Reuben Te Rangi was outstanding with 30 points and three rebounds with 10/15 shooting from the field and 3/5 from downtown.

Preston Le Gassick added 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Boston Mazlin 14 points, eight assists, four boards and three steals, and newly signed Brisbane Bullets development player Jensen Bradtke 10 points, nine rebound and two steals.

South West Metro are now 6-7 with their four-game winning streak coming to an end despite 19 points, and eight rebounds from Ben Volkman.

Lachlan Anderson added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Jarred Bairstow 15 points, seven boards and four assists, Dragan Stajic 13 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, and Junior Madut 12 points, six boards and four assists.

SOUTH WEST METRO PIRATES 93 (Volkman 19, Anderson 17, Bairstow 15)

GOLD COAST ROLLERS 96 (Te Rangi 30, Le Gassick 27, Mazlin 14)

 

Sunshine Coast Phoenix (88) defeated Brisbane Capitals (83)

The Sunshine Coast Phoenix were spurred on by a cracking home court atmosphere to storm home and overrun the Brisbane Capitals for the 88-83 victory.

Sunshine Coast remained in top spot coming into the match up at Maroochydore Stadium and had a packed home crowd to spur them on up against the second placed Capitals fresh off their own thrilling win on Friday night against Logan Thunder.

The stage was set for a tantalising match up between the top two teams with first place up for grabs and it was Brisbane who got the better of the start with 24 points to 18 in the opening quarter largely on the back of getting to the foul line for 10 free-throw attempts to one.

The Capitals pushed out to a 13-point lead in the second term and by half-time last year's grand finalists were still on top 45-36.

It was in the third quarter when Sunshine Coast stormed back into the contest and it was spurred on by the energy provided by Earnest Ross. The Phoenix ended up with 25 points to 17 in the period as they cut that Brisbane lead back to a point at three quarter-time.

Ross then gave Sunshine Coast the perfect start to the fourth quarter with a huge three-pointer to lift the roof off the building before he hit another five points soon after and the Phoenix were out to a five-point lead.

Brisbane responded, though, and with six minutes to play, Sam McDaniel showed his MVP quality to put the Capitals back in front before Jamaal Robateau levelled scores once more for Sunshine Coast.

DeShawn Ross-Paiwan knocked down another big three to restore the Phoenix to a two-point lead but McDaniel continued to fire for the Caps and hit another three to see them back up three with four minutes on the clock.

McDaniel then pushed Brisbane out to a five-point lead before Robateau responded with another three ball and then his second in 45 seconds had the home team back in front.

Ross then pushed them out to a three-point lead and from there they scored the stirring five-point victory with Sunshine Coast remaining in top spot as a result with a 9-4 record with one game to go next Saturday against the Southern Districts Spartans.

Jamaal Robateau finished with 20 points, six assists and five rebounds with shooting 5/9 from deep with Earnest Ross delivering 15 points, seven boards and two steals.

Erik Kafritsas added 15 points and three rebounds, Darnell Robateau 11 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals, Elias Cato 10 points, five rebounds and two steals, and Nelson Kahler 10 points, six boards and three assists.

Brisbane have now lost three of their past four matches to slip to an 8-5 record ahead of finishing their season at home to the Northside Wizards next Saturday night.

Reigning MVP Sam McDaniel was tremendous once more for the Capitals with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists with Uche Dibiamaka adding 16 points, five boards and two steals, Isaih Tueta 13 points and six assists, and Cameron Thew 11 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.

SUNSHINE COAST PHOENIX 88 (J Robateau 20, Ross 15, Kafritsas 15)

BRISBANE CAPITALS 83 (McDaniel 24, Dibiamaka 16, Tueta 13)