North Spotlight | Hot Basham leads Dolphins to big win

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Brooke Basham caught fire in spectacular fashion with 29 first half points and 36 for the game with eight triples as the Cairns Dolphins stayed undefeated in the NBL1 North beating the Northside Wizards 93-73.

The Dolphins won their first two games at home to start the season before this weekend's road trip which began with the Friday night win against the Sunshine Coast Phoenix.

The Wizards won their first game back in the opening round also against the Phoenix but this was their first appearance since as they hosted the Dolphins at Northside Indoor Sports Centre.

Basham was brilliant with 15 points and three long balls in the first quarter, another 14 points and four threes in the second, and then Mia Loyd helped ensure the Dolphins maintained control in the second half for the 20-point victory.

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The performance from Basham was simply spectacular for Cairns especially in the first half when she scored 29 of her 36 points.

She ended up shooting 13/19 from the field, 8/11 from beyond the arc and 2/2 at the foul line while also having five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Mia Loyd had a standout performance once more with 22 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists on 8/13 shooting from the floor and 5/5 at the foul line.

Summah Evans also had 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals for the Dolphins, Teyla Evans nine points, seven boards and two blocks, and Taryn Bond six points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

It was a first loss of the season for the Wizards in just their second game up against a Cairns team playing their fourth with Grace Ellis having 13 points in the first quarter on her way to 19 in the game with 12 rebounds and two steals with 3/4 three-point shooting.

Nes'eya Parker-Williams added 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, Nadeen Payne 12 points, six boards and two assists, Kahlaijah Dean 11 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Kelsey Ransom nine points and three assists.

On the back of their win the night before to start their road double against the Phoenix, Cairns ended up leading 26-23 by the end of the first quarter with Brooke Basham already knocking down three triples.

She had 15 points already in those first 10 minutes while Grace Ellis had 13 points to keep the Wizards close to the unbeaten Dolphins.

It was another 29 points to 19 in the second term in favour of the Dolphins and Basham continued to be on fire with another 14 points on her own including making four more three-pointers.

That saw her have 29 points on 7/9 three-point shooting already going into half-time with Cairns leading 55-42 on the back of that.

Basham only added one more three-pointer in the third period and five points, but the Dolphins maintained their control of the contest with another 24 points to 14 to go into three quarter-time on top 79-56.

Northside were able to make things interesting briefly in the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run, but the Dolphins steadied again on the way to the 20-point victory to remain perfect to start the 2026 season after four matches.

Cairns now returns home to host the Townsville Flames next Saturday while the Wizards are on the road also in seven days' time against the Southern Districts Spartans.

NBL1 NORTH 2026 SEASON | ROUND 3

NORTHSIDE WIZARDS 73 (Ellis 19, Parker-Williams 14, Payne 12)

CAIRNS DOLPHINS 93 (Basham 36, Loyd 22, Evans 13)