North Spotlight | Parker-Williams stars in Wizards win

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The other results didn’t fall their way but the Northside Wizards did score the 82-72 road win over the Sunshine Coast Phoenix to start their final round NBL1 North double with Nes'eya Parker-Williams having 25 points and 18 rebounds.

Coming into the final around of the season and the top six teams had been set but with only one game separating the Southern Districts Spartans, Townsville Flames, Mackay Meteorettes and the Wizards, all four could finish anywhere from third to sixth.

Those four teams will all play one another to open the finals next week, it's just about who gets home court advantage and it was out of the Wizards hands because they needed those above them to lose if they wanted to rise.

That didn’t happen on Saturday night with Townsville beating the Rockhampton Cyclones, the Spartans downing the Brisbane Capitals and then the Mackay Meteorettes beating the South West Metro Pirates.

Both the Wizards and Meteorettes have one game to now play on Sunday while Southern Districts and Townsville finish on 11-5 records with Northside and Mackay both a chance to join them so then by Sunday afternoon those positions will all be settled.

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The Phoenix hosted the Wizards at Maroochydore Stadium and while they couldn’t play finals any longer having lost their past two matches, but they still wanted to end their season on a positive note.

But it was the Wizards who went on an 11-0 run in the first quarter but Sunshine Coast responded with 24 to 15 in the second to go into half-time on top 38-35 on the back of shooting 52 per cent from the field to 39 while forcing Northside into 10 turnovers.

The Wizards worked back on top in the third quarter and then took control for good in the last with 27 points to 18 on the way to the eventual 10-point victory to improve to a 10-5 record.

Northside ended up outscoring Sunshine Coast 47 points to 34 in the second half on 17/34 shooting from the field and 11/15 from the foul line to 12/31 for the Phoenix along with just 8/11 from the foul line.

By the end of the game, the biggest difference was the eight extra free-throw attempts for the Wizards on the back of 10 more offensive rebounds with Nes'eya Parker-Williams outstanding once more with 25 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Nadeen Payne added 13 points and six rebounds, Kelsey Ransom 13 points, five rebounds and two assists, Alice O'Driscoll 11 points and three assists, and Grace Ellis 10 points, eight boards and three assists.

Sunshine Coast now finish their season at 7-9 having lost their last three matches with Erin Bollmann providing another 29 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals on 11/17 field goal shooting.

Maya Price also had 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals, and Isabel Palmer 16 points and three boards.

The Wizards now have one game to go in their regular season on Sunday at home to a dangerous North Gold Coast Seahawks who have won four of their last six matches.

NBL1 NORTH 2026 SEASON | ROUND 14

SUNSHINE COAST PHOENIX 72 (Bollmann 29, Price 17, Palmer 16)

NORTHSIDE WIZARDS 82 (Parker-Williams 25, Ransom 13, Payne 13)