North Spotlight | Spartans restrict Pirates to 48 points

Featured image: @shots.by.hogi

Defending NBL1 North champions the Southern Districts Spartans held the South West Metro Pirates to 48 points in 40 minutes with just 14 made shots in a crushing 95-48 Friday night road victory.

The Pirates were playing their first home game of the season at Hibiscus Sports Stadium hunting a first win of 2026 with the Spartans sitting on a .500 record to start their championship defence.

It was a dominant showing from South Districts right from the outset going into half-time leading 42-25 before then holding the Pirates to seven points with 2/25 shooting in the third quarter to push that lead out to 41 points.

The Spartans would go on to win by 47 to improve to 3-2 to start their weekend double while South West Metro are now 0-4 after their lone Round 4 appearance.

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It was as dominant a performance as you're likely to see even if Southern Districts didn’t necessarily having a spectacular offensive night shooting 44 per cent from the floor and 8/27 from three-point range.

But the Spartans ended up with 14 second chance points to three from their 17 offensive rebounds, 16 points from the 23 turnovers from the Pirates, and had 23 fast break points to five along with 54 points in the paint to 22.

Tamuri Wigness produced another 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win for Southern Districts with Kon Anguik producing 16 points and five rebounds on 3/4 three-point shooting including a four-point play in the third quarter.

Isaih Tueta added 13 points, two rebounds and two assists, Dhieu Magier seven points, four boards and three assists, Kurt Siwek six points and three rebounds, Mitch Honeyman six points, five rebounds and four steals, Darcy Ryder six points and five assists, Griffin Biwer six points and 11 rebounds, and Ben Hastings six points, five boards and three assists.

Louis Jones top-scored for South West Metro with 11 points and seven rebounds while Dominique Keyes ended up with seven points and nine rebounds having just arrived this week, Oliver Amajoyi six points, eight rebounds and three assists, and Harrison Huber six points and two assists.

The Pirates were looking to start well in their first home game of the season but it wasn’t to be with the Spartans ending the first quarter leading 23-10 with Tamuri Wigness already having 11 points to his name.

South West Metro only got up 13 shot attempts and made just three while having five turnovers and Southern Districts pulled down six offensive rebounds with Louis Jones scoring six of his team's 10 points.

The lead for the Spartans blew out to 19 points in the second quarter and the reigning champs were still leading 42-25 going into the half-time break after pulling down another six offensive rebounds for the quarter and forcing the Pirates into another six turnovers.

It was even more dominant from Southern Districts in the third term with 31 points to seven with them shooting 11/18 from the floor opposed to the 2/25 from South West Metro even though Dominique Keyes finally hit their first triple of the night.

It was another 22 points to 16 in the last period in favour of the Spartans as they romped to the 47-point win to improve to 3-2 in their championship defence and keep the Pirates winless.

The Pirates have until next Saturday to regroup when they take on the Gold Coast Rollers on the road while the Spartans will look to keep their form going on Saturday at home to the Northside Wizards.

NBL1 NORTH 2026 SEASON | ROUND 4

SOUTH WEST METRO PIRATES 48 (Jones 11, Keyes 7, Huber 6, Amajoyi 6)

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS 95 (Wigness 24, Anguik 16, Tueta 13)