South Spotlight | Cavs flex muscles against Braves

Featured image: @In2Action Photography-Jodie Rawiri

The Casey Cavaliers made it a double win NBL1 South weekend with an emphatic showing with all eight players contributing strongly to their 109-76 home victory against the Bendigo Braves.

The two teams arrived at Casey Stadium having played the previous night with the Cavaliers beating the Nunawading Spectres who are in top spot by eight points while the Braves went down at home to the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

The Cavaliers shot right out of the blocks with 37 points in the first quarter and then never let up the rest of the afternoon on the way to the eventual 33-point victory as they improve to a 6-5 record on the back of the pair of wins this weekend.

The Braves are now 5-5 for the season having lost twice this weekend.

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It was an emphatic performance from the Cavaliers with them finishing up shooting 53 per cent from the floor along with hitting 13/33 from three-point territory while having just the seven turnovers and getting up 11 extra shots than the Braves.

All eight Casey players that suited up made a strong contribution with Tanner Krebs putting up 19 points, seven assists and four rebounds with Jesse Ghee adding 19 points, five assists, four steals and three boards.

Pat Ryan also had 18 points, five rebounds and two steals, Yuot Gai 16 points, eight boards, three blocks and two assists, Preston Bungei 11 points, five rebounds and two steals, and Trent Andre 11 points, two boards and two assists.

Then there was Jarred Burnett adding eight points, three rebounds and two steals, and Chan Nai seven points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

It was tough going for Bendigo for their second loss of the weekend while ending up shooting 46 per cent from the field and 4/17 from downtown while conceding 20 turnovers.

Billy Smythe top scored with 19 points and six rebounds with Jarvis Doles having a double double with 15 points and 13 rebounds with Ray Turner adding 14 points and two boards, and Jordan Straatsma 12 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Both teams were coming off playing the previous night with the Braves losing at home to Mount Gambier while Casey had a thrilling win over the league-leading Nunawading, and the Cavs kept that momentum going at home on Sunday.

It was a blistering start from the Cavaliers and they hounded the Braves into six turnovers and put up 37 points to 14 on the back of that with shooting 64 per cent from the floor along with 5/9 from three-point territory.

Jesse Ghee, Pat Ryan and Tanner Krebs combined for 21 of those 37 points for the Cavs.

Bendigo did find some offence in the second quarter and put up 31 points in the second quarter on the back of shooting 13/19 from the floor, but still Casey were in control by half-time leading 60-45.

The Cavaliers were back out to a 22-point lead in the third frame and were still up by 17 at three quarter-time before the home team delivered another 29 points to 13 on the way to the eventual 33-point victory as they made it a statement double win weekend.

Casey will now hit the road on Saturday night to take on the Mount Gambier Pioneers with Bendigo to play host to the Frankston Blues on the same evening.

NBL1 SOUTH 2026 SEASON | ROUND 7

CASEY CAVALIERS 109 (Ghee 19, Krebs 19, Ryan 18)

BENDIGO BRAVES 76 (Smythe 19, Doles 15, Turner 14)