South Spotlight | Cobras break drought in Geelong

Featured image: Lawrence Surgers | @pics.by.tre

Georgia McBean made the most of her increased opportunity with a match-winning performance for the Kilsyth Cobras as they beat Geelong United to open the NBL1 South season with a first win since June last year.

Geelong were the dominant team of the 2025 NBL1 South season going through undefeated all the way to the grand final before losing to the Knox Raiders.

There has been plenty of change at United since then and coming into the 2026 season as they played host to the Cobras at The Geelong Arena on Saturday.

The Cobras hadn’t won a game since beating the Waverley Falcons on June 21 last year before losing the last six games of the season to finish with a 5-17 record.

They were ready to fire to start the new season, though, and had opened up a five-point lead over Geelong by half-time before pushing that out to 86-71 by the final buzzer.

Kilsyth ended up shooting 12/30 at 40 per cent from downtown opposed to the 4/23 at 17 per cent from Geelong along with having 20 fast break points to five.

There was a lot to like in the first up win from Kilsyth with Georgia McBean leading the team she's battled hard with for the last three seasons waiting for more opportunity to open up. She grabbed that on Saturday with 25 points, five rebounds and three assists with 5/10 three-point shooting.

She had plenty of help too with Emme Shearer putting up 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Hannah Day 12 points and five boards, and Catelyn Van Es nine points seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Ariel Jenkins also had nine points, four rebounds and three blocks, Haylee Andrews eight points, 11 assists and five rebounds, and Bella Niven-Brown eight points, three boards and three assists.

On the back of playing last season in the NBL1 East at the Penrith Panthers, Jordan Vasquez was impressive first up for Geelong finishing with 21 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and three steals on 8/16 shooting from the field and 5/7 at the foul line.

Indiah Bowyer also had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists for Geelong with Lilly Rotunno contributing 13 points, four boards, four assists and two steals, Dakota Crichton eight points and four rebounds, and Reagan Bass eight points and five boards.

It was a tight opening to the contest with scores all tied at 21-21 by quarter-time with Kilsyth putting up 14 points in the paint but Geelong capitalising on their offensive boards with five second chance points.

Kilsyth were able to work on top during the second quarter outscoring Geelong 22 points to 17 and by half-time they were leading 43-38.

The Cobras had a combined 23 points from Emme Shearer and Georgia McBean to the half while shooting 46 per cent to the 38 from Geelong along with hitting 5/14 from deep to 2/12, but United did have 12 free-throw attempts to just five.

Kilsyth maintained control through the third quarter and completed a 12-0 scoring run to open up a 14-point advantage, but Geelong managed to pull it back with eight straight points themselves to be within striking distance down eight by three quarter-time.

But the Cobras had the answers down the stretch on the way to the 15-point season-opening win on the road as they snapped their losing run they ended 2025 with.

Both teams will now be back in action on Thursday night ahead of the Easter break with Geelong on the road to the Bendigo Braves while the Cobras play host to the Ringwood Hawks.

NBL SOUTH 2026 SEASON | ROUND 1

GEELONG UNITED 71 (Vasquez 21, Bowyer 16, Rotunno 13)

KILSYTH COBRAS 86 (McBean 25, Shearer 15, Day 12)