South Spotlight | Deep Raiders overcome Froling hot start

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

Harry Froling put up 28 first-half points but the Knox Raiders took over from there with 64 points in the second with Jordan Hunter fitting in nicely as they stayed unbeaten this NBL1 South season beating the Dandenong Rangers 117-106.

The battle of two undefeated NBL1 South teams at the State Basketball Centre on Saturday night was always going to be a spectacle and it sure didn’t disappoint.

It was Froling setting things alight in the first half with 14 points in each of the first two quarters on 11/15 shooting in the opening half with the Rangers leading by five at the half on the back of that.

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Knox took over from there, though, with 64 points in the second half on the back of shooting a scorching 24/35 from the field and 5/9 from three-point range to end up winning by 11 and improving to 3-0 to start the season.

The Raiders ended up shooting 60 per cent as a team for the night with 15/28 from three-point range and 14/17 at the foul line while the Rangers ended up going 54 per cent overall, 16/31 from deep and 16/26 at the charity stripe as they slipped to 2-1.

The Raiders ended up with six players scoring in double-figures in the win with Brandon Slater showing the way with 23 points, five rebounds and two steals with 3/4 shooting from behind the three-point line.

Trazarien White made some spectacular plays on his way to 21 points, five rebounds and four assists with 9/12 shooting while South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL co-captain Jordan Hunter made his second appearance for 19 points and six rebound with 3/5 shooting from deep.

Brody Nunn also finished with 16 points and 11 assists, Tad Dufelmeier 15 points and 10 assists, and Tasmania JackJumpers big man Kobe Williamson 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Even if Harry Froling couldn’t quite keep up the pace he set in the first half with 14 points in each of the first two quarters, he still had an outstanding night for Dandenong.

He finished with 38 points, seven assists and five rebounds with 15/25 shooting from the field, 5/10 from three-point range and that was despite going just 3/12 at the free-throw line.

Sam Davidson also delivered 20 points on 3/4 three-point shooting for the Rangers with Ryan Rapp adding 14 points and seven rebounds, Joe Palmer 13 points, seven boards and six assists, and Joe Lubarsky nine points and three rebounds.

Both teams put their undefeated records on the line coming into the contest and it was the Rangers who got the better of the start thanks to a blistering first quarter shooting display from Harry Froling.

He had 14 points and four three-pointers already after the opening 10 minutes with the Rangers leading 32-22 by quarter-time as a result while hitting 7/12 from downtown as a team.

The high-quality affair continued in the second quarter with both teams combining for 57 points with Froling scoring another 14 on his own for Dandenong to go into half-time with 28 on 11/15 shooting even while hitting just 1/6 at the foul line.

Knox put up 31 points of their own in the second term too and by half-time their NBL big men duo of Kobe Williamson and Jordan Hunter had combined for 21 points and eight rebounds to cut the Rangers lead to five going into the locker room.

The Raiders then started to take charge in the third quarter with another 32 points to 21 on the back of shooting 12/18 from the floor as a team to go into three quarter-time leading 85-79 on the back of a huge putback dunk from Hunter in his second appearance of the season on the buzzer.

Knox continued that hot form in the fourth quarter too with another 32 points on the back of shooting 12/17 from the field to close the half with 64 points on 24/35 shooting to secure the 11-point win and stay unbeaten in 2026.

The Raiders will look to continue their winning start on Sunday when they head to Bendigo to take on the Braves while the Rangers do the same as they play host to the Eltham Wildcats.

NBL1 SOUTH 2026 SEASON | MENTAL HEALTH ROUND

KNOX RAIDERS 117 (Slater 23, White 21, Hunter 19)

DANDENONG RANGERS 106 (Froling 38, Davidson 20, Rapp 14)