South Spotlight | Hank dominates in Bendigo win

Featured image: Shane Panther | @shanejpg.sport

Neither team were playing for a finals spot so could play with freedom accordingly and put on an entertaining Sunday NBL1 South affair with the Bendigo Braves prevailing 99-90 over the Ringwood Hawks with Hannah Hank dominating with 36 points and 19 rebounds.

The Hawks were back home at The Rings two games clear in bottom place having suffered another loss the previous night to Geelong United while Bendigo arrived with just the five wins on the season and having lost the past five.

The Braves were again without Kelly Wilson and Kelsey Griffin, but did have the imposing presence of Hank and she proved the difference between the two teams with Bendigo already up 27-13 by quarter-time.

The Braves were then leading by 15 at half-time with Hank up to 18 points and then she ended up with 36 and her team won by nine in the finish to snap their losing run and to improve to 6-14 with the Hawks slipping to 3-18.

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Bendigo finished the afternoon going 46 per cent from the field to 43 from the Hawks with Hannah Hank unstoppable with 36 points, 19 rebounds, six assists and four steals on 14/24 field goal shooting along 3/3 from the outside and 5/5 at the stripe.

Jess Smith also produced 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists with 5/11 three-point shooting with Olivia Pollerd contributing 16 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals, Elsie Noonan 11 points and seven rebounds, and Ahlise Hurst nine points and 11 assists.

Ringwood now have just one game left in their season with no hope of getting out of bottom spot with Aneta Bandilovska finishing with 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds, and Honey Kaur 20 points, 11 boards and two assists.

Taylor Mole added 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals, Jo Raflo 14 points, five boards, five blocks and there assists, and Ally Bates 14 points and six assists.

Ringwood were coming off a loss to Geelong the previous night with Bendigo making their lone appearance of the weekend, and it was the visitors who made the flying start with 27 points to 13 in the first quarter with Hannah Hank and Olivia Pollerd having eight points each.

Bendigo shot 12/23 from the field to 4/21 in that first quarter before the Hawks did steady in the second quarter and went 9/18 with 3/7 from the outside, but still the Braves remained in control leading 51-36 at the half.

Hank had 18 points already after the first half for Bendigo but Ringwood were warming into the contest and had 26 points to 19 in the third quarter with Aneta Bandilovska having 10 of those.

By three quarter-time as a result, Bendigo were clinging to the 70-62 advantage and then both teams combined for 57 points in the last quarter, but the Braves did enough with 29 of those to secure the nine-point victory.

Bendigo now finish their season at home to Keilor Thunder on Friday night and away to the Kilsyth Cobras on Saturday while Ringwood have just one game to go and that's on Saturday on the road to the Waverley Falcons.

NBL1 SOUTH 2026 SEASON | FIRST NATIONS ROUND

RINGWOOD HAWKS 90 (Bandilovska 25, Kaur 20, Mole 16)

BENDIGO BRAVES 99 (Hank 36, Smith 23, Pollerd 16)