South Spotlight | Knox move clear in top spot

Featured image: Darren Keane - @darrenkeanephoto

Nothing separated the two teams in the NBL1 South with top spot up for grabs on Friday night and with 10 triples between Paige Burrows, Paige Bradley and Agnes Emma-Nnopu and stifling defence, Knox Raiders were too strong for the Eltham Wildcats winning 90-61.

Both teams entered the match up at the State Basketball Centre on identical 15-4 records with the Raiders having won their past 10 matches and the Wildcats four in-a-row.

But it was Knox on top virtually the whole way including leading by two points at quarter-time, by 16 at half-time, by 17 at three quarter-time and then with 24 points to 12 in the final term, winning by 29.

The win is 11 in-a-row for the Raiders with the defending NBL1 South and Nationals Champions now 16-4 on the season while the Wildcats slip to 15-5.

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The win keeps Knox in top spot in the NBL1 South on the back of shooting 46 per cent for the game to 33 from Eltham while going 15/38 to 9/34 from three-point range, and 9/13 to 4/6 at the foul line.

The Raiders are now 16-4 as a result with Paige Burrows top scoring with 18 points, four rebounds and two assists with 4/10 three-point shooting.

Paige Bradley also had 15 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and two steals, Rachel Bell, 14 points and four boards, Agnes Emma-Nnopu 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Alicia Froling 13 points, 11 boards, two assists and two blocked shots.

Eltham couldn’t quite go with Knox as the game went on with Lil Dart finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.

Bec Pizzey also had 15 points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Mackenzie Smith eight points, four assists and two rebounds.

It was a battle of the top two teams and it was always going to go a long way to determining the regular season championship with Knox starting the better to lead 21-19 by quarter-time.

The Raiders then took control in the second frame with 29 points to 15 on the back of shooting 11/18 from the field with 6/10 from downtown to just 6/19 shooting with 1/8 from deep for the Wildcats.

That saw Knox in control leading 50-34 by half-time before adding 16 points to 15 in the third quarter, and 24 to 12 in the fourth on the way to the 29-point victory to move a game clear in top spot with two games of the regular season to go.

Across the second half, Knox ended up shooting 14/32 from the field opposed to the 10/33 from Eltham along with collecting eight offensive rebounds to just four from the Wildcats.

Eltham have two games to go in their regular season with a double next weekend against the Kilsyth Cobras on Friday and Melbourne Tigers on Saturday while Knox back up on Saturday night hosting the Kilsyth Cobras.

NBL1 SOUTH 2026 SEASON | FIRST NATIONS ROUND

KNOX RAIDERS 90 (Burrows 18, Bradley 15, Bell 14, Emma-Nnopu 14)

ELTHAM WILDCATS 61 (Dart 19, Pizzey 15, M Smith 8)