South Spotlight | Lupfer shoots Spectres to first up win

Featured image: MJB Photography

Riley Lupfer lit up the NBL1 East in 2025 and has started in a similar vein in the NBL1 South for 2026 knocking down seven three-pointers in a first up 99-67 road win for the Nunawading Spectres over the Hobart Chargers.

Both teams come into the NBL1 South season in 2026 trying to rise up the standings after missing out on finals in 2025 as they opened the new campaign on Friday night at Hutchins School.

It was the Spectres who got rolling early, though, with gun recruit from the NBL1 East's Albury-Wodonga Bandits Lupfer showing the way as they built an 11-point lead by quarter-time.

That was out to 26 at half-time and got to as much as 37 in the second half before they went on to secure the eventual 32-point road win to begin their Tasmanian double to open the new season.

With Lupfer hitting seven of those three-pointers, Nunawading knocked down 15/37 as a team while shooting 49 per cent overall from the field opposed to just the 33 from the Chargers who also went 9/38 at 24 per cent from behind the three-point arc.

Hobart were also able to score 14 points off Hobart's 11 turnovers along with 12 second chance points from their 13 offensive rebounds while also taking control inside with 40 points in the paint to just 22 from the Chargers.

There was plenty to like in the performance from the Spectres with Lupfer showing the way on the back of her heroics in the NBL1 East season in 2025 with the Bandits.

She finished with 23 points and three assists on 7/12 three-point shooting with all her shot attempts coming from outside the arc.

Kylee Blacksten also impressed for Nunawading with 21 points, 12 rebounds and three assists with Eliza Bollingsworth doing a power of work for 19 points, 12 boards and five assists on 9/15 field goal shooting.

Teagan Potter added 12 points and three rebounds with 2/3 three-point shooting with Keeley Frawley delivering 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Sharna Thompson ended up top-scoring for the Chargers with 17 points with seven rebounds and two assists with Tishara Morehouse adding 15 points, five assists, four boards and two steals.

Portia Chopping also contributed 14 points with 4/9 three-point shooting with Chloe Broomhall ending up with 14 points and 11 rebounds on 6/8 shooting.

It was a fast start away from home in the first game of the season from the Spectres as they opened up a 28-17 lead by the end of the first quarter including scoring 10 points in the paint to four.

It was then an even more dominant second period from Nunawading with 27 points to 12 in the second quarter to go into half-time in control 55-29.

The Spectres had 26 points to eight in the paint over the first half including 10 points to zero from Hobart's turnovers and going on a 13-0 run on the way to the 26-point half-time advantage.

Nunawading continued to build on that advantage with another 25 points to 19 in the third period and would open up a lead of as much as 37 points in the final frame before settling with the 32-point road victory.

The Chargers back up on Saturday night to host the Frankston Blues at Hutchins School while the Spectres remain in Tasmania to play the Northern Force.

Friday night's other NBL1 South women's fixture was a thriller which saw the Frankston Blues beat the Northern Force 82-81 at Ulverstone Sport and Leisure Centre.

NBL SOUTH 2026 SEASON | ROUND 1

HOBART CHARGERS 67 (Thompson 17, Morehouse 15, Broomhall 14, Chopping 14)

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 99 (Lupfer 23, Blacksten 21, Hollingsworth 19)