South Spotlight | Spectres show depth to beat Thunder

Featured image: Rachel Louise - Rachel Louise Photography @rachellouisephotographyau

The Nunawading Spectres had six players score in double-figures as they bounced back from Saturday night's loss to beat Keilor Thunder at home on Sunday 102-83.

The Spectres lost to the Knox Raiders on Saturday night and were backing up on Sunday at Nunawading Basketball Centre against a Thunder team having beaten the reigning champion Sandringham Sabres the previous evening.

Nunawading would end up being on top all afternoon and scored the 19-point victory with six players scoring in double-figures as they scored the big win despite taking eight fewer shots and 10 less free throws, and giving up 25 offensive rebounds to Keilor.

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Nunawading improve to 4-2 with the victory bouncing back from the Saturday night loss to Knox in impressive fashion on the back of a hot shooting performance going 56 per cent with 10/26 from behind the three-point line, and 18/23 at the foul line.

Jack Gandolfo top-scored with 22 points and three assists with 4/9 three-point shooting while Christian D'Angelo contributed 17 points, four boards, three assists, two steals and two blocks, and Owen Lobsinger 14 points and seven rebounds.

Dylan Penn also had 13 points and 11 assists, Kingsley Box 10 points and four rebounds, and Ben Griscti 11 points, two boards and two assists as he gets back to playing after missing all of NBL26 after suffering neck injury in a nasty incident at the Blitz in Canberra.

Keilor are now 2-3 on the season following the Sunday loss on the back of shooting just 36 per cent from the field with 5/24 from downtown despite going 24/33 at the foul line with a monstrous 25 offensive rebounds.

Deng Dut ended up top-scoring for Keilor with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists while Cooper Kirkman delivered 14 points and two boards, Daniel Foster 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Tana Kopa 11 points, six boards, two assists and two steals.

Nunawading were attempting to bounce back from the loss to Knox the night before and started strongly with 29 points to 18 in the first quarter and opening up a 15-point advantage along the way.

By the end of one the Spectres were shooting 12/20 from the field opposed to the 7/23 from the Thunder along with 3/9 from downtown to 0/4.

It was another 24 points to 20 in the second term in favour of Nunawading with the lead again growing to 15 at half-time with the 53-38 edge thanks to 10 second chance points to six, and 12 fast break points to six.

That lead for Nunawading got out beyond 20 points as well in the third quarter and by three quarter-time the home team were in control leading 78-59 despite the 18 offensive rebounds Keilor had pulled down as they cleaned up half their 36 missed shots.

It was then 24 points each in the fourth quarter in the finish and after the Spectres got out to a game high 27-point lead, they settled on the 19-point victory after a late 7-0 run from Keilor.

The Spectres will be back in action next Sunday on the road to the Bendigo Braves with Keilor away to the Ballarat Miners on Anzac Day.

NBL1 SOUTH 2026 SEASON | ROUND 3

NUNAWADING SPECTRES 102 (Gandolfo 22, D'Angelo 17, Lobsinger 14)

KEILOR THUNDER 83 (Dut 16, Kirkman 14, Foster 14)