South Wrap | Men's First Nations Round

Featured image: Trent Moore Sports Photography

Jack Purchase had 57 points over two Melbourne Tigers NBL1 South wins with Dylan Penn delivering 38 for Nunawading Spectres and then Harry Froling had a huge triple double and Joe Palmer 36 points with 10 three-pointers for Dandenong Rangers.

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TUESDAY

Ringwood Hawks (99) defeated Frankston Blues (93)

It was a Tuesday night showcase with plenty on the line for both teams and Jonathan Lawton inspired the Ringwood Hawks to the crucial win against the Frankston Blues who missed a chance for a seventh straight win.

Ringwood are hosting two games this week at Norwood Secondary College and it got underway on Tuesday night with them trying to respond from losing three of their past four games to stay in the top 10 mix.

Frankston then arrived having won their past six matches to be the form team of the NBL1 South and it turned out being a standout contest between two high quality teams with no more than eight points ever separating them the whole way.

In the end Ringwood finished the better with 28 points to 21 in the fourth quarter to now improve to an 8-10 record to be in 11th position while Frankston are now 12-6 in fifth place and having lost for the first time since May 16.

Ringwood got the win they needed to keep their season alive with Jonathan Lawton starring with 29 points, six assists, five steals and four rebounds on shooting 8/13 from the floor, 5/8 from behind the three-point line, and 8/9 at the foul line.

Junior Garbrah also had 20 points and four rebounds, Chris Brandon 14 points and six boards, Lawson Eales 12 points, five rebounds and two assists, and Harry Sealey 11 points, nine assists, four steals and three rebounds.

Frankston missed the chance to make it seven straight wins with Dibaji Walker producing another 23 points, six rebounds and four assists with 8/14 shooting from the field and 5/5 at the foul line.

Jeremy Combs also had another 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists with Lucas Barker contributing 18 points, five boards and two assists with 3/5 three-point shooting.

Austin Shelley also had 14 points and three rebounds, Jack Stanwix eight points and seven assists, and Kynan Philippe six points on 2/3 shooting from behind the arc.

THURSDAY

Ringwood Hawks (87) lost to Kilsyth Cobras (95)

The Kilsyth Cobras made it three straight wins with the 95-87 win over the Ringwood Hawks in a game crucial for the playoff aspirations of both teams.

The Hawks were back home at Norwood Secondary College fresh off beating the Frankston Blues on Tuesday night to close in on a top 10 position ahead of hosting the eighth placed Cobras who had also won their past couple of games.

Ringwood made the best of the start leading early by eight points before still leading 25-22 by quarter-time before Kilsyth worked on top in the second term with 22 points to 17 to end up leading 44-42 by half-time.

The momentum swings continued and Ringwood worked back on top to lead 68-66 by three quarter-time before it was all the Cobras in the final term with 29 points to 19 on the way to the crucial eight-point win.

The win improves Kilsyth to a 10-7 record having won three in-a-row with Jamie Ahale delivering 24 points and seven rebounds with 10/12 free-throw shooting despite going 6/15 from the field.

Chris Payton Jr also had 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots Corey Jeffs contributing 16 points, six boards, three assists and two steals, and Adrian Tomada 18 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Ringwood are now 8-11 having split their two mid-week home games with Tom Carroll top scoring with 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

Jonathan Lawton had another 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals, Chris Brandon 12 points and three boards, Harry Sealey 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Hugo Bergamin 10 points and two assists.

FRIDAY

Hobart Chargers (63) lost to Melbourne Tigers (101)

The Melbourne Tigers moved to top spot with the emphatic 101-63 win over the Hobart Chargers to start their Tasmanian road double with George Blagojevic and Jack Purchase combining for 57 points.

With two games in Tasmania this weekend, the Tigers had the chance to return to top spot starting against the Chargers at Hutchins School with the home team not completely out of the race should they win out from here.

Melbourne did get the better of the start with 21 points to 15 in the first quarter before 28 to 24 in the second but the half-time scoreline was just 49-39 leading the Chargers still in touch.

That didn’t last long with the Tigers pushing their lead out to 20 points in the third frame and then having 31 points to 10 in the final term on the way to the 38-point win to move to top spot at 15-4.

George Blagojevic only played 28 minutes but put up 30 points, seven rebounds and two assists for Melbourne with 15/19 shooting from the floor.

Jack Purchase also only played 28 minutes for 27 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals while Wilson Amos added 17 points, eight boards, two assists and two steals, and Tom Wilson nine points, four rebounds and three assists.

Mason Gaze also had six points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists while being +38 in his 26 minutes.

The Chargers fall further from playoff contention at 7-12 having lost six in-a-row with Jacob Richards putting up another 14 points, six rebounds and three assists with Joe Chilcott adding 11 points and three assists, and Anthony Drmic 10 points and four rebounds.

Sandringham Sabres (101) defeated Waverley Falcons (91)

The Sandringham Sabres consolidated their hold on a playoff position beating the Waverley Falcons 101-91 to make it three straight wins.

The Sabres were back home at Southern Basketball Stadium building some momentum but still short of full strength without Shea Ili and Dane Pineau for the match up with the Falcons who did need to keep winning to be any hope of breaking into the top 10.

Sandringham did get the better of the start but Waverley were a dangerous opponent especially with Gabe Hadley fresh off a 50-point outburst against the Ballarat Miners.

The Sabres were leading 25-18 by quarter-time but still just the 50-43 advantage by half-time before they did build on that advantage with 26 points to 20 in the third frame.

Sandringham ended up leading by as much as 14 in the second half before winning by 10 and making it three on the trot to improve to a 10-8 record.

Kyle Adnam delivered 29 points, four assists and three rebounds in the win for the Sabres with Kyle Bowen adding 23 points, 14 boards and three steals, Malith Machar 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Elliott Brown also had 10 points and three assists, Harry Neilson seven points and 10 rebounds, and CJ Asuncion-Byrd six points, three boards and three assists.

Waverley are now 7-11 with the loss with Gabe Hadley having another 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals on 5/20 shooting.

Matt McCarthy added 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals, Malik Meunier 16 points, six boards, three assists and two steals, Mawot Mag 15 points and five rebounds, and Reaudale Williams 13 points, five assists, three boards and three steals.

Mount Gambier Pioneers (76) lost to Knox Raiders (97)

The Knox Raiders retained their top four position by returning to the winner's list handing the Mount Gambier Pioneers a ninth consecutive loss with the 97-76 road win.

The Pioneers were back home at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre trying to stop their losing slide up against a Raiders team still sitting fourth but also having lost their past couple.

Knox worked on top by nine points at quarter-time and were still leading by seven at half-time before that was a 10-point margin at three quarter-time, and they went on from there to complete the 21-point victory with 23 points to 12 in the last term.

The win improves the Raiders to a 13-6 record with the Pioneers now 5-14 with the nine straight defeats.

Brandon Slater finished with 22 points and nine rebounds with 5/8 three-point shooting for Knox with Trazarien White adding 20 points, eight boards and three assists, and Brody Nunn 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Keli Leaupepe is building back nicely now and played his second game back after his ruptured ACL that ended his NBL26 season at the Sydney Kings before it started. He had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes.

It's nine consecutive losses now for Mount Gambier with Alex Mudronja finishing with 22 points and four rebounds with Deng Deng adding 20 points, seven boards, four assists and two blocks including 11 points in the opening term.

Elijah Saifaleupolu also had 17 points for the Pioneers, and Lucas Gordon nine points and 11 rebounds.

SATURDAY

Kilsyth Cobras (105) defeated Casey Cavaliers (86)

The Kilsyth Cobras backed up their win from Thursday with another strong performance to beat the Casey Cavaliers 105-86 to further consolidate their playoff position with 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists from Chris Payton Jr.

The Cobras were back home at Kilsyth Sports Centre coming off beating the Ringwood Hawks on Thursday with the Cavs arriving just above them in the standings setting up a crucial match up as finals approach.

The Cobras were just a point up at quarter-time before piling on 38 points to 21 in the second term on the way to the 61-43 half-time advantage.

Kilsyth retained control from there on the way to the 19-point victory to improve to an 11-7 record having won four straight.

Chris Payton Jr finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists on 8/12 shooting with Jamie Ahale adding 15 points, five boards and three assists, and Corey Jeffs 15 points on 3/5 three-point shooting.

Malik McKinney top-scored off the bench, though, with 24 points and six rebounds on 9/12 shooting while Ben Ursich ended up with nine points and 10 boards, Isaiah Harvey nine points and five assists, and Hamish MacDonald eight points and four rebounds.

Casey are now 11-8 with the defeat with Lual Diing putting up 21 points and three rebounds while Joel Robinson added 14 points and three boards, and Preston Bungei 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Yuot Gai also had 11 points with 4/6 shooting, Pat Ryan 11 points and three assists, and Ibrahima Diallo eight points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Northern Force (92) lost to Melbourne Tigers (101)

The Melbourne Tigers had to come from behind at half-time but were able to do so to retain top spot by completing their Tasmanian road double with the 101-92 victory against the Northern Force.

The Tigers beat the Hobart Chargers on Friday night to move into first place and they needed another win to stay there up against a dangerous Force team having won four of their past five games.

The Force started well to be leading 30-25 by quarter-time and then the home team opened up a 13-point lead in the second term and were still on top 53-43 by half-time.

That left Melbourne with work to do coming out of the half and they responded with 32 points to 17 in the third quarter, and 26 to 22 in the fourth to turn that 10-point deficit into the nine-point victory.

The win keeps the Tigers in first place at 16-4 with six straight wins with Jack Purchase delivering another 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists with 6/13 three-point shooting.

Tom Wilson also had 29 points, six assists and five rebounds, Josh Sykes 13 points, six boards and four steals, and George Blagojevic nine points, eight rebounds and five assists.

The Force are now 6-13 with the loss at home with Logan Gibson finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds and three steals, Vincent DeAngelo 16 points, eight assists, five boards and three steals, and Aaron Ridley III 14 points.

Ole Angerstein also had 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists, and Josh Tutagalevao seven points and two boards.

Eltham Wildcats (98) defeated Sandringham Sabres (73)

The Eltham Wildcats consolidated themselves inside a top two position by dominating the defending champion Sandringham Sabres for the 98-73 victory.

The Wildcats were back home at Montmorency Secondary College making their only appearance of the weekend on a four-game winning streak while the Sabres arrived fresh off the Friday night win over the Waverley Falcons.

Eltham started the better with 25 points to 18 in the first term before the home team were leading 46-36 by half-time and then went on with it from there too.

The Wildcats put up 25 points to 19 in the third quarter and 27 to 18 in the fourth to end up winning by 25 and making it five straight wins to improve to a 15-4 record and stay in second position.

Leonardo Colimerio finished with 21 points, six rebounds and two assists for Eltham with Zak Cunningham adding 20 points, 13 boards and six assists, and Sam Short 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals on 4/5 three-point shooting.

TJ Weeks also had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists on 3/4 shooting from downtown, and Mitch McCarron 10 points and six assists.

The Sabres do still cling to a playoff position at 10-9 with Malith Machar providing 16 points and nine rebounds, Elliott Brown 11 points and four assists, Kyle Bowen 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Kyle Adnam 10 points, three boards and two steals.

Diamond Valley Eagles (91) lost to Nunawading Spectres (98)

Dylan Penn starred with 38 points to show the way for the Nunawading Spectres in the 98-91 road win over the Diamond Valley Eagles as the race for top two spots continues to be fascinating.

The Eagles were back home at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre needing to win to stay alive in the playoff hunt as they played host to a Spectres team having again won three straight to be knocking on the door of the top two.

The two teams would go on to play an entertaining affair and while Diamond Valley never went away, Nunawading did keep them at arm's length most of the evening despite never leading by more than eight points.

By the end, the Spectres secured the seven-point victory to improve to a 15-5 record with four wins in-a-row while the Eagles are now 7-12 and with three straight defeats are all but out of the top 10 race.

Penn was the star of the night for Nunawading with 38 points, five rebounds and five assists on 15/20 field goal shooting.

Dyson King-Hawea added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Spectres, Christian D'Angelo 15 points, four boards and three assists on 4/8 three-point shooting, Kingsley Box 10 points and eight rebounds, and Ben Griscti nine points and four boards.

Xavier Bledson had a hot start for Diamond Valley with 18 points in the first half on his way to 26 for the game with 4/9 three-point shooting.

Archie Woodhill also provided 21 points, three rebounds and two assists, Mirko Djeric 20 points and eight assists with 4/7 shooting from deep, and Ryley Haywood eight points, two rebounds and two assists.

Frankston Blues (100) defeated Geelong United (62)

The Frankston Blues emphatically hit back from their Tuesday night loss to beat Geelong United 100-62 to keep themselves in the mix for a top four finish.

The Blues did see their six-game winning streak end to the Ringwood Hawks back on Tuesday ahead of hosting Geelong at Jubilee Park Stadium.

The Blues worked on top with a 7-0 run in the first quarter to be leading 23-16 at quarter-time before another 23 points to 13 in the second term to be on top 46-29 by half-time.

It was more of the same from Frankston in the second half with 26 points to 17 in the third frame, and 28 to 16 in the fourth to end up winning by 38 points to improve to a 13-6 record.

Jeremy Combs continues to have a huge impact since joining the Blues and had another 24 points, 15 rebounds and two assists on 11/17 field goal shooting.

Austin Shelley added 19 points, three rebounds and two assists, Dibaji Walker 12 points, four boards, three assists and two steals, Kynan Phillippe nine points and nine rebounds, and Corey Hastings eight points on 2/2 three-point shooting.

Geelong have now lost three straight to be 5-14 with Lachlan Barker delivering 15 points, two rebound and two assists, DeMarcus Gatlin 14 points, nine boards and two steals, Deng Riak six points and six rebounds, and Liam Herbert six points, four boards, three assists and two steals.

Mount Gambier Pioneers (88) defeated Bendigo Braves (70)

One of the teams was going to enjoy a rare late season win and it was the Mount Gambier Pioneers that got to enjoy that feeling again with the 88-70 home win against the Bendigo Braves.

The Pioneers had lost to the Knox Raiders also at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre on Friday night for a nineth straight defeat with the Brave arriving also having lost their last four.

Mount Gambier then started strongly with 25 points 16 in the first quarter before still clinging to the 42-37 advantage.

The Pioneers then totally dominated the third quarter with 23 points to five before then going on to secure the 18-point victory to snap that losing run to improve to a 6-14 record.

Deng Deng finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds for Mount Gambier with Dane De Wit adding 16 points, 10 assists and six boards, Scott Telfer 12 points and five rebounds, Micale Mee 10 points, six assists, five boards and three steals, and Lucas Gordon six points and 16 rebounds.

Bendigo have now lost five in-a-row to be 7-12 with Biwali Bayles putting up another 33 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals with 3/4 three-point shooting despite the loss.

Billy Smythe also had 10 points and six rebounds, and Jarvis Doles seven points, eight boards and two steals.

SUNDAY

Keilor Thunder (98) defeated Casey Cavaliers (97)

The Casey Cavaliers stormed back in the last two minutes to be in a winning position before a late game winner from Deng Dut that delivered Keilor Thunder the 98-97 home victory.

The two teams arrived at Keilor Stadium fighting over positions in the top 10 with the Thunder having won their last two and making their only appearance of the weekend while the Cavs were trying to hit back from Saturday's loss to the Kilsyth Cobras.

Casey started the better to be leading 28-22 by quarter-time before turning that into the 55-46 half-time advantage.

Keilor turned that around with an 11-0 run in the third quarter to grab the lead and to be up by six when Deng Dut scored with just over four minutes to play before then still being on top by six with two minutes to play after a layup from Landon Seaman.

That's when the Cavaliers made their move starting with a three ball to Lual Diing before Pat Ryan also scored, and then Diing scored once more to put them on top.

Daniel Foster and Jesse Ghee then traded baskets to leave the Cavs up one and eventually Keilor ended up with the last possession, they wound down the clock and Dut hit the winner with 1.9 seconds on the clock.

Out of a timeout, Casey couldn't get possession from the inbounds pass for Keilor to secure the stunning one-point win to improve to a 13-7 record.

Dut not only hit the game winner but finished with 30 points on 13/19 shooting from the field and 4/6 from downtown with Tana Kopa putting up 22 points with 12/13 free-throw shooting.

Landon Seaman added 21 points and six rebounds, and Daniel Forster five points, 11 boards, 11 assists and seven steals.

The Cavs now are 11-9 with the of defeats this weekend with Ibrahima Diallo top scoring with 23 points and eight rebounds with 11/14 field goal shooting.

Jesse Ghee also had 19 points, four assists and three steals, Preston Bungei 17 points, three rebounds and three assists, Pat Ryan 17 points and four boards, and Lual Diing 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Dandenong Rangers (111) defeated Ballarat Miners (81)

Joe Palmer hit 10 threes and 36 points with Harry Froling delivering a 31-point triple double as the Dandenong Rangers had a monster 111-81 win over the Ballarat Miners.

It was the lone appearance of the weekend for the Rangers at Dandenong Basketball Stadium as they were clinging to a playoff position ahead of hosting the bottom placed Ballarat on a six-game losing streak.

The Rangers put up 34 points to 22 in the first quarter but Ballarat did respond with 23 to 17 in the second frame to make a game of it with Dandenong leading 51-45.

It was then all the Rangers after half-time with 30 points to 14 in the third quarter and 30 to 22 in the fourth on the way to the 30-point victory to improve to an 11-9 record.

Palmer landed 10/17 from three-point territory for Dandenong on his way to 36 points along with having eight rebounds while Froling had a massive afternoon for a triple double with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds on 9/12 shooting from the field and 11/14 from the foul line.

Ryan Rapp also had 14 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals, Sam Davidson 11 points and three assists, and Josh Kunen 10 points, six rebounds and two steals.

Ballarat have now lost seven in-a-row to be 2-18 with Will Hynes finishing with 20 points and seven rebounds with Yak Nyuon adding 19 points and five boards, Lachlan Dent 12 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals, and Bol Bak 10 points and six boards.

Geelong United (92) defeated Diamond Valley Eagles (85)

Geelong United managed to record a sixth win of the season and ended the already faint finals hopes of the Diamond Valley Eagles with the 92-85 victory.

Both teams had played the previous night with Diamond Valley losing to the Nunawading Spectres while Geelong lost big to the Frankston Blues ahead of the match up at The Geelong Arena.

Geelong were clinging to the 22-20 lead by the end of the first quarter before Diamond Valley produced 25 points to 18 in the second frame to go into half-time leading 45-40.

The Eagles lead got out to seven early in the second half too before United took over with 34 points to 22 in the first quarter that led them to open up a 10-point lead in the last term and to end up winning by seven.

Geelong are now 6-14 as a result of the win at home with Lachlan Barker finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds with 4/7 three-point shooting.

Liam Herbert also had 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks with Malang Athian contributing 19 points on 8/10 shooting, and DeMarcus Gatlin 18 points, 10 assists and four rebounds.

Diamond Valley lost twice this weekend to now be 7-13 with Archie Woodhill a strong inside presence with 27 points and 16 rebounds on 10/16 shooting.

Ryley Haywood added 18 points, four rebounds and two steals, Xavier Bledson 12 points, three boards and two assists, and Mirko Djeric 10 assists, eight points and seven rebounds.

Waverley Falcons (78) lost to Frankston Blues (95)

The Frankston Blues made it a double win weekend with Dibaji Walker and Jeremy Combs combining for another 44 points and 11 rebounds as they bounced back from Tuesday's win to beat Waverley Falcons 95-78.

The Blues lost to the Ringwood Hawks back on Tuesday night to snap their six-game winning run but they bounced back on Saturday night beating Geelong United while the Falcons lost to the Sandringham Sabres back on Friday.

On the back of his 50 points last Saturday night, Gabe Hadley had another 21 points on Friday for the Falcons, but he didn’t suit up on Sunday and it made life decidedly difficult for Waverley to stick with Frankston.

The Blues were only up by a point at quarter-time, by six at half-time and by eight at three quarter-time before 23 points to 14 in the final term to win by 17 and improve to 14-6 as a result while the Falcons are now 7-12.

Combs has been a revelation since joining the Blues and produced another 26 points, six rebounds and four assists with 11/17 shooting from the field.

Walker also had 18 points and five rebounds with 7/8 shooting with Corey Hastings contributing 18 points and four boards with 4/6 three-point shooting, Austin Shelley nine points and seven assists, Jack Stanwix eight points and four rebounds, and Kynan Philippe eight points and eight boards.

It was tough going for Frankston already without Gabe Hadley and then losing Matt McCarthy (nine points, 4/4 shooting) in the first half to a knee injury and eventually Malik Meunir (14 points, three rebounds, three assists) fouling out.

Mawot Mag top scored for the Blues with 17 points, 11 rebounds and two assists with Reaudale Williams adding 11 points and seven assists, and Bennie Lewis eight points, two rebounds and two blocks.