South Wrap | Men's Mental Health Round

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Biwali Bayles kept Bendigo Braves the lone undefeated NBL1 South team while Harry Froling had 69 points over two games for Dandenong Rangers while Ben Griscti successfully returned with Nunawading Spectres with first wins also for the Northern Force and Ringwood Hawks.

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TUESDAY

Ringwood Hawks (77) lost to Nunawading Spectres (98)

The Ringwood Hawks did well sticking with them for the first half but the Nunawading Spectres took charge from there for a second straight thumping win with the 98-77 victory.

The Tuesday night NBL1 South action was the start of three home games across five days for the Hawks at Norwood Secondary College as they chase a first victory of the new season.

Nunawading arrived fresh off a 42-point road win over the Northern Force after a two-point loss to the Hobart Chargers the night before, and the Hawks did well making a game of it in the first half.

The Spectres were only leading by four points at the half but then put up 32 points in the third quarter on the way to the eventual 21-point win on the back of 28 free throws to eight, and 22 offensive rebounds to 13.

There were eight players from Nunawading who scored at least seven points and played at least 15 minutes in the game. Owen Lobsinger might have only played 15:41, but he was outstanding with 19 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Christian D'Angelo also had 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, Dyson King-Hawea 15 points and seven boards, and Jack Gandolfo 14 points, three assists and two rebounds.

Joe Mutimer added 10 points and six assists, captain Daniel Baxter nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Kingsley Box seven points, eight boards and three assists.

Tom Carroll had 17 points on 4/6 three-point shooting in the first half for Ringwood and finished the game with 23 points on 5/10 with five rebounds and three assists.

THURSDAY

Ringwood Hawks (79) lost to Eltham Wildcats (83)

The Eltham Wildcats did lead most of the night but could never shake fully the winless Ringwood Hawks before ending up prevailing 83-79 by scoring the last five points.

Ringwood did lose at the same venue to the Nunawading Spectres back on Tuesday night by 21 points with Eltham arriving coming off a first up win to the Diamond Valley Eagles and then a loss to Keilor Thunder to start 2026.

It was a tight battle through most of the evening and after Eltham led by 10 early in the fourth quarter, Ringwood fired back and grabbed the lead thanks to a three-pointer to Tom Carroll inside the last two minutes.

That would be their last score with the Wildcats sealing the win at the foul line from there to improve to 2-1 on the season with the Hawks now slipping to 0-4.

Eltham ended up having five players score in double-figures in the win with Harry Hornery leading the way with 18 points, three rebounds and three assists with 6/7 free-throw shooting.

TJ Weeks added 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals, Zak Cunningham 15 points, eight boards, four assists and two blocks, and Leonardo Colimerio 11 points and seven rebounds.

Mitch McCarron also had 10 points, four rebounds and four assists with Sam Whelan scoring eight points and Sam Short providing five points, seven assists and four rebounds.

Tom Carroll put Ringwood in front in the final two minutes on his way to 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists with 4/8 three-point shooting.

Harry Sealey ended up top-scoring for the Hawks with 24 points and five assists with 10/19 field goal shooting while Chris Brandon delivered 13 points, 16 boards, three steals, two assists and two blocked shots.

FRIDAY

Diamond Valley Eagles (90) lost to Sandringham Sabres (113)

Elliott Brown stepped up for 29 points and six assists and the Sandringham Sabres were dominant with the defending champions beating the Diamond Valley Eagles 113-90.

The Sabres split their opening two matches as reigning champions in the NBL1 South ahead of arriving at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre to take on an Eagles team still chasing a first win of 2026.

Diamond Valley had lost their first two matches to the Eltham Wildcats and Ballarat Miners, but the Sabres took charge in the third quarter and never looked back.

Sandringham outscored Diamond Valley 62 points to 38 across the second and third quarters while shooting 20/32 from the field, 8/16 from behind the arc and 14/22 at the foul line across those 20 minutes to set up the eventual 23-point victory.

There was a lot to like in the performance from the defending champion Sabres who are now 2-1 on the season with Elliott Brown starring with 29 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals after having a combined 19 points only in the first two games of 2026.

Kaylan Kitto added 19 points with 4/5 three-point shooting, Kyle Bowen 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals fresh off another NBL season with Melbourne United where he was alongside Malith Machar who had 16 points with 4/7 shooting from downtown.

The Eagles have now lost their opening three games of the season by a combined 48 points with Chris Elder top-scoring with 16 points on 3/5 three-point shooting.

Ryley Haywood also had 12 points and two assists, Mitch Blackburn 11 points and two rebounds, Manny Malou 10 points and seven boards, and former NBL sharpshooter Mirko Djeric four points on 2/8 shooting, five rebounds and five assists.

SATURDAY

Casey Cavaliers (90) lost to Frankston Blues (101)

Austin Shelley, Daniel Trist and Jack Stanwix combined for 62 points as the Frankston Blues scored the 101-90 road win over the Casey Cavaliers.

The Cavs were home at Casey Stadium chasing a first win still of 2026 while Frankston had started their season splitting their road double in Tasmania.

Frankston managed to build a four-point lead by quarter-time and stretch that to 13 by half-time, and then 15 at three quarter-time before completing the 11-point victory to improve to 2-1.

Austin Shelley finished with 22 points and five assists in the win for the Blues with Daniel Trist delivering 20 points and 11 boards, and Jack Stanwix 20 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Tom Garrett also had 17 points and nine rebounds, Dibaji Walker 13 points and seven boards, and Lucas Barker nine points, four rebounds and three assists.

Casey are now 0-3 to start the season with Ibrahima Diallo top-scoring with 17 points and eight rebounds with Preston Bungei adding 16 points and six assists, Patrick Ryan 14 points and three boards, Tanner Krebs nine points, nine rebounds and four assists, Joel Robinson nine points, and Yuot Gai nine points.

Nunawading Spectres (97) defeated Waverley Falcons (94)

The Nunawading Spectres made it three straight wins and were made to earn it pushed all the way before holding out the Waverley Falcons 97-94.

The Spectres were fresh off beating the Ringwood Hawks back on Thursday night and were hunting a third consecutive win when hosting the Falcons at Nunawading Basketball Centre.

Waverley arrived having split their first two matches of 2026 and the visitors made the best of the start to go on a 10-0 run in the first quarter to lead by 12.

Nunawading then turned the tide with 21 straight points of their own to take a 15-point lead and then be out to a 15-point advantage in the third term.

The wild ride continued with the Falcons working back in front in the fourth frame but the Spectres answered back and ended up completing the three-point win to improve to 3-1.

Christian D'Angelo finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for Nunawading with Dylan Penn adding 18 points and 11 assists, Owen Lobsinger 14 points and four rebounds, and Kingsley Box 10 points and five boards.

Adelaide 36ers big man Ben Griscti also returned to the court after missing the entire NBL season with a neck injury after a nasty fall at the Blitz in Canberra. He had 14 points, 13 rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes.

The Falcons are now 1-2 on the season with Gabe Hadley delivering 31 points, six rebounds and five assists with 6/9 three-point shooting.

Malik Meunier added 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, Matthew McCarthy 15 points and nine boards, Bennie Lewis 12 points and five rebounds on 3/5 three-point shooting, and Michael Harper 12 points, five boards and five assists.

Kilsyth Cobras (89) lost to Hobart Chargers (105)

Jacob Richards put up 31 points and only missed three shots to lead the Hobart Chargers to the 105-89 road victory against the Kilsyth Cobras.

The Chargers opened their season with two home wins back in the opening weekend while the Cobras hosted them at Kilsyth Sports Centre having split their opening two matches.

Hobart started well away from home with 31 points to 22 in the first quarter and another 27 to 15 to build a match-winning 58-37 advantage going into half-time.

The Chargers completed the 16-point win from there with Tasmania JackJumpers NBL big man Richards showing the way with 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals on 13/16 field goal shooting.

Luke Rosendale also had 22 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals with 5/13 three-point shooting, Anthony Drmic 15 points, five boards, four assists and two steals, and Nick Paul 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Corey Jeffs top-scored for Kilsyth with 19 points and four rebounds while hitting 5/9 from behind the three-point arc.

Malik McKinney also had 13 points and four assists, Chris Payton Jr 13 points and six rebounds, and Adrian Tomada 13 points and five assists.

Knox Raiders (117) defeated Dandenong Rangers (106)

Harry Froling put up 28 first-half points but the Knox Raiders took over from there with 64 points in the second with Jordan Hunter fitting in nicely as they stayed unbeaten defeating the Dandenong Rangers 117-106.

It was Froling setting things alight in the first half with 14 points in each of the first two quarters on 11/15 shooting in the opening half with the Rangers leading by five at the half on the back of that.

Knox took over from there, though, with 64 points in the second half on the back of shooting a scorching 24/35 from the field and 5/9 from three-point range to end up winning by 11 and improving to 3-0.

The Raiders ended up with six players scoring in double-figures in the win with Brandon Slater showing the way with 23 points, five rebounds and two steals with 3/4 shooting from behind the three-point line.

Trazarien White made some spectacular plays on his way to 21 points, five rebounds and four assists with 9/12 shooting while South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL co-captain Jordan Hunter made his second appearance for 19 points and six rebound with 3/5 shooting from deep.

Brody Nunn also finished with 16 points and 11 assists, Tad Dufelmeier 15 points and 10 assists, and Tasmania JackJumpers big man Kobe Williamson 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Harry Froling finished with 38 points, seven assists and five rebounds with 15/25 shooting from the field, 5/10 from three-point range and that was despite going just 3/12 at the free-throw line.

Sam Davidson also delivered 20 points on 3/4 three-point shooting for the Rangers with Ryan Rapp adding 14 points and seven rebounds, Joe Palmer 13 points, seven boards and six assists, and Joe Lubarsky nine points and three rebounds.

Ringwood Hawks (101) defeated Northern Force (94)

The Ringwood Hawks welcomed Uche Dibiamaka and he helped deliver them the first win of the season on their third home game this week with the 101-94 victory against the Northern Force.

The Hawks had already played two games this week at Norwood Secondary College with losses to the Nunawading Spectres and Eltham Wildcats ahead of being back on Saturday to take on a Force team still hunting a first NBL1 South victory.

Dibiamaka was into the line-up for Ringwood to give some added firepower having previously played in a couple of NBL1 conferences, and he made all the difference.

It was the Force leading by a point at quarter-time before Ringwood took control with 32 points to 22 in the second term to be up 57-48 at half-time.

Ringwood then built an 18-point lead in the second half before holding on for the seven-point win to improve to 1-4 on the season.

Dibiamaka delivered 34 points, four steals, three assists and two rebounds for Ringwood with 13/25 shooting from the floor, 4/7 from downtown and 4/6 at the free-throw line.

Harry Sealey also had 21 points and six assists, Lawson Eales 16 points and five rebounds, and Chris Brandon 12 points and four boards.

The Force are now 0-3 to start life in the NBL1 South despite Vincent DeAngelo delivering 35 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals with 13/18 shooting from the field, 4/7 from three-point range, and 5/5 at the foul line.

Kye Savage added 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Josh Tutagalevao 12 points, and Logan Gibson 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Diamond Valley Eagles (94) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (81)

With the added confidence after a stint with the Tasmania JackJumpers, Ryley Haywood produced a match-winning display to lead the Diamond Valley Eagles to their first win beating the Mount Gambier Pioneers 94-81.

The Eagles had lost their first three games of 2026 ahead of hosting the Pioneers at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre with the home team starting on fire with 34 points to 22 in the opening period.

Mount Gambier did hit back with 28 points to 21 in the second period but Diamond Valley took over once more with 20 to 10 in the third frame on the way to the 13-point to improve to 1-3 on the season.

He might not have seen much court time, but Haywood was given an NBL chance late in the season for the JackJumpers and showed why with 27 points, six rebounds and two assists in the Eagles' win.

Mitch Blackburn added 15 points and 13 rebounds, Manny Malou 15 points and nine boards, Daniel Poelsma 12 points and two rebounds, and former NBL sharpshooter Mirko Djeric eight points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.

The Pioneers are 1-2 following the loss with Ngor Manyang top-scoring with 21 points to go with 10 rebounds and 4/9 three-point shooting.

Micale Mee added 14 points and five rebounds, Collin Moore 13 points and three assists, Seth Garcia nine points and three steals, Elijah Saifaleupolu eight points and four rebounds, and Scott Telfer eight points, six boards and four assists.

SUNDAY

Dandenong Rangers (87) defeated Eltham Wildcats (75)

Harry Froling's hot form wasn’t quite enough for the Dandenong Rangers the night before but it was on Sunday as he had another 31 points in the 87-75 win against the Eltham Wildcats.

The Rangers did go down to the Knox Raiders the previous night despite 38 points from Froling ahead of hosting the Wildcats at Dandenong Basketball Stadium on Sunday.

The Wildcats started well to be leading by three points both quarter and half-time, and with scores all level by three quarter-time, but then the Rangers took charge with 25 points to 13 for the 12-point win to improve to 3-1.

Froling ended the afternoon with 31 points, nine rebounds and five assists with 11/19 shooting from the field and 7/11 at the foul line.

Michael Meadows added 18 points, four rebounds and four assists, Joe Palmer 16 points, nine boards and five assists, Ryan Rapp eight points, eight rebounds and two assists, and Joe Lubarsky six points, eight boards and two steals.

Eltham are now 2-2 following the loss with Zak Cunningham putting up 16 points and four rebounds, Leonardo Colimerio 13 points and 10 boards, Mitch McCarron 12 points and three assists, and TJ Weeks 11 points and three rebounds.

Keilor Thunder (94) lost to Northern Force (100)

The Northern Force are on the board in the NBL1 South with Logan Gibson and Aaron Ridley III combining for 47 points in the 100-94 win against the Keilor Thunder.

The Force arrived at Keilor Stadium having lost their first three games in the NBL1 South with the Thunder having split their opening two matches.

Northern started well with 24 points to 20 in the first quarter but Keilor took over in the second with 30 to 22 to be leading 50-46 at the half.

It remained a tight battle but with 30 points in the last quarter it was enough for the Force to win by six and to score their first victory.

Logan Gibson finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the win on 9/10 shooting with Aaron Ridley III adding 23 points and three steals.

Vincent DeAngelo also had 18 points and six rebounds, Kye Savage 17 points, nine boards and eight assists, and Aiden Gibson 12 points, six rebounds and four steals.

Daniel Foster finished with 26 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists for Keilor with Deng Dut adding 16 points, five assists and five steals, Landon Seaman 16 points and four rebounds, and Mayoum Mayoum 12 points, two boards, two assists and two steals.

Geelong United (89) defeated Mount Gambier Pioneers (86)

Geelong United scored their first win of the season holding out a fast-finishing Mount Gambier Pioneers for the 89-86 home victory.

Geelong had lost their first two matches before hosting Mount Gambier at The Geelong Arena who were fresh off a loss to the Diamond Valley Eagles the previous night.

The Pioneers did lead by six at quarter-time but scores were all square by half-time before United got on a rolling in the third term to open up a six-point lead, and then hold on in the finish to secure the three-point victory.

Lachlan Barker produced 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win with DeMarcus Gatlin adding 21 points, eight boards and three assists, Deng Riak 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists, and Liam Herbert 17 points, seven assists and six boards.

Collin Moore ended up with 29 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals for Mount Gambier with Ngor Manyang adding 24 points, 10 boards and four blocks, Scott Telfer 17 points and five assists, and Elijah Saifaleupolu nine points and five assists.

Melbourne Tigers (96) defeated Ballarat Miners (75)

The Melbourne Tigers lit it up with 34 points in the third quarter to set up their eventual 96-75 win at home against the Ballarat Miners.

Just to see a team coached by Andrew Gaze and the other by Ray Borner was worth the price admission alone at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams came into the match up having split their opening two games of the season with the Tigers turning a four-point lead after one into a 10-point half-time edge.

Melbourne then blew the game apart in the third quarter with 34 points to 13 on the way to winning by 21 on the back of attempting 15 extra shots than the Miners while forcing the visitors into 21 turnovers from which they scored 15 points from.

George Blagojevic continues to fit in seamlessly with the Tigers in 2026 and top-scored once more with 20 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in just 21 minutes.

Jack Purchase added 14 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four blocks, reigning MVP Tom Wilson 13 points, seven assists and five steals, Michael Wearne 13 points and three assists, and Kai Garnaut nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Lachlan Dent finished with 22 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals with 8/9 free-throw shooting despite also having eight turnovers and going just 6/15 from the field.

Jaden Campbell contributed 21 points and eight rebounds for the Miners with Riley Nicolson adding nine points and two rebounds, Bol Bak nine points, eight boards and three assists, Brooklyn Bruton seven points and Cearius Warren four points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.

Waverley Falcons (90) defeated Hobart Chargers (75)

Miles Gibson had 30 points and Gabe Hadley 26 as the Waverley Falcons scored the 90-75 home victory against the Hobart Chargers.

The Falcons were back home at Waverley Basketball Centre hunting a second win of the season while the Chargers were looking to stay undefeated having also won on the road to the Kilsyth Cobras.

Hobart started strongly too with 23 points to 16 in the first quarter and the visitors were still leading by three at half-time, but Waverley took over from there.

The Falcons outscored the Chargers 52 points to 34 in the second half to win by 15 and improve to 2-2 on the season.

Miles Gibson delivered 30 points and eight rebounds with 6/7 three-point showing while Gabe Hadley contributed 26 points, three boards, three assists and two steals.

Malik Meunier had 10 steals to go with 15 points, eight assists and three rebounds with Bennie Lewis contributing 10 points, five boards, four assists, three steals and three blocked shots.

The Chargers return home at 3-1 with Luke Rosendale top-scoring with 25 points, six rebounds and two steals on 5/10 three-point shooting.

Jacob Richards added 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, Anthony Drmic 15 points, seven boards, four steals and three assists, and Ambros Eugster 12 points on 6/9 shooting.

Bendigo Braves (86) defeated Knox Raiders (75)

Biwali Bayles was brilliant with 33 points and seven assists to lead the Bendigo Braves to the 86-75 home victory against the Knox Raiders.

The Braves were back home at Red Energy Arena looking to continue their winning start against a Raiders outfit who had also won their first three matches of 2026.

Both teams put their unbeaten records on the line and it was a one-point lead to Knox by quarter-time before Bendigo were up 44-38 at the half.

It was 16 points to nine in the fourth quarter where the Braves made sure of the victory to improve to 3-0 with the Raiders now 3-1.

Coming off his NBL season at the Illawarra Hawks, Bayles delivered 33 points, seven assists and four rebounds for Bendigo with 10/20 shooting from the floor, 4/7 from downtown and 9/11 at the foul line.

Jarvis Doles added 20 points and seven rebounds, Ray Turner nine points, eight boards and two steals, and Jordan Straatsma eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Trazarien White delivered 21 points with 3/6 three-point shooting for Knox with Tad Dufelmeier adding 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals, Jordan Hunter 14 points and nine boards, and Kobe Williamson 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.