South Wrap | Men's Round 11

Featured image: Shane Panther | @shanejpg.sport

NBL1 South MVP Tom Wilson had 61 points over two wins for Melbourne Tigers with Mirko Djeric having 35 points and 20 assists in two games for Diamond Valley Eagles, and Nunawading Spectres had a 76-point thumping win while Kye Savage had 36 for Northern Force.

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | WILSON, TIGERS OVERCOME DJERIC, EAGLES

>> PLAYMAKING MIRKO WHERE HE FEELS AT HOME

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | BLUES BEAT RANGERS TO STAY HOT

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | GLOVER SHOOTS COBRAS TO ROAD WIN

FRIDAY

Northern Force (99) defeated Sandringham Sabres (82)

Kye Savage exploded for 36 points and led the Northern Force to the impressive 99-82 home win over the defending champion Sandringham Sabres.

The Sabres did start their road double in Tasmania missing some key players including Shea Ili, Dane Pineau and Kyle Adnam as they took on the Force at Ulverstone Sports and Leisure Centre.

The two teams combined for 55 points in the first quarter with Sandringham narrowly leading 28-27 by quarter-time before the Force took charge in the second term with 29 points to 12 on the way to leading 56-40 by the main break.

The Force retained control the rest of the way too with the lead growing to as much as 20 points before they won by 17 on the way to improving to a 6-11 record having now won four straight matches.

Savage had a big night to lead the Force to the win with 36 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists with 5/14 shooting from downtown with 7/8 at the free-throw line.

Logan Gibson also had 21 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, Vincent DeAngelo 13 points, seven assists, three boards and two steals, Ole Angerstein 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, and Aaron Ridley III nine points, four boards, four steals and three assists.

The Sabres are now 7-8 having lost three straight as defending champions with Malith Machar putting up 24 points and two rebounds with 5/10 three-point shooting.

Elliott Brown also had 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds, Kaylan Kitto 12 points, nine boards and three assists, Kyle Bowen seven points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Harry Neilson seven points, five boards and two steals.

Mount Gambier Pioneers (85) lost to Kilsyth Cobras (90)

South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL star Angus Glover had 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Kilsyth Cobras to the come from behind 90-85 road win over the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

It was the quite the dramatic day and evening with the Cobras arrival to Mount Gambier delayed during the day due to troubles with the bus before getting to Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre, and then even with the tip-off pushed to 9pm local time, it started well after that.

Once it got started, Mount Gambier made a stunning start with 33 points in the first quarter with 18 of those courtesy of Deng Deng and the Pioneers were still leading by four points at half-time and then by three at three quarter-time.

But the Cobras then took charge with 24 points to 16 in the fourth quarter with 13 of those courtesy of Glover including three huge triples as he led his team to the eventual five-point victory on the road.

It was a crucial win for Kilsyth to consolidate their top 10 spot and stop their losing slide with Glover shaking off a slow start to finish with 29 points, three assists and two rebounds with 7/15 three-point shooting.

Corey Jeffs also had 14 points, four rebounds and two steals, Chris Payton Jr 13 points, seven boards, two assists and two blocks, Malik McKinney nine points, Adrian Tomada eight points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Hamish MacDonald seven points and six boards.

The Pioneers couldn’t quite avoid the sixth straight defeat despite Alex Mudronja ending up with 27 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals with 10/11 free-throw shooting.

Deng Deng started on fire with the 18 first quarter points before ending the night with 26 to go with 14 rebounds, four steals, three blocks and two assists on 4/9 three-point shooting.

Titus Robinson also had 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, and Lucas Gordon seven points and seven boards.

SATURDAY

Hobart Chargers (86) lost to Sandringham Sabres (106)

Harry Neilson stepped up for 22 points and 13 rebounds and Shea Ili was back for the Sandringham Sabres and the defending champions hit back to beat the Hobart Chargers.

The Sabres opened up their double on the road in Tasmania with a Friday night loss to the Northern Force and while they were still missing Kyle Adnam and Dane Pineau, they regained Ili to go up against the Chargers at Hutchins School.

Sandringham started strongly with a nine-point lead in the first quarter and that got out to 17 in the second on the way to the 59-49 advantage going into the half-time break.

The Sabres remained in control from there with another 24 points to 20 in the third quarter, and 23 to 17 in the fourth on the way to the 20-point victory in a crucial win in their championship defence.

Sandringham improve to an 8-8 record after splitting their double in Tasmania with Malith Machar delivering 25 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks with 6/10 three-point shooting.

Harry Neilson delivered 22 points and 13 rebounds while Kyle Bowen contributed 15 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals, Elliott Brown 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists, CJ Asuncion-Byrd 11 points, five boards and three assists, and Ili seven points, six assists and five rebounds.

Hobart are now 7-10 following the home loss to have now lost four straight with Jacob Richards delivering 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Luke Rosendale also had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Noah Clarke 18 points and eight boards, and Joe Chilcott 11 points, six boards and four assists.

Geelong United (78) defeated Ballarat Miners (68)

Geelong United kept their outside playoff hopes alive with the 78-68 home victory against the Ballarat Miners with Liam Herbert knocking down six three-pointers.

Geelong were back home at The Arena trying to back up their last up win against the Mount Gambier Pioneers while the Miners arrived on a four-game losing run in the battle of the current two bottom placed teams.

It was a good start away from home by Ballarat with 21 points to 16 in the first quarter before Geelong responded with 21 points to 14 in the second to go into half-time narrowly leading 37-35.

United then remained in charge for much of the second half with their lead getting out to seven in the third frame, and 13 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 10-point victory to improve to a 5-11 record.

Liam Herbert hit 6/11 from beyond the arc on his way to 23 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals with Lachlan Barker adding 17 points, five assists and three boards.

DeMarcus Gatlin also had 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks, Deng Riak 10 points and 12 boards, and Malang Athian 10 points and four rebounds.

Mount Gambier remain in last place with five straight defeats at 2-16 with Lachlan Dent top scoring with 24 points with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals with 5/14 three-point shooting.

Will Hynes added 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Yak Nyuon 10 points, seven boards and four blocked shots.

Dandenong Rangers (86) lost to Frankston Blues (95)

Not even Joe Palmer's best game for the Dandenong Rangers since getting married was enough to stop their slide with the Frankston Blues maintaining their hot form with Dibaji Walker and Jeremy Combs dominant in the 95-86 win.

It always shaped as a fascinating battle on Saturday night at Dandenong Basketball Stadium with Frankston arriving on a four-game winning streak but without Lucas Barker and Daniel Trist while the Rangers had lost three of their past four matches.

Desperate to get their season back on track, Dandenong started on fire with an early 14-point lead but that advantage was back to two by half-time and the Blues ended up scoring the nine-point victory with their imposing front court pair of Walker and Combs combining for 53 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks.

The result means that the Rangers have now lost four of their past five games to slip to a 9-8 record to be clinging to a spot in the top 10 while the Blues are in hot form with five wins in-a-row to improve to an 11-5 record.

Walker was spectacular in the win for Frankston with 32 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks on 12/21 shooting from the floor, 3/5 from downtown and 5/5 at the foul line.

Combs is fitting in nicely too and produced another 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals with Jack Stanwix contributing 14 points, 10 boards, six assists and two blocks, and Austin Shelley 14 points, nine assists and five rebounds.

Joe Palmer produced his best performance since returning a married man a month ago and produced 28 points, 14 rebounds and three assists for Dandenong. He shot 8/15 from the floor, 5/11 from downtown and 7/7 at the foul line.

Harry Froling added 27 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, Josh Kunen 18 points and eight boards, and Sam Davidson eight points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.

Nunawading Spectres (130) defeated Ringwood Hawks (54)

It was an incredibly dominant performance from the Nunawading Spectres even without Ben Griscti to hammer the Ringwood Hawks 130-54 with six players scoring in double figures as they knocked down 18 three-pointers.

The Spectres were back home at Nunawading Basketball Centre having lost three of the last six games to slip back to fourth position as they hosted a Hawks team still right in the hunt of a top 10 position.

But it was all Nunawading right from the outset with 35 points to eight in the first quarter and then another 32 to 19 in the second to go into the half-time break leading 67-25.

There was no let up in the second half with 28 points to 12 in the third frame, and 35 to 15 in the fourth for the 76-point victory with the Spectres shooting 64 per cent from the field with 18/33 from downtown.

It was a horror shooting night from Ringwood who did attempt two more shots than Nunawading and got to the foul line seven more times while having 23 offensive rebounds, but they went 19.5 per cent from the floor with 4/30 from downtown.

Nunawading improve to a 12-5 record with the win with Jack Gandolfo finishing with 23 points and three assists on 4/10 three-point shooting.

Christian D'Angelo added 23 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists with hitting 4/7 from deep while Kingsley Box contributed 18 points, 10 boards, six assists and two blocks, and Owen Lobsinger 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Dyson King-Hawea also had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, Dylan Penn 11 points, 11 assists, five boards and two steals, and Curtis Brecko nine points, three rebounds and two blocks.

Ringwood are now 7-9 following the loss with Tom Carroll scoring 12 points but taking 4/13 shooting to do that while Jonathan Lawton went 0/12, Uche Dibiamaka 1/11, Chris Brandton 1/7 and Lawson Eales 2/11.

Bendigo Braves (65) lost to Melbourne Tigers (85)

The Melbourne Tigers moved into top spot with the Knox Raiders losing at the same time as they beat the Bendigo Braves 85-65 on the road.

The Tigers arrived at Red Energy Arena in second position on the back of last year's Grand Final appearance taking on a Bendigo team still in the playoff hunt having won their last couple.

The Tigers worked on top early to be leading 22-16 by the end of the first quarter but Bendigo responded with 20 points to 14 in the second term to have scores all level at the half.

The Tigers were able to dominate the third quarter with 26 points to eight and that set them on the path to the 20-point victory to go to the top of the standings once more at 12-4.

Reigning MVP Tom Wilson had a big night for Melbourne with 32 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals with 4/6 three-point shooting and going 12/13 at the foul line.

George Blagojevic also had 18 points and eight rebounds, Mason Gaze 11 points, seven boards, three assists, two steals and two blocks, Wilson Amos 10 points and two assists, and Jack Purchase 10 rebound, eight points and eight assists.

Bendigo remain outside the top 10 with the loss at 7-8 with Jarvis Doles finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists.

Seth Anderson also had 12 points and three assists, Billy Smythe 11 points and five rebounds, Ray Turner 10 points, four boards and two blocked shots, and Jake Lloyd six points, four rebounds and four assists.

Knox Raiders (94) lost to Waverley Falcons (102)

The Waverley Falcons produced a blistering first half to set them on the path to the eventual 102-94 win over the league leading Knox Raiders to keep their playoff aspirations alive.

Knox came into the match up at the State Basketball Centre needing to keep winning to stay in top spot while Waverley couldn’t afford any more slip ups if they wanted to try and break into a playoff spot over the last month.

The Falcons made a strong start with 25 points to 16 in the opening quarter before another 23 to 17 in the second to go into the half-time break leading 48-33.

Waverley retained control through the second half as well and with both teams putting up 32 points in the last quarter, Knox did make a charge but the Falcons held firm for the eight-point win to improve to 6-9 snapping their four-game losing slide.

Gabe Hadley ended up with 28 points, six rebounds and four assists in the win for the Falcons with Mawot Mag delivering 19 points, 11 boards and three steals, and Reaudale Williams 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Kuany Kuany also had 13 points, two rebounds and two blocks, Malik Meunier 13 points, five assists, four steals and three boards, and Matthew McCarthy 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals.

Knox's four-game winning run comes to an end and they drop from top spot at 12-5 with Trazarien White putting up another 31 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Tad Dufelmeier added 18 points, four assists, three steals, two blocks and two rebounds, Jarvis Neal 15 points on 7/8 shooting, Brandon Slater 12 points, 11 boards, five assists and three steals, and Kobe Williamson 10 points and four rebounds.

Diamond Valley Eagles (90) defeated Casey Cavaliers (80)

Mirko Djeric had another 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and the Diamond Valley Eagles continued to make a charge towards the layoffs with the 90—80 victory against a team just above them, the Casey Cavaliers.

The Eagles were back home at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre having won their past couple to be making a run to break into the top 10 as they took on a Casey team coming into the weekend in seventh spot and trying to rebound from a loss to Keilor Thunder.

It was a blistering start on their home floor from Diamond Valley with 32 points to 18 including a 15-0 run to lead by as much as 16.

That lead grew to 20 in the second frame and by half-time the Eagles remained on top 57-44.

Casey did hit back with 25 points to 15 in the third quarter to keep things interesting, but Diamond Valley had all the answers in the finish to win by 10 and make it three straight to improve to 7-9.

Mirko Djeric continues to run the Eagles team expertly and ended up with another 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists on 6/9 shooting while going 5/5 at the foul line.

Ryley Haywood top scored for Diamond Valley with 22 points on 5/10 three-point shooting with Xavier Bledson adding 15 points and four assists, Mitch Blackburn nine points and 12 rebounds, and Archie Woodhill nine points, three boards and two assists.

It's consecutive losses now for the Cavaliers who are 9-7 as a result with Jesse Ghee finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, three steals and two rebounds, Pat Ryan 16 points, two boards, two assists and two steals, and Joel Robinson 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Lual Diing also had 13 points, two rebounds and two steals, and Yuot Gai 13 points and four boards.

Keilor Thunder (81) lost to Eltham Wildcats (90)

Zak Cunningham delivered 32 points and the Eltham Wildcats finished strongly to beat Keilor Thunder to maintain their hold on a top four position as a result.

The Thunder came into the match up at Keilor Stadium having won their past three games to be knocking on the door of a top four spot while the Wildcats were sitting third despite a last up loss to the Melbourne Tigers.

It was just a one-point lead by quarter-time in favour of Eltham before Keilor worked on top to go into the half-time break leading 48-45.

It was then the Wildcats who had the better of the second half with 18 points to 12 in the third period, and 27 to 21 in the fourth on the way to the nine-point victory to improve to an 11-4 record.

Zak Cunningham delivered 32 points, five rebounds and two blocks in the win for Eltham on 13/22 shooting with Mitch McCarron adding 15 points, seven boards and six assists.

Leonardo Colimerio also had 12 points and four rebounds, Sam Short nine points, seven assists and five boards, and Harry Hornery nine points and four rebounds.

Keilor are now 10-7 following the end of their three-game winning run with Deng Dut producing 29 points, eight assists and three steals with 7/13 three-point shooting.

Landon Seaman added 15 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists, Tana Kopa 12 points and two boards, and Nick Banon eight points, nine rebounds and two assists.

SUNDAY

Waverley Falcons (86) lost to Keilor Thunder (96)

Keilor Thunder hit back from their loss the night before and the Waverley Falcons couldn’t quite make it a double win weekend as they try to stay in the finals hunt.

The Falcons were back home at Waverley Basketball Centre fresh off beating the Knox Raiders the night before to stay alive this season with the Thunder arriving fresh off a loss the night before to the Eltham Wildcats at home.

Keilor started strongly with 26 points to 19 in the opening term and then had another 27 to 20 in the second frame to be well on top 53-39 heading into the half-time interval.

That lead blew out to 19 points in the third quarter and then Keilor completed the job on the 10-point victory to remain locked into a playoff spot at 11-7.

Deng Dut put up 25 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals in the win for Keilor with Landon Seaman adding 24 points, nine boards, two assists and two steals, Ryan Phillippe 17 points and three assists, and Matthew Johns 10 points, eight boards and six assists.

Waverley remain on the outside of the top 10 at 6-10 with Malik Meunier finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists with Reaudale Williams contributing 17 points, seven assists, three steals and two boards.

Mawot Mag also had 16 points, three rebounds and two assists, Gabe Hadley 14 points, three boards and two assists, and Kuany Kuany nine points and nine rebounds.

Melbourne Tigers (88) defeated Diamond Valley Eagles (83)

Reigning MVP Tom Wilson produced 29 points and eight assists to help the Melbourne Tigers retain top spot but they were made to fight all the way before beating the Diamond Valley Eagles 88-83 who got 17 points and 13 assists from Mirko Djeric.

Both teams arrived at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in impressive form with the Tigers returning to top spot the previous night with the win over the Bendigo Braves while the Eagles kept their playoff hopes alive beating the Casey Cavaliers.

Every time Melbourne would threaten to pull away, Diamond Valley hit back in what was a high quality affair but the Tigers did end up having enough of the answers on the way to the five-point win.

The result improves Melbourne to a 13-4 record to be in top spot by the end of Round 11 having won three straight since back-to-back losses to the Nunawading Spectres and Casey Cavaliers.

Diamond Valley remain outside the top 10 now with a 7-10 record having split their double header weekend.

The Tigers maintain top spot with the third straight win with reigning MVP Tom Wilson delivering 29 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals with 11/21 shooting from the field, and 7/7 at the free-throw line.

George Blagojevic also had 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, Mason Gaze 14 points, three boards, three blocks, two assists and two steals, and Jack Purchase 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

It might have been a loss for Diamond Valley and it might mean their job of making the top 10 is increasingly difficult, but there was still plenty to like in their performance at the same time.

Mirko Djeric is embracing his role as a playmaker at the Eagles this season and the league's assists leader dished out another 13 dimes to go with 17 points and seven rebounds while hitting all nine free-throw attempts.

Xavier Bledson ended up top scoring for Diamond Valley with 18 points, two rebounds and two steals with Archie Woodhill providing 16 points, eight boards and two steals, Manny Malou 11 points, four rebounds and two blocks, and Daniel Poelsma 10 points and six boards.

Eltham Wildcats (86) defeated Bendigo Braves (81)

Harry Hornery hit five three-pointers and had 26 points as the Eltham Wildcats made it a double win weekend beating the Bendigo Braves 86-81 at home.

The Wildcats were back at Montmorency Secondary College fresh off beating Keilor Thunder the night before while Bendigo were fresh off also losing to the Melbourne Tigers at home.

The scores were then all tied at 23-23 by the end of the first quarter before it was the Braves narrowly leading 41-40 heading into the half-time break.

Eltham then worked back on top with 20 points to 17 in the third term and then completed a 12-0 scoring run to build a 14-point lead on the way to securing the five-point win.

The Wildcats improve to a 12-4 record with the pair of wins this weekend with Hornery nailing 5/11 from downtown on his way to 26 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Zak Cunningham had another 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists with Leonardy Colimerio collecting 17 points, four boards, four assists and two steals, Mitch McCarron 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Sam Short six points, eight assists, six boards and four steals.

Bendigo are now 7-9 with two more losses in Round 11 with Ray Turner winding back the clock with 27 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Jarvis Doles added 25 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, Jordan Straatsma 12 points and two boards, and Seth Anderson nine points with 3/8 three-point shooting.

Casey Cavaliers (89) defeated Geelong United (83)

The Casey Cavaliers hit back from their past two losses to consolidate their playoff position with the 89-83 come from behind home win over Geelong United.

The Cavs were back home at Casey Stadium having lost their last two games including the previous night against the Diamond Valley Eagles the previous night while Geelong had breathed life back into their season by beating the Ballarat Miners.

The scores were then all level at 25-25 by the end of the first quarter before Casey did push out to an eight-point lead in the second term and they were on top 48-45 by half-time.

Geelong hit back in the third frame with 23 points to 18 and then United got out to a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Casey hit back from there including going on an 8-0 run to secure the six-point victory.

The win improves the Cavaliers to a 10-7 record with Pat Ryan delivering 24 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists on 9/11 free-throw shooting.

Jesse Ghee also had 16 points, four rebounds and two blocks, Lual Diing 14 points and six boards, Preston Bungei 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists, and Ibrahima Diallo 10 points and nine rebounds.

Geelong will now find it tough to stay in finals contention at 5-12 with Lachlan Barker finishing with 24 points, two assists and two steals on 4/8 three-point shooting.

Deng Riak added 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots, DeMarcus Gatlin 14 points, eight boards and four assists, and Liam Herbert 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.