South Wrap | Women's Mental Health Round

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It was third time lucky in NBL1 South this week for the Ringwood Hawks thanks to Emma Clarke's 30 points with Tilly Boler starring in a road double for the Mount Gambier Pioneers while it was another pair of wins too for the Nunawading Spectres.

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TUESDAY

Ringwood Hawks (82) lost to Nunawading Spectres (86)

A shorthanded Ringwood Hawks put in a spirited effort at home but the Nunawading Spectres finished on a 14-5 run with an offensive rebound from Eliza Hollingsworth huge in the 86-82 win.

Norwood Secondary College hosted the Tuesday night action with the Hawks having lost their opening two games of the season and coming into the match up shorthanded including the absence of Annabel Deerbon, Lily Scanlon and Emma Clarke.

Nunawading arrived on the back of winning their two road games in Tasmania to open the season as well and they did open up a 12-point lead in the first quarter only for the Hawks dig deep.

Ringwood then found themselves five points up with just over three minutes to go but Nunawading responded with the next seven points. Ultimately Hollingsworth's offensive board on a missed free-throw was the game clinching play as the Spectres won by four to improve to 3-0.

Kylee Blacksten took over the game in the third quarter and finished with 21 points and five rebounds for Nunawading while shooting 8/12 from the field and 5/6 at the stripe.

Rachel Antoniadiou also had 15 points, five assists and three rebounds, Eliza Hollingsworth 14 points, 14 boards and three assists, Riley Lupfer 14 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Kate Tanner 11 points and 12 boards.

There was a lot to like in the effort from Ringwood with Taylor Mole delivering 21 points, eight rebounds, five steals and three assists on 7/25 shooting.

Chelby Koker added 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks, Izzy Feller 15 points, nine boards and three assists, Honey Kaur 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Ally Bates six points on 2/5 three-point shooting.

THURSDAY

Ringwood Hawks (73) lost to Eltham Wildcats (100)

Lil Dart turned it on for the Eltham Wildcats with 22 points in the second half and 36 for the game in the eventual 100-73 win against the Ringwood Hawks.

Ringwood did welcome back Emma Clarke but were still without Annabel Deerbon and Lily Scanlon with Aneta Bandilovska joining them out against a Wildcats team trying to back up their 24-point home win against the Keilor Thunder.

The Hawks did make a fast start with 31 points in the first quarter on 63 per cent shooting, but they only managed 42 points on 16/53 shooting at 30 per cent the rest of the way while also having 24 turnovers with 22 of them after quarter-time.

Eltham went on to dominate the second half with 58 points to 34 to win by 27 and improve to 2-1 on the season while going 24/30 at the free-throw line opposed to the 8/10 for the Hawks.

Lil Dart was brilliant in the win for Eltham putting up 36 points including 22 in the second half to go with nine assists, six steals and five rebounds. She shot 11/24 from the floor but 4/8 from three-point territory and 10/11 at the free-throw line.

Sara-Rose Smith took over the game for a period in the third quarter and ended the night with 15 points, 11 rebounds and three assists on 6/7 shooting with Bec Pizzey contributing 14 points, 11 boards, two assists and two steals.

Sarah Elsworthy added nine points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, Mackenzie Smith eight points and three boards, and Jayde Cadee eight points and three rebounds.

Emma Clarke did return for Ringwood after missing Tuesday night's game and top-scored for the home team with 13 points with seven rebounds and shooting 3/5 from three-point territory.

Honey Kaur had all 10 of her points in the first quarter while also having six rebounds, three assists and two steals with Taylor Mole adding 10 points, six assists and five boards, and Chelby Koker nine points, five rebounds and five assists.

FRIDAY

Diamond Valley Eagles (84) defeated Sandringham Sabres (66)

The big three of Alex Sharp, Erin Riley and Abbey Ellis all made strong contributions to keep the Diamond Valley Eagles unbeaten with the 84-66 home win over the Sandringham Sabres.

The Eagles put their perfect record on the line against a Sabres team boosted with the inclusion of Steph Reid fresh off her stint in China with Guangdong.

The Eagles managed to hold a narrow four-point lead by the end of the first quarter and five at the half, but then pulled away in the third quarter with 22 points to 14 and kept it going with 21 to 16 in the fourth for the 18-point win to improve to 3-0.

The big three of Diamond Valley all fired even if they didn’t have particularly good shooting nights.

Sharp, Riley and Ellis only shot a combined 20/46 from the field and 7/23 from downtown, but each of them had a significant impact in the end result.

Ellis put up 24 points, six rebounds and three steals, Sharp 18 points, 12 boards and three assists, and Riley 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Isis Beh added 10 points and six rebounds for the Eagles, Victoria Ikenasio six points and four boards, and Shannon Dufficy five points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Isis Lopes top-scored for the Sabres with 21 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Lucy Cochrane added 14 points and nine rebounds, Steph Reid 14 points, seven assists and six boards, and Maddie Angus nine points and seven rebounds.

SATURDAY

Casey Cavaliers (75) defeated Frankston Blues (69)

Sam Bowman finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds and the Casey Cavaliers came from five points down at three quarter-time to beat the Frankston Blues 75-69.

The Cavs were playing their first home game at Casey Stadium for the season after splitting their opening two matches on the road with a win over the Dandenong Rangers and loss to the Knox Raiders.

Frankston arrived at Casey Stadium having won their first two matches of 2026 on their Tasmanian road double against the Northern Force and Hobart Chargers.

And by three quarter-time, the Blues looked on track to make it three straight wins to start the season with Lou Brown having 21 points and with the visitors leading by six.

But Casey dominated the last quarter with 18 points to seven to turn that five-point deficit into the six-point victory on the back of 13 offensive rebounds to seven, and to end up taking 10 more shots.

Sam Bowman put in a tireless effort and in just 28 minutes of court time she racked up 15 points, 18 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Dallas Loughridge only had four second half points but still top-scored with 17 to go with four assists and two steals while Nyaduoth Lok delivered 16 points with 4/7 three-point shooting.

Sharne Robati also had 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists for Casey while they only got four points off the bench.

Lou Brown did all she could to continue Frankston's undefeated start to the season with another 25 points, seven rebounds and two assists on 11/20 shooting from the floor and 3/6 from behind the arc.

Emily Monaghan had 13 points in the first half for the Blues and finished with 16 with six rebounds and four assists while Pahlyss Hokianga contributed 10 points and four assists, and Tenaya Sooalo seven points with 2/2 from downtown.

Nunawading Spectres (83) defeated Waverley Falcons (73)

Riley Lupfer and Kylee Blacksten combined for 40 points and seven three-pointers to keep the Nunawading Spectres perfect this season with the 83-73 home win over the Waverley Falcons.

The Spectres were back at Nunawading Basketball Centre having won their first three games of 2026 hosting a Falcons line-up having split their opening two encounters.

Nunawading started on fire racing to an 11-point lead in the first quarter and they were still leading by 11 in the third, but the Falcons then fired back and held the home team to just seven points in that third period in the finish.

In the end, Maddi Utti scored on the drive with a minute to go to level scores up at 66-66 and that's where things stayed as time expired with the game going to overtime.

And in the extra period it was all the Spectres with 17 points to seven on the way to the 10-point win to improve to 4-0 with Riley Lupfer going 4/13 from downtown for 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Kylee Blacksten added 20 points, eight boards, three steals and two assists with 3/5 shooting from deep while Rachel Antoniadou contributed 17 points, six boards, five assists and four steals.

Eliza Hollingsworth also had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Kate Tanner eight points and six boards.

Waverley are now 1-2 despite 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals from Utti.

Tayla Dalton also had 17 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists, Sophia Locandro 16 points, nine boards, four assists and two blocks, and Amelia Todhunter six points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Kilsyth Cobras (83) defeated Hobart Chargers (77)

The Kilsyth Cobras held out the fast-finishing Hobart Chargers to confirm the 83-77 home victory to continue their unbeaten start to the 2026 season.

The Cobras put their perfect record on the line at Kilsyth Sports Centre against a Chargers team playing for the first time since losing both their home matches in the opening weekend.

The Cobras were leading by seven at quarter-time and still by three at the half before reclaiming the advantage in the second half after Hobart briefly hit the front in the third frame.

Kilsyth ended up securing the six-point win to improve to 3-0 with Catelyn Van Es top-scoring with 20 points with six rebounds on 8/12 shooting.

Haylee Andrew added 17 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals, Hannah Day 13 points on 3/6 three-point shooting, Nikita Young 12 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Emme Shearer nine points, eight boards and four assists.

Hobart started their road double with the loss to be 0-3 with Sharna Thompson top-scoring with 24 points to go with six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Chloe Broomhall added 23 points and six rebounds on 10/13 field goal shooting while Emerson Wells contributed 10 points, four boards and three assists, and Portia Chopping eight points, three rebounds and two assists.

Knox Raiders (86) defeated Dandenong Rangers (66)

Missing the suspended Alicia Froling didn’t stop the defending champion Knox Raiders make it back-to-back wins beating the Dandenong Rangers 86-66.

The Raiders were without Froling following her one-game suspension following last Thursday's win against the Casey Cavaliers with the Rangers arriving at the State Basketball Centre chasing a first win of 2026 still.

Knox started impressively with 20 points to 12 in the first quarter before 30 to 20 in the second to go into half-time on top 50-32.

It was more dominant from the Raiders in the third quarter with 26 points to nine with the lead getting out to as much as 37 before the Rangers did have 25 to 10 in the final period to cut the final deficit to 20.

Knox improves to 2-1 with the win with Shaneice Swain producing 18 points, four assists and two blocks off the bench with 5/9 three-point shooting.

Lean Santomaggio added 15 points with 3/5 shooting from downtown, Haliegh Reinoehl 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, Paige Bradley 10 points and five assists, and Taylah Simmons five points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Dandenong are now 0-3 following the loss with Imogen Rock delivering 18 points, nine rebounds and two steals with Holly Griffiths contributing 16 points and seven boards, Zara Sestan 11 points on 4/5 field goal shooting and going 2/3 from behind the three-point line.

Ringwood Hawks (87) defeated Northern Force (69)

It was third time lucky at home this week for the Ringwood Hawks with the 87-69 home victory over the Northern Force for their first win of 2026.

Both teams were chasing a first win of the season with the Hawks playing a third game this week at Norwood Secondary College following losses on Tuesday to the Nunawading Spectres and Thursday to the Eltham Wildcats.

The Force were playing their first road game after losing their first two matches at home back on the opening weekend, and it was the Hawks who started on fire with 34 points to 24 in the first quarter.

Ringwood remained in control the rest of the way to secure the 18-point victory to improve to 1-4 on the season with Emma Clarke dominant with 30 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

Taylor Mole added 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Hawks, Honey Kaur 14 points, six boards and two assists, Chelby Koker eight points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, and Izzy Feller eight points, four boards, three assists and two steals.

The Force started their first road double with the loss to be 0-3 with Josie Pinkerton finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals while Nikki Parker top-scored with 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks fresh off being the Tasmania Jewels first ever player signing.

Rebekka Kalaydjiev also had 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Millie Baker 11 points, three assists and three steals, and Bailie Wickham 11 points with 3/6 three-point shooting.

Diamond Valley Eagles (87) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (93)

Another 30 points from Abbey Ellis wasn’t enough for the Diamond Valley Eagles as they suffered a first loss of 2026 with Mount Gambier Pioneers winning 93-87 on 30 points from Tilly Boler.

Both teams came into the match up at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre yet to taste defeat in 2026 and they would go on to have a spectacular overtime battle.

Diamond Valley started on fire with an 11-0 run in the first quarter for a 13-point lead which grew to 15 in the second term and they were still up 13 in the third.

But Mount Gambier fired back and were up two with a minute to play thanks to a pair of free throws from Carla Pitman.

Abbey Ellis responded with a huge three to put the Eagles up one before Kelsey Rees went 1/2 at the foul line for Mount Gambier to get the game to overtime.

And it was the Pioneers who had the better of the extra five minutes to secure the six-point victory and improve to 3-0 on the season to start their road double.

Tilly Boler starred in the overtime win with 30 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals on 11/20 field goal shooting and going 4/10 from long-range.

Lara Edmanson added 17 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks for the Pioneers, Kelsey Rees 16 points, nine boards, eight assists and three blocks, and Abi Prohaska five points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Diamond Valley are 3-1 following the loss with Ellis delivering another 30 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals despite shooting 4/15 from behind the arc.

Tayha Watkins added 21 points and five assists, Alex Sharp 12 points and 12 rebounds, Shannon Dufficy nine points and 11 boards, and Erin Riley seven points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

SUNDAY

Dandenong Rangers (63) lost to Eltham Wildcats (94)

The Eltham Wildcats delivered a dominant performance on the road for the 94-63 Sunday victory against the Dandenong Rangers.

The Wildcats returned to the winner's list back on Thursday night against the Ringwood Hawks while the Rangers hosted them at Dandenong Basketball Stadium still hunting a first win of 2026 in their fourth attempt.

Eltham started the better with 24 points to 15 in the first quarter before leading 49-28 by half-time and continuing to grow that advantage for the eventual 31-point victory.

The Wildcats are now 3-1 with the win Bec Pizzey delivering 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists on 6/7 field goal shooting and going 6/6 at the foul line.

Sara-Rose Smith added 16 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals, Sarah Elsworthy nine points, five assists, four boards and four steals, and Mackenzie Smith 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Emily Maltezos also had 10 points and three rebounds, and Lil Dart eight points, five boards, five assists and three steals.

Dandenong fall to 0-4 with Imogen Rock having another 20 points, six rebounds and three assists while Cat MacGregor contributed 19 points, five rebounds and three stelas, and Holly Griffiths nine points and 10 boards.

Keilor Thunder (84) defeated Northern Force (69)

The Keilor Thunder kept the Northern Force winless in their start to life in the NBL1 South with Lara McSpadden and Maddy Rocci combining for 47 points in their team's 84-69 win.

The Thunder had split their opening two matches of the season ahead of hosting the Force at Keilor Stadium still chasing a first win on their fourth attempt in 2026.

Keilor started the better with 28 points to 15 in the first quarter which set the tone for the rest of the contest as they secured the 15-point win to improve to a 2-1 record.

Lara McSpadden finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds on 10/12 shooting with Maddy Rocci putting up 23 points, nine assists, three steals and two boards on a perfect 12/12 free-throw shooting despite going 5/19 from the field.

Kasey Burton also had eight points and 12 rebounds, and Macey Boyle seven points, six boards, five assists and three steals.

The Force are now 0-4 with two losses at home and two on the road to begin life in the NBL1 South.

Rebekka Kalaydjiev delivered 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Force with Millie Baker adding 23 points, seven boards, four steals and three assists.

Geelong United (82) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (87)

The Mount Gambier Pioneers made it a double winning road weekend coming from behind to beat Geelong United 87-82 on Sunday.

The Pioneers won an overtime classic over the Diamond Valley Eagles on Saturday night and backed up on Sunday at The Geelong Arena with the new-look United still chasing a first win of 2026.

Mount Gambier made a blistering start with 32 points to 13 in the first quarter but Geelong took over from there with 53 points to 32 over the next 20 minutes to lead by two at three quarter-time.

The Pioneers hit back with 23 points to 16 in the final period to score the five-point win to improve to 4-0 to start the season with Tilly Boler delivering another 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Carla Pitman also had 18 points, five rebounds and four assists, Abi Prohaska 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, Grace Champion 12 points, six boards and two steals, and Lara Edmanson 10 points and eight rebounds.

Kelsey Rees also finished with 12 assists to go with four points and nine rebounds, and Eva Langton 11 points and seven boards.

Geelong are now 0-3 with Lilly Rotunno producing 29 points, six rebounds and four assists, Indi Bowyer 20 points, eight assists, four boards and four steals, Reagan Bass 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists, and Jordan Vasquez eight points and 12 boards.

Melbourne Tigers (77) lost to Ballarat Miners (90)

Brendan Joyce took his Ballarat Miners to Melbourne and with Camille Hobby and Elissa Brett combining for 46 points and 13 rebounds, they beat the Tigers 90-77 on Sunday.

The Miners arrived at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre having split their first two matches under Australian coaching great Joyce while the Tigers were still chasing a first win of 2026.

It was a low-scoring first quarter with Ballarat leading by just three at the end of it but the Miners had 27 points to 21 in the second term to lead 42-33 at half-time.

They went on with the job from there to secure to 13-point victory to improve to a 2-1 record with Elissa Brett delivering 25 points, five rebounds and four assists with 4/7 three-point shooting.

Camille Hobby also had 21 points and eight rebounds with Casey Samuels delivering 14 points, eight boards and seven assists, Abbey Wehrung 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Taya Webb 10 points, five boards, two steals and two blocked shots.

Melbourne are now 0-3 to start the season with Rachel Brewster finishing with 22 points and five rebounds, Isa Brancatisano 19 points, five boards, four assists and two steals, Hannah Giddey 20 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists, and Charlotte Brancatisano 10 points and six assists.

Waverley Falcons (86) defeated Hobart Chargers (76)

Maddi Utti delivered 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Waverley Falcons to a second win of the season and keeping the Hobart Chargers winless with the 86-76 victory.

The Falcons were back home at Waverley Basketball Centre looking to bounce back from Saturday's loss to the Nunawading Spectres while the Chargers had lost their first three matches of 2026 including on Saturday to the Kilsyth Cobras.

Hobart started the better to be leading 23-17 after one but the Falcons got going in the second quarter with 29 points to 21, and then had 18 to eight in the fourth on the way to the 10-point win.

Waverley are now 2-2 on the season with the win with Maddi Utti starring with 23 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals with 10/15 shooting from the floor.

Hannah Rapp also had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Amelia Todhunter 13 points, seven assists and six boards, Liana Kinkela 14 points and five rebounds, and Tayla Dalton 12 points, six boards and five assists.

Hobart slip to a 0-4 start to 2026 with Tishara Morehouse finishing with 21 points and three assists, Sharna Thompson 18 points, two boards and two assists, Tyia Singleton 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, and Chloe Broomhall seven points, four boards, three assists and three steals.

Bendigo Braves (86) defeated Knox Raiders (80)

The Bendigo Braves showed that they could very well be back in the hunt in 2026 with Kelsey Griffin and Kelly Wilson combining for 48 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists in the 86-80 win over the Knox Raiders.

The Braves were at home for the first time this season at Red Energy Arena under the coaching of Australian basketball great Tess Madgen, and she has two players at her disposal of a similar calibre in Wilson and Griffin.

The pair ended up delivering a brilliant performance and while Knox kept on coming and made it interesting late, the Braves did enough to secure the six-point home win to improve to 2-1 on the season with the Raiders now 2-2 as defending NBL1 and National Champions in 2026.

Griffin delivered 26 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two assists on 9/18 shooting from the floor, 4/9 from behind the arc and 4/6 at the free-throw line.

Wilson then also provided 22 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and two steals on 10/14 shooting.

Ahlise Hurst added 14 points with 3/5 shooting from behind the arc, Olivia Pollerd 14 points, five rebounds, five blocks and two assists, and Jessica Smith eight points and five boards.

Alicia Froling finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and two assists for the Raiders with nine of her points coming in the third quarter and seven of her boards in the opening half.

Shaneice Swain came off the bench and still played 28 minutes for Knox and ended up with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists with Haliegh Reinoehl adding 12 points and four boards with 2/3 three-point shooting.