South Wrap | Women's Round 11

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Dallas Loughridge had 67 points over two NBL1 South wins for Casey Cavaliers while Keely Froling was dominant for Northern Force, Charlise Dunn had 26 and 17 for Nunawading Spectres, Lil Dart 27 and 10 for Eltham Wildcats and Charlotte Brancatisano hit a winner for Melbourne Tigers.

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | UTTI THE HERO AS FALCONS WIN IN OT

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | RAIDERS PREVAIL IN OT OVER FALCONS

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | FROLING DOMINATES AS FORCE BEAT SABRES

>> PLAYMAKING MIRKO WHERE HE FEELS AT HOME

FRIDAY

Northern Force (99) defeated Sandringham Sabres (81)

Keely Froling dominated with 34 points and 13 rebounds while Sarah O'Neill had a near triple double while hitting six three balls as the Northern Force knocked off the NBL1 South leading Sandringham Sabres 99-81 in Ulverstone.

The Force returned home to Ulverstone Sports and Leisure Centre having lost twice on the road last weekend following a six-game winning streak to be still on the outside of the top 10 ahead of hosting the top ranked Sabres who were also coming off a defeat.

It remained a tight battle through three quarters with scores level by quarter-time and then the Force leading by five points at both half and three quarter-time.

But then the home team took over with 25 points to 12 in the last quarter on the way to the 18-point victory to improve to an 8-9 record while the Sabres are now 12-3 with consecutive defeats for the first time in 2026.

It was a win that keeps the Force right in the playoff hunt having now won seven of their last nine games having successfully bounced back from losing both games last weekend on the road.

Keely Froling had another monster performance for the winners with 34 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals with 12/24 shooting from the field and 9/11 at the foul line.

Sarah O'Neill knocked down 6/9 from downtown for 27 points, nine assists and eight rebounds with Parker Hill contributing 22 points, eight assists, six boards, three assists and two blocks, Josie Pinkerton six points and nine rebounds, and Rebekka Kalaydjiev four points, seven assists and six boards.

The Sabres now have lost their past two games after sitting clear in top spot to now be 12-3 on the season with Isis Lopes finishing with 27 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Funda Nakkasoglu also had 20 points, three assists and two rebounds with 5/11 three-point shooting, Steph Reid 20 points, six boards, six assists and three steals, and Lucy Cochrane nine points, 13 rebounds and two blocks.

Mount Gambier Pioneers (83) defeated Kilsyth Cobras (67)

Despite an injury scare to Abby Prohaska, the Mount Gambier Pioneers kept their winning form going with the 83-67 home win against the Kilsyth Cobras.

The Pioneers were back home on Friday night at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre having won their past three matches ahead of hosting a Kilsyth team on a 10-game losing run.

Mount Gambier raced out to an 11-point lead but that was back to just one by quarter-time before the home team went on another 12-1 scoring run to be leading 50-36 at the main break.

It was just a combined 21 points between the two teams in the third quarter before the Pioneers pushed out again with 24 points to 19 in the last term to score the 16-point victory to improve to 10-6 with the fourth consecutive win.

There was a scary with a nasty looking injury to Abby Prohaska as well for Mount Gambier after she had eight points and four rebounds in just over nine minutes.

Tilly Boler ended up top scoring for the Pioneers with 20 points and three rebounds, Carla Pitman 17 points, seven boards and seven assists, and Gracie Champion 14 points.

Kelsey Rees also had nine points, 16 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks, Tayah Burrows seven points, four boards and two assists, and Lara Edmanson six points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals.

Kilsyth have now suffered 11 straight defeats to be 4-11 with Lily Exton finishing with 17 points, four rebounds and four steals with 7/8 field goal shooting.

Nikita Young also had nine points, five rebounds and two assists, Emme Shearer nine points, six boards, two assists and two steals, and Meg Newman eight points and three rebounds.

SATURDAY

Hobart Chargers (71) lost to Sandringham Sabres (80)

Madi Ryan had 24 points and the Sandringham Sabres hit back from their Friday night loss to even the ledger on their Tasmanian road trip with the 80-71 win over the Hobart Chargers.

The Sabres lost the previous night in Ulverstone to the Northern Force as they took on a Chargers team at Hutchins School who had lost four of the past six to remain outside of a playoff position.

It was Hobart with the narrow 16-14 lead by quarter-time before Sandringham went on a 10-0 scoring run to be on top 35-32 by half-time.

It was just a two-point lead for the Sabres by three quarter-time before they had 21 points to 14 in the final term on the way to securing the nine-point win to square their weekend in Tasmania and improve to a 13-3 record to remain in top spot.

Madi Ryan finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two assists for Sandringham with Steph Reid adding 18 points, five boards and four assists, and Funda Nakkasoglu 15 points and three rebounds.

Isis Lopes added 10 points, seven steals, five rebounds and four assists, and Lucy Cochrane 10 points, nine boards, two assists and two blocked shots.

Hobart remain outside the top 10 at 6-11 following the home loss despite getting 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists from Tishara Morehouse.

Tyia Singleton added 16 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, Portia Chopping 13 points and two assists, Sharna Thompson seven points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Chloe Broomhall seven points, eight boards, two assists and two steals.

Geelong United (86) defeated Ballarat Miners (81)

Jordan Vasquez and Indi Bowyer combined for 48 points and 22 rebounds to lift Geelong United to a fourth win of the season beating the Ballarat Miners 86-81.

Geelong played host to the Miners at The Arena five games out of 10th position with just seven games remaining while Ballarat had won their last couple and were looking to further cement their playoff position.

Geelong had opened up a seven-point advantage by the end of the first quarter and were still leading 48-39 by half-time before extending that advantage to 15 points in the third frame only for Ballarat to hit back with 12 straight points of their own.

But United responded once more to end up securing the five-point home victory to improve their season to a 4-12 record.

Indi Bowyer is fresh off signing for the WNBL season with the Geelong Venom and produced 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals with 4/11 three-point shooting.

Jordan Vasquez added 24 points and 15 rebounds, Dakota Crichton 15 points and two boards, and Reagan Bass 14 points, 11 rebounds and three steals.

Ballarat missed the chance to move further up in the top 10 to now be 10-8 with just four games left in their season with Camille Hobby top scoring with 17 points and five rebounds on 8/11 field goal shooting.

Elissa Brett added 14 points, three assists and three steals despite shooting 4/26 with Malia Fisher contributing 14 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals, Casey Samuels 13 points and four assists, and Abbey Wehrung 12 points, six boards and four assists.

Dandenong Rangers (81) defeated Frankston Blues (63)

Even without Marena Whittle, the Dandenong Rangers kept themselves in the playoff hunt with the 81-63 win over the Frankston Blues with Adrianna Smith delivering 23 points nine rebounds and five assists.

The Rangers came into the round two games outside of 10th spot ahead of hosting Frankston at Dandenong Basketball Stadium and they made a strong start at home with 25 points to 17 in the first quarter.

The Blues hit back trying to avoid an eighth straight loss with 20 points to 11 in the second frame to be leading by a point going into the half-time break.

Dandenong then dominated the second half with 23 points to 14 in the third quarter and 22 to 12 in the fourth on the way to the 18-point victory to improve to a 7-10 record.

Adrianna Smith showed the way for the Rangers with 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals on 9/17 shooting from the floor and 4/4 at the charity stripe.

Imogen Rock continued her career-best season with another 20 points, six steals, four rebounds and three assists with Manny Puoch adding 15 points, 13 boards, six assists and two steals, and Elly Morgan nine points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Frankston have now lost eight straight to be 5-11 with Megan Mullings delivering 27 points, 13 rebounds and two steals with 10/16 field goal shooting to go with 3/5 from downtown and 4/5 at the foul line.

Emily Monaghan added 11 points, five assists and four rebounds, and Lou Brown nine points, 10 boards and three assists.

Nunawading Spectres (84) defeated Ringwood Hawks (70)

Charlise Dunn and Rachel Antoniadou combined for 52 points and 18 rebounds to revive life into the season of the Nunawading Spectres with the 84-70 victory against the Ringwood Hawks.

The Spectres were back home at Nunawading Basketball Centre on a five-game losing streak taking on the bottom placed Ringwood who had a last up win over the Hobart Chargers.

Nunawading made a flying start on their home floor with an early 12-0 run but Ringwood responded with nine straight points of their own to cut the quarter-time deficit to just four.

The Spectres managed to be leading 45-36 by half-time but Ringwood stayed in touch with another 19 points to 15 in the third frame to be within five at three quarter-time.

Nunawading then pulled away once more with 24 points to 15 in the final frame for the 14-point victory to improve to a 6-11 record to remain an outside chance to still break into a playoff position.

Charlise Dunn had a dominant performance for Nunawading with 26 points, 17 rebounds and two steals with 11/11 free-throw shooting while Rachel Antoniadou delivered 26 points and three assists while also hitting all seven of her free-throw attempts.

Tsz Kwan Li added 13 points and two steals with Riley Lupfer contributing eight points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Ringwood remain in bottom place at 2-14 with Honey Kaur finishing with 20 points and 15 rebounds with Jo Raflo adding 16 points, six boards and two assists, Taylor Mole 15 points and seven rebounds, and Chelby Koker 13 points, two boards and two assists.

Bendigo Braves (78) lost to Melbourne Tigers (81)

Jess Smith hit a monster three for the Bendigo Braves to force overtime but then it was Charlotte Brancatisano who hit the game winning three-pointer at the end of the extra period as the Melbourne Tigers prevailed 81-78.

The Braves hosted the Tigers at Red Energy Arena with Bendigo trying to stay in the playoff hunt while the Tigers were attempting to cling to their hold on a top 10 spot.

The scores were locked at 20-20 by the end of the first quarter before Melbourne were leading 42-35 by half-time and then 55-46 by half-time, but then Bendigo fired back.

And when Smith landed a huge three with 21.1 left in the game, the scores were all tied and that's where it stayed at the end of regulation after Isa Brancatisano had her driving layup attempt at the death blocked by Olivia Pollerd.

It remained a tight contest through the overtime period but with 6.9 seconds to go Charlotte Brancatisano landed her second triple of the last five minutes which proved the game winner for the Tigers.

Melbourne improved to 9-7 as a result of the win to maintain a top 10 spot with Mingling Chen delivering another 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Eve Braslis added 13 points, six rebounds and two assists, Charlotte Brancatisano 10 points, four boards and three assists, Tayli Dimarco 10 points and four rebounds, and Isa Brancatisano nine points, 13 boards, nine assists and two steals.

Bendigo slip further from playoff contention at 5-10 despite Pollerd producing 36 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.

Jess Smith also had 24 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Braves, and Mia Harvey 15 points and four assists as they battled valiantly without Kelly Wilson, Hannah Hank, Ahlise Hurst and Kelsey Griffin.

Knox Raiders (81) defeated Waverley Falcons (75)

It was the battle of the last two champions and both were on significant winning streaks and Katelyn Shumate shot the Waverley Falcons to overtime but the Knox Raiders ended up prevailing 81-75.

Coming into the clash at the State Basketball Centre and the defending champion Raiders had won seven straight while the 2024 championship winning Falcons arrived having won five in-a-row.

Not only had both teams won the last two NBL1 South championships, but each of them also went on to win the National Finals so winning comes naturally to both groups setting up a fascinating battle.

Scoring was hard to come by in the opening three quarters with Knox leading Waverley 42-41 by three quarter-time before things picked up in the final term firstly with the Raiders opening up a 10-point lead.

Waverley then fired back and three late triples from Shumate including a stunner from just inside half court at the buzzer saw the Falcons level scores up and get the game to overtime.

Knox took charge with the first nine points of the extra five minutes on the way to the six-point win that gives them eight on the trot to improve to 13-4 while the Falcons are now 9-6 having just missed out on a sixth consecutive win.

Knox gave up that 10-point fourth quarter lead but still got the win in the end thanks to the strong start to extra time with Paige Bradley finishing with 19 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals with 5/9 field goal shooting and going 7/8 at the foul line.

Rachel Bell also had 19 points and three rebounds with 7/8 shooting at the stripe while Leah Santomaggio provided 15 points on the back of 5/6 shooting from behind the three-point line.

Alicia Froling added 11 points, 14 rebounds and three assists, Agnes Emma-Nnopu nine points, nine boards and three blocks, and Paige Burrows eight points, three rebounds and three assists.

Waverley missed a chance to make it six in-a-row with Katelyn Shumate nailing all three of her triples for the game to get the game to overtime and ended up with 16 points and five rebounds.

Hannah Rapp provided 18 points and four rebounds, Maddi Utti 16 points, eight boards and two assists, and Tayla Dalton 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Diamond Valley Eagles (96) lost to Casey Cavaliers (101)

Despite a 35-point fourth quarter from the Diamond Valley Eagles, the Casey Cavaliers held them out having earlier led by 25 points and securing the 101-96 road victory.

Casey arrived at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre still in fifth position despite having lost their past two games while the Eagles had also lost three straight while remaining in seventh place.

That set the stage for a crucial match up for both teams to further consolidate their top 10 positions and they combined for 59 points in the first quarter with the Eagles leading 30-29 by quarter-time.

The Cavaliers then put up 31 points to 14 in the second frame to go into half-time leading 60-44 before then seeing that lead grow to 25 points in the third term, and they were still up 21 early in the fourth.

Diamond Valley ended up putting 35 points on the board in the last quarter and they got all the way back within three with 30 seconds to go when Abbey Ellis landed a three ball, but no closer with Casey holding on for the five-point victory.

The Cavs improve to an 11-5 record with the win with Dallas Loughridge having a huge night ending up with 38 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals with 7/10 three-point shooting.

Vanessa Tavete also had 21 points for Casey, Chelsea D'Angelo 15 points, six assists and five rebounds, Sam Bowman 12 points, 17 boards and six assists, and Sharne Robati nine points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Eagles are now 9-7 having lost four in-a-row despite Isis Beh delivering 26 points and nine rebounds with 10/13 shooting from the floor and 5/6 at the foul line.

Erin Riley added 16 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals, Alex Sharp 14 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals, Abbey Ellis 13 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Shannon Dufficy 11 points and four boards.

Keilor Thunder (92) defeated Eltham Wildcats (66)

Issie Bourne, Lara McSpadden and Maddy Rocci combined for 67 points, 18 rebounds, 12 assists and nine steals but it still took a 33-point fourth quarter for Keilor Thunder to see off the Eltham Wildcats and secure the 92-66 home win.

The Thunder were back home at Keilor Stadium having won four straight ahead of hosting the second placed Eltham who were fresh off a loss to the Melbourne Tigers.

Keilor were leading 22-16 by the end of the first quarter before another 25 points to 20 in the second term to go into half-time leading 47-36.

Keilor were then clinging to a 10-point lead by three quarter-time before a dominant final quarter with 33 points to 17 to go on to score the 26-point victory and improve to a 12-5 record as a result.

Issie Bourne finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win for the Thunder with Lara McSpadden adding 23 points, six boards and three steals on 11/14 field goal shooting.

Maddy Rocci pulled it all together with 21 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals with Tess Heal contributing 12 points, six boards and three assists, and Macey Boyle seven points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

Eltham have now lost two straight to have an 11-4 record with Sarah Elsworthy top scoring with 18 points, two rebounds and two steals with 6/9 field goal shooting and going 6/6 at the free-throw line.

Mackenzie Smith also had 11 points with 3/5 three-point shooting while Lil Dart contributed 11 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Sara-Rose Smith seven points, five rebounds and two steals.

SUNDAY

Waverley Falcons (85) defeated Keilor Thunder (82)

Maddi Utti hit a huge three to get the Waverley Falcons to overtime for the second time this weekend before Keilor Thunder then lost Maddy Rocci to a nasty looking injury and the home team prevailed 85-82 following that.

The Falcons were back home at Waverley Basketball Centre coming off an overtime loss the night before to the Knox Raiders while the Thunder arrived on a five-game winning run including the previous night at home to the Eltham Wildcats.

Waverley and Keilor also have strong recent history including the 2024 Grand Final won by the Falcons and also it was a similar result in last year's playoffs just to add to the motivation of both teams on Sunday.

The game ended up going to overtime after Utti hit a huge three with 4.6 seconds to go to tie scores up and then after Rocci hit a big three early in the extra period, she went down with what looked to be an ankle injury.

Waverley were able to make the most of it from there and secured the three-point victory to improve to a 10-6 record having split their two overtime games in Round 11 while Keilor are now 12-6.

Utti hit that huge three to get the game to overtime and ending up with 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals with 4/6 three-point shooting.

Hannah Rapp also had 20 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals for the Falcons, Katelyn Shumate 15 points, 10 boards, four assists and four steals, Sophia Locandro 14 points and eight rebounds, and Tayla Dalton 11 points, five assists, four boards and three steals.

Before hurting her ankle early in overtime, Rocci already had 17 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals for Keilor in another standout performance.

Lara McSpadden had a big afternoon with 25 points and 10 rebounds with Issie Bourne adding 16 points, eight boards and four assists, and Tess Heal 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Melbourne Tigers (68) lost to Diamond Valley Eagles (97)

The Diamond Valley Eagles avoided a fifth straight loss with a dominant showing to beat the Melbourne Tigers 97-68 with Abbey Ellis delivering 28 points with 5/6 three-point shooting.

The Tigers were back home at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre having won a thriller over the Bendigo Braves the previous night but still they were without Shuyu Yang having already lost Zitina Aokuso this season.

Diamond Valley arrived having lost their past four matches including the previous night to the Casey Cavaliers, and the Eagles were determined to not make it five in-a-row with 26 points to 10 in the opening quarter.

The Eagles then put up another 34 points to 22 in the second frame to go into half-time leading 60-32 before maintaining their control and leading by as much as 33 in the second half on the way to securing the 29-point victory.

The win steadies Diamond Valley with a 10-7 record with Ellis delivering 28 points with eight rebounds and six assists while making 5/6 from beyond the arc.

Alex Sharp also had 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks, Erin Riley 13 points, five boards and two assists, Shannon Dufficy 11 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks, and Sophie Byrnes seven points, five boards and three assists.

The Tigers are now 9-8 having split their double header weekend with Tylah Hooper finishing with 21 points, three rebounds and three assists with 4/9 three-point shooting.

Mingling Chen added eight points and two rebounds, Charlotte Brancatisano six points, six boards, four assists and four steals, and Hannah Giddey six points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Eltham Wildcats (92) defeated Bendigo Braves (73)

The Eltham Wildcats bounced back from losing their past two games by going on a 28-0 scoring run in the second half to beat the Bendigo Braves 92-73 with Lil Dart delivering 27 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.

Eltham had lost their past couple including on Saturday night to Keilor Thunder ahead of hosting Bendigo at Montmorency Secondary College with the Braves also having lost the night before in a thriller to the Melbourne Tigers.

The Wildcats made a hot start with 29 points to 19 in the first quarter but then Bendigo fired back with 24 points to 14 in the second term with scores all level at half-time.

The Braves kept that momentum going to complete a 13-0 run into the third quarter to lead by five before Eltham responded with 16 straight points themselves.

Incredibly, that turned into a 28-0 scoring run into the last term and Eltham from there went on to secure the important 26-point win to steady with a 12-4 record.

Lil Dart delivered 27 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and five steals in the win for the Wildcats with 11/19 field goal shooting.

Bec Pizzey added 20 points and nine rebounds with 3/3 shooting from deep while Sara-Rose Smith added 14 points, nine boards, three assists and two steals, and Kennedy Dickie 11 points and five rebounds.

The shorthanded Bendigo are now 5-11 with the double loss weekend with Jess Smith ending up with 29 points and seven rebounds with Olivia Pollerd adding 21 points, 11 boards, four assists and two steals, and Amelia Grist nine points and five rebounds.

Casey Cavaliers (98) defeated Geelong United (78)

Dallas Loughridge backed up her 38 points from the night before with another 29 on Sunday to lead the Casey Cavaliers to the 98-78 home win against Geelong United.

The Cavs got back to winning on Saturday night beating the Diamond Valley Eagles ahead of hosting a Geelong team at Casey Stadium who had also won the previous evening at home to the Ballarat Miners.

Casey then made a flying start with 27 points to 16 in the first quarter before that lead got out to 16 in the second term and the Cavs went into half-time with the 49-42 advantage.

The Cavaliers then took further control through the second half with 26 points to 19 in the third period, and 23 to 17 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 20-point victory.

Casey improve to a 12-5 with the pair of wins this weekend with Loughridge producing another 29 points, four assists and three rebounds with 7/13 three-point shooting.

Sam Bowman also had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Vanessa Tavete 14 points on 4/7 shooting from deep with Chelsea D'Angelo contributing 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Mica Nightingale 10 points and four boards.

Geelong are now 4-13 having split their weekend double with Jordan Vasquez providing another 23 points and eight rebounds with Indi Bowyer adding 20 points, six boards, five assists and two steals, and Reagan Bass 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists.