South Wrap | Women's Round 14

Featured image: Darren Keane - @darrenkeanephoto

The Knox Raiders moved further clear on top of the NBL1 South with two more big wins while the Waverley Falcons also made it a double while Abbey Ellis lifted Diamond Valley Eagles to fifth straight and Hannah Hank had 36 points and 19 rebounds for the Bendigo Braves.

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | HANK DOMINATES IN BENDIGO WIN

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | MINERS LOCK IN PLAYOFF SPOT

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | KNOX MOVE CLEAR IN TOP SPOT

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | CHINESE STARS DELIVER TIGERS WIN

THURSDAY

Kilsyth Cobras (94) defeated Nunawading Spectres (82)

The Kilsyth Cobras started the season on fire and are now doing the same to finish with Nikita Young having 16 points and 16 assists on the way to the 94-82 win over the Nunawading Spectres.

Both teams came into the Thursday night match up at Kilsyth Sports Centre out of the finals mix but the Cobras had won their past two games following a 12-game losing streak which came after starting the season 4-0.

Nunawading did get off to the better of the start with 28 points to 25 in the first quarter before Kilsyth had 17 to 12 in the second to go into the half-time break on top 42-40.

The Cobras then opened up a 10-point lead in the third frame and it got out to 17 in the fourth before securing the 12-point victory to make it three consecutive wins to improve to a 7-12 record.

Nikita Young was outstanding running the ship for Kilsyth with 16 points, 16 assists, six steals, three blocks and three rebounds with Lily Exton adding 19 points and six boards.

Emme Shearer also had 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Meg Newman 16 points, 12 boards and three assists, Hannah Day 12 points and two assists with 4/5 shooting from the outside, and Catelyn Van Es six points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Nunawading have now lost their past two to sit at 8-13 with Riley Lupfer hitting 8/18 from the outside for 24 points with Rachel Antoniadou adding 25 points and eight assists.

Melbourne Tigers (74) defeated Sandringham Sabres (66)

Chen Mingling and Yang Shuyu combined for 37 points, 17 rebounds and six assists as the Melbourne Tigers scored a crucial win over the shorthanded Sandringham Sabres 74-66 on Thursday night.

It was another packed house at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre and a lot of those were there to see the two Chinese stars for the Tigers and they certainly didn't leave disappointed with the pair instrumental in the crucial win for the Tigers.

The Sabres were once again without a string of key players led by Steph Reid, but also Madi Ryan, Klara Wischer and Maddie Angus, and they still fought hard but just had a rough shooting night.

Melbourne built a lead as big as 17 points in the third quarter and despite Sandringham getting back within four late, the Tigers did enough to secure the eight-point win to improve to a 13-8 record with the Sabres now 14-6 having lost three in-a-row.

Chen Mingling delivered 19 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the win for the Tigers with Yang Shuyu adding 18 points, seven boards and three assists with 4/6 three-point shooting.

Eve Braslis also had 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists for Melbourne with Isa Brancatisano contributing eight points, eight boards and three assists, and Hannah Giddey eight points, seven rebounds, five blocks and two assists.

The Sabres dearly missed Steph Reid, Klara Wischer, Maddie Angus and Madi Ryan, but battled valiantly with Funda Nakkasoglu finishing with 22 points and three assists while Lucy Cochrane contributed 11 points, nine board and two assists.

Isis Lopes also had 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Lili Long seven points, 13 boards and three assists.

FRIDAY

Mount Gambier Pioneers (57) lost to Keilor Thunder (83)

Keilor Thunder welcomed back Issie Bourne and Maddy Rocci who combined for 52 point, 23 rebounds, eight assists and six steals to lead them to the dominant 83-57 road win over the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

The Thunder had lost two of their past three games to slip from the top four but got back to their two big guns for the trip to Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre on Friday night against a Pioneers team just clinging to 10th position.

Keilor was just the two points up at quarter-time but then had 22 points to 13 in the second term to go into half-time leading 39-28 before going on with the job from there.

The Thunder had another 29 points to 16 in the third frame and 15 to 13 in the fourth on the way to the commanding 26-point win to stay in the top four mix with a 14-7 record.

Rocci delivered 30 points, 12 rebounds, six assist and four steals for Keilor with partner-in-crime Bourne adding 22 points, 11 boards, two assists and two steals.

Lara McSpadden also had 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, Tess Heal six points, five steals, four boards and two assists, and Macey Boyle five points, six assists and three rebounds.

Mount Gambier are left fighting for their playoff lives at 11-10 with Lara Edmandson finishing with 11 points and six rebounds with Tilly Boler adding nine points and two boards, Gracie Champion nine points, three assists and three steals, and Kelsey Rees seven points and 12 rebounds.

Northern Force (64) lost to Waverley Falcons (86)

The Waverley Falcons started their Tasmanian road double on a winning note with the 86-64 win over the Northern Force even in the absence of Maddi Utti.

The Falcons arrived in Ulverstone still holding out hope of a top four finish while the Force would still need a minor miracle, but weren’t totally without a playoff chance should they win their remaining three matches.

Waverley managed to build a 28-24 advantage by quarter-time before going into half-time leading 41-36 and then going on with the job in the second half.

The Falcons outscored the Force 22 points to 18 in the third quarter and 23 to 10 in the fourth on the way to the 22-point victory to improve to a 13-7 record with three straight victories.

Sophia Locandro delivered 22 points, five rebounds and three blocks with 4/5 shooting from the outside for Waverley with Georgia Pineau adding 21 points, eight rebound and three assists to help cover the loss of Maddi Utti.

Liana Kinkela also had 12 points, seven rebounds, three steals, three blocks and two assists, Katelyn Shumate nine points, four rebounds and three assists, and Millie McCarthy six points, eight assists and three boards.

The Force are now out of the playoff mix at 8-12 with the three consecutive defeats with Keely Froling providing 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists with Parker Hill adding 16 points, 12 boards and four assists.

Sarah O'Neill also had 15 points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists, and Josie Pinkerton seven points and eight boards.

Knox Raiders (90) defeated Eltham Wildcats (61)

Nothing separated the two teams with top spot up for grabs on Friday night and with 10 triples between Paige Burrows, Paige Bradley and Agnes Emma-Nnopu and stifling defence, Knox Raiders were too strong for the Eltham Wildcats winning 90-61.

Both teams entered the match up at the State Basketball Centre on identical 15-4 records with the Raiders having won their past 10 matches and the Wildcats four in-a-row.

But it was Knox on top virtually the whole way including leading by two points at quarter-time, by 16 at half-time, by 17 at three quarter-time and then with 24 points to 12 in the final term, winning by 29.

The win is 11 in-a-row for the Raiders with the defending NBL1 South and Nationals Champions now 16-4 on the season while the Wildcats slip to 15-5.

Paige Burrows top scored with 18 points, four rebounds and two assists with 4/10 three-point shooting.

Paige Bradley also had 15 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and two steals, Rachel Bell 14 points and four boards, Agnes Emma-Nnopu 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Alicia Froling 13 points, 11 boards, two assists and two blocked shots.

Eltham couldn’t quite go with Knox as the game went on with Lil Dart finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.

Bec Pizzey also had 15 points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Mackenzie Smith eight points, four assists and two rebounds.

Casey Cavaliers (66) lost to Dandenong Rangers (98)

The Dandenong Rangers kept themselves in the playoff hunt with a second straight win beating the Casey Cavaliers 98-66 with Marena Whitte delivering 22 points and five three-pointers.

The Rangers arrived at Casey Stadium fresh off beating the Ballarat Miners to keep their top 10 prospects alive while the Cavaliers were still clinging to fourth position coming into the penultimate round.

Dandenong were leading by four points at quarter-time before another 24 points to 16 in the second frame before going into the half-time break leading 47-35.

That lead for the Rangers was out to as much as 20 points in the third quarter and 33 in the last on the way to the eventual 32-point victory to improve to a 10-11 record to keep their finals prospects alive.

Marena Whittle delivered 22 points, six rebounds and four assists with the 5/8 shooting from the outside with Manny Puoch contributing 17 points, 10 boards and two assists, and Imogen Rock 13 points and nine rebounds.

Adrianna Smith also had 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Holly Griffiths eight points, three assists and two boards, and Cat MacGregor seven points and three rebounds.

Casey are now 14-7 and left battling for a top four finish with Chelsea D'Angelo providing 21 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists despite 6/25 shooting from the field and 1/12 from the outside.

Hailey Wynd added 14 points and seven rebounds, Sam Bowman 11 points, eight boards and three assists, and Kassie Boorer 11 points.

SATURDAY

Hobart Chargers (69) lost to Waverley Falcons (88)

The Waverley Falcons completed the Tasmanian road double with the 88-69 win over the Hobart Chargers to further close in on a top four finish with one game left in their regular season.

The Falcons started their weekend beating the Northern Force back on Friday night while the Chargers were out of the playoff race and having lost their past four games, but looking to end their season at home on a positive note.

It was Hobart narrowly leading 23-22 by the end of the first quarter before Waverley took control with 25 points to 15 in the second term on the way to leading 47-38.

The Falcons remained in control from there with the lead growing to 18 points in the third quarter and 21 in the fourth before they secured the 21-point victory to improve to a 14-7 with the pair of road wins this weekend across Bass Strait.

Waverley were again without Maddi Utti with Tayla Dalton putting up 20 points, eight assists, five steals and four rebounds with 7/13 field goal shooting.

Katelyn Shumate also had 19 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks, Sophia Locandro 18 points and seven boards with 4/7 three-point shooting, Georgia Pineau 11 points and seven rebounds, and Millie McCarthy nine points and eight assists.

Hobart are now 6-14 with five straight losses with Sharna Thompson finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists with 4/11 shooting from the outside.

Tishara Morehouse also had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds, Tyia Singleton 11 points and five rebounds, and Chloe Broomhall 10 points, seven boards and four assists.

Geelong United (87) defeated Ringwood Hawks (67)

Indi Bowyer flirted with a triple double and Jordan Vasquez put up 28 points and nine rebounds as Geelong United won the battle of bottom two teams beating the Ringwood Hawks 87-67.

Geelong were back home at The Arena hosting the Hawks looking to get from a late season boost with a win and it was Ringwood who started better on the road with the 22-19 lead by quarter-time.

United then worked on top in the second term with 26 points to 19 and then went on with it from there with a 12-0 run in the third to lead by 11, and then going up by 20 by the final buzzer with 17 points to seven in the last quarter.

Geelong improve to 6-15 with the win with Jordan Vasquez finishing with 28 points, nine rebounds and four assists with 11/15 field goal shooting along with 6/6 at the foul line.

Indi Bowyer also had 18 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and two blocks with 4/9 shooting from the outside with Dakota Crichton contributing 12 points and five rebounds, Aleks Connolly 11p points, six boards, four assists and two steals, and Reagan Bass 11 points and two rebounds.

Ringwood are now 3-17 following the loss with Honey Kaur producing 29 points and 11 rebounds with 12/21 shooting.

Taylor Mole also had 14 points, three rebounds and two blocks, Ally Bates 11 points and six boards, and Jo Raflo 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Sandringham Sabres (63) lost to Ballarat Miners (74)

The struggles of the shorthanded Sandringham Sabres continued with the Ballarat Miners building a 19-point lead on the way to the 74-63 win that locks them into the playoffs.

The Sabres were back home at Southern Basketball Stadium having now lost three straight including back on Thursday night to the Melbourne Tigers while still without Steph Reid, Klara Wischer, Madi Ryan and Maddie Angus.

Ballarat were coming off a loss to the Dandenong Rangers and needed one more win to lock away a top 10 finish and started well away from home to already be leading by 12 points at quarter-time.

Sandringham did respond with 20 points to 13 in the second quarter but the Miners responded with 26 points to 12 to end up leading by as much as 19, and then holding out the Sabres in the end for the 11-point victory.

The win improves Ballarat to a 12-9 record to be locked into a top 10 finish with Camille Hobby top scoring with 17 points to go with nine rebounds and three steals.

Abbey Wehrung also had 16 points, four rebounds and two steals, Casey Samuels 15 points, 11 boards and three assists, His Yeh Liu 12 points on 3/4 shooting from the outside, and Malia Fisher eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and two stelas.

Sandringham have now lost four straight at 14-7 having been in top spot prior to that with Funda Nakkasoglu finishing with 22 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Isis Lopes added 13 points, five rebounds and two assists, Ella Ongarato nine points, seven boards and two steals, Josie Agnew seven points and two rebounds, and Lucy Cochrane six points, 16 boards and four blocked shots.

Knox Raiders (89) defeated Kilsyth Cobras (68)

The Knox Raiders made it 12 straight wins with the 89-68 win over the Kilsyth Cobras on the back of 24 points from Rachel Bell.

The Raiders made it 11 straight wins back on Friday night with the 29-point win over the Eltham Wildcats ahead of being back at the State Basketball Centre 24 hours later hosting Kilsyth.

The Cobras were fresh off beating the Nunawading Spectres on Thursday night as well but taking on the Raiders was a whole different challenge, and the defending NBL1 South and National Champions had opened up a 25-16 lead already by quarter-time.

Knox had another 23 points to 16 in the second term to be leading 48-32 by half-time before then having 29 to 15 in the last term with a 13-0 scoring run on the way to securing the 21-point victory.

It's 12 consecutive wins now for the Raiders to remain in top spot at 17-4 with Rachel Bell producing 24 points, three rebound and two assists with 3/6 shooting from the outside.

Alicia Froling added 18 points, 14 rebounds and three assists, Agnes Emma-Nnopu 17 points, 12 boards and two assists, Paige Burrows 10 points, two rebounds and two assists, Paige Bradley nine points and 11 assists, and Leah Santomaggio seven points, four rebounds and two assists.

Kilsyth are now 7-13 following the loss to end a three-game winning run with Nikita Young backing 16 points and 16 assists on Thursday with another 23 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Emme Shearer also had 18 points and four rebounds, and Catelyn Van Es nine points and six boards.

Diamond Valley Eagles (109) defeated Frankston Blues (63)

The Diamond Valley Eagles put themselves right back in the top four race with the 109-63 win over the Frankston Blues with Abbey Ellis impressively returning from Australian Opals duties.

The Eagles were still on a four-game winning streak to put themselves in the top four mix even with Ellis now coming back into the side after playing with the Opals ahead of hosting the struggling Blues at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre.

Diamond Valley made a blistering start with 36 points to 12 in the first quarter before another 30 to 17 in the second to go into half-time on top 66-29.

It had been a remarkably dominant and blistering first half performance with the Eagles going on with it from there to lead by 42 points in the third period and 47 in the fourth before winning by 46.

It's five straight wins for Diamond Valley as they improve to a 14-7 record with Abbey Ellis returning and putting up 27 points and two assists.

Isis Beh added 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks, Shannon Dufficy 14 points, five assists and four rebounds, Erin Riley 13 points, nine boards, seven assists and three steals, and Lauren Jones nine points, two assists and two steals.

Frankston have now lost 13 straight to be 5-16 on the season with Sophie Alexander producing 14 points and seven rebounds with Courtney Wilkins adding 11 points and three assists, Lou Brown nine points, five rebound and three assists, and Tori Jackson nine points and three assists.

SUNDAY

Ringwood Hawks (90) lost to Bendigo Braves (99)

Neither team were playing for a finals spot so could play with freedom accordingly and put on an entertaining affair with the Bendigo Braves prevailing 99-90 over the Ringwood Hawks with Hannah Hank dominating with 36 points and 19 rebounds.

The Hawks were back home at The Rings two games clear in bottom place having suffered another loss the previous night to Geelong United while Bendigo arrived with just the five wins on the season and having lost the past five.

The Braves were again without Kelly Wilson and Kelsey Griffin, but did have the imposing presence of Hank and she proved the difference between the two teams with Bendigo already up 27-13 by quarter-time.

The Braves were then leading by 15 at half-time with Hank up to 18 points and then she ended up with 36 and her team won by nine in the finish to snap their losing run and to improve to 6-14 with the Hawks slipping to 3-18.

Hank was unstoppable with 36 points, 19 rebounds, six assists and four steals on 14/24 field goal shooting along 3/3 from the outside and 5/5 at the stripe.

Jess Smith also produced 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists with 5/11 three-point shooting with Olivia Pollerd contributing 16 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals, Elsie Noonan 11 points and seven rebounds, and Ahlise Hurst nine points and 11 assists.

Ringwood now have just one game left in their season with no hope of getting out of bottom spot with Aneta Bandilovska finishing with 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds, and Honey Kaur 20 points, 11 boards and two assists.

Taylor Mole added 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals, Jo Raflo 14 points, five boards, five blocks and there assists, and Ally Bates 14 points and six assists.