South Wrap | Women's Round 6

Featured image: Rob Ly @feilong001_sports_pics

Maddy Rocci and Issie Bourne combined for 90 points in a pair of NBL1 South wins for Keilor Thunder while Lilly Rotunno had 48 in a Geelong United double, Lil Dart 54 for two Eltham Wildcats wins, and Keely Froling had 39 in a first Northern Force road triumph.

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>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | CHARGERS STORM HOME TO BEAT PIONEERS

>> ROCK'S OFFENCE NOW CATCHING UP TO DEFENCE

FRIDAY

Mount Gambier Pioneers (78) lost to Hobart Chargers (82)

The Mount Gambier Pioneers were on track most of the night to end their losing streak but the Hobart Chargers had other ideas and came back from a 15-point deficit to score the 82-78 road win.

Mount Gambier were back home at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre attempting to snap a three-game losing slide after winning the first five matches of the season with the Chargers arriving having a last up win over the Bendigo Braves.

The Pioneers then were leading by as much as 15 points in the second quarter and were still up four by three quarter-time before the Chargers scored the first five points of the last quarter.

They were able to then complete the job away from home for the eventual four-point win to make it consecutive victories at 3-5 with the Pioneers now having lost their past four to be 5-4.

The Chargers were able to overcome trailing most of the night to make it consecutive wins with Tishara Morehouse finishing with 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals on 12/22 shooting.

Sharna Thompson kept Hobart in touch with 17 points in the first half and finished with 24 for the game with four rebound and 6/15 shooting from behind the arc and 6/6 at the line.

Tyla Singleton had a big performance too for Hobart with 14 points and 16 rebounds despite the nine turnovers while Emerson Wells had nine points with 3/5 shooting from downtown, and Portia Chopping seven points and three rebounds.

The Pioneers looked on track to avoid the fourth straight loss for a lot of the night but it wasn't quite to be despite 29 points, 11 rebounds and three steals on 13/20 shooting from the field from Lara Edmanson.

Tilly Boler also finished with 17 points and five rebounds for the Pioneers despite 3/12 three-point shooting with Eva Langton adding 14 points and two boards, and Abby Prohaska eight points, nine rebounds and three assists.

SATURDAY

Geelong United (71) defeated Melbourne Tigers (68)

Geelong United survived a late 8-1 run from the Melbourne Tigers to get on the board this season with the eventual 71-68 win after six straight defeats.

United were back home at The Arena still hunting a first win of 2026 having gone through all of 2025 undefeated until the Grand Final while the Tgiers arrived with great momentum since the arrivals of Shuyu Yang and Mingling Chen.

Melbourne were leading by eight in the first quarter and still by one at quarter-time before still being up at half-time only for Geelong to work on top by two at three quarter-time.

Geelong then looked to have the win in the bag when leading 70-60 when Dakota Crichton knocked down a three-pointer with two minutes on the clock.

United, though, only scored one-point the rest of the and the Tigers scored eight all courtesy of Zitina Aokuso but Geelong did enough for a first win of the season by three points and to improve to 1-6.

Lilly Rotunno delivered 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win for Geelong with Jordan Vasquez adding 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Crichton 14 points and two assists, and Reagan Bass nine points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists.

The Tigers are now 3-5 with their three-match streak ending with Aokuso having a monster game with 32 points, 21 rebounds and four assists on 14/21 shooting.

Shuyu Yang added 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, Rachel Brewster seven points, and Charlotte Brancatisano seven points and three rebounds.

Casey Cavaliers (63) lost to Sandringham Sabres (85)

With Klara Wischer and Steph Reid showing the way, the Sandringham Sabres are the last team to only lose once so far in 2026 after winning their top-of-the-table clash over the Casey Cavaliers 85-63.

Both teams came into the match up at Casey Stadium having only lost once each this season and having won their past five in-a-row so the stage was set for a tantalising match up.

But it was the Sabres who would end up dominating the entire way including holding Casey to 10 points on 3/16 shooting in the first quarter and 1/12 three-point shooting in the first half with that lone three ball made by Dallas Loughridge.

Sandringham then went on a 13-2 run to start the second half and from there went on to score the 22-point victory to make it six straight and improve to 8-1 and to be clear in top spot of the NBL1 South.

Klara Wischer continues to shine this season with her increased role once again on previous seasons. She delivered another 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists with 8/16 shooting from the floor, 2/5 from downtown and 4/5 at the foul line.

Steph Reid also produced 17 points, nine assists, five rebounds and five steals, Lucy Cochrane 15 points, 10 boards, four assists and two blocked shots, Maddie Angus 11 points, two rebounds and two steals, and Sierra Woodhouse nine points on 3/4 shooting from downtown.

It's a first loss for the Cavaliers since back on April 2 against the Knox Raiders and they only managed to end up shooting 4/18 from behind the three-point line while only getting to the foul line 13 times, having just seven offensive rebounds and having 16 turnovers.

Dallas Loughridge had an efficient night for 16 points, three assists and two rebounds on 5/10 shooting from the floor and 5/5 at the foul line.

Sam Bowman had another 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals for Casey with Sharne Robati finishing with 12 points, six boards and three assists, and Nya Lok nine points, six rebounds and two steals fresh off signing with the Perth Lynx for WNBL27.

Bendigo Braves (78) lost to Ballarat Miners (89)

The Ballarat Miners kept their winning run going even with Hannah Hank on deck for the Bendigo Braves with the 89-78 victory.

The Miners arrived at Red Energy Arena having won three straight and while Bendigo had lost their past couple in Tasmania and were still without Kelsey Griffin and Georgia Booth, but they did gain Hank for her first game of 2026.

The Braves were back home and leading by one at quarter-time before Ballarat held a 45-43 advantage at the half before then the Miners took charge with 28 points to 17 in the third term.

Eventually Ballarat would open up a 15-point edge and went on to win by 11 to make it four on the trot to improve to a 6-3 record under the coaching of Brendan Joyce.

Camille Hobby delivered 23 points, nine rebounds and two assists for the Miners with Elissa Brett adding 20 points and eight boards, and Abbey Wehrung 17 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Laura Taylor also had 11 points on 3/4 three-point shooting with Malia Fisher contributing 11 points, four rebounds and two steals, and Casey Samuels seven points, six boards, six assists and two steals.

The Braves have now lost three straight at 3-5 with Olivia Pollerd delivering 21 points, 14 rebounds and three assists while Jessica Smith added 17 points and four boards on 5/8 three-point shooting.

Ahlise Hurst added 16 points, three rebounds and two assists, Kelly Wilson nine points, 10 assists, four boards and three steals, and Hank eight points and three rebounds in 14 minutes while battling foul trouble the whole night.

Dandenong Rangers (97) defeated Kilsyth Cobras (51)

Adrianna Smith put up 30 points and the Dandenong Rangers celebrated the arrival of Marena Whittle with a dominant 97-51 win over the Kilsyth Cobras.

The Rangers were back home at Dandenong basketball Stadium having won just two of eight games so far in 2026 but with Smith settling in and Whittle on board, they are ready to make a charge.

The Cobras came into the match up having lost three straight and Dandenong were on top from the outset with 25 points to 15 in the first quarter.

That lead got out to 23 in the second frame with the Rangers up 49-29 by half-time before another 23 points to 11 in the third term, and 25 to 11 in the fourth on the way to the 46-point triumph.

Dandenong improve to 3-6 with the win with Adrianna Smith delivering 30 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals on 11/17 field goal shooting along with 7/9 at the stripe.

Holly Griffiths added 14 points and seven rebounds, Cat MacGregor 13 points, eight boards and five assists, Marena Whittle 12 points, four rebounds and two steals, and Imogen Rock eight points, four steals and three boards.

Kilsyth are now 4-4 with four straight losses with Nikita Young top-scoring with 16 points, four rebounds and two assists with Emme Shearer adding 10 points, six boards and two steals, and Catelyn Van Es seven points and three rebounds.

Frankston Blues (57) lost to Keilor Thunder (84)

Keilor Thunder welcomed back Maddy Rocci and added in Issie Bourne and returned to the winners' list as a result with the big 84-57 road win over the Frankston Blues.

The Blues were back home at Jubilee Park Stadium looking to back up a last up win over the Nunawading Spectres while the Thunder had lost their past couple, but had their two big guns back on deck together for the first time in 2026.

Scores were all square by the end of the first quarter before Keilor had 20 points to 15 in the second term and then the Thunder dominated the second half with 26 points to 17 in the third period, and 23 to 10 in the fourth.

That saw Keilor end up winning by 27 points to improve to a 4-4 record with Bourne delivering 22 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, three steals and two assists.

Rocci also ended up with 16 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals with Izzy Wightman producing 16 points, five boards, three assists and two steals, and Macey Boyle 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Frankston are now 5-4 with Sianni Martin finishing with 14 points and two rebounds, Lou Brown 14 points and seven boards, Emma Nankervis six points and five rebounds, and Tori Jackson six points, three assists and two boards.

Knox Raiders (82) defeated Northern Force (51)

The defending champion Knox Raiders delivered a dominant showing at home to beat the Northern Force 82-51.

The Raiders had slipped to a 5-4 record losing to the Melbourne Tigers last week ahead of hosting the Force at the State Basketball Centre who had won their opening match last Friday night at home to the Bendigo Braves.

Knox then started strongly with 27 points to 22 in the first quarter but the Force stuck with them to limit the Raiders' advantage to 42-40 at the half.

It was all the Raiders in the second half, though, with 15 points to seven in the third frame and 25 to four in an incredibly dominant last quarter for the 31-point victory.

Knox are now 5-5 on the season with Alicia Froling delivering 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks with Rachel Bell top scoring with 17 points, four boards and two steals.

Shaneice Swain also had 13 points, three rebounds and two blocks, Paige Bradley 11 points, seven assists, four boards and two steals, Haliegh Reinoehl nine points and six rebounds, and Paige Burrows seven points and seven assists.

The Force slip to 1-7 with the loss with Keely Froling having 12 points, 10 rebounds and blocks after the battle with her sister with Josie Pinkerton adding 10 points and five boards, Millie Baker eight points and two rebounds, and Parker Hill eight points, nine boards, three assists and three blocks.

Diamond Valley Eagles (99) defeated Ringwood Hawks (85)

The Diamond Valley Eagles had a dominant start to set up their third straight win with the 99-85 home victory against the Ringwood Hawks.

The Eagles were back home at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre having won six of eight so far in 2026 while Ringwood had just one win and wanted to try to start changing that.

It was Diamond Valley that dominated early, though, with 30 points to 23 in the first quarter and then another 25 to 16 in the second term to go into half-time leading 55-39.

The lead got out to 22 points for Diamond Valley in the third quarter and then despite an 18-0 run from Ringwood to make things interesting, the Eagles steadied for the eventual 14-point victory.

Diamond Valley are now 7-2 after the win with Abbey Ellis producing another 24 points, six rebound and three assists while Isis Beh added 19 points, five boards, two assists and two steals.

Erin Riley added 15 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals, Tayha Watkins 12 points on 5/6 shooting, and Alex Sharp just missed a triple double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Ringwood are now 1-8 with Honey Kaur top scoring with 19 points and six rebounds with Jo Raflo contributing 13 points and four boards, Chelby Koker 12 points and two assists, Taylor Mole 12 points and four rebounds, Emma Clarke 10 points and six assists, and Ally Bates nine points on 3/4 three-point shooting.

Eltham Wildcats (81) defeated Waverley Falcons (76)

The Eltham Wildcats held out the Waverley Falcons for the thrilling 81-76 win at home to bounce back from their second loss of 2026.

The Wildcats were back home at Montmorency Secondary College looking to hit back from a loss to Casey Cavaliers with them hosting a Waverley team trying to win a third in-a-row.

Waverley started well away from home with 20 points to 15 in the first quarter and then built a double figure lead in the second term before Eltham hit back and were on top 38-35 by half-time.

It remained a tight contest the rest of the way and after Eltham were up eight in the third term, the Falcons hit back with a 10-0 run and went on to lead by seven themselves.

That's when the Wildcats responded once more with a 10-0 run and that's where the game was won as they held on in the finish to win by five and improve to a 7-2 record.

Lil Dart had a huge performance for Eltham with 30 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals with 5/13 three-point shooting.

Mackenzie Smith also had 11 points and two rebounds, Georgia Dale 11 points and two boards, Sarah Elsworthy eight points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals, Sara-Rose Smith seven points, 15 boards and four assists, and Bec Pizzey six points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Waverley are now 4-4 with the loss with Katelyn Shumate delivering 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Maddi Utti added 12 points, five rebounds and three assists, Amelia Todhunter 13 points, four boards and three assists, and Sophia Locandro 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

SUNDAY

Nunawading Spectres (82) lost to Eltham Wildcats (92)

The Eltham Wildcats took charge after half-time on the way to the 92-82 road win against the Nunawading Spectres to a second win of the weekend.

The Spectres were at home at Nunawading Basketball Centre having not played since a five straight loss to the Diamond Valley Eagles last Sunday while Eltham were fresh off beating the Waverley Falcons on Saturday night.

The Spectres started impressively with 28 points to 21 and then led by as much as 12 in the second term, but then the Wildcats responded.

Eltham took over in the second half with 28 points to 21 in the third period and 23 to 13 in the fourth on the way to the 10-point victory.

The Wildcats are now 8-2 following the wins in less than 24 hours with Lil Dart hitting another 4/7 from downtown for 24 points and four assists.

Bec Pizzey provided another 15 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals, Sara-Rose Smith 14 points, 10 boards and three assists, Sarah Elsworthy 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Jayde Cadee 12 points, and Mackenzie Smith 10 points and three assists.

Nunawading have lost six in-a-row now to be 4-6 on the season with Kylee Blacksten top scoring with 19 points and two assists while Keeley Frawley added 17 points and three assists with 5/12 three-point shooting.

Riley Lupfer added 11 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists, Kate Tanner nine points and nine boards, Eliza Hollingsworth nine points, 11 rebounds and four assists, and Rachel Antoniadou eight points, three boards, three assists and two steals.

Kilsyth Cobras (80) lost to Northern Force (98)

The Northern Force made another slice of history on Sunday with their first road victory beating the Kilsyth Cobras 98-80 on the back of 39 points and 11 rebounds from Keely Froling with seven three-pointers.

Both teams arrived at Kilsyth Sports Centre having played the night before with the Cobras losing away to the Dandenong Rangers while the Force went down to the Knox Raiders.

Having battled her sister the night before, Keely Froling had a day out for the Force and started early to help her team to the two-point lead by quarter-time and then a 12-point advantage by half-time.

The Force remained in control throughout the second half on the way to the eventual 18-point victory for a first road win of the season and to improve to a 2-7 record.

Froling had a monster performance in the win with 39 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks with 7/15 three-point shooting and 14/16 free-throw shooting despite going just 2/15 inside the arc.

Parker Hill also had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Force, Millie Baker 15 points, eight boards and five assists, and Sarah O'Neill nine points, eight assists and three rebounds.

Kilsyth are now 4-5 following a double loss weekend with Lily Exton finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on 8/11 field goal shooting.

Ariel Jenkins added 16 points and seven rebounds, Emme Shearer 16 points, five boards and two steals, and Georgia McBean 12 points, nine assists, six rebounds and two steals.

Ringwood Hawks (84) lost to Geelong United (100)

Having not yet won in 2026 coming into the weekend, Geelong United made it a double in the space of 24 hours with Lilly Rotunno once again starring in the 100-84 road victory against the Ringwood Hawks.

Coming off that first win of the season the night before against the Melbourne Tigers, Geelong flew out of the blocks at The Rings with 33 points to 25 in the opening term having led by as much as 11.

United turned that into the 53-37 advantage by half-time and then went on to lead by as much as 20 in the second half before securing the 16-point win to now improve to 2-6 with the double win weekend.

Lilly Rotunno was again the star for Geelong with 25 points and seven assists with 4/8 three-point shooting with Indi Bowyer nearly having a triple double with 26 points, 12 boards and eight assists.

Jordan Vasquez added 21 points and 14 rebounds, Dakota Crichton 13 points and three assists, and Reagan Bass 12 points and eight rebounds.

Ringwood are now 1-9 having lost twice for the weekend with Honey Kaur finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists with Emma Clarke providing 16 points and 10 boards, Chelby Koker 16 points on 6/7 shooting, and Taylor Mole 10 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Keilor Thunder (97) defeated Hobart Chargers (52)

Maddy Rocci and Issie Bourne combined for 52 points, 22 rebounds and 13 assists as Keilor Thunder made it a double win weekend beating the Hobart Chargers 97-52.

With Rocci and Bourne on board on Saturday night, Keilor won by 27 points against the Frankston Blues and backed up against the Thunder on Sunday at Keilor Stadium.

And Keilor dominated from the outset with 31 points to 13 in the opening quarter before continued to be in control and opening up a 30-point advantage in the second frame.

That saw the Thunder head into half-time leading 56-26 and then it was another 32 points to six in the third period with that lead ballooning to 56.

Hobart did fight the game out well with 20 points to nine in the last term but Keilor still romped to the 45-point victory to improve to 5-4 with the two wins in less than 24 hours.

Rocci had a triple double for the Thunder with 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds on 8/12 field goal shooting with Bourne delivering 31 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

Izzy Wightman also had 13 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks, Tess Heal 11 points, eight boards, five assists and two steals, and Macey Boyle seven points and four rebounds.

Hobart head home having split their two games on the road trip to be 3-6 with Portia Chopping top scoring with 10 points and six rebounds with Tishara Morehouse adding nine points, three boards and two steals, Sharna Thompson nine points, and Taya Stevenson nine points and two rebounds.

Melbourne Tigers (84) defeated Frankston Blues (61)

Zitina Aokuso had a huge triple double and Shuyu Yang and Mingling Chen delighted their legion of fans once more as the Melbourne Tigers beat the Frankston Blues 84-61 in front of another sold out home crowd.

The Tigers were back home at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre with a packed house to greet them once more with them attempting to respond from being the first team in 2026 to lose to Geelong United the previous night.

Melbourne took control of the contest against Frankston from the outset with 21 points to 10 in the first quarter and then were up 41-21 by half-time with Yang and Chen combining for 22 of those 41 points.

From there the Tigers remained in control to cruise to the bounce back 23-point victory to sit on a 4-5 record after splitting their weekend double while the Blues lost their two games by a combined 50 points to now sit at 5-5.

The excitement surrounding the home games for the Tigers in recent weeks has been infectious since the arrival of Mingling Chen and Shuyu Yang, and both gave their supporters plenty to cheer about once more.

Yang caught fire in the third quarter with 13 points on the way to 26 for the game to go with eight assists and two steals on 9/16 field goal shooting with 4/9 from downtown while Chen added 17 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks on 8/13 shooting.

It wasn’t just a two-woman show, though, for the Tigers with Isa Brancatisano also delivering 13 points and three rebounds with Zitina Aokuso then shining with a huge triple double made up of 12 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists to go with four steals in just under 30 minutes.

It capped off a tough weekend for Frankston after the 27-point home loss the night before for them to now sit on a 5-5 record for the season.

The Blues did just end up shooting 35 per cent from the field and 7/14 at the foul line while having 19 turnovers with Lou Brown doing all she could with 15 points, 15 rebounds and three assists.

Emily Monaghan added 14 points and two rebounds, Sianni Martin 17 points and five boards with 5/11 from three-point territory, and Pahlyss Hokianga nine points and two assists.

Waverley Falcons (65) lost to Casey Cavaliers (80)

The Casey Cavaliers bounced back from their loss the previous night with a strong road showing on Sunday to beat the Waverley Falcons 80-65.

The Cavs saw their five-game winning streak ended on Saturday night when they lost to the Sandringham Sabres as they took on the Falcons at Waverley Basketball Centre who had also lost to the Eltham Wildcats the previous evening.

Waverley started well to lead by two at quarter-time before Casey worked on top in the second frame with 22 points to 14 to lead 38-32 at the break.

It was then all the Cavs in the second half with 20 points to 12 in the third period and 22 to 21 in the fourth for them to score the 15-point victory.

The Cavaliers improve to a 7-2 record having split their two games for the round with Dallas Loughridge delivering 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 10/12 free-throw shooting.

Sharne Robati added 18 points, six rebounds and three assists, Nya Lok 13 points, six boards, two assists and two steals, Chelsea D'Angelo 11 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Sam Bowman 10 points, 17 boards and two steals.

Waverley lost twice for the weekend to now be 4-5 with Katelyn Shumate finishing with 15 points and five rebounds with Sophia Locandro adding 11 points and six boards, and Maddi Utti 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists.