South Wrap | Women's Round 7

Featured image: Shane Panther | @shanejpg.sport

Riley Lupfer and Eliza Hollingsworth combined for 51 as Nunawading Spectres got back to winning in NBL1 South while Keely Froling led Northern Force to two home wins, and Maddy Rocci had an enormous triple double for Keilor Thunder.

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | FRESH WILDCATS OVERPOWER PIONEERS

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | SHORTHANDED KNOX OVERRUN GEELONG

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | FORCE BEAT EAGLES IN FRIDAY THRILLER

FRIDAY

Hobart Chargers (100) defeated Dandenong Rangers (95)

The Hobart Chargers came from behind at three quarter-time for the 100-95 home win over the Dandenong Rangers and overcoming 30 points and nine rebounds from Imogen Rock to do so.

Hobart were back home at Hutchins School looking to start building some momentum for the season while the Rangers arrived for their Tasmanian road double trying to back up a last up win against the Kilsyth Cobras.

After the Chargers opened up an early seven-point lead, the Rangers fired back with a 10-0 run and ended up leading 24-23 by quarter-time.

Hobart responded with 30 points to 21 in the second term to go into half-time leading 53-45 before the swings continued and it was Dandenong with 31 to 22 in the third stanza to go into three quarter-time on top 76-75.

That set up a big finish and it was Hobart who finished the better with 25 points to 19 to secure the five-point victory and to improve to 4-6 on the season.

Tishara Morehouse top scored in the win for the Chargers with 29 points, six assists, six steals and five rebounds on shooting 11/15 from the field and 6/8 at the foul line.

Tyla Singleton added 26 points and six rebounds, Sharna Thompson 23 points, five assists, three boards and two steals, Chloe Broomhall eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks, and Portia Chopping eight points, three boards and three assists.

Dandenong started their road double in Tasmania with the loss to be 3-7 despite Imogen Rock continuing her career best form with 30 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals on 12/16 shooting.

Manny Puoch added 19 points, four rebounds and two assists for the Rangers, Sophie Taylor 15 points and two assists with 5/10 three-point shooting, Matilda Trout 13 points, four boards, three assists and two blocks, and Adrianna Smith 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Northern Force (94) lost to Diamond Valley Eagles (98)

The Northern Force have ticked off another first by winning consecutive games after withstanding 41 points from Abbey Ellis to hold on in a thriller beating the Diamond Valley Eagles 92-91.

The Force were back home at Ulverstone Sports and Leisure Centre coming off a Sunday road win over the Kilsyth Cobras with the Eagles arriving to start their Tasmanian double on a three-game winning streak, but missing superstar forward Alex Sharp.

The Force got off to a flying start on their home court with 32 points in the first quarter and they were still leading by most of the night including by as much as 21 points, but the Eagles refused to go away.

Ellis was inspiring the Eagles and she helped her team grab the lead in the fourth quarter and she had 28 of her 41 points in the second half, but it all led to a thrilling finish.

After the teams traded huge blows down the stretch, in the end it was Sarah O'Neill hitting both free throws for the Force that secured the win when Shannon Dufficy was unable to do that up the other end for Diamond Valley making just one of her two.

The Force are now 3-7 on the back of their two straight wins while the Eagles are now 7-3 with their three-match winning run coming to an end.

Parker Hill had a huge night for the Force with 24 points, 13 rebounds and two steals with 8/12 from the field along with 8/8 from the foul line.

Rebekka Kalaydjiev also had 23 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals with Keely Froling contributing 19 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, and Sarah O'Neill 17 points, six assists and three boards.

Abbey Ellis had a huge night trying to help cover the absence of Alex Sharp for Diamond Valley and she put up 41 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals with 16/27 shooting from the field and 8/15 from behind the three-point arc.

Lauren Jones also had 12 points with 4/8 three-point shooting for Diamond Valley with Erin Riley adding 10 points and three rebounds, Isis Beh eight points and six boards, and Shannon Dufficy eight points, eight rebounds and two assists.

SATURDAY

Sandringham Sabres (104) defeated Ringwood Hawks (72)

Steph Reid had a massive night with 30 points and 10 assists as the Sandringham Sabres maintained top spot and won a seventh straight with the 104-72 win against the Ringwood Hawks.

The Sabres were back home at Southern Basketball Stadium hosting a Ringwood team in bottom place and having lost five in-a-row but it was a tight battle in the opening half.

Sandringham were only leading 28-24 by quarter-time and then 50-45 by half-time, but then the fact it was top against bottom became evident throughout the second half.

The Sabres put up 29 points to nine in the third frame and 25 to 18 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 32-point victory to make it seven in-a-row and to retain top spot with a 9-1 record.

Reid was outstanding in the win with 30 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals with shooting 12/19 from the floor, 4/9 from downtown and 2/3 at the foul line.

Madison Ryan also had 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks for Sandringham, Maddie Angus 18 points with 4/6 three-point shooting, and Lili Long 11 points and five rebounds with 3/4 shooting from behind the arc.

Josie Agnew added seven points, six rebounds and two assists, Lucy Cochrane 7 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, and Klara Wischer six points, four boards, two assists and two steals.

Ringwood have now lost their last six matches to sit at 1-10 with Jo Raflo providing 24 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Honey Kaur 22 points and seven boards, and Chelby Koker 16 points, two steals and two blocks.

Geelong United (64) lost to Knox Raiders (82)

The Knox Raiders had to dig deep missing a string of key players and trailing the entire first half on the road but with Alicia Froling and Shaneice Swain showing the way, the defending champions took over to beat Geelong United 82-64 in a Grand Final rematch.

Geelong were back home at The Arena having won their first two games of the season taking on a Knox team who might be defending champions, but arrived minus Haliegh Reinoehl, Keira Glover and Kristy Wallace for the first meeting between them since last year's Grand Final.

The Raiders had just eight players suiting up and Geelong did well in the first half to lead 39-36 by half-time on the back of a combined 21 points from Jordan Vasquez and Lilly Rotunno.

But Knox took over from there including 30 points to 11 in a dominant third quarter on the way to the eventual 18-point victory to improve to 7-4 on the season with Geelong now 2-8.

Knox ended up shooting 46 per cent from the field to 37 from Geelong while ending up pulling down 20 offensive rebounds to 15 to end up taking two extra shot attempts and four more foul shots.

It was a big win for Knox to come from behind and dominate the second half with just the eight players suiting up with Froling producing another 21 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and three blocks with 10 of her boards coming at the offensive end.

Swain added 18 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Raiders, Agnes Emma-Nnopu 16 points, 14 boards, three steals, two assists and two blocks, Paige Burrows nine points and two rebounds, and Paige Bradley eight points and five assists.

It wasn’t quite to be for Geelong in the hunt for a third straight win despite Lilly Rotunno finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds with 8/15 shooting from the floor with 2/3 from downtown.

Jordan Vasquez added 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals with Dakota Crichton contributing nine points and four boards, Mackenzie Drew seven points, two rebounds and two assists, and Indi Bowyer six points, seven boards and four assists.

Hobart Chargers (70) lost to Diamond Valley Eagles (81)

Both Hobart and Diamond Valley reversed their results from Friday night with the Eagles beating the Chargers 81-70 on the back of 25 points and 12 rebounds from Erin Riley.

Each team played on Friday night with the Chargers beating the Dandenong Rangers while the Eagles lost to the Northern Force ahead of backing up at Hutchins School.

It was a scorching start from Diamond Valley with 30 points to 15 in the first quarter with the Eagles adding another 25 to 18 in the second to go into half-time on top 55-33.

Hobart did mount a fightback with an 11-0 run in the second half but it wasn’t enough with the Eagles holding them out for the 11-point victory for both teams to split their double weekends.

Diamond Valley improves to 8-3 with the victory with Alex Sharp again absent with Erin Riley delivering 25 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, four steals and four blocks.

Abbey Ellis added 11 points, five rebounds and two assists, Tayha Watkins 11 points and three assists, Lauren Jones nine points and three rebounds, and Sophie Byrnes nine points and two assists.

Hobart end the weekend at 4-7 with Sharna Thompson finishing with 19 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals with 4/12 three-point shooting.

Tyla Singleton also had 19 points, 17 rebounds, three assists and two blocks on 8/13 shooting with Tishara Morehouse contributing 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Chloe Broomhall nine points, eight boards and two assists.

Nunawading Spectres (91) defeated Casey Cavaliers (85)

The Nunawading Spectres snapped their losing run in style with Riley Lupfer and Eliza Hollingsworth combining for 51 points and 12 three-pointers to beat the Casey Cavaliers 91-85.

The Spectres were back at home at Nunawading Basketball Centre having lost their last six matches after winning the first four of 2026 and were hosting a Cavs team having won seven of nine so far this season.

The first quarter was the Hollingsworth show for the Spectres with her piling on 20 points and hitting 4/4 from behind the arc to lead her team to the 36-17 lead by quarter-time.

That lead for Nunawading got out to 22 points in the second quarter and still by half-time they were leading 55-42.

But the Cavs have been in strong form all season and they made a run in the second half including going on an 8-0 run in the last quarter but just ended up falling six points short.

Nunawading improves to 5-6 with the bounce back win with Lupfer ending up going 7/15 from long-range for 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Hollingsworth ended up going 5/6 from downtown to deliver 25 points, 13 rebounds and three steals with Tsz Kwan Li adding 18 points, five assists and three rebounds, Kylee Blacksten 14 points and seven boards, and Rachel Antoniadou eight points and four assists.

Casey are now 7-3 following the defeat with Dallas Loughridge producing 27 points with 11/19 field goal shooting and going 5/11 from downtown.

Sam Bowman added 14 points, six rebounds, four blocks and three assists, Chelsea D'Angelo 13 points, seven assists and six boards, Nya Lok 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Sharne Robati 10 points and seven boards.

Bendigo Braves (69) lost to Mount Gambier Pioneers (95)

The Mount Gambier Pioneers made the perfect start to their road double with the 95-69 win over the Bendigo Braves with Tilly Boler and Grace Champion combining for 43 points.

The Braves were without Kelsey Griffin, Georgia Booth and Hannah Hank ahead of hosting the Pioneers at Red Energy Arena but with Kelly Wilson showing the way, the home team started strongly to lead 28-21 by quarter-time.

Mount Gambier were able to turn things around in the second frame with 24 points to 13 to go into half-time on top 45-41.

From there it was all the Pioneers with another 22 points to 11 in the third quarter and 28 to 17 in the fourth on the way to the emphatic 26-point win to improve to a 6-4 record and snapping a four-game losing run.

Tilly Boller put up 23 points, four rebounds and three steals in the win with 9/14 field goal shooting with Grace Champion adding 20 points, six boards and four steals.

Lara Edmanson also had 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Carla Pitman 15 points, nine boards and nine assists, and Abby Prohaska 11 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals.

Bendigo have now lost four straight to be 3-6 with Wilson just missing another triple double with 14 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and three steals.

Olivia Pollerd top scored with 26 points, three rebounds and three assists with Ahlise Hurst adding 16 points, five boards and two steals.

Northern Force (98) defeated Dandenong Rangers (83)

After winning consecutive wins for the first time on Friday night, the Northern Force made it three straight on Saturday with the 98-83 home win against the Dandenong Rangers.

Both teams played on Friday night with the Force beating the Diamond Valley Eagles in a one-point thriller while the Rangers also lost a tight one to the Hobart Chargers.

They backed up at Elphin Sports Stadium and it was the visiting Dandenong who started the better with 27 points to 22 in the first quarter.

The Force responded with 29 points to 22 in the second term and then it was all the home team in the second half with 17 points to eight in the third frame, and 30 to 26 in the fourth to secure the 15-point win.

It's three straight victories for the Force to now improve to 4-7 with Keely Froling dominant with 32 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks with 10/20 shooting from the field and 10/12 from the foul line.

Sarah O'Neill added 28 points and five assists with 11/17 shooting, Parker Hill 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Rebekka Kalaydjiev four points, four boards, eight assists and two steals.

Dandenong are now 3-8 after the two losses for the weekend in Tasmania with Cat MacGregor finishing with 25 points on 7/11 three-point shooting.

Adrianna Smith added 18 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals, Matilda Trout 11 points, 15 boards and two assists, Imogen Rock nine points and five rebounds, and Sophie Taylor nine points, four boards and two assists.

Keilor Thunder (92) defeated Kilsyth Cobras (71)

Maddy Rocci had a monstrous 32-point triple double to lead Keilor Thunder to the dominant 92-71 home win against the Kilsyth Cobras.

The Thunder were back home at Keilor Stadium having won their past three matches ahead of hosting a Kilsyth team on a five-game losing run having won the first four games of 2026.

It was Kilsyth who started the better with 28 points to 23 in the first quarter but after that Keilor took control by scoring 17 straight points.

That saw the Thunder go into half-time leading 52-40 before they went on with the job to lead by as much as 16 points in the third period and 24 in the fourth before winning by 21.

It's four straight wins now for Keilor to sit on a 7-4 record with Rocci producing a remarkable display consisting of 32 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists and five steals on 11/21 shooting from the floor, 4/11 from downtown and 6/7 at the foul line.

Tess Heal added 21 points and four rebounds on 7/10 shooting for the Thunder with Issie Bourne delivering 15 points, eight boards, four assists and four blocks, and Nikki Metcalfe 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Kilsyth have now lost six in-a-row to be 4-6 on the season with Emme Shearer putting up 25 points, six rebounds and two assists while Nikita Young added 12 points, five boards, three assists and three steals, Georgia McBean 11 points and six rebounds, and Lil Exton 10 points and 13 boards.

Frankston Blues (66) lost to Waverley Falcons (70)

The Waverley Falcons came from behind at three quarter-time to overrun the Frankston Blues on the road for the 70-66 victory.

The Blues hosted the Falcons at Jubilee Park Stadium with Frankston trying to avoid a third straight defeat while Waverley arrived having also lost their past two.

The Falcons then went on a 12-0 run in the opening term to open up a 10-point advantage and then still leading 24-20 by quarter-time.

It was then just a one-point lead by half-time for Waverley ahead of Frankston taking charge in the third frame to go on to lead by as much as 10 points.

The Blues were still up by three at three quarter-time, but then the Falcons went on an 8-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter to open up a nine-point edge and then holding on to win by four in the finish.

Waverley improves to 5-5 with the win with Millie McCarthy providing 11 points, three rebounds and two assists in just 17 minutes for 4/5 shooting.

Sophia Locandro added 10 points and two rebounds, Katelyn Shumate 10 points, 13 boards and three assists, and Maddi Utti nine points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Frankston are now 5-6 following a third successive defeat with Pahlyss Hokianga producing 18 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals on 7/11 field goal shooting.

Lou Brown also had another 16 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks with Emily Monaghan contributing 13 points, two assists and two steals.

Ballarat Miners (65) lost to Melbourne Tigers (86)

The Melbourne Tigers took their show on the road and continued to build their momentum with the 86-65 win against the Ballarat Miners.

Ever since the arrival of Chinese pair Shuyu Yang and Mingling Chen, the Tigers have become the talk of the NBL1 South and they hit the road on Saturday night to take on the Miners at Selkirk Stadium.

It was a flying start too from Melbourne with 24 points to eight in the first quarter which included them going on a 13-0 run and opening up a 19-point lead.

Ballarat did hit back in the second term and went on their own 10-0 run but still by half-time it was the Tigers leading 40-31.

The Tigers took control once more in the third quarter with 27 points to 14 and then built a 25-point advantage on the way to scoring the 21-point victory to improve to a 5-5 record having now won five of the last six.

Zitina Aokuso delivered 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks in the win for the Tigers with Isa Brancatisano adding 16 points, six rebounds and two assists on 3/5 three-point shooting.

Mingling Chen had another 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, Rachel Brewster 13 points, four boards and three steals, and Shuyu Yang 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Miners are now 6-4 with their four-game winning run coming to an end with Abbey Wehrung top scoring with 17 points and five assists on 5/9 three-point shooting.

Camille Hobby added 16 points, six rebounds and three assists, Casey Samuels 14 points and four assists, Malia Fisher nine points, three boards and two steals, and Elissa Brett nine points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

SUNDAY

Eltham Wildcats (97) defeated Mount Gambier Pioneers (90)

The fresh legs of the Eltham Wildcats paid dividends in the finish as they outlasted the Mount Gambier Pioneers for the 97-90 victory with Lil Dart putting up 31 points on 18 three-point shot attempts.

The Wildcats hadn’t played since beating the Nunawading Spectres last Sunday as they hosted a Pioneers team at Montmorency Secondary College who were fresh off beating the Bendigo Braves the previous night.

Then even when Eltham opened up an 18-point lead in the third quarter, Mount Gambier dug deep to hit back only for the Wildcats again to get out by 15 in the last term before securing the seven-point victory.

The win improves the Wildcats to 9-2 on the season with three straight wins while the Pioneers split their road double to head back home at 6-5.

Lil Dart made a hot start for Eltham with 14 points in the first quarter on her way to 31 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals with 5/18 three-point shooting.

Bec Pizzey also ended up with 19 points, six rebounds and two steals with Mackenzie Smith adding 18 points and five rebounds, Sarah Elsworthy 10 points, nine assists, four steals and three boards, and Sara-Rose Smith five points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

The Pioneers now head home having split their road double this weekend with Carla Pitman delivering 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals on 9/15 field goal shooting.

Tilly Boler added 20 points and seven rebounds for Mount Gambier, Abby Prohaska 17 points, six boards and five assists, Grace Champion 14 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Lara Edmanson nine points, nine boards, four assists and two steals.

Casey Cavaliers (96) defeated Bendigo Braves (63)

Dallas Loughridge put up 31 points and had six steals as the Casey Cavaliers hit back from their loss the previous night to beat the Bendigo Braves 96-63 on Sunday.

Both teams played the previous evening with the Cavs dropping one to the Nunawading Spectres while the Braves also lost at home to the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

They backed up on Sunday at Casey Stadium and it was the Cavaliers who started on fire with 26 points to 12 in the first quarter and then another 21 to 17 in the second term to go into half-time leading 47-29.

Casey remained in control through the second half opening up a 25-point edge in the third period and 36 in the fourth before securing the 33-point victory.

The win improves the Cavaliers to an 8-3 record with Loughridge delivering 31 points, six steals, four rebounds and three assists with 4/7 three-point shooting.

Sam Bowman also produced 15 points and 14 rebounds, Chelsea D'Angelo 15 points, seven boards, seven assists and five steals, and Sharne Robati 13 points and four rebounds.

Bendigo are now 3-7 after their double loss weekend with Kelly Wilson once again doing all she could with 28 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Olivia Pollerd added 20 points, three rebounds and three assists, and Elsie Noonan five points and seven boards.