The first round of NBL1 is in the books and both games were absolutely electric! Check out our review of round 1 before we hit the court at the Geelong Arena this Saturday for our home opener!
Hoopcity supercats men
Heart. stopping. If you had to describe how the opening round of NBL1 for our HoopCity Men went that is what you would say and felt if you were watching live. With Justin Schueller out with NBL commitments, Coach Josh Cheney and Co. stepped up and delivered an important win, no less in OT. A close battle throughout, the Men held a 9 point lead heading into the fourth but Ballarat led by Preston Bungei fought their way back to even the game out as the final siren sounded. Locked at 87 each OT began and was anyoneβs game up until less than one second on the clock. A missed shot and a tipped rebound in favour of Big Man Liam McInerney (CC Eagles) that turned into an and 1 as time was about to expire put the men up by 2 with just under a second to go. Coming out of the timeout, Liam carefully missed the free throw and ended the game giving the men a 2 point victory.
In terms of stand out performances, George Blagojevic picked up right where he left off from in 2021 with a 28 point 12 rebounds game to go along with 2 blocks, while returning MVP DeMarcus Gatlin (Wildcats) stuffed the stat sheet with 14/8/5/2/2.
The men, now 1-0 will look to defend homecourt for the first time in 2022 as they take on the Ringwood Hawks at the Geelong Arena. Tickets are selling out fast and are availableΒ here.
Top performers
George Blagojevic 28 points 12 rebounds
DeMarcus Gatlin 14 points 8 rebounds 5 assists 2 steals 2 blocks
Hoopcity supercats women
Our HoopCity Supercat Women have also walked away with an impressive 12 point win against country rivals Ballarat Miners. A close first quarter saw the team down 1 heading into the break, however, a dominant defensive display and some timely scoring put the Women up by 10 heading into the half. Sara Blicavs was her usual self, notching a double double with 24 points and 10 rebounds to go along with 2 steals.
A solid second half saw the lead grow slightly with the Supercats ultimately coming away 12 point winners, 81-69. Sarah Elsworthy (Pivot City) was great on the night also grabbing 6 rebounds to go along with 11 points and 2 steals.
The Women also 1-0 will look to hold the fort down as the Ringwood Hawks come to town. Tickets are selling out fast and are availableΒ here.
Top performers
Sara Blicavs 24 points 10 rebounds 2 steals
Sarah Elsworthy 11 points 6 rebounds 2 steals
