It was a split weekend for our NBL1 teams, with the Women and Men coming away with 1 win each. Check out how the teams went below!
HOOPCITY NBL1 WOMEN
Our NBL1 Women faced the Hobart Chargers on Saturday night in front of a packed house at the Geelong Arena. After a quick-fire start from our Women saw them grab a 6-point advantage at quarter time, the Chargers rallied to make it just a 2-point contest heading into the half. With no Sara Blicavs, the team looked for someone to step up, with frontcourt mate Taylah Simmons taking on the scoring load. The final 10 minutes of action saw the Supercats dry up offensively however trailing by 1 heading into the quarter. Some timely buckets from low post force Angela Tompkins saw her bring the Chargers back to life late to grab the impressive 4-point win over the top 4 Supercats. For Geelong, Simmons was best on the night with 22 points and 9 rebounds while Aimie Rocci and Sarah Elsworthy chipped in 13 each. Eve Braslis was also everywhere on the court registering 9 points 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
With the ladder tightening at the top end it was an important Sunday trip for the team as they looked to correct the shortcomings of Saturday with a big win over the Tigers at MSAC. A shaky first 10 minutes saw the score tied up at 12 a piece as both teams struggled to get going offensively. The floodgates began to open however in the second behind some hot shooting from Aimie Rocci, burying back-to-back 3s to break the game open. It was all Geelong in the third as they outscored the Tigers 33-5 to jump out to a 34-point lead, allowing them to cruise home to a 38-point win. Rocci was on fire in this one connecting on 20 points to go with 3 rebounds 3 assists and 4 steals, while Sarah Elsworthy contributed 17 of her own to go with 3 steals.
The team will return to the court this Sunday as they look to get some revenge on the Mt Gambier Pioneers after a buzzer-beating loss in the early rounds of this season. Tickets are available now, grab yours HERE.
TOP PERFOMERS
Taylah Simmons 22 points 9 rebounds 2 steals
Aimie Rocci 13 points 5 rebounds 4 assists // 20 points 3 rebounds 3 assists 4 steals
Sarah Elsworthy 13 points 3 rebounds 4 assists // 17 points 4 rebounds 3 steals
Eve Braslis 9 points 9 rebounds 7 assists // 14 points 6 rebounds 2 assists 4 steals
HOOPCITY NBL1 MEN
Our NBL1 Men hit the Geelong Arena court on Saturday night looking to knock off the top of the ladder Hobart Chargers in what was set to be a cracker of a game. With so many stars on one court, the game was not short of highlights, however, it was the Chargers who were able to jump out to a quick lead to set the tone of the night. Guard Aj Harris was firing early as he collected 17 points to help create the 13-point first-quarter advantage. While the Supercats fought back over the next 2 quarters they were never able to break the 10-point barrier for long as Hobart was able to keep their distance and the lead. Being out-rebounded 33 to 51 was the nail in the coffin for the Cats as they struggled to stop the tandem of Froling (22/13/7) and Angerstein (12/11) from dominating the glass. The final quarter ended with a 14-24 Hobart advantage as they came away 21-point Victors.
While it wasn’t the Supercats day on Saturday, they were determined to make things right on Sunday as they took some aggression out on the Tigers at MSAC. Coming out of the gate strong, Geelong piled on 36 points to create an 18-point advantage in just 10 minutes behind some very hot shooting of Turner and Blicavs. The second term saw the team add 4 points to their lead, setting up a comfortable second half as they maintained through for a 22-point win.
The split weekend sends Geelong down to 7th on the ladder in the incredibly tight standings, being only 1 win off second place Mt Gambier who they will look to knock off at the Arena this Sunday. With it all still to play for, make sure to grab your tickets HERE.
TOP PERFORMERS
Gabe Hadley 26 points 4 rebounds 3 assists // 16 points 4 rebounds 2 assists
Isaac Turner 24 points 2 assists // 15 points 1 rebound 2 assists
Kris Blicavs 15 points 5 rebounds 2 assists 3 steals
DeMarcus Gatlin 10 points 7 rebounds 2 assists 2 steals // 13 points 3 rebounds 5 assists
