THE National Basketball League (NBL)1 Women’s competition returned to Victoria after another state-wide lockdown and it was the Eltham Wildcats who returned in fine style defeating the Falcons 94-80, continuing on from Saturday’s win against the Waverley Falcons at home. The Wildcats made it two from two in Round 10 after Sunday’s win on the road against the Falcons at the Waverley Basketball Centre.

It was a tight encounter during the first half with the lead changing multiple times, but a massive 14-point second quarter from Alice Kunek (31 points) meant Waverley led at the main break by a narrow two-point margin. Eltham took control of the match in the third term outscoring the Falcons 28-16 with Tess Heal (16 points, four from seven three-pointers) nailing a couple of three-pointers as the clock ran down to give the Wildcats the momentum heading into the last. The Falcons were unable to get on top in the final term as the Wildcats came home with the victory seeing them move into third position on the ladder.

Eltham was dominant on the glass (61-36 rebounds) led by by Anneli Maley (20 rebounds) and Rebecca Pizzey (13 rebounds, five offensive). In addition to the strong rebound numbers, the Wildcats had six double figure scorers in Shelby Britten (17 points), Lily Scanlon (11 points), Erin Riley (11 points), Heal (16 points), Maley (15 points) and Pizzey (21 points). Kunek (31 points, 13 from 21 field goals) certainly played her role, and Renae Mokrzycki (15 points, seven rebounds) also contributed, however the Wildcats prevailed, leaving them in the race for top of the ladder.

Meanwhile, the Frankston Blues continued their unbeaten run with a 73-55 victory over the Diamond Valley Eagles. A commanding first quarter from the Blues saw them lead by 16 points at quarter time as they eased their way to a 10-0 record. Darcee Garbin (18 points, 15 rebounds), Saraid Taylor (15 points, three from four three-pointers) and Ella Batish (15 points, six from seven field goals) all contributed as the Blues consolidated first position on the ladder.

It was also a big weekend for the Geelong Supercats, recording two crushing victories. The Supercats defeated the Sandringham Sabres by 23 points on Saturday, before handing the Eagles their second loss of the round with an emphatic 95-55 scoreline on Sunday. Sara Blicavs (29 points, eight rebounds) and Stephanie Blicavs (23 points, five from nine three-pointers) played a starring role in Sunday’s match as Geelong recorded its second 40-plus winning margin of the season.

Elsewhere, Knox also recorded a big 38-point win over the Ringwood Hawks, while the Bendigo Braves were another team to record two victories over the weekend. Ballarat went 1-1 in Round 10, going down to the Kilsyth Cobras by 28 points before bouncing back to defeat the Melbourne Tigers 80-68 on Sunday. Meanwhile, Nunawading had a big win over the Falcons, and following their defeat to the Wildcats, the Bandits secured a close seven-point victory over the Sabres.

Full Round 10 results:

Hobart Chargers 66 def by Bendigo Braves 80

Geelong Supercats 94 def Sandringham Sabres 71

Frankston Blues 73 def Diamond Valley Eagles 55

Knox Basketball 96 def Ringwood Hawks 58

Nunawading Spectres 93 def Waverley Falcons 57

Ballarat Rush 58 def by Kilsyth Cobras 86

Eltham Wildcats 82 def Albury-Wodonga Bandits 72

Launceston Tornadoes 74 def by Bendigo Braves 87

Diamond Valley Eagles 55 def by Geelong Supercats 95

Waverley Falcons 80 def by Eltham Wildcats 94

Sandingham Sabres 69 def by Albury-Wodonga Bandits 76

Melbourne Tigers 68 def by Ballarat Rush 80

Picture credit: