OVER the weekend, the National Basketball League (NBL)1 South competition returned for the third round of the 2024 season, with a bumper amount of games played across the state of Victoria.

Round 3 saw some massive wins, close contests and everything in between as the contenders looked to stay at the top of the ladder in both the men’s and women’s division.

From Friday to Sunday, there were a whopping 26 games taking place, with most of the action happening on Saturday. There was no shortage of basketball in Victoria, as the competition heats up for yet another exciting fixture.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central has selected the standout player from both the men’s and women’s competitions over the weekend, with Tyler Rudolph and Lasha Pentree taking out the respective honours, and we will start with a look at the former’s performance.

Tyler Rudolph (Ballarat Miners) vs. Ringwood Hawks

30 points, 16 rebounds, one assist

Rudolph was a monster in the paint as the Miners snagged a 112-96 win over the Hawks at Selkirk Stadium on Saturday night.

His 30 points was a round-high in the NBL1 South Men’s, shooting 12/19 from the field and producing a healthy balance of inside and outside scoring. The former NCAAM talent was at his high-scoring best, stretching the floor to knock down three triples on four attempts, and proved too much once he started finding his rhythm from the field.

As expected, Rudolph was also the premier rebounding talent on the floor, pulling down a whopping 16 for the match. Five of these were after misses from his own team, creating second chance scoring opportunities after getting front position under the hoop, working his way to a monster double-double and proving unmatched with his impact.

Lasha Petree (Geelong United) vs. Frankston Blues

42 points, eight rebounds, two assists, three steals, one block

Petree was the best scorer of Round 3 in both divisions, absolutely exploding on the offensive end to spark her side to a massive win over the Blues at the Geelong Arena on Saturday evening.

She was far and away the game’s leading scorer on a reasonably accurate clip from the field, but particularly from behind the arc. Petree knocked down eight three-pointers on 11 attempts in a seriously damaging shooting performance. Although the Blues looked to cover her on the perimeter as the game rolled on, the sharpshooter had already found her stroke and could not be stopped.

United broke away in the second quarter, outscoring Frankston 32-8 in that time, and Petree was in the thick of the action, knocking down shot after shot to put the game out of reach.

The former Purdue Boilermakers guard delivered her best performance of the season to date, and showed what she is capable of if let off the chain.