ANOTHER bumper round of National Basketball League (NBL)1 South action took place over the weekend, with games taking place from Wednesday to Sunday.

Round 4 was a special occasion, falling over the ANZAC Day weekend, and a bit of extra sentiment meant teams were giving their all in their respective outings.

These performances resulted in some cracking contests, with multiple matches going down to the wire in both the men’s and women’s fixtures.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will be taking a look at the standout performances from both divisions, after some big numbers were posted over the weekend. This time, Dejan Vasiljevic and Megan McKay took out the honours for Round 4 of the 2024 season.

Dejan Vasiljevic (Waverley Falcons) vs. Ringwood Hawks

30 points, 11 rebounds, five assists

Vasiljevic is one of the biggest names in the NBL1 South Men’s competition, and lived up to the hype with a match-winning showing against the Hawks on Saturday night.

On their home deck at Waverley Basketball Centre, the Falcons owned the first half, leading by 18 with full control of the contest, and although the Hawks managed to get it back to 12 at the final break, that margin ended up being unchanged as the home side claimed a 95-83 win.

Vasiljevic was the star of the show on several fronts, but his biggest strength was in the scoring column. A game-high 30 points came on 9/19 shooting from the field, 5/13 from behind the arc, and a perfect 7/7 shooting from the free throw line.

He was particularly dominant in the first half when the Falcons were in true control of the match, and helped set up the final result.

On the glass, he performed above his height in a big way, emerging as the only double-digit rebounder with 11 for the match. Three of those came on the offensive end after a Waverley miss and generated more scoring opportunities.

Although known largely as a scorer, the guard was efficient as a playmaker, dishing out five assists after the defense paid extra attention to him as the game went on. He used timing and precision to find the right option, and continued to generate offence for his side.

Vasiljevic was always going to produce dominant performances in the 2024 NBL1 season, and was a true standout in a solid win for Waverley.

Megan McKay (Bendigo Braves) in Round 4

vs. Sandringham Sabres – 33 points, 11 rebounds, one steal
vs. Ringwood Hawks – 31 points, 13 rebounds, one assist

McKay was just about unstoppable for the Braves throughout the span of Round 4, posting a pair of dominant performances as she continues her march towards another MVP award.

Although Bendigo went 1-1 from two games, McKay was the reason they almost won against the Sabres, and got the job done against the Hawks.

Producing 64 points over two games showed just how prominent a scorer she can be, accounting for a large portion of her team’s score in both outings.

McKay also did it at a remarkably accurate clip, shooting 16/21 in the loss against Sandringham, and 13/21 against the Hawks.

She has already established herself as a serious presence on the glass, and showed exactly why she has cultivated that reputation with a monster rebounding showing over the two games, with 24 coming from the round.

McKay has been a serious contender for the highest individual award to start the season, and will take some slowing down from here.