ROUND 5 of the National Basketball League (NBL)1 West’s 2024 season was held over the weekend, with the landscape of the competition starting to take shape.

Now five weeks into the 17-round fixture, the contending sides are truly starting to put together consistent wins as one of the most competitive leagues in the country delivers another exciting season.

Across both the men’s and women’s divisions over the weekend, there were some massive scores posted from both a team and individual level, and the big names were delivering match-winning performances.

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, Joel Murray and Melisa Brcaninovic get the selections after outstanding showings in their respective wins.

Joel Murray (Mandurah Magic) vs. Perry Lakes Hawks

32 points, five rebounds, 11 assists, two steals

Murray stuffed the stat sheet as the Magic produced a blowout win over the Hawks at Mandurah Aquatic & Rec Centre on Friday night.

The result was evident from the first quarter, where Mandurah outscored the opposition 39-27 to take a commanding lead into the first change. However, the Hawks cut that back to three points at half time, before the hosts took over in the final two periods, cruising home to a 110-94 win to continue the momentum they have built over the past three games.

Murray was a man on a mission in the big win, doing a bit of everything to help guide his side to victory in front of their fans. His 32 points was an equal game-high figure, alongside teammate Jarrod Molnar, as the pair combined for 64 of the team’s 110 points.

The Magic star shot 10/18 from the field, and found his way to the free throw line at a consistent basis, knocking down 11 of his 14 shots from the charity stripe to keep Mandurah’s total ticking over in the second half.

The strongest part of his performance was his playmaking, combining well with Molnar to create easy scoring opportunities for the Magic. Murray poured in 11 assists and was ultra-creative whenever he got the ball.

It was an exceptional performance from one of the Magic’s best and most important players, who again showed his match-winning tendencies.

Melisa Brcaninovic (Willetton Tigers) vs. Eastern Suns

39 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, three steals, two blocks

Brcaninovic was the star of the show as the Tigers bested the Suns at Ray Owen Sports Centre on ANZAC Day last Thursday.

A powerful performance from the Tigers in the second half was the catalyst for the result, outscoring Eastern 52-24 in that time, and completely restricting the Suns on the defensive end. In the end, Willetton’s sheer dominance on both ends of the floor was too much for the home side, with the Tigers claiming a 104-71 win.

There is absolutely no denying how impressive Brcaninovic was in driving her side to victory, proving a force in the paint and stretching the floor to become an even tougher defensive matchup.

The forward was dominant and had her way with the opposition on the offensive end, with a game-high 39 points coming from 14/22 shooting from the field. Although a large portion of these makes came from close to the hoop, she still chimed in with four triples, showcasing the range she possesses.

On the glass, there was no one in the match more impressive than Brcaninovic, who pulled down a whopping 14 boards. 10 of these came on the defensive end, making the most of the fact that the Suns shot just 32.5 per cent from the field.

No player in the NBL1 West stuffed the stat sheet more than Brcaninovic, who was an influence in several areas of the game and could not be contained by the opposition.