ALTHOUGH her side may not have snagged the win, Logan Thunder youngster Prasayus Notoa was a shining light in the loss to the Northside Wizards in the National Basketball League (NBL)1 North Women’s.

The two sides locked horns at Bendigo Bank Cornubia Park Sports Centre on Saturday night, with the two sides in completely different form heading into Round 4. Logan was still winless after four outings, while the Wizards were yet to lose a game from five matches, and looked the form side of the competition, so it was going to take a huge upset for the Thunder to get on the board.

Unfortunately, that did not turn out to be the case, with the game essentially over by quarter time after the visitors stormed out to a 19-point lead. Although the Thunder did their best to get back in the game with improved second and third periods, the door was slammed shut on any kind of miracle with a dominant final term from Northside, who claimed a 91-66 win.

The Thunder may not have taken home the chocolates, but they would have been extremely encouraged by Notia’s performance.

Logan Thunder (66) def. by Northside Wizards (91)

Prasayus Notoa – nine points, 17 rebounds, five assists, three steals

Notoa did a bit of everything in her side’s loss to the Wizards, as she continues to emerge as a serious future talent with another strong showing at NBL1 level.

At just 16 years of age, Notoa may not be the most experienced player on her team, but her obvious talent has earned her a spot in the starting lineup, and she has taken the opportunity with both hands of late.

She was so close to a double-double, posting nine points and falling one point short after not producing the most efficient scoring performance. From the field, Notoa shot 4/12, but looked dangerous whenever she had the ball close to the hoop.

The strongest factor of her game came on the glass, where she pulled down a whopping 17 rebounds for the match. Eight of these came on the offensive end, showing how willing she was to keep Logan in the match with a relentless attack on the ball, even after her team had put up a field goal attempt.

Remarkably, the youngster was also the Thunder’s premier playmaker with a team-high five assists. Despite getting the ball in good spots for a lot of the match, she always looked to find the best scoring option for the team, and her teammates benefited from her selflessness.

At such a young age, Notoa has plenty of growth left, but performances like this will only encourage Logan further and maintain her spot in the starting lineup.