ROUND 9 of the National Basketball League (NBL)1 North competition saw an abundance of close, high-scoring matches with several sides hitting triple figures in the points column.

With just six rounds remaining heading into the weekend’s action, the race for the finals became much more tense with a number of games holding heavy significance in which sides would keep their hunt for the championship alive. With just one win separating fifth and 11th in the men’s and several sides vying for a top four spot in the women’s, it is going to be a tight finish.

Once again, there was no shortage of eye-catching statlines posted, with a healthy mix of stars and emerging guns standing out with tremendous showings.

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, Kody Stattmann and Erin Bollmann stood above their peers with excellent outings.

Kody Stattmann (Cairns Marlins) vs. Rockhampton Rockets

35 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals

Stattmann lived up to his name as he led the Marlins to an eight-point triumph over the Rockets when the two sides went head to head at Trinity Ford Stadium on Sunday night.

The Marlins started the game strongly, grabbing an early lead and looking in control for most of the contest to lead by a whopping 22 points at the final change. Although Rockhampton gave Cairns a bit of a scare with a 26-12 final term, the damage was already done as the home side claimed a 90-82 win.

Stattmann was the standout for the Marlins, producing an enormous double-double in the win and setting the tone for his side in the first three quarters.

He was the game’s leading scorer with a whopping 35 points, with a large portion of his total generated from the free throw line. Although he was more than capable of conjuring a score from the field (9/23 FG), it was at the charity stripe where he found his rhythm.

The defence was sloppy in guarding Stattmann on the drive, and gave up plenty of easy opportunities at the free throw line. From there, he nailed 14 of his 16 attempts, and punished the opposition for ill-discipline.

On the boards, he was equally as impressive, pulling down 16 for the match and stamping his authority on the glass. Most of these came on the defensive end, but his four offensive boards generated second chance scores for the Marlins, which proved crucial in helping his side establish a match-winning lead.

Stattmann was a dominant force in the win over the Rockets, proving a thorn in the opposition’s side and helping Cairns to its fourth win of the 2024 season.

Erin Bollmann (Northside Wizards) vs. Darwin Salties

27 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, three steals

In a match where the Wizards dominated the Salties start to finish, Bollmann was the best of the bunch with a massive performance as her side claimed a whopping 31-point victory at Northside Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday evening.

Northside stormed out of the gates with a 38-point opening quarter to grab a double-digit lead at the first change. Although the Salties did their best to match this level of output in the second and third periods, a 27-10 fourth term slammed the door shut on any sort of miracle as the Wizards cruised home to a 122-91 win.

Bollmann contributed in several ways in emphatic fashion as her side did as they pleased against Darwin over the weekend.

She rarely wasted a scoring opportunity, shooting an efficient 10/14 from the field and making every post a winner as Bollmann proved a reliable option on the offensive end. She was even able to knock home two three-pointers in a telling display of just how well she was seeing the basket.

On the glass, she was rock solid with 10 rebounds enough to give her a double-double. She combined well with teammate AJ Johnson (16 rebounds) to control the skies and ensure the opposition did not get any easy baskets with second chance scoring opportunities.

Although she produced an accurate scoring performance, Bollmann got her teammates involved with nine assists in an excellent playmaking performance. Her decision-making was on point throughout the entire match and helped create easy buckets for the Wizards.

It was a near flawless performance from Bollmann, who was reflective of her side’s dominance with an outstanding display.