THE National Basketball League (NBL)1 South competition returned last night, and it was Alicia Froling that led her Knox Raiders to a five-point win over the Sandringham Sabres at Southern Basketball Stadium.

The NBL1 South competition highlights Victoria’s best basketball talent, and the first night of play lived up to that reputation, with some cracking contests around the state. The Raiders have high expectations coming into the 2024 season, so the first encounter was always going to be crucial.

Knox jumped out to a solid advantage on the scoreboard, leading 23-18 at the first change in what proved to be a hefty lead in the context of the match. Although the Sabres steadied the ship as the game went on, they could not land the winning blow over the final three quarters, and ended up conceding a 75-80 loss at home.

The star power was a big factor for the Raiders, and Froling embodied that perfectly with a dominant display.

Sandringham Sabres (75) def. by Knox Raiders (80)

Alicia Froling – 31 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals

Froing was a beast in the paint during Knox’s tight win over Sandringham on the weekend, and indicated she could be in for a big season.

Given there was only 155 points scored for the game, the fact that she accounted for 31 of them is an impressive feat, and showed just how impactful she was on the offensive end across all four quarters on Wednesday.

She made half of her attempts from the field, going 12/24 for the match in an excellent scoring showing given how many shots she took and how much the defence collapsed on her whenever she caught the ball in the paint.

Froling combined well with guard Paige Bradley (15 points, eight assists) to run pick and rolls and find space within Sandringham’s defence. Typically, when Froling was rolling to the basket, there was not much the Sabres could do to stop her from scoring.

The star forward was also tremendous on the glass, pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds as she controlled the skies. Perhaps the most impressive facet of her work on the glass was the fact that she reeled in six offensive rebounds and generated several second-chance scoring opportunities as a result.

It was an emphatic performance from Froling on opening night of the 2024 season, and certainly sent a message to the rest of the competition.