THE National Basketball League (NBL)1 often hosts a number of NBL and WNBL talents across its men’s and women’s competition. That was certainly the case in the clash between the Sandringham Sabres and the Bendigo Braves at Southern Basketball Stadium on Saturday evening in the Women’s league. There were a number of big names hitting the court for both sides, including Tess Madgen, who is a flat out Australian Basketball superstar. Suiting up for the Boomers in the WNBL and the Australian Opals at international level, but she was competing for the Braves against Sandringham. She was far and away the most dominant player on the court and finished with a whopping 36 points, seven boards and five dimes.

Sandringham Sabres (82) def. by Bendigo Braves (94)

First Quarter

It took Madgen just over a minute to inject herself into the action, nailing a three off some impressive space creation, and putting her side up by as much. Less than a minute later, another long range shot found the bottom of the net, and it was evident the Opal was set for a big day at the office. She displayed her smarts by drawing contact and making her way to the free throw line a few times, and managed to fight for the loose ball with a few rebounds and a tip-in. Madgen finished the quarter with another three-pointer with proceedings tied at the main break.

Second Quarter

Madgen went a bit cold from the field to start the second quarter, so she got involved in other ways. She used her basketball IQ to find open teammates for an easy basket, recording a few assists in the process. Her rebounding also lifted, grabbing a number of disputed possessions. She was finally able to hit the scoreboard again halfway through the term, nailing a jump shot. The classy operator added another three-pointer before the quarter concluded, closing out an eye-catching half.

Third Quarter

Madgen remained on the court in a terrific display of endurance, continuing her excellent first half with a crucial third term. With the lead up for grabs, she nailed a couple of crucial jumpshots around the midway mark of the quarter, putting the Braves up by a couple of baskets. Two more followed by the end of the term, with Madgen really starting to find her shooting stroke from mid-range. Behind her consistent scoring, Bendigo held a six-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play, and held all momentum after a see-sawing first three quarters.

Fourth Quarter

With the game on the line, Madgen was once again right in the action when the game was there to be one. She was one of the crucial pieces in Bendigo’s match-winning run, nailing a three and a vital technical free throw as the lead was extended into double-digits. Madgen still hadn’t hit the bench despite an energetic performance, as she played all 40 minutes in the triumph. She sank a couple more free throws to close out the game, and was certainly the most influential player from either side.