THE Central division of the National Basketball League (NBL)1 held its fifth round of the 2024 season over the weekend, with some thrilling affairs taking place across the men’s and women’s competition.

There were several high-scoring encounters from Friday to Sunday, with multiple games seeing over 200 points scored, as teams brought their best on the offensive end.

With the fixture well and truly underway at this stage, sides are finding their rhythm with ball in hand, and it has resulted in some massive production and a few matchups even went to overtime, showcasing how close the competition has been in the first batch of games.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central has selected the standout player from both the men’s and women’s competitions over the weekend, and this week, it is Anthony Drmic and Regan Schenck that caught the eye.

Anthony Drmic (West Adelaide Bearcats) vs. Southern Tigers

47 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, one steal

The best individual scoring performance of the season took place at Port Adelaide Recreation Centre on Saturday night, when Drmic dominated his side’s clash against the Tigers.

The high-scoring clash went to extra time, as the two teams could not be separated in the first four quarters of play. However, West Adelaide held on for longer in the extra period, and claimed a 112-107 win.

Fresh off winning an NBL championship with the Tasmania JackJumpers, Drmic showed what he is capable of as a number-one option on a team, shooting 16/27 from the field to register nearly half of his team’s score, and was the definition of unstoppable.

He was also a monster on the glass, sprinting towards the hoop after a miss from the opposition to chase down the loose ball, often flying in two or three deep to secure the ball as it was tapped around by the team’s big men.

Drmic was undoubtedly the difference for the Bearcats, posting some huge numbers for the performance of the season.

Regan Schenck (Southern Tigers) vs. West Adelaide Bearcats

28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists

In the same matchup in the women’s competition, it was Schenck that flipped the script and led her side to victory over the Bearcats earlier in the evening.

She stood up in the paint, posting a game-high 28 points, which was an impressive total given it was a reasonably low-scoring affair, finishing as an 81-73 victory to the Tigers.

From the field, Schenck shot 9/16 from the field and 7/9 from inside the arc, crafting her way through the defence to be the most productive player on the offensive end. She also went a perfect 8/8 from the free throw line, including some clutch shots down the stretch to ice the game.

Schenck also produced a double-double with 10 rebounds, and all of these boards came on the defensive end, helping start the possession for her team, and her workrate down the court saw her finish it down the other end.