OVER the weekend, most National Basketball League (NBL)1 competitions wrapped up their 2024 fixtures with some gripping grand final matches taking place across the men’s and women’s competition.

It has been an enthralling season for each of the divisions, and it resulted in a collection of close deciders that reflected the close nature of the year in Australian basketball.

The North competition held its grand finals in the weeks prior, with the Rockhampton Rockets taking out the women’s division, while the Mackay Meteors were victorious in the men’s.

The story of the NBL1 East was the Maitland Mustangs in the men’s competition, who finally took out a decider after falling short in the past two grand finals. They defeated the Canberra Gunners by 19 points in a telling performance on the big stage.

Out West, Men’s MVP Joel Murray led the Mandurah Magic to a terrific comeback victory over the Willetton Tigers. Despite trailing in the final quarter, Murray took over, knocking down clutch shot after clutch shot after clutch shot to drag his side over the line, en route to a statline of 30 points and seven rebounds.

The weekend of action was so close, that five of the eight games were decided by a single-digit margin, setting up an exciting NBL1 National Championship this weekend, where each of the winning sides will do battle for the title of best team in Australia.

Stay tuned for player focuses and analysis of each of the Grand Final MVP winning performances that took place over the weekend.

NBL1 Grand Finals

North

Men’s – Mackay Meteors def. Brisbane Capitals 2-0
Women’s – Rockhampton Cyclones def. Northside Wizards 2-1

South

Men’s – Ballarat Miners (70) def. by Eltham Wildcats (79)
Women’s – Keilor Thunder (82) def. by Waverley Falcons (87)

East

Men’s – Canberra Gunners (67) def. by Maitland Mustangs (86)
Women’s – Newcastle Falcons (85) def. Sutherland Sharks (78)

Central

Men’s – South Adelaide Panthers (90) def. by Forestville Eagles (92)
Women’s – Central District Lions (79) def. Forestville Eagles (67)

West

Men’s – Willetton Tigers (89) def. by Mandurah Magic (91)
Women’s – Rockingham Flames (97) def. Cockburn Cougars (81)