THE FIRST half of the ninth round of the 2024 National Basketball League (NBL)1 South competition took place over the weekend, still delivering plenty of action despite the reduced games.

Round 9 has been split over two weeks, with half the games seeing exciting action from some of the best teams and players the competition has to offer.

Fresh faces popped up with match-winning performances, with several upsets putting players on the map with some impactful 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, Seth Swalve and Keely Froling proved to be the most damaging with big scoring outings.

Seth Swalve (NW Tasmania Thunder) vs. Hobart Chargers

32 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal

Although his side could not quite get over the line, Swalve was excellent in defeat against the Chargers when the two sides went head-to-head at Hobart Netball and Sports Centre on Friday night.

The Chargers looked in control of proceedings for most of the match, slowly building their lead throughout the first three quarters to be in the box seat with a steady seven-point lead heading into the last term. Although the Thunder had stuck around for the first 30 minutes, the game was blown open in the fourth period, with Hobart emerging 15-point winners.

Swalve did all he could to keep NW Tasmania in the game, putting the team on his back offensively to keep the match interesting for as long as he could.

The guard poured in a game-high 32 points, engaging in an enthralling duel with Vionte Daniels (31 points) in an exciting display of scoring. Daniels may have taken home the win, but Swalve was arguably more impressive given how much heavy lifting he did for his side.

Swalve shot 12/19 from the field, slicing the defence open and finding the space to knock down the jumper. Although the defence had a hand in his face at times, it did not matter as he was seeing the basket better than anyone.

His success scoring the ball largely came from behind the arc, where he shot an impressive 6/9 and punished the opposition by drilling three-pointers at a consistent rate.

The result might not have matched the performance, but Swalve was a one-man army and kept the Thunder in the game for as long as he could.

Keely Froling (Launceston Tornados) vs. Hobart Chargers

39 points, six rebounds, one assist

Another strong performance in a losing side, Froling did everything she could to get Launceston over the line against Hobart in the Tasmanian clash, but the team ended up falling by 11 points at the same venue on Friday night.

Although the game remained close util the final minutes, the Chargers won all four quarters in an impressive display. They simply did not allow the Tornados to go on any scoring runs, and kept their noses in front to claim a 96-85 victory.

Froling carried the Tornados from a scoring perspective, with Launceston not even in the match if not for her performance.

The superstar poured in nearly half of her team’s total score with 39 points for the match. She has always been the focal point of the side’s offence, but she took things to another level over the weekend.

From the field, Froling shot 15/26, a figure that would have been even more efficient if she had not missed six of her eight attempts from behind the arc. However, when she got into scoring positions inside the arc and particularly close to the hoop, there was nothing the defence could do to stop her.

Froling’s performance probably deserved a win, and it is only a matter of time before she single-handedly delivers the Tornados a victory with her unmatched scoring ability.