ALL LEAGUES of the NBL1 competition returned over the weekend, with a few missing over the Easter break, and a lot of teams showed they have not missed a beat.

That was certainly the case for the Gold Coast Rollers, who delivered an outstanding performance to hold on for a tense win against the Sunshine Coast Phoenix in the North Women’s competition.

The two sides clashed at Carrara Stadium on Sunday afternoon, in what was the last clash of Round 3. The Rollers were coming off a tough loss to the Thunder the night before, while the Phoenix had just claimed their maiden win of the season earlier in the round.

Although Sunshine Coast had the momentum coming in, it was the opposition that managed to walk away with the win. The Rollers trailed by four coming into the last term, but rallied in the final 10 minutes to claim a thrilling win.

One of the biggest factors in the match was the performance of Ariana Moorer, who put the team on her back in a lot of ways, and came up clutch when it mattered most.

Gold Coast Rollers (80) def. Sunshine Coast Phoenix (79)

Ariana Moorer – 25 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, two steals, one block

Moorer was a towering figure in Gold Coast’s win, standing above her peers in terms of impact on the match with a magnificent showing at Carrara.

Her 25 points were the most of any individual player on the court, registering just under a quarter of Gold Coast’s total figure for the match. She combined extremely well with Riley Evans (20 points) on the offensive end, as the pair drove the Rollers to a winning total.

Moorer shot 10/22 from the field for the match, constantly putting the offensive onus on herself to generate some points when her side needed it the most. She showed her range from behind the arc, nailing three triples on five attempts.

Her rebounding was equally as important, and 18 boards for the match is a seriously eye-catching total. Most of these came on the defensive end, reaching above her opponents to get first hands on the ball, while a few did come off misses from her own teammates.

The team looked to get the ball in Moorer’s hands as much as possible, and as a result she drew plenty of defensive attention. However, the 32-year-old was able to make the right plays and find her teammates for a team-high six assists.

It was a complete performance from Moorer, who was as imposing a figure as there was in the match, and is set for a big year at NBL1 level.