THE KEILOR Thunder have advanced to the preliminary finals of the 2025 NBL1 South Women’s competition, with young gun Isobelle Wightman playing a big role as they defeated the Waverley Falcons over the weekend.

The Thunder could not overcome Geelong United at The Geelong Arena in the first week of finals, but had secured a double-chance after finishing in the top four, so instead turned their attention to a semi-final clash against the Falcons at Keilor Stadium on Saturday night. Waverley had defeated Ringwood by eight points in an elimination clash the week prior, but would need to bring its best against Keilor.

The first half was a positive one for the Thunder, who got on top during the first quarter and managed to stretch their buffer out to nine points at the main change. Although the Falcons made it a scrappier contest in the second half, the Thunder were good enough to hold on for a five-point win and keep their season alive.

Although some of the bigger names were able to stuff the stat sheet as well, Wightman was one of the key contributors for the victors, and has shown her value as a bench piece as Keilor continues its hunt for the championship.

Keilor Thunder (86) def. Waverley Falcons (81)

Isobelle Wightman – 12 points, four rebounds, one steal, two blocks

17-year-old Wightman was immensely impactful for the Thunder, not requiring too much of the ball to make an impact and nailing some crucial baskets as her team avoided elimination and moved onto the penultimate week of the finals.

The youngster was injected into the game late in the first quarter, with her only contribution being a personal foul on the defensive end, but she was still active off the ball and looked dangerous during her two minutes of court time.

It was her second quarter performance that was instrumental in getting the Thunder to victory, with Wightman exploding on the offensive end and helping Keilor build what proved to be a match-winning lead.

Her work actually started on the defensive end, blocking an attempted layup from Amelia Todhunter to set the tone, before getting involved on the scoring front. She nailed a three-pointer from a standing start, before driving into the lane in transition and finishing at the cup a minute later. Wightman mirrored those efforts later in the term with another layup and three-pointer, playing a crucial role as the Thunder led by 10 points.

Following her 10 points in the third quarter, Wightman was a bit quieter in the second half, but still had her moments. Defensively, she remained as active as ever with her second block of the game, which came at a crucial time as the Falcons had drawn within two points in the third quarter.

Her final make of the game came early in the fourth quarter, where she nailed another layup in the paint to help extend her side’s lead out to nine points following a massive push from the visitors in the third term. Wightman was trusted to close out the game for the Thunder and had some strong moments on the defensive end in what was some of the most pressure-filled basketball of her short career.

She finished the game with 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks for the game, shooting 5/7 from the field and a perfect 2/2 shooting from behind the arc in a mature performance from the young gun. If she can carry this form into the preliminary final, it will give the Thunder the best possible chance at making the big dance in a fortnight.