THE KEILOR Thunder were too strong for the Sandringham Sabres in a mid-week clash in the NBL1 South Women’s on Tuesday night, with young gun Isobelle Wightman playing a crucial role as her side claimed a nine-point win.

The Thunder have been one of the teams to beat throughout the 2025 season, trailing only the unbeaten Geelong United while also hold a record of 15 wins and two losses themselves. If they were to stay in touch with United, they would need to get the job done against a Sabres side that was fighting to stay in the hunt for a finals spot with a record of nine wins and eight losses.

It was a tight contest throughout the first three quarters, with the Sabres putting up an excellent fight and suggesting an upset could be on the cards at Southern Basketball Stadium with a gutsy offensive showing. However, the final term belonged to the visitors, with the Thunder breaking away in the final term and doing enough to claim their 16th win of the season.

There were several contributors for Keilor in the win, with 17-year-old Wightman having a strong game of her own and playing a key role in getting the team to victory earlier in the week.

Sandringham Sabres (80) def. by Keilor Thunder (89)

Isobelle Wightman – 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, three steals

Wightman was terrific as the Thunder overcame the Sabres on the road on Tuesday night, showing why she has a bright future in the sport and justifying her claims as a member of the starting lineup, despite being just 17 years of age.

It was a tough start to the match for the youngster admittedly, missing all of her shots in the first quarter and committing a turnover in the opening minutes of the match. She did chime in for a nice assist later in the frame, finding Jessie Rennie open on the perimeter with a nice pass as the Thunder took a three-point buffer into quarter time.

Wightman started the second quarter on the bench, but returned to the match midway through the period, and got involved with her first make of the game, a nice standing three-pointer to help Keilor retake the lead following a run from the Sabres. The young gun also showed her defensive prowess with a nice steal on the eve of half-time, poking the ball free and generating some transition play for the Thunder.

The third quarter proved to be her most productive yet, with Wightman nailing multiple baskets and showing just how dangerous she can be when scoring across all three levels. She opened her account for the second half with a nice driving layup despite some defensive pressure, before backing it up with a confident midrange jumper a few minutes later.

She rounded out an impressive term with her second three-pointer of the contest off a Penina Davidson assist, helping the Thunder stay in control with a quarter to play.

The fourth quarter was another strong showing from Wightman, who took over down the stretch to help the visitors seal the win. Firstly, she dished out a nice pass to Nikki Metcalfe for a jumpshot, and although she was quiet for the minutes that followed, Wightman returned for an important patch of play late in the fourth.

She stretched the lead out to double-digits when she poked the ball free from the opposition’s grasp after a defensive rebound and scored herself. Wightman then scored out of the timeout that followed, putting her side up by an unassailable margin and sealing a rock solid performance.

The 17-year-old finished the contest with 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals, all while shooting 6/11 from the field and 2/5 from behind the three-point line, playing a crucial role on the offensive end as the Thunder maintained their standing in second spot.