NBL1 Wrap (May 6, 2024)

Perth’s David Okwera fell just short of a rare triple double in East Perth’s nail-biting 102-100 win over Mandurah, finishing the game with eight blocks in what was a menacing individual defensive performance.

The Wildcats forward has formed a lethal partnership alongside Adelaide’s Sunday Dech for the Eagles, and the victory has the potential to turn East Perth’s fortunes around following an indifferent start to the season.

Okwera also had 25 points, 14 boards and four assists in the win, while Dech top scored for the game with 32 points and 11 rebounds, including shooting 7-11 from three.

Okwera’s NBL teammate Michael Harris also starred in NBL West this weekend, and scored 42 points in Warwick’s 24-point win over Perry Lakes, however he was unable to reproduce the magic in the Senators’ second game of the weekend, where he scored 12 points in a defeat to Geraldton.

There was a clash of Bullets in NBL1 North over the weekend when the Brisbane Capitals took on the Southern Districts Spartans, and it was Sam McDaniel, Matthew Johns and Gabe Hadley’s Capitals who took bragging rights over Mitch Norton and Tyrell Harrison’s Spartans.

McDaniel led his side in scoring with 21 points and eight rebounds, while NBL24 development player Hadley chipped in with 18 points in the low-scoring 74-69 victory.

Harrison was a force in the paint against NBL24 teammate Johns and ended the game with a 22-point, 14 rebound double-double with six blocks.

The victory came in the Capitals’ second game of the weekend following an earlier three-point loss to North Gold Coast in which Matt Kenyon ended with 13 points, 19 rebounds and six assists for the Seahawks.

Darwin and Cairns met for the second time this season following the Marlins’ victory earlier in the season, and 21 points from Makuach Maluach helped lead the Salties to victory over the Kody Stattmann-led Marlins.

Bench duo Deba George and Chier Maker proved to be the point of difference with 17 points each from the bench, while Stattmann top scored for the Marlins with 18 points in the 29-point defeat.

Sean Macdonald then dropped 32 points in Darwin’s 18-point win over the Townsville Heat.

Newly signed NBL pair Kye Savage and Luke Fennell led the Centre of Excellence to a pair of wins in NBL1 East, with Fennell in particular standing out from the bench for the young side.

Fennell top scored with 22 points in a 16-point win over Sydney Comets, and followed his efforts up with 14 points and five rebounds against Norths Bears.

The clash with the Bears was Savage’s opportunity to step up, and he added a team-high 20 points in the victory.

Sydney’s Klairus Amir also added a pair of 20-point performances for Sutherland against Hornsby and Manly Warringah in the East conference.

A trio of Melbourne United stars once against teamed up for the Sandringham Sabres in NBL1 South for a victory over the Melbourne Tigers.

Tanner Krebs dropped 32 points in a 14-point win over a Melbourne Tigers side that was led by reported NBL target Tom Wilson, who was the only Tigers player to score more than 12 points in the defeat.

Wilson scored 26 points and added 15 rebounds in the defeat, while Krebs was ably supported by 21 points from Shea Ili.

Nick Marshall and Akech Aliir both tackled an NBL1 South double-header and led their Mt Gambier side to a pair of victories over Geelong and Bendigo.

Marshall added 23 and 24 points in the two wins, while Aliir thoroughly impressed with 14 points and 15 rebounds against the Braves.

DJ Vasiljevic (Waverley) – 21PTS, 11REB, 4STL vs Dandenong | 22PTS, 4REB, 3AST vs Bendigo
Nick Marshall (Mt Gambier) – 23PTS, 6REB, 5AST vs Geelong | 24PTS, 5REB, 1AST vs Bendigo
Akech Aliir (Mt Gambier) – 14PTS, 9REB, 3STL vs Geelong | 14PTS, 15REB, 2BLK vs Bendigo
Sunday Dech (East Perth) – 32PTS, 11REB, 6AST vs Mandurah
Alex Starling (South Adelaide) – 36PTS, 18REB, 6AST vs Central Districts
Jacob Rigoni (Sturt) – 27PTS, 11REB, 6AST vs Mavericks

DJ Mitchell (Ipswich) – 29PTS, 8REB, 3AST vs Rockhampton
Gabe Hadley (Brisbane) – 28PTS, 6REB, 2AST vs North Gold Coast | 18PTS, 4REB, 3AST vs Southern Districts
Matthew Johns (Brisbane) – 13PTS, 8REB, 4AST vs North Gold Coast | 7PTS, 8REB, 3AST vs Southern Districts
Sam McDaniel (Brisbane) – 19PTS, 7REB, 6AST vs North Gold Coast | 21PTS, 8REB, 3STL vs Southern Districts
Mitch Norton (Southern Districts) – 16PTS, 1REB, 2AST vs Brisbane
Tyrell Harrison (Southern Districts) – 22PTS, 14REB, 6BLK vs Brisbane
Kye Savage (Centre of Excellence) – 10PTS, 1REB, 1BLK vs Sydney | 20PTS, 2REB vs Norths

Kian Dennis (Cairns) – 14PTS, 7REB, 1BLK vs Darwin
Alex Mudronja (Cairns) – 9PTS, 5REB, 5AST vs Darwin
Kyrin Galloway (Townsville) – 17PTS, 4REB, 2AST vs Darwin
Jackson Makoi (Northside) – 24PTS, 2REB, 3AST vs Logan
AK Gak (West Adelaide) – 19PTS, 11REB, 2STL vs Forestville

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (Darwin) – 10PTS, 2REB, 2AST vs Cairns | 10PTS, 5REB, 6AST vs Townsville
Harry Morris (Townsville) – 23PTS, 4REB, 1AST vs Darwin
William Hickey (Albury-Wodonga) – 29PTS, 7REB, 2AST vs Maitland
Mason Peatling (Dandenong) 17PTS, 10REB, 2STL vs Waverley | 13PTS, 13AST, 3BLK vs Kilsyth
Kyle Adnam (Kilsyth) – 6PTS, 3AST vs Dandenong

Tanner Krebs (Sandringham) – 32PTS, 7REB, 1AST vs Melbourne
Tom Koppens (Sandringham) – 11PTS, 5REB, 3 AST vs Melbourne
Shea Ili (Sandringham) – 21PTS, 7REB, 3AST vs Melbourne
Kyle Bowen (Knox) – 6PTS, 11REB, 5AST vs Casey

Michael Harris (Warwick) – 42PTS, 6REB, 3AST vs Perry Lakes | 12PTS, 5REB, 2STL vs Geraldton
David Okwera (East Perth) – 25PTS, 14REB, 8BLK vs Mandurah

Nathan Sobey (Ipswich) – 21PTS, 3AST, 2STL vs Rockhampton
Matt Kenyon (North Gold Coast) – 13PTS, 19REB, 6AST vs Brisbane
Luke Fennell (Centre of Excellence) – 22PTS, 6REB, 3AST vs Sydney | 14PTS, 5REB, 3AST vs Norths
Owen Foxwell (Eltham) – 17PTS, 5AST, 3STL vs Ringwood
Luke Rosendale (Ballarat) – 8PTS, 6AST, 2STL vs Keilor

Makuach Maluach (Darwin) – 21PTS, 6REB, 2STL vs Cairns | 27PTS, 4REB, 3STL vs Townsville
Kouat Noi (Darwin) – 15PTS, 9REB, 1BLK vs Cairns | 22PTS, 6REB, 2AST vs Townsville
Shaun Bruce (Logan) – 14PTS, 7REB, 10AST vs Northside
Klairus Amir (Sutherland) – 20PTS, 5REB, 3AST vs Hornsby | 20PTS, 2REB, 1AST vs Manly Warringah

Sean Macdonald (Darwin) – 16PTS, 8REB, 5AST vs Cairns | 32PTS, 7REB, 4STL vs Townsville
Clint Steindl (Hobart) – 12PTS, 11REB, 2AST vs Frankston
Jacob Richards (Hobart) – 13PTS, 5REB, 5AST vs Frankston
Lachlan Barker (Frankston) – 20PTS, 3REB, 5AST vs Hobart | 23PTS, 2REB, 1STL vs NW Tasmania
Gorjok Gak (Rockingham) – 11PTS, 14REB, 2AST vs Joondalup
Fabijan Krslovic (West Adelaide) – 23PTS, 9REB, 6AST

Cover image: Mark Filpo.