Canberra Nationals 53 defeated Ballarat Miners 52
What an epic game!!!. After a nervous start by both teams the girls settled down and played good hard intensive basketball. Ballarat led by Kayla Mallett rebounding at both ends. Ballarat finished the quarter 7 points up. The 2nd quarter saw the intensity continue with Canberra making a comeback taking a 2 point lead into half time
The crowd worked up their vocal cords at half to get their teams going, which seemed to work as both teams came out with all guns blazing. Some costly turn overs were made as Mallett continued to perform well.
In a physical last quarter both teams gave their all. Going basket for basket until the last 10 seconds when a turn over by Ballarat and conversion by the Nationals levelled the scores sending the game into overtime.
In OT 1 a nervous and shaky start by both teams made foul shooting costly. Ballarat made a huge play putting them in front by 2 with a minute to go. The clock kept counting down with Canberra hitting a huge shot with 3 seconds to go, making the scores level at 46 apiece heading into the second overtime.
In OT 2 nerves and tiredness were starting to show on court making the girls make some heart stopping decisions and with both teams struggling to get a basket. A time out by the Nationals with 8 seconds to go let the girls discuss a strategy to hit the winning shot, but to Canberra’s disappointment they were unable to get the shot away making the game go into OT3. The scores remained the same at 46 all.
OT3 by this stage all the girls were looking totally exhausted but their mental toughness showed through. A nice couple of shots by Tijana Brankovic (Canberra) gave her team the lead. A quick reply from Ballarat reduced the margin to 2. With 30 seconds left, a turnover by the Nationals gave Ballarat the ball. A massive shot by Georgia Fleming levelled the score sending the game in the fourth over time at 50 all.
OT4 by this stage the crowd was totally exhausted from chanting and cheering. Everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats awaiting the conclusion to the best game to date at the Championships. A big shot from Canberra gave them the lead with a minute to go. A turnover and a foul from Ballarat sent Canberra to the free throw line with just 39 seconds to go. Canberra converted one shot giving them a three point buffer. A foul by Canberra then sent Ballarat to the line with 23 seconds to go. Shooting two from two from the line Ballarat’s Morgan Muir made it a one point ball game. An offensive foul by Canberra gave Ballarat the ball with three seconds to go. A final timeout was called to discuss final strategies, but there wasn’t enough time left for another shot with the Canberra Nationals running out the eventual winners of this epic game by one point.
Written by Theo Jaynes

Ballarat Miners  71 defeated NT South Suns 14
The Suns’ starting five had the side at a height  disadvantage from the start with the Miners having a number of talls catching every rebound available at both ends of the court and scoring a quick 8 points. Kathryn O’Dwyer led the scoring in the first quarter with 10 points. The Suns were finding it difficult to get past halfway. The pressure told on the Suns and this allowed the Miners to get to a comfortable lead. At three quarter time the Miners had a lead of 43 and the younger smaller Suns were unable to make an impression on the more experienced Miners. The Miners going away a comfortable win.
Miners—T Avery 17, E Brugman 14, K O’Dwyer 12
Suns— F Swan 5, K Tilmouth 3, E Hampton 5

Sturt Sabres  37 defeated by NT North Geckos 42
The game started with a lot of defensive pressure under the basket. The Sabres’ outside shooting allowed them to take the lead 9-6 at quarter time. The tempo in the second quarter picked up with much better team work from the Geckos to bring them within 1 point. An amazing 3 pointer by Sturt’s Grace Gava gave the Sabres a 4 point lead at half time. The Geckos came out in high spirits in the 3rd quarter and with a few fast break conversions took the lead for the first time. The Geckos kept up the pressure and increase the lead to 4 followed by 2 more baskets to increase the lead to 8. The 4th quarter saw the Geckos continue the pressure led by their captain Ella-Mae Hampton to take the win by 5.
Sabres— G Gava 10, M Dumican  7, B Mashado
Geckos—J Gutheridge 15, R Briston 10, C Wortlehock 7

Melbourne Tigers 65 defeated Logan Thunder 35
Both teams got a steady but good start to the game with the scores only separated by 2-3 points at the first siren with the Tigers up. A three pointer from Stephanie Kyriakou helped the Tigers to 5 point lead at quarter time. In the second quarter the Tigers scored early to push the lead out to 10 then the Thunder came back towards the end to finish the low scoring quarter 28-20. The third quarter was relatively quiet until late when the intensity rose with the Tigers getting up by 18 points (48-30) at the last break. The Tigers kept up the momentum and really showed the Thunder what they were made of. Annaleise Stoyko tried hard for the Thunder and was fouled out in the quarter. The Tigers going away with the win.
Tigers—T Hay 15, G Pineau 12, S Kyriakou 10
Thunder—B O’Brien 18, A Mopio-Jane 6, T Barker 6

Bendigo Braves 43 defeated by Northern Tasmania 58
Both teams got off to a great start, working hard to get to the loose balls.  All the girls were fighting hard, eager for their team to get the first lead.  Shay Murphy with 3 early fouls for the Braves put her side on the back foot. Fouls shots were the majority of the scoring in the first quarter. By the end of the first quarter, Northern Tasmania had pulled ahead 15-12. By half time Northern Tasmania increased the margin with Bendigo still fighting hard to close the gap.  Bendigo 23—Northern Tasmania 31. In the third quarter Braves failed to close the gap, but they were still hustling for the ball whenever they could.  They picked up speed in the last few minutes, but the score at the end of the third quarter was Bendigo 33—Northern Tasmania 44. In the last quarter Bendigo was unable to hold off their opposition and with Abbey Green turning in a great quarter with 9 points, Tasmania won the game 64-58.
Braves—S Murphy 12, A Appleby 10, D Weehee 6
North Tas—A Green 21, S Miller 11, O West 6, N Howard 6

Canberra Nationals 32 defeated by Southern Districts Spartans 46
The game got off to a slow start, both teams working hard in defence.  They ran hard, as the fans got louder. Courtney Woods scored 6 of the first 8 points for Spartans. In the second quarter the Spartans pulled ahead, outscoring the Canberra team, but Canberra kept pushing and played good defence. The highlight of the quarter was a 3 pointer from Demi Hosking of the Nationals. Canberra 13—Spartans 20. Spartans in the third quarter had excellent defence and converted a number of outside shots to push their lead to 16 points, with Canberra scoring a few points late in the quarter.  Score Canberra 20—Spartans 34. The 4th quarter saw Canberra start to work as a team and pulled the margin back to 11 points.  This caused the Spartans’ coach to call 2 time outs. This rallied the Spartans and they again worked well together to put the lead back out to 14 points.
Nationals—S McGinley 10, D Hoskings 8, D Sipa Borgeaud 7
Spartans—C Woods 16, B Ritson 10, G Beggs 9

Nth Adelaide Rockets 35 defeated Gosford City Rebels 39
A slow start for both teams on the scoreboard with foulshots accounting for 7 of the first 15 points. Rebels took the lead at the first break 5-10. The Rockets put up a lot of shots but failed to convert them.  The Rebels kept their lead in another tight term and an outstanding 3 pointer by Alana McCoy finished the quarter’s scoring for the Rebels.  Some good shots from the Rockets and tight defence kept them in touch with the Rebels.  An intense 4th quarter and a 3 pointer from Zoe Martin with a second to go wasn’t enough for the Rockets, going down to the Rebels by 4 points with Rebecca Neaves playing well for the Rebels.
Rockets—C Hansen 9, T Calvert 6, T MacAskill 5
Rebels—R Neaves 10, J McGuiness 8, M Carter 5, A McCoy 5

Penrith Panthers 29 defeated by Norths Bears 66
This local state derby shaped up to be a close contest with both teams having had their share of success in head to head encounters coming into the Championships. In a tight and low scoring first quarter tight defence was the name of the game, with the Bears taking advantage of some good opportunities to lead 7 - 3 at the quarter break. The Panthers started to make a comeback in the second quarter until Jaime Lee Clark took a hard hit and was unable to take further part in the game. Scores were 25 – 16 at half time. During the second half the North Bears were able to build up and maintain a comfortable lead running out eventual winners by 37 points.
 Panthers—M Fox 6, S Lovegrove 6, J Clark 4, E Pollock 4
Bears—A Burke 16, J Rasmussen 13, M O’Hehir 10, C Liebenberg

Forestville Eagles 52 defeated by Stirling Senators 56
Both teams started out at a furious pace with turnovers and fouls taking the honours at the end of the first quarter, Stirling holding a slender lead 16 to 13. Stirling came out in the second quarter with a 9 to 0 start before Jade Johnson cut to the basket to score for the Eagles.  It was clear that Forestville was having trouble handling the tall timber of the Senators. This led to foul trouble with 18 fouls by half time. Stirling took an 8 point lead into the long break. Forestville applied a front court trap and tight man to man defence assisting in bring the score back to 34 all. Going into the last the scores were locked at 40 apiece and both team going point for point. The foul trouble for the Eagles caused problems with 5 players being fouled out. A 3 pointer from Danica Arnold from the Senators gave them the momentum to go on and win by 4.
Eagles—M Yaeger 14, J Johnson 10, I Madsen 8
Senators—D Arnold 15, M Dennis 14, K Gage 10

Northern Tasmania 40 defeated by NT North Geckos 45
The two sides seemed very evenly matched in the first quarter both in height and skill. An early injury to Jasmine Bonson was a blow to the Geckos. It was a tight quarter with the scores ending 11 each. The second quarter proved tight with neither team gaining the ascendancy and the scores remained tied at half time at 22 apiece with the intensity remaining high. The intensity remained the same in the third quarter with the Geckos converting more of their plays and persistence getting them a comfortable lead at the end of the quarter.The last quarter saw Northern Tasmania trying to bridge the gap but running out of time, falling short by 5 points.
Northern Tasmania—A Green 13, S Miller 9, A Down 8
Geckos—J Gutheridge 17, R Briston 14,  D Walsh 7

Southern Tasmania Chargers 43 defeated by Townsville Flames 52
The home side had the support of the fans but got off to a nervous start. Alisha Ford was on the end of some good passes to take her side to a 6 – 0 lead, causing Hobart to take a time out. Hobart responded after the timeout going on a 7- 0 run and after several lead changes, the Flames lead by 18-11 at the quarter. Teams traded basket for basket in a very even contest with Amy Onaca instrumental in giving them the locals the lead. Townsville fought back to bring it within 1 point at half time. It was a scrappy start to the second half with both teams trying to find their feet.  Southern Tasmania had to rest their big girls due the foul trouble and in a low scoring encounter, every point was valuable with the teams giving it their all.   The Flames were holding a handy lead of 9 points heading into the final term. Townsville started well and got out to an 8 point lead early. The Chargers came out with fresh legs to bring the margin back before the Flames extended it to 11.   The Chargers kept on coming back and gave Flames some worries but Townsville came out victors.
Chargers—A Onaca 14, T Powell 9, E Hosken 8
Townsville—M Gray 14,, B Fuller 11, Kee Ahn Bin Dol 9, A Ennis 9

Knox Raiders 37 defeated by Logan Thunder 49
Both teams slowly settled into the quarter, with Knox having an early lead. Logan was gaining momentum when the buzzer went for the break. 1st Qtr: 16 – 13 for Knox. Logan came out strong with a 3 from captain Bridget O’Brien to level the scores. Logan continued to dominate and Knox didn’t score a point in the first four minutes to Logan’s 7. Knox fought hard and successfully rebounded the ball despite Logan’s superior height. Natasha Tropeano was an impressive contributor with the 2nd quarter ending with Knox narrowly in the lead 29 – 25. Both teams were shooting point for point, with Logan pulling to the front in what was shaping up to be a very exciting game. The NT South Suns had formed an active cheer squad for Knox, standing up to make their thoughts known. 3rd Qtr: 39  –  35 to Logan. Logan’s bigs finally found their stride with great rebounding and much improved shooting. Knox had no answer for their superior height. Logan went on to score off the fast breaks and win the game in what is the biggest upset of the tournament so far. Final Scores: 49 – 37 to Logan.
Raiders—R Lucas 17, S Dirito 10, J Osborne 6
Thunder—K Saul 12, J Phillips 12, B O’Brien 11
 
Southern District Spartans 45 defeated North West Tasmanian Thunder 34
 In this game the first quarter proved to be a tight one with scores locked at eight apiece going into the first break. Thunder failed to capitalise on their many opportunities at the basket in the second with Spartans breaking away to lead comfortably at half time. Spartans 22 to Thunder 8.  Spartans continued to control the game during the third quarter. The NW Thunder made huge gains in the final quarter pressing up onto the ball however it was not enough to stop the Spartans’ momentum. Spartans continued to hold onto their lead and were eventual winners by 11 points.
 Spartans— C. Woods 17, M Disteldorf  14, L Schneiber 6, B Ritson 6
Thunder— C  Middap 6, G Buchwald, K Lucas 6

Nunawading Spectres 38 defeated Bulleen Boomers 37
Two Victorian teams, Bulleen Boomers & Nunawading Spectres started at a frantic pace.     Bulleen got a great start at the 4 minute mark to be 8 – 2.    Great coast to coast play by   Taylah Simmons   to improve the scoreline.    Fouls became a problem for both teams very early in the game.   Bulleen increased their lead with some great team play to lead 16-7 at the half way mark of the quarter.     Bulleen continued to play strong basketball to push the lead out to 21-9 with 3 to go. Nunawading hit back with a great drive by   Danielle Gills on the buzzer to be   down. The third quarter started fairly even, neither team could get a break with scores at 22- 12 at half time.  Nunawading with some great hustling in the 3rd quarter out scored Bulleen 16 to 3 to be   28-24 in front at ¾ time.  Nunawading hit foul trouble with   Danielle Gills, Rachel Poke and Maddison Perry all fouling out.   This sent Bulleen to the line on several occasions but they were unable to capitalise on the scoreboard.   Bulleen were still down by 4 with 1.51 on the clock. Bulleen again went to the line and were able to level the scores 35 all to send the game into overtime.  Both teams gave it their all with Nunawading   coming out eventual winners   38-37.
Spectres—D Gills 8, M Perry 6
Boomers—C Hocking 14, C Moretta 8, R Connell 7

North Bears 38 defeated by Gosford City Rebel 53
The Game started slowly with neither side gaining ascendancy with a low scoring quarter. A strong drive by Jasmine Forcadilla saw her go the line and make both shots. Good rebounding by Alysha Skerritt with a block. Quarter time 14 10 Gosford. The 2nd half saw the Rebels gain the upper hand early and Alesandra Gasparotto to push the lead out to 7 with 2 minutes to go. Two nice baskets by  Alesandra Gasparotto continuing their dominance running out eventual winners by 15.
Bears—A Skerritt 15, P Olsen 8
Rebels—Alesandra Gasparotto  12, J Forcadillo 10, A McCoy 8