The Bendigo Braves have ended the Geelong United Supercats’ winning run as the men’s match was an arm wrestle for most of the night.
A transgender athlete hoping to play semi-professional basketball in Victoria has had her application rejected by Basketball Australia.
The panel found Lexi Rodgers ineligible to play for the Kilsyth Cobras in the NBL1 South league.
The Supercats women started well against a highly favoured and undefeated Braves line-up, the scores level at halftime, 34 apiece.
Bendigo took control in the second half as Geelong United ran out of legs, eventually falling 75-92.
The Supercats defence was unable to contain Braves player Amy Atwell, who hit seven of 16 three-pointers, four of those in the final quarter, and finished with 32 points.
Amy Atwell had 32 points for the Bendigo Braves. Picture: Ian Knight Photography.
Chantel Horvat was the highest scorer for Geelong United with 21 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Sarah Elsworthy finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.
The Braves women remain the only undefeated team in the NBL1 South competition.
Meanwhile, the men’s game was an arm wrestle from start to finish, with multiple lead changes all the way up to the final quarter.
George Blagojevic had 31 points and 12 rebounds against the Braves. Picture: Marcel Berens Sports Photography.
The Supercats held the lead for the first half of the final quarter, before the Braves tied it up with five minutes left and went on an 8-0 scoring run to swing momentum their way.
While Geelong United kept coming, some excellent three point shooting from Bendigo kept the Braves in front.
The Supercats welcomed George Blagojevic back into the line-up after missing last week’s game with a rolled ankle, but even 31 points and 12 rebounds from the big man wasn’t enough to lift his team over the line, going down 109-97.
BJ Johnson was outstanding for Bendigo, finishing with 38 points to go with seven assists, and connected on seven of 10 three-point attempts.
The Geelong United Supercats will regroup this week and prepare for a tough double header in round 9, as they welcome the Knox Raiders to the Geelong Arena on Saturday night before taking on Keilor Thunder on the road on Sunday afternoon.