Glover edges Vasiljevic in NBL1 South showdown

The opening round of the 2023 NBL1 South competition was mouth-watering for Sydney fans, as Kings duo Angus Glover and Dejan Vasiljevic went toe-to-toe.

At the Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre, fuelled by Glover's 15 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, Eltham downed Diamond Valley 87-77 - with Vasiljevic adding 22 points, four boards, three dimes and one swipe for the Eagles.

Next up for Glover's Wildcats is a home fixture against North West Tasmania on Saturday, April 15, while Vasiljevic and his Diamond Valley outfit have a double-header in round two - hosting Ringwood on Friday and then travelling to Dandenong on Sunday.

Staying with the South competition and Flames' Kiera Rowe chalked up an opening-round win with Knox.

The forward recorded seven points, three rebounds and two assists in the Raiders' 81-60 win against Keilor on Sunday.

Next up for Rowe will be showdowns with Nunawading (Friday, April 14) and Kilsyth (Saturday, April 15).

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Heading up north and Kings' young gun Jaylin Galloway continued his strong start to the campaign on Saturday, as his Ipswich Force defeated reigning champions Gold Coast 108-88 at Carrara Stadium.

In the victory, Galloway totalled 17 points, eight rebounds and one block, to help the Force remain undefeated.

Next up, after the Easter break, is a clash with South West Metro on Sunday, April 16 at JBS Stadium.

Elsewhere in Queensland, Shaun Bruce made his season debut for Logan on Saturday, in a fixture that his Thunder lost to Northside 90-84 at Northside Indoor Sports Centre - despite 14 points, eight assists and three rebounds by the Kings guard.

Bruce and his side will look to rebound in round three, when they host Gold Coast at Bendigo Bank Cornubia Park Sports Centre.

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Moving onto the Flames and Maddy Allen (Southern Districts) Lilly Rotunno (Red City) and Indiah Bowyer (Townsville) all hit the hardwood.

Allen's 31 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block, as well as a Natalie Taylor- triple in the final seconds, sealed the Spartans' 82-79 win against Sunshine Coast.

Next up for the 1-1 Spartans is a double-header against Northside (Friday) and Sunshine Coast (Saturday).

Bowyer's Flames dropped to 0-3 on the season, after losing 90-69 to Mackay and 74-58 to Rockhampton across the weekend.

In those two fixtures, Bowyer totalled 22 points, six rebounds, five steals and two assists.

In round three, Bowyer's Flames will chase their first win against Brisbane at Townsville StarFM Stadium on Saturday.

While Rotunno's 15 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals weren't enough as her Roar lost 81-68 to the Pirates.

Round three will see Red City host Rip City from 5.30pm AEST Saturday at the Paul Bancroft Centre.

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Shifting to NBL1 East and three Hoops Capital stars excelled for the Sydney Comets on Saturday.

In the men, Archie Woodhill chalked up 23 points and nine rebounds, as the Comets downed Bankstown 97-87.

While in the women, Sydney kept their perfect record intact (4-0) thanks to Vanessa Panousis and Jada Crawshaw - winning 74-62 against the Bruins.

In round five, the Comets play Sutherland on Friday, with the women at 6pm and men at 8pm, before backing up on Sunday against Central Coast - with women at 1pm and men at 3pm.

Elsewhere, Emma Donnelly (five points and one rebound) and her Norths Bears defeated the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence 75-70.

Next up for the Bears is Manly-Warringah on Friday, April 14.

Finally, heading out west and both Zac Gattorna and Emma Clarke dominated in round one.

During his club debut with Geraldton, Gattorna tallied 17 points, six rebounds, two dimes, two steals and two blocks, as the Buccaneers smashed South West 106-45 at Active West Stadium.

Next up is a clash with his former team, the Perth Redbacks, on Friday, April 8, at the Karratha Leisureplex.

While Clarke's Perry Lakes Hawks split their round one matches - losing 77-76 to East Perth before outlasting Lakeside 88-70.

Across the two fixtures, the Flame totalled a massive 39 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Next up for the Hawks are the Warwick Senators on Thursday, April 6 at the Bendat Basketball Centre.

Stay up to date with all the Hoops Capital off-season news here.