# 2024 NBL1 season

The 2024 NBL1 season was the fifth season of the NBL1. The season consisted of five conferences: South, North, Central, West and East.
The third annual National Finals were held on the Sunshine Coast, with two South teams winning the NBL1 National championship for the second straight year. The Waverley Falcons won in the women while the Knox Raiders men defended their 2023 National title.

## Conference seasons

The season began on 23 March for the Central Conference, 28 March for the West Conference, 3 April for the South Conference, 6 April for the East Conference and 11 April for the North Conference. All conference finals were concluded by 10 August.

### South

The women's minor premiers were the Knox Raiders with a 20–2 record while the men's minor premiers were the Mount Gambier Pioneers with an 17–5 record. Isabelle Bourne of the Keilor Thunder was named women's MVP while Nick Marshall of the Mount Gambier Pioneers was named men's MVP.
The women's grand final saw the Waverley Falcons defeat the Keilor Thunder 87–82 while the men's grand final saw the Eltham Wildcats defeat the Ballarat Miners 79–70. Carley Ernst of the Waverley Falcons was named women's grand final MVP while Angus Glover of the Eltham Wildcats was named men's grand final MVP.

### North

The women's minor premiers were the Northside Wizards with a 16–1 record while the men's minor premiers were the Mackay Meteors with a 15–2 record. Amanda Johnson of the Northside Wizards was named women's MVP while Sam McDaniel of the Brisbane Capitals was named men's MVP.
The women's grand final series saw the Rockhampton Cyclones defeat the Northside Wizards 2–1, with the Wizards winning 80–71 in game one and the Cyclones winning 81–76 in game two and 80–59 in game three, while the men's grand final series saw the Mackay Meteors defeat the Brisbane Capitals 2–0, with 91–79 in game one and 102–80 in game two. Lauren Heard of the Rockhampton Cyclones was named women's grand final MVP while Todd Blanchfield of the Mackay Meteors was named men's grand final MVP.

### Central

The women's minor premiers were the Sturt Sabres with a 14–4 record while the men's minor premiers were the South Adelaide Panthers with a 15–3 record. Casey Samuels of the Central Districts Lions was named women's MVP while Alex Starling of the South Adelaide Panthers was named men's MVP.
The women's grand final saw the Central Districts Lions defeat the Forestville Eagles 79–67 while the men's grand final saw the Forestville Eagles defeat the South Adelaide Panthers 92–90. Taylah Levy of the Central Districts Lions was named women's grand final MVP while Greg Mays of the Forestville Eagles was named men's grand final MVP.

### West

The women's minor premiers were the Rockingham Flames with an 18–2 record while the men's minor premiers were the Geraldton Buccaneers with a 20–2 record. Teige Morrell of the Lakeside Lightning was named women's MVP while Joel Murray of the Mandurah Magic was named men's MVP.
The women's grand final saw the Rockingham Flames defeat the Cockburn Cougars 97–81 while the men's grand final saw the Mandurah Magic defeat the Willetton Tigers 91–89. Alexandra Sharp of the Rockingham Flames was named women's grand final MVP while Joel Murray of the Mandurah Magic was named men's grand final MVP.

### East

The women's minor premiers were the Albury Wodonga Bandits with a 20–0 record while the men's minor premiers were the Canberra Gunners with an 18–2 record. Nicole Munger of the Newcastle Falcons was named women's MVP while William Cranston-Lown of the Maitland Mustangs was named men's MVP.
The BA Centre of Excellence women's team, who finished the regular season with a 10–10 record, declared that they were not able to field a team for finals. They were subsequently removed from the East finals equation and the ladder was adjusted.
The women's grand final saw the Newcastle Falcons defeat the Sutherland Sharks 85–78 while the men's grand final saw the Maitland Mustangs defeat the Canberra Gunners 86–67. Nicole Munger of the Newcastle Falcons was named women's grand final MVP while William Cranston-Lown of the Maitland Mustangs was named men's grand final MVP.

### Champions summary
#### Women

| Conference | Champion | Result | Runner-up |
| South | Waverley Falcons | 87 – 82 | Keilor Thunder |
| North | Rockhampton Cyclones | 2 – 1 (71–80, 81–76, 80–59) | Northside Wizards |
| Central | Central Districts Lions | 79 – 67 | Forestville Eagles |
| West | Rockingham Flames | 97 – 81 | Cockburn Cougars |
| East | Newcastle Falcons | 85 – 78 | Sutherland Sharks |

#### Men

| Conference | Champion | Result | Runner-up |
| South | Eltham Wildcats | 79 – 70 | Ballarat Miners |
| North | Mackay Meteors | 2 – 0 (91–79, 102–80) | Brisbane Capitals |
| Central | Forestville Eagles | 92 – 90 | South Adelaide Panthers |
| West | Mandurah Magic | 91 – 89 | Willetton Tigers |
| East | Maitland Mustangs | 86 – 67 | Canberra Gunners |

## National Finals

The 2024 NBL1 National Finals took place at the University of the Sunshine Coast and Caloundra Indoor Stadium on the Sunshine Coast from Friday 16 August and Sunday 18 August.
The 2023 defending champions, the Bendigo Braves women and the Knox Raiders men, earned automatic qualification into the 2024 NBL1 National Finals. Joining them in the tournament were the 2024 champions from each of the five conferences. Due to multiple injuries sustained during the grand final series, the North women's champions the Rockhampton Cyclones withdrew from the National Finals. The Southern Districts Spartans subsequently took their place.
The six women's and men's teams were ranked based on their regular season performances while factoring the number of games within a season and the number of NBL/WNBL players and imports within each conference. The three winners from day one, plus the highest ranked loser, progressed to the Semi Finals on day two. The winners of the Semi Finals then played in the Championship Games on day three. The day one match-ups were announced on 11 August, with the women playing at UniSC Arena and the men playing at Caloundra Indoor Stadium. The day two matches saw the women shift to Caloundra while the men shifted to UniSC. The Championship Games on day three were both played at UniSC.
Two South Conference teams were victorious in the Championship Games for the second straight year, with the Waverley Falcons women and Knox Raiders men being crowned NBL1 National champions. The Raiders defended their 2023 title.

### Day One – Friday
#### Women

* Rank #1 vs Rank #6
* 16 August 2024 3:00 pm
* Box score Recap
Rockingham Flames 81, Bendigo Braves 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 23–27, 20–15, 12–21 |||
| Pts: Robbi Ryan 26 Rebs: Nes'eya Parker-Williams 14 Asts: Shani Amos 7 | Pts: Megan McKay 35 Rebs: Megan McKay 18 Asts: Kelly Wilson 17 |
| After Day 1: Rockingham 4th (-8), Bendigo 3rd (+8) |||
* UniSC Arena, Sunshine Coast
* Rank #3 vs Rank #4
* 16 August 2024 5:30 pm
* Box score Recap
Central Districts Lions 78, Southern Districts Spartans 70 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–19, 12–23, 20–8, 26–20 |||
| Pts: Lilly Ritz 23 Rebs: Lilly Ritz 22 Asts: Casey Samuels 5 | Pts: Madelyn Allen 22 Rebs: Kalani Purcell 13 Asts: Kalani Purcell 5 |
| After Day 1: Central Districts 2nd (+8), Southern Districts 5th (-8) |||
* UniSC Arena, Sunshine Coast
* Rank #2 vs Rank #5
* 16 August 2024 8:00 pm
* Box score Recap
Newcastle Falcons 85, Waverley Falcons 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–32, 25–23, 22–28, 16–16 |||
| Pts: Nicole Munger 31 Rebs: Nicole Munger 10 Asts: Elissa Brett 5 | Pts: Renae Mokrzycki 25 Rebs: Carley Ernst 8 Asts: Rebecca Cole 8 |
| After Day 1: Newcastle 6th (-14), Waverley 1st (+14) |||
* UniSC Arena, Sunshine Coast

#### Men

* Rank #2 vs Rank #5
* 16 August 2024 3:30 pm
* Box score Recap
Maitland Mustangs 89, Knox Raiders 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 28–26, 28–22, 13–22 |||
| Pts: William Cranston-Lown 33 Rebs: William Cranston-Lown 8 Asts: Millburn, Cranston-Lown 4 each | Pts: Austin Rapp 21 Rebs: Austin Rapp 12 Asts: Ke'Jhan Feagin 7 |
| After Day 1: Maitland 5th (-10), Knox 2nd (+10) |||
* Caloundra Indoor Stadium, Sunshine Coast
* Rank #3 vs Rank #4
* 16 August 2024 5:30 pm
* Box score Recap
Forestville Eagles 63, Eltham Wildcats 69 :
| Scoring by quarter: 13–13, 13–17, 21–10, 16–29 |||
| Pts: Greg Mays 24 Rebs: Owen Hulland 12 Asts: Brad Rathjen 5 | Pts: Whelan, Agosta 15 each Rebs: Sam Short 10 Asts: Sam Short 9 |
| After Day 1: Forestville 4th (-6), Eltham 3rd (+6) |||
* Caloundra Indoor Stadium, Sunshine Coast
* Rank #1 vs Rank #6
* 16 August 2024 7:30 pm
* Box score Recap
Mackay Meteors 93, Mandurah Magic 82 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–36, 21–12, 29–21, 22–13 |||
| Pts: Aiden Krause 22 Rebs: Aiden Krause 11 Asts: Emmett Naar 13 | Pts: Joel Murray 22 Rebs: Michael Durr 19 Asts: Joel Murray 8 |
| After Day 1: Mackay 1st (+11), Mandurah 6th (-11) |||
* Caloundra Indoor Stadium, Sunshine Coast

### Day Two – Saturday
#### Women

* Semi Final: 2nd vs 3rd
* 17 August 2024 3:30 pm
* Box score Recap
Central Districts Lions 68, Bendigo Braves 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 13–28, 18–16, 15–25, 22–21 |||
| Pts: Jasmin Fejo 19 Rebs: Lilly Ritz 10 Asts: Casey Samuels 6 | Pts: Kasey Burton 20 Rebs: Megan McKay 12 Asts: Kelly Wilson 14 |
* Caloundra Indoor Stadium, Sunshine Coast
* Semi Final: 1st vs 4th
* 17 August 2024 5:30 pm
* Box score Recap
Waverley Falcons 97, Rockingham Flames 74 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 32–14, 15–19, 25–14 |||
| Pts: Carley Ernst 24 Rebs: Ernst, Mokrzycki 9 each Asts: McKenzie Forbes 8 | Pts: Emma Gandini 18 Rebs: Nes'eya Parker-Williams 9 Asts: Georgia Pineau 6 |
* Caloundra Indoor Stadium, Sunshine Coast
* 5th vs 6th
* 17 August 2024 7:30 pm
* Box score Recap
Southern Districts Spartans 85, Newcastle Falcons 75 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 21–14, 19–23, 21–18 |||
| Pts: Madelyn Allen 23 Rebs: Emily Preston 13 Asts: Derksen, Allen, Purcell 5 each | Pts: Elissa Brett 20 Rebs: Nicole Munger 13 Asts: Nicole Munger 7 |
* Caloundra Indoor Stadium, Sunshine Coast

#### Men

* Semi Final: 2nd vs 3rd
* 17 August 2024 2:00 pm
* Box score Recap
Knox Raiders 90, Eltham Wildcats 66 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 22–15, 22–16, 22–15 |||
| Pts: Ke'Jhan Feagin 16 Rebs: Austin Rapp 9 Asts: Ke'Jhan Feagin 7 | Pts: Sam Short 15 Rebs: Sam Short 7 Asts: Sam Short 10 |
* UniSC Arena, Sunshine Coast
* Semi Final: 1st vs 4th
* 17 August 2024 4:30 pm
* Box score Recap
Mackay Meteors 95, Forestville Eagles 80 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–28, 22–19, 25–22, 19–11 |||
| Pts: Amarco Doyle 26 Rebs: Aiden Krause 14 Asts: Emmett Naar 13 | Pts: Daniel Johnson 32 Rebs: Daniel Johnson 10 Asts: Adam Doyle 5 |
* UniSC Arena, Sunshine Coast
* 5th vs 6th
* 17 August 2024 7:00 pm
* Box score Recap
Maitland Mustangs 98, Mandurah Magic 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 17–31, 31–25, 27–20 |||
| Pts: Matthew Gray 25 Rebs: Christian Little 14 Asts: Christian Little 6 | Pts: Molnar, Pesava 28 each Rebs: Bertram, Easley 9 each Asts: Julian Pesava 8 |
* UniSC Arena, Sunshine Coast

### Day Three – Sunday
#### Championship Games
##### Women
###### Rosters

Bendigo Braves :
| # | Player |
| Starters ||
| 5 | Kasey Burton |
| 6 | Cassidy McLean |
| 14 | Madeline Sexton |
| 22 | Kelly Wilson (C) |
| 25 | Megan McKay |
| Reserves ||
| 1 | Caitlin Richardson |
| 3 | Poppy Blanch |
| 4 | Meg McCarthy |
| 10 | Jessie Rennie |
| 17 | Jessica Mangan |
| Pos | Coach |
| HC | Mark Alabakov |
| AC | Nathan Batchelor |
| AC | Andrea Walsh |
Waverley Falcons :
| # | Player |
| Starters ||
| 1 | Amelia Todhunter |
| 2 | Rebecca Cole |
| 5 | McKenzie Forbes |
| 11 | Carley Ernst |
| 23 | Renae Mokrzycki (C) |
| Reserves ||
| 0 | Emma Povh |
| 3 | Meg Crupi |
| 8 | Sophia Locandro |
| 9 | Liana Kinkela |
| 10 | Mia Parsons |
| 13 | Hayley Joyner |
| Pos | Coach |
| HC | Elias Palioyiannis |
| AC | Lisa Ewin |

###### Game summary

* Kayo Sports
* 18 August 2024 11:00 am
* Box score Recap Highlights
Bendigo Braves 49, Waverley Falcons 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 10–25, 12–30, 9–15, 18–27 |||
| Pts: Megan McKay 12 Rebs: Megan McKay 12 Asts: Cassidy McLean 4 | Pts: Rebecca Cole 33 Rebs: Renae Mokrzycki 13 Asts: McKenzie Forbes 5 |
| Waverley wins NBL1 National Championship |||
* UniSC Arena, Sunshine Coast MVP: Rebecca Cole (Falcons)

##### Men
###### Rosters

Knox Raiders :
| # | Player |
| Starters ||
| 5 | Brody Nunn |
| 9 | Malith Machar |
| 10 | Ke'Jhan Feagin (C) |
| 14 | Kyle Bowen |
| 22 | Austin Rapp |
| Reserves ||
| 1 | Anzac Rissetto |
| 8 | Jacob Foy |
| 15 | Madut Akec |
| 21 | Dylan Hare |
| 43 | Tyrone Simos-Primerano |
| Pos | Coach |
| HC | Matthew Nunn |
| AC | Brayon Blake |
| AC | Brenton O'Brien |
Mackay Meteors :
| # | Player |
| Starters ||
| 3 | Emmett Naar (C) |
| 4 | Aiden Krause |
| 19 | Luca Yates |
| 32 | Amarco Doyle |
| 33 | Christian Maran |
| Reserves ||
| 0 | Jerron Jamerson |
| 2 | Kye Medhurst |
| 5 | Mason Khalu |
| 13 | Kobey Sager |
| 15 | Brad Rasmussen |
| Pos | Coach |
| HC | Joel Khalu |
| AC | Troy Brown |
| AC | Nathan Arousi |

###### Game summary

* Kayo Sports
* 18 August 2024 1:30 pm
* Box score Recap Highlights
Knox Raiders 87, Mackay Meteors 84 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–25, 27–24, 20–15, 25–20 |||
| Pts: Kyle Bowen 24 Rebs: Kyle Bowen 15 Asts: Brody Nunn 9 | Pts: Emmett Naar 21 Rebs: Narr, Yates 10 each Asts: Emmett Naar 18 |
| Knox wins NBL1 National Championship |||
* UniSC Arena, Sunshine Coast MVP: Kyle Bowen (Raiders)

### All-Star Five
#### Women

* Rebecca Cole (Waverley Falcons)
* Megan McKay (Bendigo Braves)
* Lilly Ritz (Central Districts Lions)
* Robbi Ryan (Rockingham Flames)
* Kelly Wilson (Bendigo Braves)

#### Men

* Kyle Bowen (Knox Raiders)
* Amarco Doyle (Mackay Meteors)
* Ke'Jhan Feagin (Knox Raiders)
* Aiden Krause (Mackay Meteors)
* Emmett Naar (Mackay Meteors)