Eagle Abbey Ellis' 40-piece shafts Miners' season

• Abbey Ellis scored 40 points as Diamond Valley beat Ballarat 99-85
• Harrison Froling put up 39 points on 14-of-18 shooting for Dandenong
• Eight qualifying finals follow on August 1 and 2 across Victoria

Abbey Ellis scored 40 points on 14-of-23 shooting to carry Diamond Valley into the next round of the NBL1 South finals, one of three winners across the weekend to finish on exactly 99 points.

Four elimination finals were played on July 25 and July 26, 2026, two in the women's competition and two in the men's. Diamond Valley, Dandenong and Sandringham all landed on 99. Melbourne, the fourth winner, took a different route entirely: 8 points in a quarter and a 14-point win anyway.

NBL1 SOUTH WOMEN

Diamond Valley Eagles 99-85 Ballarat

Elimination Final 1, Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre.

Diamond Valley beat Ballarat 99-85 at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre on July 25, 2026, and Ellis was the game.

The guard played 38:14 and finished with 40 points, 7 assists and 2 rebounds, shooting 14-of-23 from the field, 7-of-14 from three and 5-of-7 at the line. She carried an efficiency rating of 37, the highest of any woman across the two games.

She was not alone. Shannon Dufficy added 17 points in 18 minutes on 7-of-12 shooting. Captain Erin Riley managed 3 points but Alex Sharp filled the sheet with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, and Sophie Byrnes went 3-of-3 for 7 points in under 14 minutes.

Diamond Valley shot 51.4% from the field and 13-of-31 from three.

Ballarat had answers and not enough of them. Malia Fisher was superb with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 11 rebounds. Captain Abigail Wehrung added 21 points and 7 assists, and Constance Hobby had 17 points and 7 rebounds. Ballarat out-rebounded Diamond Valley 43-32 and still lost by 14, undone by 20 turnovers against their opponent's 12.

Ballarat led no quarter. Diamond Valley took the first 24-18 and never gave the lead back.

Melbourne Tigers 75-61 Mt Gambier

Elimination Final 2, Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.

The strangest scoreline of the round belonged to Melbourne, who beat Mt Gambier 75-61 at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on July 25, 2026.

Melbourne opened with 23 points in the first quarter, then scored 8 in the second. Mt Gambier won that quarter 24-8 and led 36-31 at the main break. Melbourne then outscored them 44-25 across the second half.

Shuyu Yang was the difference with 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 35:14. Hannah Giddey added 15 points on 6-of-9. Mingling Chen had 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, and Isabella Brancatisano contributed 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Captain Charlotte Brancatisano scored 3 points and handed out 6 assists.

Mt Gambier shot 33.3% from the field and 4-of-23 from three. Captain Carla Pitman played all 40 minutes for 4 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Ti'Ian Boler led their scoring with 15.

NBL1 SOUTH MEN

Sandringham Sabres 99-91 Casey Cavaliers

Elimination Final 1, Southern Basketball Stadium.

Sandringham needed a fourth quarter to beat Casey 99-91 at Southern Basketball Stadium on July 26, 2026, and they got a decisive one, winning the period 18-9.

Casey had led 29-21 after the first quarter and were still in front 82-81 with a quarter to play. From there they scored 9 points.

Malith Machar top-scored for Sandringham with 34 on 12-of-18 shooting and 6-of-10 from three. Kyle Adnam added 30 points and 7 assists, days after his NBL1-record 70-point game for the same club. Captain Kyle Bowen had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks as Sandringham blocked 7 shots in total.

David Barlow is listed in the box score as both Sandringham's head coach and as a player, logging 5:50 with 2 rebounds and an assist.

Casey were led by captain Preston Bungei with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Jesse Ghee scored 20, and Ibrahima Diallo posted 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Dandenong Rangers 99-92 Kilsyth

Elimination Final 2, Dandenong Basketball Stadium.

Harry Froling produced the most efficient line of the round in Dandenong's 99-92 win against Kilsyth at Dandenong Basketball Stadium on July 25, 2026.

Froling scored 39 points on 14-of-18 shooting, including 7-of-9 from three, and added 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 38:14. His efficiency rating was 47.

Joe Palmer backed him with 21 points and 8 rebounds, Sam Davidson had 14 and Ryan Rapp 13 off the bench. Jashua Kunen Gatbel pulled 13 rebounds. Dandenong shot 52.7% and made 13 threes at 44.8%.

Kilsyth were not far away. Hamish MacDonald went 11-of-13 from the field for 24 points with 10 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks, and Angus Glover added 22 points. Captain Adrian Tomada had 9 assists.

Kilsyth won the final quarter 31-27. They had left themselves too much to do after Dandenong's 28-19 second.

Why it's important

Three winners on 99 points is the headline number, but the pattern underneath it matters more heading into next weekend. Every team that advanced did its damage in a specific window rather than across four quarters: Diamond Valley in the first, Dandenong in the second, Sandringham and Melbourne in the second half. In a single-game knockout round, that is a thin margin to rely on twice.

The losing sides can point at the same thing. Kilsyth won the last quarter 31-27 and lost by 7. Casey led 82-81 with 10 minutes left and scored 9 points after it. Ballarat won the rebound count 43-32 and lost by 14.

Key Takeaways

1. Ellis produced the round's biggest scoring night. Forty points on 14-of-23 shooting in a knockout game, with 7 assists alongside it. Diamond Valley's women now travel to Montmorency Secondary College to face Eltham.
2. Froling posted the round's best efficiency figure. 14-of-18 from the field and 7-of-9 from three returned an efficiency rating of 47, the highest across the four games. Dandenong's men also head to Montmorency, to face Eltham.
3. Casey were a quarter away. They led 82-81 with 10 minutes to play, then scored 9 points and lost by 8. Their women's side plays Waverley on the Sunday.
4. Three winners finished on exactly 99 points. Diamond Valley, Dandenong and Sandringham all landed on the same number on the same weekend, in three separate games across two competitions.

What's Next

Eight qualifying finals are scheduled across August 1 and 2, 2026, all times AEST.

Saturday, August 1

• Eltham Wildcats v Diamond Valley Eagles, women, 6:00pm, Montmorency Secondary College
• Melbourne Tigers v TBC, men, 6:30pm, Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
• Knox Raiders v Melbourne Tigers, women, 7:00pm, State Basketball Centre
• Keilor Thunder v Sandringham Sabres, women, 7:00pm, Keilor Stadium
• Nunawading Spectres v Keilor Thunder, men, 7:00pm, Nunawading Basketball Centre
• Frankston Blues v Knox Raiders, men, 7:00pm, Jubilee Park Stadium
• Eltham Wildcats v Dandenong Rangers, men, 8:00pm, Montmorency Secondary College

Sunday, August 2

• Waverley Falcons v Casey Cavaliers, women, 1:00pm, Waverley Basketball Centre

The men's fixture at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre was still listed as TBC at the time of publication.