Darwin Salties record their biggest win of the year over the Brisbane Capitals in Round 6 of NBL1 North
The Darwin Salties recorded their biggest win and total score for the season as the ladies netted 13 of the last 15 points to storm home. But their sixth successive victory came at a cost.
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The Darwin Salties men’s team has found consistency in the W column for the first time this season, blasting the battling Brisbane Capitals off the court with long range precision, winning by 26 points in a total non-event at the Croc Pot.
The Marrara marauders, whose form has been patchy compared to their 6-0 Saltie sisters so far in NBL1 North, banked consecutive wins for the first time, belting the visitors 117-91 on Saturday night.
It was a historic night for the men – decked out in pink for breast cancer awareness – recording their biggest win, total score and tally of three pointers (21) this year.
Their round 6 triumph capped off a Saturday night scoring fest with big numbers also produced in the women’s encounter earlier in the evening.
Led by co-captain Jerron Jamerson (12 points, four boards in the opening half), who was quiet against Townsville Heat a week ago, the Salties produced an offensive extravaganza built upon bulk threes and showstopping dunks from Makuach Maluach and Deng Riak.
In fact, the Salties had already nailed their highest number of threes in a game for the season (16) with four minutes to run in the third term.
Coming off a 10-point final quarter against the Heat, Deba George’s right hand remained white-hot, draining his first four attempts from outside the arc, and knocking down eight for the match (24 points, four assists).
Jamerson delivered some of his trademark drives to the basket as the Salties boasted an even spread of scorers, shooting at nearly 70 per cent from the field at one stage.
Sean Macdonald (21 points, nine assists) also rediscovered his mojo after an off night against the Heat, and was equally aggressive hunting the ball.
The visitors enjoyed brief moments of offensive spark – including a six-point run in the second term – but it was like dousing a house fire with a garden hose as the 15th placed Caps battled to find synergy in their attacking half.
Eclipsing their round 3 score of 115 against the Rockhampton Rockets, senior coach Matt Flinn also got valuable game time into his bench players with Dan Babb and Chol Adup joining the three-point spree.
Territorian Clayton Jewell also showed glimpses of what might come later in the season.
Malok Majak’s 24-point, seven-rebound game was close to a lone hand in the face of a crushing defeat.
Injury to Catherine MacGregor the only downer from sixth successive victory
The Darwin Salties women’s team has banked six wins on the bounce, sweeping the in-form Brisbane Capitals aside late to win 92-84 and solidify second place on the NBL1 North ladder.
The now 6-0 Salties, who went into the game without star Ruby Porter to sickness and lost Catherine MacGregor to injury after 11 influential points in the first term, dominated the final quarter (18-8) to knock off the third-placed Capitals.
The home team would score 13 of the final 15 points to turn a possible loss into a relatively comfortable victory.
It was arguably the Salties’ best performance of the year, coming up against a Queensland outfit on a four-game streak with an average winning margin of 30 points over the past three.
However, successive clutch three-balls to Erin Bollman, Sophie Johnston and Chelsea Brook late flipped a three-point deficit into an 88-82 buffer with 33 seconds to play.
It had been a high scoring, high octane affair, with the 31-29 quarter time score line the biggest seen at the Croc Pot this season, for either the men or women.
There were a stack of lead changes where the biggest margin was eight points; a buffer both teams enjoyed at different stages.
For the victors, Brook was in peerless form in the opening half, shooting 18 points and going at 100 per cent for the majority of play, including 4-5 from beyond the arc.
She would eventually collect 25 points and eight rebounds and assists in a pure captain’s performance while Bollmann continued her hot form with 21 points, six boards and eight assists.
For the Capitals, Mia Loyd was untouchable with 26 points and four assists for the half, with the visitors extremely slick at the offensive end.
However, both teams would be cruelled with injury early as MacGregor suffered what was thought to be an ankle injury while Territory product and Capitals star Abby Cubillo hobbled off with a game-ending leg issue.
Bollmann was crafty as ever, picking out Tsubasa Nisbet and Skye Rees for lay-ups with absolute bullet passes, while Johnston landed an absolute bomb from way beyond the arc.
Cubillo’s former teammate at Tracy Village, Kylie Duggan, also had her moments, converting a layup after stealing the ball in transition and a three-pointer.
Both acts would reclaim the lead for the home team.
Salties reel in 17-point deficit to stun Townsville Heat
The Darwin Salties have pulled off one of the biggest heists in their short history, an 11th hour surge led by the Marrara magician Makuach Maluach overwhelming a young and depleted Townsville Heat by five points.
The game looked done and dusted early in the fourth term with the below-par visitors trailing by 17 in what shaped as the biggest boilover of Round 5 in NBL1 North.
With a misfiring Sean Macdonald, and co-captain Jerron Jamerson struggling to get into the game, the Salties would suddenly conjure a 14-point run with Viliami Foketi’s three-ball the icing on the sweetest of cakes for senior coach Matt Flinn, winning 91-86.
Maluach (32 points, 11 rebounds) and Deba George (23) caught alight late in the contest while Foketi enjoyed his best offensive display in a Salties singlet with a pair of threes and a dunk.
The Salties outscored the Heat 34-14 in the final term in a stunning comeback, 14 of those coming from Maluach and 10 to George.
Despite a brilliant 33-point game from Ethan Betts, and some late, tough points to Marshall Wilson, the home team blew a golden opportunity to score an upset win with three of their best missing in action: Marcellus Garrick, Luca Yates and Matt Rees.
A testy affair would spill over into the post-match with heated words thrown between both sides.
Earlier, coming off a sedate evening against Cairns Marlins 24 hours prior, Maluach exploded in the first term at Townsville StarFM Stadium.
With 90 seconds remaining in the opening stanza, the Sydney-born superstar had already surpassed his 12 points from the previous night at Early Settler Stadium, while pulling down five rebounds.
Maluach was also precise, shooting 4-5 from the field.
And Darwin were lucky to have him with Macdonald’s radar off, going 0-4 in the first term and 1-7 for the half.
Townsville was offensively precise as the Salties were defensively grim; Betts leading the charge with 18 first half points to stun not only the Salties but their own fans.
At one stage, the Heat were shooting at nearly 60 per cent closing in on half time as the Salties’ offensive efficiency dipped below 30 and lost the battle in the paint.
A disappointing half was topped off with a technical foul against Flinn after pleading his case with the referee a little too forcefully.
Down by nine at the main break (50-41), Macdonald started to have more of a say setting up play despite lacking numbers in the points column.
And while George delivered from outside the perimeter, the Salties struggled to orchestrate anything resembling an offensive run that would shift momentum
However, that would suddenly change early in the fourth as the Salties pulled off the most unlikely of victories.
Darwin Salties women’s team go 5-0 after surviving thriller in Townsville
The Darwin Salties women’s team has dodged a bullet to record their fifth consecutive victory in NBL1 North, edging past Townsville Flames by three points.
In an uber tense final minute, the Flames had a chance to shoot a three-ball and thieve the win with seconds left on the clock after a Majella Carey steal.
However, the home side lost all poise in transition, the Salties able to regather the ball after a wild throw.
Sophie Johnston would then drop her second foul shot to push the Salties clear with just seconds remaining.
The Flames yet again couldn’t move the ball with enough precision to threaten the basket one last time, losing 66-63.
It capped off a magnificent 2-0 road trip for the Salties and their star, Erin Bollmann.
After racking up big numbers the previous night (14 points, 12 boards, nine assists, five steals), Bollmann would collect nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals to go with her 16 points (at 66 per cent accuracy).
Tsubasa Nisbet also had one of her best nights in a Salties singlet, collecting a game-high 13 boards and 10 points while Chelsea Brook had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Earlier, Darwin again trailed at the first break, albeit by three points, before the Salties hit back with a 14-8 second quarter.
The Salties stepped out to an 11-point lead in the third quarter through a Catherine MacGregor layup.
But the Flames would go a 12-point run to take the lead at the last break.
However, Ruby Porter would step up with eight of her 10 points for the match to help keep Townsville at bay.
Darwin Salties struggle against Cairns Marlins for the second time in a month
The Darwin Salties have suffered another fade out against their new nemesis, the Cairns Marlins, going down 90-73 on the road on Friday night.
The home team had held a one-point buffer at the main break in Round 5 NBL1 North action at Early Settler Stadium.
However, for the second time this month, the Salties could not conjure offensive power when it counted, outscored 39-23 in the second half as the engine room of Sean Macdonald, Makuach Maluach and Jerron Jamerson kept scoreless in the final quarter.
In a similar tale to Round 2, where the Salties were outgunned 33-13 in the final quarter to cough up an 18-point lead, the trio were kept to just six points total in the second half.
With just over five minutes to play and trailing by a gettable seven points, Maluach’s dunk attempt went askew which could have given his team a much needed spark.
However, the sixth-placed Salties would score just three more points for the night, via the hand of Josh Spiers, as any thoughts of a late surge evaporated.
Ky Stattmann was unstoppable for the home team, dropping 36 points and collecting nine rebounds while Jonah Antonio was lethal from outside the perimeter (4/6) to collect 18 points at a shooting percentage of just under 64 per cent.
He took on the Curt Ah Wang role of four weeks’ ago who drained six from eight attempts as the Marlins stormed home to silence the Croc Pot.
Ex-Saltie Tad Dufelmeier was kept relatively quiet compared to his triumphant return to Marrara in Round 2, but still had a team-high five assists and seven boards to go with his 13 points.
It was a quiet night offensively across the board for the Salties, with Maluach, Macdonald, Jamerson and Deba George collecting 12 each.
George had plenty of opportunities to bridge the gap but dropped just five of his 20 attempts.
The Marlins’ twin wins this year have both come at the expense of Darwin.
The Salties play the tenth-placed Townsville Heat on Saturday night.
Darwin Salties women’s team goes 4-0 in Cairns crushing
A debut finals berth in NBL1 North is slowly becoming a reality for the Darwin Salties women’s team who are now 4-0 after crushing Cairns Dolphins 92-69 in their biggest win for the season.
The victory was led by Catherine MacGregor who shot a game-high 25 points as the Salties took a quarter time lead for the first time this year, a buffer of five points.
MacGregor had 10 points for the opening term to set the tone for the remainder of the match.
A 23-14 third term proved decisive as the Salties shot out to a 17-point lead at the last break.
The second placed Salties had crushed the Dolphins at home by 15 points on April 1.
Meanwhile, Jess Boundy has continued her hot recent form coming off the bench, shooting 100 per cent after draining all of her four attempts.
While Erin Bollmann improved her shooting percentage compared to last round, she was again instrumental with 12 rebounds, nine assists and five steals.
Bollmann is second in the competition for assists, averaging seven a game and is fourth for steals.
The Salties take on eighth-placed Townsville Flames on Saturday night.
The secrets behind the Darwin Salties’ 3-0 start to the season
Improved depth is underpinning a stronger, calmer Darwin Salties women’s team who have overcome three poor starts to maintain a spotless record in NBL1 North, their happy coach Rod Tremlett says.
The second-placed, 3-0 Salties will embark on their first road trip this weekend, taking on Cairns Dolphins Friday night – who they dispatched in Round 2 – and Townsville Flames.
It comes amid a sizeable turnover of the squad during the off-season, with Tyla Cubillo, Tikesa Docherty Cole, Teyla Evans, Kirra Hill-Carter, April Rummery-Lamb, Amelia Short, Serena Waters and Erin Bollmann replacement Lauren Heard gone from the inaugural 2022 team.
In has come Catherine MacGregor, Tsubasa Nisbet, Sophie Palmer, Skye Rees, Abbey-Lee Wood and Sophie Johnston.
And Tremlett believes the result is greater depth and resilience in 2023, evidenced by two games in particular.
The Salties have managed to get the job done without input from Chelsea Brook in Round 2 (shooting 1-9) while star duo Bollmann and Ruby Porter had just 17 points between them against Rockhampton.
Tremlett has “absolutely no doubt” the Salties are a much stronger unit with his coaching panel able to tinker with their starting five — going into the Rockhampton match with Johnston on the pine.
“She’s an elite level shooter,” Tremlett said of the 25-year-old former Gold Coast Roller.
“Somebody of her calibre being on the bench (highlights the depth). We’re in pretty good shape.”
He said that “genuine depth” has also helped the Salties recover from first quarter blowouts, too, with the Salties trailing by 19, nine and 11-point deficits in each of its first terms.
“There’s no panic,” he said.
“We’re not clutching at straws because of the depth of the bench.”
Catherine MacGregor has also been a solid contributor with an average of 12 points per game, just behind Bollmann (18) and Porter (14), while Rees is third for blocks and assists.
Against the Cyclones, Jess Boundy was injected into the game with the Salties down by 11 points, bombing a pair of three pointers: “That shows great growth from her from last year.”
However, he hoped Darwin would eventually break the habit of slow starts.
“We can’t keep doing that,” he said.
“You can dig a hole for yourself and not get out of it.
“We can’t really put our finger on what it is, our warm ups have been good.
“I’m not too worried about it at the moment.”
However, Territory product Claire-Maree Hunt could be on the sidelines for up to three months after injuring her shoulder in Round 2 against Cairns.
“She is a very determined young lady, if anyone’s going to get back, it’ll be her,” he said.
“She’s just got a mature approach to everything she does.
“She has high IQ, off the court and on the court.
“Which is why we included her in the leadership group.”
Tremlett has also been impressed by the contributions of “great teammate” Tsubasa Nisbet, who is tracking third for rebounds.
“The thing with Tsubasa is, you might look at her statline at the end of the game and say: ‘It’s a so-so game’, but she does so many of those intangibles off the ball,” he said.
“(She’s) a really good connector of a team.”
In a further change from last season, the Salties will travel to Queensland the day before their Cairns clash, after some players struggled with travelling on red eye flights the morning of a match.
“The club has invested in that which is great, it’ll make a huge difference,” he said.
Darwin Salties skipper Jerron Jamerson scores 11 consecutive points
Eleven consecutive, second term points from inspirational co-captain Jerron Jamerson has helped erase the demons of a nightmare Round 2 loss as the Darwin Salties triumphed 115-95 over the Rockhampton Rockets.
When Wesley Harris nailed a three-pointer inside the first 10 seconds of the final term, cutting the margin to just four, it might have triggered some mild PTSD among local fans who witnessed last round’s horror show.
Just two weeks prior, the Salties had coughed up an 18-point, final quarter lead against the Cairns Marlins to lose by three.
However, Matt Flinn’s men would hold their collective nerve and outscore the Rockets 28-12 from then on to win comfortably by 20 points.
Their second win of the season was largely inspired by Jamerson’s best outing of 2023, landing 29 points and six rebounds as the Salties overcame a stuttering start that saw the Rockets take an early 24-12 lead.
Rockhampton had undeniably played some dazzling hoops, with a Harris dunk and precise shooting across the board, a feature.
Three balls from Sean Macdonald, new Sydney Kings signee Makuach Maluach and a brace to the lively Deba George, kept the Salties in touch.
However, the Territorians would reclaim the lead for the first time through their inspirational skipper.
In just under six minutes, Jamerson would knock down 11 consecutive points, and 18 of the team’s 19 points.
Enjoying his hottest streak of the season, Jamerson would thieve an inbound ball, produce a silky left-handed layup, a dunk and benefit from a white-hot George pass.
Through the uber athletic and accurate Harris, Chier Maker and Jarvis Summers, Rockhampton kept pace with the Salties.
But the home team went to the third term break with late momentum; transitioning the ball after Nikau MucCulloch’s drive to the basket was blocked, a George hook shot with seconds to spare gifted the Salties a seven-point buffer.
With Macdonald off the court for the fourth term with cramp, George continued to step up; two bullet passes to Jamerson would have made Tad Dufelmeier proud, as the Salties wrapped up the contest in emphatic fashion.
George, in his third and best-ever game for the Salties, collected 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Post-match, Macdonald singled out the inspirational performance of Jamerson.
“It was tough to process that loss (against Cairns) … (and) we got smacked in the mouth in the first quarter tonight and we responded really well,” Macdonald said.
“Jerron was awesome tonight.
“His presence, his attack at the rim, going hard in the paint, that’s what we have him for.
“His energy, he gets the crowd going too.”
Darwin Salties women’s team go 3-0
The Darwin Salties women’s team have banked their third win in a row in NBL1 North, shaking off a customary slow start to keep Rockhampton Cyclones at bay, 83-74.
For the third match in succession, the Salties were chasing tail at the first break at Marrara.
However, in a repeat of a fortnight ago, Darwin would bounce back hard and crush the opposition’s offensive output in the second as Chelsea Brook caught alight, dropping five from five beyond the arc.
Catherine MacGregor’s second three for the night iced the game with just 40 seconds on the clock, snuffing out any thought of a late Rockhampton revival.
Darwin were far from spotless, though, beaten by the shot clock on two occasions as star import Erin Bollmann struggled offensively, shooting at an unusually low 20 per cent.
Earlier, the home team were sluggish in their front half with some wild passes from the usually adroit Ruby Porter and Bollmann.
Up the other end the Cyclones were lethal, shooting at 80 per cent for the opening six minutes as they built a 20-9 lead.
With Porter unable to convert a fast break layup while Skye Rees missed the resultant tip in opportunity, it underlined the Salties’ misfiring offence.
In bright green sneakers, Cyclones livewire Elizajane Loader brought some razzle dazzle to proceedings, draining a pair of first term three pointers and letting the crowd know about it, too.
Rockhampton were particularly strong under the basket as the Salties’ offensive system fell down by comparison, Lara McSpadden netting eight points for the quarter.
Fortunately, with Drawin trailing by nine, Jess Boundy was injected into the game and hit successive threes while the impressive Tsubasa Nisbet poured in seven important points.
In a decisive period, the Salties would score the opening seven points of the second quarter to close the gap.
Brook, who was kept quiet in Round 2 against the Cairns Dolphins, shooting 1-9, dropped a three from her first attempt while Bollmann’s jumper put the home team ahead for the first time.
The hot hand of Boundy continued, adding a further two points to her brace of threes before spotting Brook lurking alone outside the perimeter, who nailed the opportunity.
There were flashes of brilliance from Bollmann and Porter, but neither were particular dominant as the Salties refused to relinquish control after half time.
Darwin Salties coach says his team were a “bit selfish” in final quarter fade-out
The Darwin Salties became a “a bit selfish” in a final quarter fade-out against the Cairns Marlins but part of the blame lies with the coaching staff, senior mentor Matt Flinn says.
The Salties had an 18-point lead with nine minutes to play in the NBL1 fixture at the Croc Pots on April 1 before the visitors began bombing threes to eventually win by three points.
It was the opposite of the Territory franchise’s Round 1 win over Southern Districts Spartans, overcoming a four-point half time deficit to outscore the visitors 55-38 to win by 13 points.
The numbers show the Marlins dominated boards (9-5) and assists (7-2) in the last term while the Salties turned the ball over five times.
Former Saltie Tad Dufelmeier was particularly impressive on his return to Marrara, producing four boards and assists, plus two steals, in the last 10 minutes of play.
The Salties take on an 0-2 Rockhampton Rockets on Saturday night.
Flinn told this publication he should have gone “bigger” in the final quarter.
“They counteracted what we were doing and sat in a zone,” Flinn said.
“Instead of trying to go small … we should have played a little bit more Saltie basketball against the zone and gone big.
“We’ve got a guy there Deng Riak who’s six (foot) 11 and can stretch the floor to the three point line.
“We’ve got Nate Jawai who’s seven foot and 140kg who’se devastating against a zone.
“That’s not on the playing group, that’s on the coaching staff.
“As soon as you embrace how good you think you are, you stand still and people catch up.”
Flinn said it was a painful process reviewing the Round 2 match, believing the Salties let the visitors dictate the tempo of the game while falling away defensively.
“I can tell you it still hurts now,” Flinn said.
“Hats off to Cairns in that fourth quarter, they really disrupted us with the pace of the game, and we didn’t handle it.
“Playing for three quarters is not going to win a game of basketball.
“I thought we were a bit selfish throughout that last quarter, we’re at our best when the ball moves … locking people down on defence.”
Flinn said his charges went into “cruise mode” after taking a 19-point lead at half time at Marrara on April 1.
“We took our foot off the pedal,” he said.
“As a coach you put your hand up for that too … I’ve got to own some of that.
“That loss really left a poor taste in my mouth, hopefully it’s really going to drive this group.”
Darwin Salties fade late to lose by three points
A familiar face spoiled the party as the Darwin Salties were overwhelmed by a fast finishing Cairns Marlins in a disaster at Marrara, going down by three points, 87-90, in a bitter loss.
Enjoying an 18-pont buffer with less than a minute into the final term – after the returning Nate Jawai sunk his second foul shot – it looked like the Salties were the safest of bets going 2-0 in NBL1 North.
However, with 13 final quarter points from Travis Drinnan, and a match total of 23 from former Saltie guard Tad Dufelmeier (12 rebounds, five assists), the Marlins stormed home to stun local fans.
The resilient Queenslanders would outscore the Salties 33-13 in the final term in a shocking fade-out for Matt Flinn’s men, with a clutch Curt Ah Wang three pointer putting the visitors up for the first time in the game with 12 seconds left on the clock.
It would be the last of a clutch quintet the Marlins would land in the final five minutes and change of game time.
With mere seconds remaining, co-captain Jerron Jamerson’s sideline pass to Makuach Maluach was fumbled out of play and then Drinnan drained both his shots from the charity stripe to put Cairns in the clear.
Maluach’s hopeful mid-court shot missed the target and the Salties had suddenly dropped the almost unlosable.
Earlier, Dufelmeier’s determination to perform in front of his once adoring fans was clear for all to see; stripping former partner in crime now foe Maluach of the ball with a desperate defensive move, the Canberra product went sliding into the advertising hoardings at the airport end of the stadium.
While that subplot boiled away in the background, it was the fresh offensive combo of Tasmania JackJumper Sean Macdonald and Maluach which really got tongues wagging early at the Croc Pot.
Their dynamite alley-oop was worth the price of admission as the all-heart Jamerson, who began in relatively quiet fashion, injected himself into the narrative with a pair of three-point plays midway through the second.
His first drive to the basket resulted in a blow to the face while his second act – a successful layup – ended with an exuberant hand slap with a courtside fan.
Jamerson, arguably the franchise’s most popular player, delivered the now famous “Saltie Snap” after connecting both foul shots.
But it was Darwin’s own M&M, Maluach and Macdonald, who were responsible for 30 of the Salties’ 52 points to half time, as they often played daring hoops to take a 19-point lead.
Meanwhile, Dufelmeier (13 points) also worked overtime for the Marlins, tallying more than a third of Cairns’ score of 33.
Maluach, after a season with Melbourne United, was lethal at times with his jump shots, while award-winning defensive weapon Viliami Foketi played his role, kicking several in-dispute balls out to players in scoring positions.
However, an incredible three on the buzzer from Ky Stattmann may have earned another friendly hand slap from Jamerson, but it also gave his team belief.
The 19-year-old, plus Jonah Antonio, Dufelmeier, Drinnan and Ah Wang, ultimately revived Cairns’ cause, with the latter draining six three pointers from eight attempts.
Despite some clutch points from Josh Spiers and Macdonald in the dying minutes, the Marlins’ momentum could not be denied.
Darwin Salties women’s team restrict Cairns to just four points in second quarter
A stunning second term from the Darwin Salties women’s team – limiting the Cairns Dolphins to just four points – has underwritten their second successive win in NBL1 North.
Overcoming another so-so start, the Salties went on a tear from the beginning of the second while locking down defensively to eventually win 79-64 at Marrara.
The only downer was a shoulder injury to local recruit Claire-Maree Hunt, who fell awkwardly with just over six minutes left in the contest.
Tracy Village Jets product Jamie-Lee Peris also lasted just over a minute before limping off in the second quarter.
Earlier, after flipping a seven-point deficit into an eight-point lead at quarter time, the Dolphins seemed to have all the answers at the first break.
But they didn’t have Darwin’s star guard Erin Bollmann who almost single-handedly led the home team back into the contest as Chelsea Brook’s scoring output was completely shut down.
The Salties, who came back from a 19-point deficit in round one against Southern Districts, had begun well with moments of sublime synergy between Bollmann and last week’s MVP, Ruby Porter; the former’s rebound was expertly shovelled out for the latter’s three inside the first 40 seconds of play.
The US import was particularly brilliant under the rim while Porter consistently found space, nailing two from beyond the arc for the term.
Then Dolphin and Tall Ferns representative Penina Davidson would step up in a big way for the visitors, collecting seven rebounds and 11 points for the term.
But the script was flipped yet again as the Salties threw some swift, early punches through Catherine MacGregor and Bollmann, erasing the margin within minutes.
The Salties tightened defensively with Bollmann’s crazy attack on the ball saw her collide with a few sideline chairs.
It was arguably Darwin’s best quarter for the season as the Salties outscored the Dolphins 21-4; Bollmann’s three was the icing on a sweet cake for coach Rod Tremlett as the visitors lost all poise.
Unsurprisingly, it was Davidson who would break Cairns’ scoreless streak of more than four minutes of game time.
The Dolphins would gather themselves further in the third to cut the lead to 10 points by the final break, 58-48.
While Brook and Skye Rees struggled to find the net, Bollmann had no such concerns, delivering a pair of sweet lay-ups while a Sophie Palmer three steadied the ship.
Dolphins Teyahna Bond and Myra Donkin began to have an influence in the front half but their offensive work never materialised into a serious challenge.
Whenever Cairns threatened to cut the lead to single digits, the Salties would always have the perfect retort, often coming through the sweet hand of MacGregor, while Tsubasa Nisbet was strong under the basket.
Post-match, Bollmann told fans the lady Salties were a vastly improved unit in 2023: “This is going to be a really good year for us I believe.”
Jerron Jamerson and Makuach Maluach named co-captains for 2023 season
A tweaked game style and shared captaincy between two of the Darwin Salties’ biggest stars could make the difference in 2023, senior coach Matt Flinn says.
The Salties opened their NBL1 North campaign with strong victories in both men’s and women’s divisions at Marrara on March 25, beating the Southern Districts Spartans in Round 1 after missing the competition’s pre-season tournament.
However, new recruit and Tasmania JackJumper Sean Macdonald starred on debut with 30 points – including seven three pointers – as the Salties won 102-89 at the Croc Pot.
The old firm and freshly-minted co-captains Jerron Jamerson and Makuach Maluach also netted 18 and 17 points respectively.
Coach Matt Flinn said his squad overcame a “clunky” first half but it would “take a bit of time to get everyone on the same page”.
The former Illawarra Hawks mentor said he expected a more rounded Maluach in 2023, who dazzled local fans in the franchise’s debut season last year with his offensive skills, already showing more leadership and accountability at the defensive end.
“He’s certainly grown with his basketball IQ,” Flinn said, who maintained Maluach had to be a “two-way player” to make it in the NBL.
Flinn said Maluach, coming off a debut season with Melbourne United, had led the post-game huddle chat about the importance of recovery after their opening round victory.
“We didn’t have that from him last year, I’m really excited to see how he grows in that role,” he said.
“He’s talking from a more measured point of view as a basketballer.”
Meanwhile, Flinn said the Salties would have a focus on swift ball use.
“We’ve got a mantra this year … the ball’s like a hand grenade, once you get it, you’ve got one second to make a decision,” he said.
“You’re either going to score it or move it.
“This year I feel like we’ve got more pieces to attack teams with.”
One of those new weapons is 22-year-old Macdonald, who only had two major training sessions with the Salties before Round 1.
“He’s only going to get better and better … he’s only 22 but his basketball IQ is like a 32-year-old,” Flinn said.
“He’s just going to be a tremendous addition to this team.
“He’s bringing a little bit more leadership from the point position.”
Meanwhile, the women Salties fought back from a 19-point deficit late in the second quarter (27-46) to edge out the Spartans, 80-72.
Leading the scoring was Ruby Porter – returning after a WNBL season with Bendigo Spirit as a development player – with 22 points.
Star point guard Erin Bollmann, in her first game in Salties colours since a wrist injury prematurely ended her 2022 season, also landed 20 points and eight rebounds.
Senior coach Rod Tremlett described the US import as the team’s barometer: “When she’s going well the team’s usually going pretty well.”
He said it was a total team effort to get back into the game after the margin blew out early.
“I loved the way they stood up and shared the load (to hit back). There’s no way we could have got that done with just one or two individuals,” Tremlett said.
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