2020 Harbour Breeze Sal’s NBL Championship winning team members Brooke Blair and Ashleigh Kelman-Poto had mixed results in the opening week of the Australian NBL1 North season.

Ash top scored for Red City Roar making 11 points but the Brisbane club were thumped 95-37 by Logan Thunder.

In contrast Brooke Blair and the Brisbane Capitals got off to a winning start. Brooke scored a game high 23 points, and also snared 4 steals, as the Capitals beat Northside Wizards 82-65.

Micaela Cocks made a successful return to basketball following the birth of daughter Hazel and made an immediate impact as Townsville Flames edged Mackay Meteorettes 56-52. Micaela played 33 minutes in her first game since 2019 posting 14 points and 7 rebounds in the Australian NBL1 North clash.

In Men’s NBL1 Mitch Dance continues to post big numbers. The former Rosmini and Harbour standout scored a team high 28 points, and pulled down 11 rebounds, as Albury Wodonga defeated Waverley Falcons 94-82.

Penina Davidson, Basketball New Zealand’s Female Player of the Year has signed on for a further season with the Melbourne Boomers for the 2021-22 Australian National Basketball League season.

Now to the NZ NBL:

On Sunday, at Trusts Arena Sky Sport Auckland Huskies were beaten by a sharp shooting Southland Sharks outfit 107-82. The Sharks scored with their first five shots from beyond the three-point arc to establish a 20-4 lead from which the Huskies never fully recovered.

Zach Riley and Sean Murphy were two of the better performers for the Huskies. Sean recorded his second double-double of the season adding 11 rebounds to 14 points while Zach scored 9 points.

For the Sharks Brayden Inger, who has played in Western Australia for the past couple of years, made a strong impression with 13 points to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

48 hours earlier the Franklin Bulls had beaten the Sharks 82-73 with the Harbour duo of Jaylen Gerrand and Joseph Nunag making telling contributions. The pair combined to make 10 from 18 from the field for 12 and 17 points respectively.

Jono Janssen was massive for Hawkes Bay logging 23 points and 8 rebounds as the Hawks squeezed home 82-80 against Nelson Giants.

Also coming up big was Jack Salt as his 22 points and 14 rebounds helped pave the way for an 88-78 come from behind Canterbury Rams win against the Huskies in Christchurch on Friday – Alex Talma also chipped in with a valuable 11 points.