2 September
Kym Cheeseman
Canberra, New South Wales - The 2025 Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 National Finals in Canberra brought together the very best of Australia’s state level basketball competition. Our Knox Raiders women secured the national crown in a dominant performance, whilst the Waverley Falcons women and the Sandringham Sabres men competed hard on the big stage.
Raiders complete perfect double
Knox cemented their place as the country’s top women’s team with a 93–72 win over the previously unbeaten Cockburn Cougars in the Women’s Championship Game. Having ended Geelong United’s flawless season in the NBL1 South Grand Final, the Raiders repeated the dose against Cockburn on the national stage.
Championship Game MVP Paige Bradley guided the team with 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds, while Rachel Bell bravely played through a shoulder injury to add 14. Agnes Emma-Nnopu (13 points, 13 rebounds) and captain Kiera Glover (13 points, four threes) were also pivotal in a 14–0 third-quarter run that sealed the contest.
The victory extended Knox’s winning streak to 17 games and underlined their remarkable depth. There was further acknowledgement with Kristy Wallace and Alicia Froling earning NBL1 All-Star Five honours across the weekend.
Final Score: Knox Raiders 93 (Bradley 15, Bell 14, Emma-Nnopu 13, Glover 13) d. Cockburn Cougars 72 (Edwards 28, Gorman 16, Mortensen 15)
Falcons almost do enough
The women’s defending national champions returned to the NBL1 National Finals, albeit missing a couple of key pieces. Despite this, the Falcons were strong early against the NBL1 North Champions – Logan Thunder, jumping to an early double figure lead. Sadly, for the Falcons they couldn’t hold that lead, eventually going down to Logan in the closing stages.
Final Score: Logan Thunder 85 (Scott 27, Heremaia 23, Cann 16) d. Waverley Falcons 81 (Shumate 22, Mokrzycki 21, Batsch 14)
In their final matchup, the Falcons played against the Knox Raiders. It was an impressive display from Waverley taking it upto the eventual national champions. McCarthy came up big for Waverley, but it wasn’t enough against the strength and depth of the Raiders lineup.
Final Score: Knox Raiders 62 (Froling 20, Wallace 14, Glover 10) d. Waverley Falcons 52 (McCarthy 14, Shumate 14, Batsch10)
Sabres fight to the finish
On the men’s side, the Sandringham Sabres carried the momentum of their fairytale NBL1 South championship run into the National Finals. Despite missing key stars, Ben Ayre, Fabijan Krslovic, Dane Pineau and CJ Asuncion-Byrd they pushed the Canberra Gunners to the wire in a 99–98 opening-night thriller.
Tom Koppens shone with 25 points on 11/15 shooting, while Elliott Brown (28 points, seven assists) and Malith Machar (17 points) gave the Sabres every chance. Ultimately, a mid-range jumper from Derek Emelifeonwu cemented the win for Canberra in the dying seconds.
Final Score: Canberra Gunners 99 (Mayfield 22, Emelifeonwu 20, Morison 17) d. Sandringham Sabres 98 (Brown 28, Koppens 25, Machar 17).
Koppens’ efforts were rewarded with selection in the Men’s All-Star Five, confirming Sandringham’s place among the nation’s elite after a stunning postseason surge.
Knox’s historic double and Sandringham’s spirited rise ensured Victoria’s talent was at the heart of another memorable Nationals.
As Victorian basketball wraps up many of the leagues for 2025, we can’t wait to see what 2026 brings!
For more NBL1 South information, click below.
