Eight Indigenous players will vie a spot in the NBL1 North basketball grand finals when the semi-finals are played this weekend in Queensland.
West Australian Keanu Pinder had a big game for Northside Wizards in the quarter-final against Mackay Meteors which went into overtime with a final score of 98-96.
Pinder, who returned from the Australian Boomers squad in Jakarta, had an impressive game with 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocks. Also on his team is quick guard Deshawn Ross-Paiwan.
Northside Wizards will play Tidjane Diop's top seed Gold Coast Rollers. The Rollers defeated Logan Thunder in the QF in an overtime game, 102-100.
In the other men's semi-final game, there are three Indigenous players - Verle Williams starting for USC (Suncoast) with veterans Curt Ahwang and Deba George coming off the bench for Cairns Marlins.
Marlins coach Kerry Williams is the only Indigenous coach in the NBL1 North competition.
Williams said the mindset of the team would remain the same - to play hard and as a group.
"There's a good balance of youth and veterans, especially with the vast experience of George and Ahwang coming off the bench," he said.
USC defeated Darwin Salties 89-86 in a close game. Yet there was another overtime game between Marlins and Ipswich Force with scores at 94 to 91.
The top four women's teams were strong and won with large margins.
Logan Thunder defeated Cairns Dolphins 90-62, Southern Districts Spartans defeated USC 93-59, Townsville Flames defeated Mackay Meteorettes 97-77 and Brisbane Capitals defeated Northside Wizards 81-66.
Two Indigenous female players will participate in the semi-finals on the weekend - Indiah Bowyer, shooting guard for Logan Thunder, was great coming off the bench to score 15 points and grab six boards.
WNBL Northern Territory star Abby Cubillo, Brisbane's point guard, led her team with 17 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Indigenous tipsters, Naomi Moke and Michael Cedar, when asked separately which teams would win they both selected the same teams.
Both tipsters have come through the ranks and have represented Queensland as juniors and played in the top tier basketball - WNBL and NBL.
MOKE AND CEDAR TIPS
Northside Wizards - has more experience and depth off the bench. Win by 8-12 points.
Cairns Marlins - experienced and know how to close out games, especially finals. Win by 4-10 points.
Logan Thunder - in-form team all year by a mile. Win by 20-28 points.
Townsville Flames - peaking at the right time of year. Win by 3-8 points.
Nationally, NBL1 will have other finals occurring with competitions in the East, South, West, Central and Wildcard.
Story by Velma Gara
