Peatling and Olbrich NBL1 Champs

The Knox Raiders won NBL1 South championship on Saturday night with 90-86 win over the Sandringham Sabres.

Mason Peatling adding eight points, six boards, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

While the Raiders finished the regular season on top of the standings, it was the Sabres who beat them 97-90 in the qualifying final which saw them move straight into the preliminary final.

Knox had to do it the hard way but did beat the Eltham Wildcats and then the Mount Gambier Pioneers on the road in the preliminary final to earn another crack at Sandringham who qualified for the Grand Final with the home win over the Diamond Valley Eagles.

It's a third championship for Knox on the back of the triumphs in the SEABL in 1991 and 2009 with the Raiders also now qualifying for the National Finals next weekend in Perth.

The West Adelaide Bearcats have held their nerve despite having to dive into their bench early to hold off a late charge from the Forestville Eagles in a solid 95-106.

MVP went to Lachlan Olbrich who announced himself on the biggest stage of the season with a near triple-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.

The Bearcats add to their illustrious legendary record as a club with title number 16 and their first since 2017 – they are a fighting fury at Bearcat land ready to take it to the Raiders and the other Men’s NBL1 Champions.