Griscti shines as Sabres get top spot

New Adelaide 36ers signing Ben Griscti has had a huge weekend in NBL1 Central, sending his Sturt Sabres to the top of the standings after two big wins.

The 211cm big man averaged 28 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks across the double header weekend as Sturt defeated Woodville Warriors and Central District Lions to lock in a double chance playoff berth.

Griscti sparked a second half revival by the Sabres as Sturt fought back from a 16-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat the Warriors 106-93 at St Clair on Sunday afternoon.

The former UC Riverside product scored 34 of his game-high 36 points in the second half as the Sabres improved to a 13-3 win-loss record.

Griscti also added 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks and scored 20 points in the final seven minutes of the contest. Jacob Rigoni swished five three-pointers in his 25 points to go with four rebounds and two assists as Sturt outscored Woodville 68-43 after the main interval.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Griscti had 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks as the Sabres held on late to defeat Central District Lions 120-108 at Springbank on Saturday night.

Sturt went into the main interval leading by 17 points, but the Lions rallied in the third quarter, cutting the margin to just one point with six minutes remaining, but the Sabres stormed home for the 12-point win.

Rigoni also scored 23 points against the Lions, to go with seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

The Sabres are back on home court this Saturday night when Sturt host Southern Tigers (9^th, 2-13) at Springbank.

Alex Starling was everywhere for South Adelaide in the Panthers 91-85 victory against Woodville Warriors at St Clair on Saturday night.

The 199cm power forward scored 24 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, dished five assists and had four steals as the Panthers gained control of the contest in the second half.

Going into half-time locked away at 44-44, South Adelaide made their move in the third quarter, extending the lead to 13 points during the final quarter before running out eight-point winners.

South Adelaide now faces a double header this weekend, travelling to Mount Barker on Saturday night to battle Eastern Mavericks, before returning home to Mitchell Park for a Sunday afternoon showdown with Norwood Flames.

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Point guard Jason Cadee has led Gold Coast to back-to-back wins over the weekend to get the Rollers back in NBL1 North playoff contention.

Cadee scored 15 points, dished five assists and had two rebounds as the Rollers fought back from a three-quarter time deficit to defeat Rockhampton Rockets 92-90 at Carrara Stadium on Friday night.

Gold Coast backed up 24 hours later on the road at Maroochydore Stadium with a tough 94-77 win against Sunshine Coast Phoenix, with Cadee on triple double watch.

The 186cm point guard hauled in 12 rebounds, dished 11 assists and scored nine points as the Rollers improved to a 7-8 win-loss record to sit eight on the standings ahead of Saturday night’s clash against Brisbane Capitals (4^th, 8-5) at Auchenflower Stadium.