United suffer Grand Final heartbreak

GEELONG United have been denied a perfect season, going down in the NBL1 South Grand Final by 20 points to the Knox Raiders.

United were stopped at the final hurdle by a gutsy Raiders outfit, going down 64-84 at a sold-out State Basketball Centre on Saturday.

Geelong were on a dream run, having won every game of their season and finding themselves in form that looked unstoppable. The team averaged 90 total points per game, with an average winning margin of about 25 points.

Knox, however, had also quietly put together a 13-game win streak, showing that they had come into form at the right time of the season.

After a tight first quarter, United led by just one point. From here, the Raiders put on a defensive masterclass, holding United to just 27 points across the middle two quarters and scoring 40 themselves.

The final quarter saw Knox pull away further and ultimately secure the championship in convincing fashion, having bowed out of the finals in straight sets in 2024. It was also their first women’s championship since the NBL1’s formation.

For Geelong, scoring was spread across the roster with five players scoring in double digits. Captain Jaz Shelley put up 19 points to go with eight rebounds, and Hannah Hank had 13 points and 16 rebounds.

Knox’s Paige Bradley led the way, named Grand Final MVP thanks to 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Alicia Froling and Agnes Emma-Nnopu also had double doubles for the Raiders.

Despite the heartbreaking end to 2025 for United, it was an incredible season overall which should put plenty of fire in the belly for next year.