Keilor vs. Casey

CRANBOURNE, Australia (Interstat) — Keilor and Casey, two teams separated by a single game in the standings, meet Sunday in a pivotal Australia NBL women’s matchup at Cranbourne Stadium.

Keilor (10-5) enters on a high, having routed Sandringham 82-63 on Saturday behind 23 points, eight rebounds and three blocks from forward Isabelle Bourne. The visitor is 8-2 in its past 10 games, with the only losses coming against Diamond Valley and Dandenong.

Casey (10-4) dropped its most recent outing, falling 95-78 to Ballarat on Saturday. Center Samantha Bowman posted 13 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. The home team sits just ahead of Keilor in the standings but has been inconsistent recently, going 2-2 in its past four.

Bourne has been Keilor’s catalyst. In her past four games, she has averaged better than 22 points, including 27 against Ballarat on June 5 and 24 at Melbourne on May 30. She also collected 11 rebounds in a 90-95 loss to Dandenong on May 24.

Bowman anchors Casey’s interior. Despite the loss to Ballarat, she has recorded double-doubles in three of her past four outings, most notably 18 points, 17 rebounds and six assists against Melbourne on June 5. She also posted 25 points and 11 rebounds at Mount Gambier on May 23.

Keilor also features guard Tess Heal, who contributed 21 points, five rebounds and five assists in the Sandringham win. Point guard Maddison Rocci added nine points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. For Casey, guard Dallas Loughridge scored 23 points and added five assists against Ballarat, and forward Chelsea D’Angelo added 16 points and seven assists.

The teams have split their meetings in recent seasons, and Sunday’s game carries added weight with both clubs jockeying for position in the NBL South standings. The two are scheduled to meet again July 5 at Keilor.

Tipoff is Sunday at 2 p.m. local time.