A game for the ages.  Full review coming soon, to be written by one of the players themselves.  There were buzzer beating triples, clutch free throws and guest appearances from Port Adelaide players.  Wow, what a game.  Final score at the end of regulation 46-46, at the end of overtime 53-53, at the end of the second overtime Gateway 64 (Shepperd 33, Hill 14, N.Kyriazis 5, Bridges 4, Winter 4, Player Hidden 4) d Port Pelicans Blue 57.  One down, two to go.

After the disappointment of not even making last season's grand final, the Heatwave came out strong from the opening tip and were never headed.  5 triples from McNicol sure helped, with contributions from the whole team delivering their first title in a number of seasons.  Final score Gateway 53 (McNicol 22, Nairn 14, Beales 13, Cowley 2, Scollen 2) d CFC Slammers 37.  Two down, one to go.

You'd think that in their 66th grand final, it'd be impossible to have another first.  Wrong but more on that later.  The game began with the Thunder at full strength, attacking CFC early as the margin jumped out to double figures.  As they have all season, CFC fought back with a series of drives and open jumpshots but at half time, you'd be forgiven for thinking the Thunder were on their way to a win.  Then it happened.  Early into the second half, Thunder forward B.Smith sat near the sideline during an offensive set, then moved to the side of the court for the coming 5 minutes until he made his way to the bench.  From where we were sitting, we couldn't tell what happened but when he called for a bin on the bench and subsequently gave up yesterday's breakfast, you knew something was up.  The game itself continued on despite his on-court absence but you sensed there was more at play.  There were triples from both teams, a plethora of dunks and just as many airballs from players making their first appearance in two months, but as the boys in green arrived on the final siren, you were left wondering what was going on.  Final score Gateway 72 (Jon.Smith 23, D.Smith 17, Sleep 11, Penn 10, Jos.Smith 6, McKinnon 4, Vucetic 3, J.Smith 2) d CFC Stars 51 but as the Thunder captain was wheeled away to a waiting ambulance, thoughts and prayers were with him as the premiership photo was taken with #6 absent.  As a post-script, the long-term diagnosis is good but we'll skip all the details here on the public record.  Needless to say, some things are bigger than basketball and we're glad it turned out OK.  And yes, for those keeping score, that's three.  It was that kind of night.  Interesting times, interesting times.

Exciting times as the 2025 Survivor Jultopia Wollongong Golf Open Duck and Cover Berkeley Freezer and Meat Packing Facility Carnival commenced today and equally as exciting was the announcement of South Australia's A Grade Men team.  In a first ever - ironic given they wear First Ever and we promise you that joke will never get old - the team has 5 players over 42 years of age, 4 teenagers and 1 in-between.  With no further adieu, we present to you the South Australia A Grade Men lineup to bring home the bacon and onion chips ..... again.  Let's hope so.

And so it begins, the first of five days of the Survivor Jultopia Carnival.  May the best team South Australia win.

d NSW 71-68
NSW raced out of the blocks, surprising SA early with a barrage of threes.  SA fought back, finding a rhythm despite the near-freezing temperatures on Court C which is Court 2 and no we don't understand either.  Veteran Sleep was the difference in the middle third, whilst the backcourt did their thing despite a world record number of turnovers or so it seemed from where we sat but we'll stand corrected.  NSW mounted a late comeback but it was a case of too little, too late as SA held on for the early win.  SA 71 (Jon.Smith 22, Peel 17, D.Smith 10) d NSW 68.

d SA2 95-71
The Westside Church Basketball competition showed off their depth as 20 of the best South Aussies faced off on Court D which is Court 1 and no, we still don't understand either.  Maybe it's because that's 1D and our incredible knowledge of modern music tells us that's Harry, Liam, Niall and Zayne but given we've just been told by our bothan spies that Liam is no longer with us, maybe we'll leave that out of our game report.  SA got their fast break going, followed by SA2 doing the same, the result an arm wrestle highlighted by Rae Parker Jr not scoring on veteran SA centre J.Smith and yes, he paid us to say that but that's the truth, Ruth.  The final score blew out a bit, but expect SA2 to give B Grade a shake.  SA 95 (J.Smith 33, Peel 30, Sleep 8) d SA2 71.

d NSW2 122-75
They broke the scoresheet.  With a maximum 120 points available, scorer P.Smith wasn't impressed as the score ticked over into the 120s, resulting in a frantic and unwarranted edit of the sheet as the minutes expired.  This one was a better contest than the score suggests, NSW scoring heavily and making a bevy of triples in the faces of the SA defenders.  Ultimately though, this game was about forward Jos.Smith and a late fast break dunk, the reaction from the bench loud and proud, only to be topped a play later as Jos.Smith fell like a baby giraffe before NSW hit yet another long bomb.  NSW2 are good and having played two 'B' teams, we can say with confidence they'll be the grand final teams and we reserve the right to change our thoughts tomorrow.  SA 122 (Jon.Smith 38, Peel 25, D.Smith 17) d NSW2 75.

d NSW4 100-50
d NSW5 100-50
d NSW6 100-50
With games against the 4th, 5th and 6th seeded NSW teams today, SA took the opportunity to rest players amidst a long week, with a world record 10 games in three days.  With four games scheduled for tomorrow, Peel, D.Smith, Jon.Smith and Jos.Smith took turns wham bam and thank you ma'am jamming amongst a bevy of threes from every player, all games played in good spirits and just as importantly after two days of action, nobody hurt.  SA move to 6-0 on the week and yes, every game was 100-50 and if you don't believe us, then wow ... it took you this long!  Back tomorrow with four games and no, we don't believe it either.

d QLD 80-43
With young forward Jos.Smith missing the first half, it was another case of changed rotations as SA adjusted on the fly, Queensland putting up a fight but unable to overcome an SA side determined to start the day on a positive note.  SA 80 (Jon.Smith 21, Penn 16, Sleep 12) d QLD 43.

d NSW1 86-48
SA and NSW1 faced off for the second time this week but it was a whole different story despite the return of a sharp-shooting NSW guard from the 2024 Jultopia Geelong Supercats Pivotonian Bells Beach Corio Bay Sleepy Hollow Reg Hickey Charles Brownlow Ablett Family 119-Point ACH Domination Army Recruitment Podsiadly Memorial Free Breakfast Central Wyoming Where's Junior Habadashery and Homewares Carnival.  NSW1 shot well but this one belonged to the reds.

d NSW3 138-64
The Cal McKinnon Clinic was on in earnest, SA unveiling a whole new starting lineup that wore down the NSW3 side before the former starters came in off the bench and reaped the rewards of their hard work.  Yes starters, we're looking at you.  McKinnon continued his show into the second half, showing he's well and truly ready for more as the week rolls on.  SA 138 (Jon.Smith 33, McKinnon 20, Peel 19) d NSW3 64.

d VIC 97-52
With guard Penn missing due to a scheduled movement - no, we don't know what that means either - SA rolled out yet another new lineup that we'll no doubt see more of as the week continues.  The game itself saw a bevy of lineups as Coach Smith searches for the right mix prior to Saturday's final.  Victoria flat out shot the stuffing out of the ball - wowee - but SA's all-round game proved too much as they closed out Day 3 with a 10-0 record.  Good times, good times.

It was a quiet rest day with the team going in separate directions - some to various parts of Wollongong, others to Sydney and everywhere in between, enjoying a relaxing day and opportunity to reset before the final few days of the week.  Uno then took over the evening's festivities after some solid man talk, a youngster dominating early proceedings, the final result a tale of two twins - one dominating, the other wishing it wasn't lowest score wins - but on a positive note, there was no saucepan controversy repeat of 2024.  Interesting times, interesting times.

d NSW1 86-56
With both teams approaching full strength, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was a grand final preview.  Wrong but more on that later.  From the opening tip, a fired up SA took it at their opponents and didn't give an inch, knocking down triples, mid-range jumpers, driving layups and put backs as they stretched the margin out early.  NSW fought back with a talented lineup on court but it wasn't enough as SA showed they'd be ready for the final tomorrow.  One more sleep to go.

d NSW1 107-66
SA entered Saturday knowing their best would be good enough but anything short of their best would give NSW a sniff and leave the game open for taking.  What they didn't know was that NSW were struggling to field a team, ultimately getting permission to field an Under-18 player lest the game be a forfeit.  Yes,  you read that right as only four players were present for the big dance.  The sideshow didn't distract the South Aussies though as they opened with a barrage of triples, out 16-2 early and the damage had been done.  Whilst NSW fought hard in the middle third, they found themselves up against a squad determined to finish the task and finish they did, all 10 players hitting the court and finishing with Coach James Smith and his four sons on court as the siren sounded, the 41-point margin not reflective of a gap that could've been even bigger after NSW played the final 15 minutes with just four players.  Yes, anticlimax comes to mind but let's not detract from what was a great week for both teams, with the red team reigning supreme and retaining the Inglis Memorial Shield for another year.

More news from the 2025 Survivor Jultopia Wollongong Golf Open Duck and Cover Berkeley Freezer and Meat Packing Facility Carnival with Best & Fairest awards named at the Wollongong University.  The night began yet again with the traditional James Smith and Craig Turner pose - pictures not attached - and followed with a bevy of awards.  We've been asked to not identify individuals outside of our team, so we'll stick to Gateway Thunder players with Josh Smith named runner-up B&F and All-Australian for Under-18 Men, followed by A Grade Men awards.  Jonty Smith scooped the pool with A Grade Men Grand Final MVP, Best & Fairest and All-Australian, joined by Daniel Smith as runner-up B&F and All-Australian, and Jordan Peel as All-Australian.  From everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, congratulations to all four players and no doubt there will be plenty more awards to come.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN CARNIVAL BEST & FAIREST WINNERS
- Peter Carger 1983
- Scott Ninnis 1984, 1985
- Andrew Williamson 1986
- James Smith 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2011
- Josip Vucetic 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014
- Terry Sleep 2018
- Jonty Smith 2024, 2025

Each round we'll bring you the Immer Kitchens or Rise Above Adversity NBL1 Player of the Round (previously Player of the Week but there's double-headers which necessitated a name change) award as judged by our editors and anyone else we know who's attending the games or watching on replay.  This round saw an equal career high 3 assists for one player, only to be outdone by another player with 4 defensive rebounds and 2 made free throws and that's enough for us because we're all about rewarding career highs.  With no further adieu, we present the NBL Round 16 Player of the Week award to South Adelaide's Jonty Smith.  Congratulations and all the best for the remainder of the season.

Round 1 (W):  Daniel Smith 10:27min 4pts 4reb 1blk
Round 2 (W):  Daniel Smith 24:54min 12pts 4reb 2ast 1stl
Round 3 (W):  Jonty Smith 10:27min 6pts 2reb 1ast 2blk 1stl
Round 4 (L):  Daniel Smith 14:18min 4pts 3reb 2ast 1stl
Round 5 (L):  Daniel Smith 27:26min 17pts 9reb 1blk 4stl
Round 6 (W):  Daniel Smith 18:47min 12pts 4reb 1ast 3stl 
Round 7 (W):  Jonty Smith 12:16min 2pts 1ast 2stl
Round 8 (L):  Jonty Smith 12:20min 9pts 2reb 1ast 1stl
Round 9 (W):  Daniel Smith 22:29min 6pts 9reb 4blk
Round 10 (W):  Daniel Smith 25:47min 7pts 4reb 1ast 3blk 
Round 11 (L):  Daniel Smith 22:52min 10pts 5reb 3blk
Round 12 (L):  Daniel Smith 15:56min 2pts 4reb 3ast 4blk 1stl
Round 13 (W):  Jonty Smith 10:40min 1pt 2reb
Round 14 (W):  Daniel Smith 18:36min 7pts 4reb 1ast 2stl
Round 15 (W):  Jonty Smith 15:13min 4pts 6reb 2ast 1stl 1blk
Round 16 (W):  Jonty Smith 12:16min 2pts 5reb