East Recap | First Nations Round Saturday

Image credit: Rob Sheeley/@robshots

It was a night of monster women's NBL1 East performances with Riley Lupfer hitting 16 three-pointers to break NBL1 scoring record with 55 points for Albury-Wodonga Bandits while Carla Pitman had 32 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for Norths Bears.

KEEPIN' UP WITH CAITIE JONES: NBL1, GERMANY, WNBL?

EAST RECAP | ROUND 12 SUNDAY

WOMEN

Norths Bears (103) defeated Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (59)

Carla Pitman delivered a monster triple-double with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists as the Norths Bears scored the dominant 103-59 home win over the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

The Bears were back home at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre and did need to bounce back from losing three of their past five matches as they look to lock away a top two position.

They were playing host to a Spiders team just about in a must-win situation to be any hope of playing finals, but it was the Bears who had the better of the start coming off last week's loss to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

Norths opened up a 13-point lead in the first quarter to still be up 28-19 by the end of the opening term before the Bears added another 20 points to 13 in the second frame to head into the half-time break on top 48-32.

The Bears kept on building on that advantage in the second half leading by as much as 27 points in the third term and then 44 in the fourth when they put 30 points on the board on 13/22 shooting from the field and holding Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai to just the 13.

That saw Norths claim the eventual 44-point victory to improve to a 13-3 record and stay in second place with Sydney Flames WNBL star Carla Pitman with one of the best individual performances of the NBL1 East season with her triple-double.

She finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists and five steals while shooting 12/16 from the floor and 6/7 from three-point territory.

Emma Donnelly added 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots, Maddie O'Hehir 20 points, seven assists, three steals and three rebounds, Holly Wills 12 points and four steals, and Peggy Schell five points, nine boards, five assists and three steals.

The loss could very well end Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai's hopes of playing finals once and for all with them now 6-10 and having to back up on Sunday against the top ranked Sea Eagles.

Ay'Anna Bey finished with 20 points and three rebounds for the Spiders with Nicole Hutchins contributing 10 points and nine boards, and Jessie-May Hall eight points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.

NORTHS BEARS 103 (Pitman 32, Donnelly 21, O'Hehir 20)

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 59 (Bey 20, Hutchins 10, Hall 8)

Bankstown Bruins (87) defeated Penrith Panthers (75)

Even while only getting 13 points in 16 minutes from Shyla Heal, the Bankstown Bruins made it eight straight wins with the 87-75 home victory against the Penrith Panthers.

The Bruins were back home at Bankstown Basketball Stadium having won their past seven matches coinciding with the arrival of Heal to now occupy a spot inside the NBL1 East's top eight.

They were taking on a Panthers team out of the finals hunt having lost their past five matches, but still having a dangerous line-up.

But it was Bankstown who started the better with 26 points to 17 in the first quarter on the back of going on a 13-0 scoring run and leading by as much as 15.

That advantage was out to 17 points in the second term which Bankstown converted into the 51-41 half-time advantage.

The Bruins maintained a double-figure lead right throughout the second half on the way to the 12-point victory that is their eighth in-a-row to improve to a 9-8 record and further consolidate their finals position.

Juliunn Redmond delivered 28 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds in the win for Bankstown with Kiahna Davis-White adding 18 points, 10 boards, five steals and three blocked shots.

Shyla Heal then played just 15:40 for the game and had 13 points and three assists with Jada Rice contributing 11 points and five rebounds.

It's a sixth consecutive defeat for Penrith who slip to a 5-13 record now on the season with just two games to finish with against the Albury-Wodonga Bandits and Norths Bears.

Mia Heide finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks for Penrith while Jordan Vasquez contributed 15 points, eight boards and two assists.

Teagan Edwards added 13 points and three rebounds, and Sofia Hunt 10 points, three boards and three assists.

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 87 (Redmond 28, Davis-White 18, Heal 13)

PENRITH PANTHERS 75 (Heide 24, Vasquez 15, Edwards 13)

Newcastle Falcons (65) defeated Sutherland Sharks (64)

Reigning MVP Nicole Munger hit two massive buckets late on her way to a triple-double as the defending champion Newcastle Falcons overcame the shorthanded Sutherland Sharks 65-64 in a thriller.

The Sharks welcomed back former MVP Lauren Nicholson last week after the recent birth of her first baby, but she wasn’t available to hit the floor at Newcastle Basketball Stadium and Sutherland ended up only having six players who did.

They still put up a strong showing, though, even after Newcastle had built a 17-11 lead by the end of the first quarter.

The Falcons did lead by as much as nine points in that second term but Sutherland were doing well to stick around and by half-time Newcastle were only leading 33-28.

Newcastle did pull away in the third quarter with another 20 points to 12 including going on a spectacular 19-0 run to open up a 21-point lead.

Then despite only having six players available, the Sharks produced a stunning fight back and by the time Maddy Norris scored with 1:30 to play, suddenly the scores were all the way back level.

Nicole Munger and Norris then traded buckets before Munger scored again to return Newcastle to the lead and Jordyn Dewhurst had the chance at the line to keep it equal.

However, she missed the second free-throw and on the back of that Newcastle held on for the one-point victory to improve to a 13-3 record and to stay solid in the top four.

Kate Kingham put up 14 points and two assists for Newcastle with Meg Jefferson contributing 13 points, seven boards and three steals, Nicole Munger 11 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and seven steals, and Susi Walmsley nine points, seven boards, four assists and three steals.

It was a remarkably brave showing from the six available players from the Sharks who all played at least 29 minutes, but the loss could be fatal to their finals prospects as they slip to a 6-11 record with just three games to go including at home to the hot Albury-Wodonga Bandits on Sunday.

On the back of her 50-point game lost week, Maddy Norris finished with 20 points, 21 rebounds, four assists and two blocks for Sutherland with Emily Garland adding 18 points, five boards and three steals, and Jordyn Dewhurst nine points and three rebounds.

Aislinn Waller also had eight points, six rebounds and three assists, and Laci Hawthorne seven points, seven boards, four assists and two steals.

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 65 (Kingham 14, Jefferson 13, Munger 11)

SUTHERLAND SHARKS 64 (Norris 20, Garland 18, Dewhurst 9)

Illawarra Hawks (72) lost to Albury-Wodonga Bandits (111)

The hot form of the Albury-Wodonga Bandits continued with Riley Lupfer setting a new NBL1 scoring record with 55 points while Caitie Jones dished out 13 assists in their 111-72 win over the Illawarra Hawks.

The Bandits arrived at The Snakepit having won their past three matches including scoring in triple-figures in the past two to move into a top four spot but they did need to keep winning against a Hawks team sitting in second last place.

It didn't take long for the combination of Caitie Jones finding Riley Lupfer to get off her three-point shots and the Bandits put up 6/12 from downtown in that first quarter, but they were only leading 23-22 by quarter-time.

The Hawks continued to do well to stick with Albury-Wodonga by half-time too with the Bandits only clinging to the 49-43 advantage by half-time.

The Bandits did extend that lead to 15 by three quarter-time before things blew open in the last quarter with Albury-Wodonga putting up 33 points to nine on the back of hitting 7/11 from downtown with Lupfer producing 20 of her points in that last 10 minutes with five more three-pointers.

The Bandits have now scored 100 or more points in three straight games and are on a four-game winning streak to improve to a 12-4 record on the back of knocking down 22/41 from downtown for the game.

Riley Lupfer set a new NBL1 women's scoring record at the same time by reaching the 55 points while setting a new high watermark for three-point makes too going an incredible 16/22 from behind the arc.

Caitie Jones was the perfect running mate for Lupfer continuing her brilliant form too with 24 points, 13 assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Aleira McCowan added 11 points in the win for Albury-Wodonga with Brynn Masikewich contributing 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

The Hawks have now lost three straight to be 4-12 on the season with Ella Dent finishing with 15 points and five assists, Kiara Bell 13 points and 14 rebounds, Tsubasa Nisbet 13 points, 12 boards, six assists and two steals, Ruby MacDonald 10 points and two assists, and Asha Phillips 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 72 (Dent 15, Nisbet 13, Bell 13)

ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 111 (Lupfer 55, Jones 24, Masikewich 11, McCowan 11)

Canberra Nationals (102) defeated Sydney Comets (66)

The Canberra Nationals consolidated their hold on a playoff position with the dominant 102-66 win over the Sydney Comets thanks to a 59 to 36 second half.

Canberra were back home at Belconnen Basketball Stadium having won their past three games and needing to keep winning to ensure they play finals against in 2025.

They were playing host to a Comets just clinging to playoff contention and trying to hit back from last week's 53-point loss at the hands of the Sutherland Sharks.

Canberra managed to open up a 24-19 lead by the end of the first quarter and then went into the half-time break on top 43-30 but there wasn’t a lot in it with the Nationals shooting 15/36 to the 12/38 from the Comets.

However, Canberra blew the game apart with 34 points to 19 in the third frame with 7/8 three-point shooting and then from there the Nationals went on to score the 36-point victory.

It's a fourth straight win for the Nationals who improve to 9-7 on the season as a result to stay solid inside the top eight with Jasmyn Boutzos delivering 24 points, three rebounds and three assists with 6/9 three-point shooting.

Mikala Williams added 20 points and three assists on 4/6 shooting from downtown with Callie Bouren contributing 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals, Elise Finney 12 points, three boards and two steals, and Carlie McAlister 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Sydney are now 7-10 with just three games to go against the Hills Hornets, Norths Bears and Albury-Wodonga Bandits.

Abi Curtin finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Comets with Piper Anderson contributing 18 points, three boards, two steals and two blocks, and Mikayla Pirini six points, four assists and three rebounds.

CANBERRA NATIONALS 102 (Boutzos 24, Williams 20, Bourne 16)

SYDNEY COMETS 66 (Curtin 20, Anderson 18, Fletcher 9)

Central Coast Crusaders (67) lost to Maitland Mustangs (75)

The Maitland Mustangs snapped their losing run and kept their finals hopes alive with the hard earned 75-67 win on the road over the last placed Central Coast Crusaders.

The Crusaders came into the match up at home at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium still shorthanded including the absence of Leilani Mitchell as they tried to breakthrough for a second win of the 2025 season.

It was a must-win game for Maitland who arrived having lost their past three matches but it was Central Coast who made the better of the start shooting 3/3 from downtown to 2/12 from the Mustangs in the first quarter on the way to building a 14-point lead.

That was a 24-10 lead at quarter-time for the Crusaders before that got out to a 16-point advantage but that's when Maitland dug deep and were able to take over the contest.

The Mustangs would end up outscoring the Crusaders 33 points to eight in that second term with six three-pointers to one.

On the back of that Maitland were on top by half-time 43-32 and they were able to turn that into a 17-point leading the second half, and then hold out the Crusaders down the stretch for the important eight-point victory.

The win improves the Mustangs to an 8-9 record on the season to still be knocking on the door of the top eight with three games in their season to go against Newcastle, Canberra and the Centre of Excellence.

Shakera Reilly finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists with 4/13 three-point shooting for Maitland with Rachel Williams contributing 13 points and six assists, and Kasey Neubert 12 points, 16 boards and two assists.

Sydney Hunter added 10 points, 15 rebounds and two steals, and Mila Wawszkowicz eight points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

It's a 10th straight defeat for Central Coast who are now 1-16 on the season with Jasmine Forcadilla finishing with 17 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Elizajane Loader added 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds, Mikaela Dombkins 11 points, seven boards and three assists, Jess Stone nine points and three rebounds, and Tai Wakelin-Gray eight points and 10 boards.

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 67 (Forcadilla 17, Loader 13, Dombkins 11)

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 75 (Reilly 17, Williams 13, Neubert 12)

Hills Hornets (91) defeated Inner West Bulls (80)

The Hills Hornets produced one of their best performances of the season and might have put a dent in the finals aspirations of the Inner West Bulls with the 91-80 victory.

The Hornets were back home at Hills Basketball Stadium looking for a fifth win of the season while the Bulls did need to keep winning to guarantee they remain in a finals position.

It was a strong start from Inner West with the visitors opening up a 13-point lead in the first quarter and they were still on top 26-19 by quarter-time even following an 8-0 scoring run from the Hornets.

Hills kept that momentum going from there with 22 points to 13 in the second frame with four three-pointers to nil from the Bulls and as a result the Hornets went into the half-time break leading 41-39.

It was another 28 points to 21 from the Hornets in the third quarter and then they closed the deal from there with the 11-point win on the back of ending up taking 16 more shot attempts than the Bulls having forced their opponents into 23 turnovers and scoring 21 points from those.

The victory improves Hills to a 5-11 record on the season with Kennedy Johnson delivering 20 points, eight rebounds and two steals on 8/14 shooting.

Ella Gale added 18 points and 12 rebounds with Jade Kirisome delivering 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, Sienna Clark 17 points, five boards, four assists and two steals, and Elizabeth Smith 12 points, eight assists, three boards and three steals.

The Bulls are now vulnerable inside the top eight at 8-7 with five games left in their regular season with Kristina Moore putting in another strong showing to make sure she won't be forgotten in MVP discussions.

She produced another 34 points, nine rebounds and two assists on 13/23 shooting while Chieh Ou added 15 points, four boards, two assists and two steals, Tahlia Tupaea 14 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Tylah Mundine 11 points and eight boards.

HILLS HORNETS 91 (Johnson 20, Gale 18, Kirisome 16)

INNER WEST BULLS 80 (Moore 34, Ou 15, Tupaea 14)

MEN

Norths Bears (90) defeated Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (83)

Austin Patterson produced 31 points to lead the Norths Bears to the 90-83 home win over the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders as they made it five consecutive wins.

The Bears were back on their home floor at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre having won four straight to be solid inside the top eight ahead of hosting a Spiders fresh off a win that kept their slim finals hopes alive still too.

The Spiders managed to go on an 8-0 run late in the opening term to be leading 25-19 by quarter-time but then the Bears piled on 30 points to 21 in the second frame with 10/16 shooting to the 9/26 from Hornsby to go into the main break leading 49-46.

The Bears then built on that momentum to end up leading by as much as 11 points in the second half and to never surrender their advantage on the way to the seven-point victory.

The win is a fifth in-a-row for Norths as they improve to a 9-7 record on the season to remain solid inside the top eight ahead of hosting the Illawarra Hawks in a tantalising match up on Sunday.

Austin Patterson starred in the win for the Bears with 31 points, three rebounds and two steals with 4/9 three-point shooting.

Matthew Wacher added 19 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals, Hunter Goodrick 16 points, 11 boards and seven assists, and Iggy Mitchell eight points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai are now 6-10 on the season following the loss ahead of their clash with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Sunday.

Mohamed Kone top-scored for the Spiders with 19 points, seven assists and three rebounds with 4/8 shooting from three-point range.

Akil Douglas also had 18 points, six rebounds and two steals, Daniel Titus 14 points, three boards and three blocks, and Steven Hall 12 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists.

NORTHS BEARS 90 (Patterson 31, Wacher 19, Goodrick 16)

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 83 (Kone 19, Douglas 18, Titus 14)

Bankstown Bruins (88) defeated Penrith Panthers (62)

Jaylin Galloway continued his impressive form for the Bankstown Bruins as they made it three straight wins to stay solid in a playoff spot with the 88-62 home win over the Penrith Panthers.

The Bruins were back on their home floor at Bankstown Basketball Stadium sitting in seventh place having won their past couple ahead of hosting a Panthers team in bottom spot on a seven-match losing slide.

Bankstown just needed to keep winning to be guaranteed of being part of finals where undoubtedly they will be a threat considering the team they are now working with.

The Bruins made a strong start with 23 points to 14 in the first quarter and then piled on 30 to 16 in the second with shooting 12/20 from the field and 5/8 from three opposed to the 5/21 and 2/7 from the Panthers.

That saw Bankstown go into the half-time break on top 53-30 before the Bruins lead grew to 26 in the third quarter and 28 in the fourth before they secured the 26-point victory.

The win makes it three straight for Bankstown as they improve to 9-8 on the season with Jaylin Galloway delivering 24 points, five rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists on 3/6 three-point shooting.

Andre Wolford added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists, Dominique Keyes 12 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, Hayden Blankley 11 points, nine boards and three assists, and Jason Cadee 10 points, six assists and two steals.

Penrith remain in bottom spot at 3-15 and having now lost eight in-a-row with Jonah Pares top-scoring with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 9/14 shooting.

Brodie Schwarzer added nine points, five steals and three rebounds, Zeke Evans seven points, 10 boards and two steals, and Oliver Amajoyi seven points and six rebounds.

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 88 (Galloway 24, Wolford 13, Keyes 12)

PENRITH PANTHERS 62 (Pares 20, Schwarzer 9, Amajoyi 7, Evans 7)

Newcastle Falcons (87) defeated Sutherland Sharks (77)

The Newcastle Falcons kept alive their playoff hopes with Eylijah Stephens and Ryan Beisty combining for 47 points in the 87-77 victory at home against the Sutherland Sharks.

Coming into the match up at Newcastle Basketball Stadium and the Falcons were just one game outside the top eight while the Sharks were two games ahead of them and sitting in fifth position.

That set the clash up nicely with Newcastle trying to break into the top eight and Sutherland to hold onto their spot, and it was the Sharks clinging to the narrow 24-22 lead by quarter-time.

The lead for Sutherland grew to 11 points in the second quarter and the visitors turned that into the 43-35 lead by half-time to be in control.

However, the Falcons fired up in the third quarter with 25 points to 18 which included scoring 13 straight points as they grabbed the lead even though it was still the Sharks up by a point at three quarter-time.

Newcastle then took further control in the last quarter with 27 points to 16 with 14 free throws to three on the way to the eventual and important 10-point victory.

The Falcons improve to 8-9 on the season with the win to stay in the playoff race with Eylijah Stephens finishing with 24 points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists.

Ryan Beisty added 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four blocks and two steals with Leo O'Boyle contributing 17 points, six boards and two assists, and Matur Maluach 13 points, five rebounds and four steals.

Sutherland are now 9-8 and just clinging to their place in the top eight with the third consecutive loss with Jason Spurgin returning from playing for the NBL Select team in Japan. He had 18 points, 13 rebounds and two assists.

Luke Jamieson added 13 points and eight rebounds, Lochlan Hutchison 10 points, five assists and four boards, and Kouat Noi nine points, five rebounds and four assists on shooting just 2/10 from the field.

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 87 (Stephens 24, Beisty 23, O'Boyle 17)

SUTHERLAND SHARKS 77 (Spurgin 18, Jamieson 13, Hutchison 10)

Illawarra Hawks (122) defeated Albury-Wodonga Bandits (90)

The Illawarra Hawks unleashed their firepower with Matthew Mims, Christian Maran and Todd Blanchfield combining for 70 points in the 122-90 win over the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.

The Hawks were back home at The Snakepit looking to further consolidate a top four spot and stay in touch for a top two finish as well as they played host to the second last placed Albury-Wodonga.

Illawarra needed to bounce back from a loss to the Canberra Gunners as well and started on fire with 36 points in the first quarter with 15/26 shooting, but the Bandits did well also with 29 points on 13/24 shooting.

The Hawks kept that pace going with another 30 points to 17 in the second term which saw them head into the half-time break leading 66-46.

Illawarra kept that roll going in the second half to lead by as much as 31 points in the third quarter and 43 in the fourth with only a Bandits 11-0 run in the last period cutting the Hawks' winning margin to 32.

The Hawks ended the night shooting 50 per cent from the floor on a monstrous 100 shot attempts with the Bandits taking 16 fewer shots and going at 44 per cent.

The win improves Illawarra to a 12-4 record ahead of backing up on Sunday away to the Norths Bears with Christian Maran doing his work inside for 24 points and five rebounds on 12/16 shooting.

Matthew Mims landed 4/7 from three-point range for 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals while Todd Blanchfield contributed 22 points, 10 boards, six assists and three steals on 6/14 three-point shooting.

Kobe McDowell-White also had 14 points, 17 assists and eight rebounds, Lachlan Dent 11 points and six assists, and Toby Campbell eight points, eight boards and two blocks.

The Bandits are now 3-13 on the season having lost four straight while also playing on Sunday on the road to the Sutherland Sharks.

Matthew Gray top-scored with 26 points, five assists and three rebounds with Francis Wineera-Mulvihill contributing 17 points, four boards, two assists and two steals, Ahren Freeman 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Marcus La Spina 13 points and five boards.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 122 (Mims 24, Maran 24, Blanchfield 22)

ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 90 (Gray 26, Wineera-Mulvihill 17, Freeman 17)

Canberra Gunners (101) defeated Sydney Comets (69)

The Canberra Gunners stayed in touch of a top two finish with six players scoring in double-figures as they snapped the Sydney Comets' 10-game winning streak with the 101-69 victory.

The Gunners were back home at Belconnen Basketball Stadium having won four straight as they chase a third NBL1 East grand final appearance in the past four years in 2025.

The Comets arrived in Canberra sitting in top spot and on a 10-game winning streak but it's a very different looking team without the presence of Biwali Bayles and Davo Hickey.

Sydney still started well leading 22-19 at quarter-time before Canberra worked on top in the second period with 23 points to 12 on the way to leading 42-34 at half-time.

The Gunners went on to dominate the second half with 29 points to 10 in the third frame, and 30 to 25 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 32-point victory.

It's a fifth consecutive win for Canberra as they improve to a 13-4 record while closing the game on Sydney who slip to 13-4 with their 10-game winning run coming to an end.

James Toohey top-scored for the Gunners with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals on a perfect 4/4 three-point shooting with Will Mayfield contributing 15 points, four boards, three assists and two steals.

Glenn Morison added 14 points and five rebounds, Derek Emelifeonwu 12 points and six assists, Edward Bigg-Wither 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Brooklyn Bruton 11 points and three assists.

Obi Kyei produced another 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks in the loss for the Comets with Anthony Mundine III adding 18 points, six boards and two steals, and Nick Jackson 11 points and two rebounds.

CANBERRA GUNNERS 101 (Toohey 16, Mayfield 15, Morison 14)

SYDNEY COMETS 69 (Kyei 24, Mundine III 18, Jackson 11)

Central Coast Crusaders (98) defeated Maitland Mustangs (94)

The championship defence of the Maitland Mustangs took another significant hit with the Central Coast Crusaders enhancing their own playoff hopes with the 98-94 victory.

Coming into the match up at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium and both teams were just outside of a playoff position with the Crusaders 8-8 and the Mustangs 8-9 showing the importance of the clash with time running out.

By the end of the first quarter the teams couldn’t be separated with the scores locked at 27-27 and then Central Coast were narrowly leading 49-46 by half-time.

Things remained tight the rest of the way with nothing more than seven points separating the teams during the second half and both of them spending significant time in front along the way.

That set up a big final quarter given what was at stake for both teams with Mandrell Worthy converting a three-point for Maitland with just under four minutes to play to return the defending champions to the lead.

Haidyn Gunderson responded immediately for Central Coast and the home team just had enough answers down the stretch ending up sealing the deal at the foul line for the crucial four-point victory.

With the victory, the Crusaders improve to a 9-8 record with three straight wins with Garric Young delivering 24 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two steals while Lino Manhom added 14 points, 24 boards and four blocked shots.

Luke Cassidy also had 16 points, eight assists and two rebounds, Alex Bailey 14 points, two boards and two steals, Haidyn Gunderson 12 points and two assists, and Ilisia Washington 10 points, four assists and two steals.

Maitland are going to find it mighty tough now to be part of the finals to defend their championship with a 7-10 record and games to finish against the Newcastle Falcons, Canberra Gunners and Centre of Excellence.

Mandrell Worthy produced 30 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 5/10 three-point shooting for the Mustangs with James Hunter adding 11 points and five boards, Majak Boc 10 points and seven rebounds, and Daniel Millburn 10 points.

Christian Little 10 points, five assists, two rebounds and two steals, Luka Vea 10 points, six boards and four assists, and Billy Parsons nine points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four blocks.

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 98 (Young 24, Cassidy 16, Manhom 14, Bailey 14)

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 94 (Worthy 30, Hunter 11, Boc 10, Millburn 10, Little 10)

Hills Hornets (87) lost to Inner West Bulls (92)

The Hills Hornets just fell short of a massive comeback with the Inner West Bulls holding firm for the 92-87 win to snap their five-match losing streak.

The Bulls arrived at Hills Basketball Stadium having lost their past five matches while the Hornets were at home and hunting a seventh win of the campaign.

By the end of the first quarter Inner West had already knocked down six three-pointers and were leading 25-20 while the Bulls still went into the half-time break leading 46-41.

Inner West pulled away further in the third quarter with 26 points to 17 and from there they opened up a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Hornets then fired up.

Hills got it all the way back to just a three-point ball game but they couldn’t quite get closer than that and at the deal Ramon Cao made a couple of free throws to secure the five-point win for the Bulls.

It snaps a five-game losing streak for Inner West as they improve to a 5-11 record with Maxwell Clark producing 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals on 4/7 shooting from the three-point arc.

Mirko Djeric also had 17 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals, Ramon Cao 14 points and three boards, Dalen Ridgnal 11 points and seven rebounds, Kwabena Brefo 10 points and two boards, and Andrew Swanson 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Hornets were still unlikely to be able to reach the playoffs but this result puts them just about out of the race once and for all with a 6-11 record with back-to-back defeats.

Saxon Orsini top-scored for Hills with 16 points, three rebounds and two steals with Liam Moss contributing 15 points, six assists and four boards, and Zach Hudson 15 points, six rebounds and two steals.

Meekness Payne also had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists with Deng Gak contributing 10 points, four boards, three steals and two blocked shots.

HILLS HORNETS 87 (Orsini 16, Moss 15, Hudson 15)

INNER WEST BULLS 92 (Clark 20, Djeric 17, Cao 14)