East Recap | Round 15 Saturday

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Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and Norths Bears women locked up top two NBL1 East spots while Maitland Mustangs set up massive last day as did the Sea Eagles and Newcastle Falcons men while Todd Blanchfield again starred for Illawarra Hawks.

EAST RECAP | ROUND 15 FRIDAY

GALLOWAY READY TO MAKE STATEMENT TO GET BACK TO NBA

EAST RECAP | ROUND 14 SUNDAY

WOMEN

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (75) defeated Centre of Excellence (71)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles have wrapped up the regular season championship in the NBL1 East making it 16 straight wins beating the returning Centre of Excellence 75-71 on Saturday.

The Sea Eagles were back home at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre just needing to win and be guaranteed of top spot by the end of the regular season but it was always going to be intriguing against the Centre of Excellence.

The CoE were playing their first game since June 22 and could still potentially break back into the top four with a pair of final round victories but it's also a decidedly new-look team following the mid-year intake at the Australian Institute of Sport and with Melissa Downer taking over as coach.

It was a tight opening to the contest and it was a feeling out process in the first quarter with Manly Warringah ending up leading 19-18 by the end of one.

The Sea Eagles did start to pull away in the second term with 22 points to 17 to be up 41-35 by the half-time break despite going 6/25 from three-point range in the first 20 minutes opposed to 3/9 from the CoE.

That lead for the Sea Eagles got out to 12 points in the third quarter and then 15 in the fourth, but the Centre of Excellence weren’t done and threw everything at the big fightback.

All of a sudden with a minute to go and the CoE had the deficit all the way back to a point when Isabel Smith scored, but the Sea Eagles immediately responded thanks to Sari Mowbray and that enough to secure the four-point victory.

The win sees Manly Warringah finish the regular season with an 18-2 record with a 16-game winning streak to be locked into top spot even before the Sunday games are played.

Taylor Wurtz was once again outstanding for the Sea Eagles with 29 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals while jacking up 17 three-point attempts and making six.

Chloe Dix added 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists, Alex Delaney 11 points, five assists and four boards, Sari Mowbray 10 points, three rebounds and two steals, Freya Bijkerk eight points, eight boards and three steals, and Antonia Henderson five points, 12 rebounds and three assists.

The Centre of Excellence are now 12-7 on the season with a game to finish on Sunday at home to the Maitland Mustangs with them looking set to finish the regular season in that fifth position.

Isabel Smith was the standout for the CoE finishing with 29 points, five rebounds and three assists with 5/12 three-point shooting while Olivia Olechnowicz added 23 points, five boards and three assists, Jemyma Manyok six points, 12 rebounds and two assists, and Zara Funnell six points, three boards and two assists.

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 75 (Wurtz 29, Dix 12, Delaney 11)

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 71 (Smith 29, Olechnowicz 23, Manyok 6, Funnell 6)

 

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (73) lost to Albury-Wodonga Bandits (90)

The Albury-Wodonga Bandits maintained their hold on fourth position with Brynn Masikewich the star this time around in the 90-73 win on the road over the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

The Bandits arrived at The Brickpit sitting fourth having won five of their past six matches and with Caitie Jones and Riley Lupfer having taken it in turns over the past two weeks in lighting it up in spectacular fashion.

The Spiders were on their home floor just trying to finish their season on a positive note and the home team did well in the first term taking up to an Albury-Wodonga team trying to lock away a top four finish.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai were leading 24-23 by the end of the first quarter but the Bandits worked their way on top in the second frame with 21 points to 12 to head into the half-time break leading 44-36.

Albury-Wodonga continued to build on that in the third quarter with another 24 points to 16 to open up an 18-point advantage which turned into the eventual 17-point victory.

The win improves the Bandits to a 14-5 record on the season to stay in fourth place and with the Centre of Excellence losing at the same time, they are guaranteed of a top four finish heading into Sunday's clash with the Sydney Comets.

Not to be outdone by what her teammates had done over the past two weeks, Brynn Masikewich delivered 29 points and 10 rebounds with shooting 11/20 from the field and 5/5 at the foul line.

Caitie Jones produced another 23 points, six assists and four rebounds, Riley Lupfer 13 points, nine boards, seven assists and three steals, Timeeka Coleman nine points and two rebounds, and Emma Mahady eight points on 2/3 three-point shooting.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai finish their season with a 7-13 record with Jessie-May Hall finishing with 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Nicola Sainsbury added 11 points and nine rebounds, Genevieve Audette nine points, two boards and two assists, and Ay'Anna Bey seven points and six rebounds.

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 73 (Hall 27, Sainsbury 11, Audette 9)

ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 90 (Masikewich 29, Jones 23, Lupfer 13)

 

Newcastle Falcons (81) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (52)

The defending champion Newcastle Falcons geared up for the finals with another emphatic performance beating a Central Coast Crusaders team 81-52 who are just crying out for 2025 to come to an end.

The Falcons were back home at Newcastle Basketball Stadium needing to get at least one win this weekend to make sure of this position but two wins could potentially still see them snatch second depending on what the Norths Bears.

The Crusaders were right up against it taking on a team gearing up to defend their championship and Newcastle started on fire with 29 points to 12 in the first quarter.

That lead got out to 24 points in the second term and the Falcons outscored the Crusaders 16 points to nine in the second term to be leading 45-21 by half-time.

That lead did continue to grow throughout the second half for Newcastle with it getting out to 29 points in the third quarter, and 36 in the fourth after they had gone on a 13-0 scoring run.

Eventually the Falcons scored the 29-point victory to improve to a 16-3 record ahead of their last game of the regular season on Sunday at home to the also out of contention Hills Hornets.

Meg Jefferson delivered 27 points and three rebounds in the win for Newcastle with 11/19 field goal shooting while Nicole Munger produced 15 points, 15 boards, six assists and two blocked shots.

Claudea Waihape-Andrews also had nine points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Kate Kingham nine points, two boards and two assists.

The Crusaders have now lost their past 12 matches to be 1-18 and mercifully have just one game remaining on Sunday at home to the finals bound Bankstown Bruins.

Leilani Mitchell returned for the Crusaders and produced eight points, five assists and three rebounds while it was Jasmine Forcadilla who top scored with 23 points, four rebounds and four steals.

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 81 (Jefferson 27, Munger 15, Havas 10)

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 52 (Forcadilla 23, Herrick 8, Mitchell 8)

 

Inner West Bulls (98) defeated Illawarra Hawks (88)

The Inner West Bulls snapped a four-game losing run with Kristina Moore putting in another monster performance but the 98-88 win over the Illawarra Hawks doesn’t look like it will be enough to see them play finals.

The Bulls fell to a fourth straight loss on Friday night when they fell to the Sutherland Sharks and that could have been the pivotal blow to their playoff hopes.

They had slipped outside of the top eight following that defeat as they returned home to Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatics Centre to take on the Hawks just trying to finish their season on a high note having already won the last two games.

It was a good start from the Hawks as they opened up a 17-14 lead by the end of one before the Bulls worked on top in the second term with 35 points to 23 thanks to shooting 12/16 from the field and 8/8 at the foul line to 8/18 from the Hawks from the floor.

It was then more of the same throughout the second half with the lead for Inner West getting out to 16 points in the third quarter, and then 19 in the fourth before they went on to secure the 10-point victory.

The win sees the Bulls finish the season with a 9-11 record and unless things drastically fall their way with the remaining games on Sunday, it does appear they won't be taking part in the playoffs.

Kristina Moore has to be in the MVP discussion for what she's done this season with the Bulls and delivered another 34 points, eight rebounds and five assists with 12/19 shooting from the field and 9/9 at the foul line.

Tahlia Tupaea had another strong showing with 25 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals with 3/6 three-point shooting and 8/8 at the free-throw line.

Mizuki Wakamatsu also had 17 points with 3/6 three-point shooting while Chieh Ou contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Tylah Mundine seven points, 12 boards and three assists.

The Hawks finish their regular season with a 6-14 record with Asha Phillips tremendous with 30 points and seven rebounds with 8/15 three-point shooting.

Tsubasa Nisbet also had 16 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and five steals, Emerson McCrea 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, and Ella Dent 13 points, seven assists, three boards, two steals and two blocked shots.

INNER WEST BULLS 98 (Moore 28, Tupaea 25, Wakamatsu 17)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 88 (Phillips 30, Nisbet 16, Dent 13, McCrea 13)

 

Penrith Panthers (77) lost to Norths Bears (84)

The Norths Bears needed to win to stay in second place and they had to battle hard against the second last placed Penrith Panthers but got what they needed with the 84-77 victory.

The Bears did start the weekend in emphatic fashion with the 34-point win against the Sydney Comets ahead of hitting the road to take on the Panthers at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre.

Penrith could have made quite the statement to finish their frustrating season by knocking off the 2023 champions who are trying to make it two titles in three years over the next month.

The Bears had too much to play for, though, and got off to the strong start with 26 points to 16 in the first quarter thanks to shooting 9/18 from the field with 7/8 foul shooting to the 7/19 shooting from Penrith who didn’t get to the line once.

Norths then added 22 points to 17 in the second term to go into the half-time break leading 48-33 before that lead blew out to as much as 21 points in the second half.

Penrith did well to keep on fighting in their last game of the season and even scored 12 straight points in the final period, but Norths did enough to secure the seven-point victory.

The win wraps up the regular season of the Bears with a 17-3 record with five straight wins to be guaranteed of a second place finish for their championship assault.

Caitlyn Martin delivered 18 points and five assists on 4/9 three-point shooting with Maddie O'Hehir contributing 18 points, three steals and two boards, and Carla Pitman 14 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Emma Donnelly also had 12 points and three rebounds with 3/6 three-point shooting, and Peggy Schell 10 points, eight boards and two assists.

Penrith's season is also now over with a 5-15 record having lost their past eight matches with Jordan Vasquez finishing with 31 points, 12 rebounds and two assists on 11/18 field goal shooting.

Zoe Jackson added 10 points, five blocked shots and three rebounds, Mia Heide nine points, seven boards and two assists, and Jolzyne Impreso nine points and three assists.

PENRITH PANTHERS 77 (Vasquez 31, Jackson 10, Impreso 9, Heide 9)

NORTHS BEARS 84 (O'Hehir 18, Martin 18, Pitman 14)

 

Canberra Nationals (67) lost to Maitland Mustangs (74)

The finals race has got all the more fascinating heading into the last day after the Maitland Mustangs got the 74-67 road win over the Canberra Nationals.

Coming into the contest at the Centre of Excellence in Canberra, the Nationals were playing their last game of the regular season looking to snap a two-game losing run and improve on a 9-10 record.

They were sitting seventh and up against the eighth ranked Mustangs who were 8-10 with two games this weekend so to say there was plenty on the line for both teams would be the biggest of understatements.

Maitland started well to be leading by four points at quarter-time but it remained a tight contest with Canberra having 16 points to 13 in the second term with the Mustangs clinging to the brief 32-31 lead by half-time.

It was in the third quarter when Maitland pulled away with 24 points to 14 on the back of shooting 5/9 from three-point range to the 2/8 from Canberra.

That saw the Mustangs lead get out to as much as 14 points in the second half and even with the Nationals going on a 12-0 run in the last term, Maitland wouldn’t be denied and went on to score the seven-point victory.

The win sets up a fascinating last day in the NBL1 East with the Mustangs improving to a 9-10 record with the win ahead of playing on the road again to the Centre of Excellence while the Nationals end their season at 9-11 and face a nervous wait to find out if they play finals or not.

Kasey Neubert came up huge for Maitland with 24 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots with Sydney Hunter adding 22 points, nine boards and two assists on 4/6 three-point shooting.

Rachel Williams also had 12 points and four assists, and Mila Wawszkowicz eight points and six rebounds.

Callie Bourne finished with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals for Canberra with Mikala Williams adding 14 points, two assists and two steals, and Abby Solway 10 points and two assists.

CANBERRA NATIONALS 67 (Bourne 16, Williams 14, Solway 10)

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 74 (Neubert 24, Hunter 22, Williams 12)

 

MEN

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (85) defeated Centre of Excellence (77)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles went a long way to securing their place in the finals and knocked the Centre of Excellence out of top spot in the process with the 85-77 victory.

The Sea Eagles opened the final round of the regular season with a crucial win against the Bankstown Bruins on Friday night and now if they were able to back it up against the Centre of Excellence, they would guarantee a playoff spot.

The CoE were still in top spot despite not having played since losing to the Central Coast Crusaders back on June 22 and could still stay there if they got straight back to winning in resumption of their season.

With a mix of players coming back from the Under-19 FIBA World Cup in Switzerland and an influx of some new talent in the mid-year intake, the CoE made a fast start with 27 points to 16 in the opening quarter with 5/10 three-point shooting.

The Centre of Excellence were then still leading 40-31 by half-time and then still 56-50 by three quarter-time before Manly Warringah did deliver a strong finish.

Their season was potentially on the line and the Sea Eagles produced 22 points to 16 in that last quarter with 4/10 three-point shooting but the game only went to overtime thanks to a Stefan Valkovic offensive rebound and put back at the death.

Then in the extra period, the Sea Eagles dominated with 6/7 shooting to just 1/3 from the Centre of Excellence to secure the eight-point victory.

That sees Manly Warringah finish the regular season having locked in a playoff spot with an 11-9 record with Isaiah Lee delivering 19 points and four rebounds.

Preston Purifoy added 19 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists with Stefan Valkovic adding 16 points, six boards and two assists, Jamie Munro 11 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Matthew Eldridge six points and 11 boards.

The Centre of Excellence are now 14-5 and will finish the regular season hosting the Maitland Mustangs with their top four spot locked away, but now it's just a matter of where it will be in that four.

Che Brogan put up 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals fresh off his U19 World Cup campaign for the Emus with Mading Kuany adding 10 points and five rebounds.

Marcus Vaughns added 10 points and four boards, Ajak Nyuon seven points and nine rebounds, and Jai Faale seven points, two boards and two assists.

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 85 (Purifoy 19, Lee 19, Valkovic 16)

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 77 (Brogan 22, Vaughns 10, Kuany 10)

 

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (91) defeated Albury-Wodonga Bandits (87)

Both teams were out of the finals hunt but played out a Saturday night thriller with the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders claiming the 91-87 home victory over the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.

The two teams arrived at The Brickpit on Saturday night looking for a morale boosting finish to the season with Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai at home and making their last appearance for 2025.

The Bandits have two games on the road to finish their season this weekend starting on Saturday night and it was the visitors starting strongly with 28 points to 20 in the opening quarter.

The Spiders weren’t going away, though, and responded in the second term with 27 points to 24 which cut the lead of Albury-Wodonga to 52-47 by half-time.

The Bandits were then still clinging to a 71-66 lead by three quarter-time, but then in their last quarter of the season, the Spiders fired up and delivered 25 points to 16.

That saw them come from behind to score the four-point victory and snap a four-game losing slide to finish the season with a 7-13 record.

Steven Hall top-scored in the win for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai with 23 points while making 4/9 from his three-point attempts.

Mohamed Kone added 22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals with Akil Douglas contributing 15 points and five boards, Daniel Titus 10 points and five rebounds, and Aaron Redhead eight points and six boards.

Albury-Wodonga are now 4-15 following the loss and will finish their season by staying on the road on Sunday to take on the finals bound Sydney Comets.

Francis Wineera-Mulvihill delivered 28 points and six rebounds for the Bandits with Ahren Freeman adding 26 points, eight boards and three assists, Simon Lafaele 15 points and eight rebounds, and Matthew Gray nine points, six boards and two assists despite going 0/9 from downtown.

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 91 (Hall 23, Kone 22, Douglas 15)

ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 87 (Wineera-Mulvihill 28, Freeman 26, Lafaele 15)

 

Newcastle Falcons (111) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (80)

The Newcastle Falcons put up 64 points in the first half to set up their 111-80 victory over the Central Coast Crusaders that keeps them a chance to play finals with a game to go on Sunday.

To be any hope of breaking into the top eight the Falcons had to win their two games this weekend and then hope a lot of other results go their way, but their first task was against the Crusaders at Newcastle Basketball Stadium.

The Crusaders were in the same boat too needing to win two games in less than 24 hours and then hoping for the best so both teams had plenty to play for coming into the Saturday night match up.

Central Coast started strongly away from home with 31 points to 24 in the first quarter thanks to 12/19 shooting from the field opposed to the 7/18 from Newcastle.

The Falcons then turned things around with a 14-0 run in the second quarter on the way to piling on 40 points with 9/10 three-point shooting which saw them finish up going into the half-time break leading 64-48.

It was another 24 points to 10 in the third quarter for Newcastle with the lead getting out to 32 points with another 13-0 scoring run.

The Falcons then ended up leading by as much as 41 points in the final term on the way to the eventual 31-point victory to see them improve to a 10-9 record with a must-win game to come on Sunday at home to the Hills Hornets.

Newcastle knocked down 20/34 from three-point land with Ryan Beisty producing 22 points, six rebounds and four assists in the win for Newcastle with 5/7 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.

Kobe Shannon added 15 points, four rebounds and two assists with 3/5 three-point shooting as well for the Falcons while Leo O'Boyle had 14 points with 3/6 long-range shooting, and Alexander Clinton 14 points with 4/7 from deep.

Myles Cherry also had 13 points, nine rebounds and two steals, Jude Jennings nine points, two boards and two assists, Matur Maluach eight points and two assists, and Eylijah Stephens eight points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The finals hopes of Central Coast are now over with a 9-10 record ahead of a last game on Sunday when they play host to the Bankstown Bruins.

Luke Cassidy top-scored for the Crusaders with 19 points and two rebounds with Ilisia Washington adding 14 points and 10 boards, Lino Manhom 12 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and two assists, Haidyn Gunderson 10 points and three boards, and Garric Young eight points, five rebounds and two steals.

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 111 (Beisty 22, Shannon 15, Clinton 14, O'Boyle 14)

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 80 (Cassidy 19, Washington 14, Manhom 12)

 

Inner West Bulls (80) lost to Illawarra Hawks (101)

Todd Blanchfield hit another eight three-pointers to keep the Illawarra Hawks a chance to finish top of the NBL1 East with the 101-80 win over the Inner West Bulls.

The Hawks came into the clash at Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatics Centre in third position and still a chance of finishing anywhere from one through four by Sunday evening.

They were taking on a Bulls team out of the finals race but coming off a win against the Sutherland Sharks on Friday night to open the round and kept that momentum going with a 28-16 opening quarter on Saturday against the Hawks.

That included Inner West scoring 14 straight points and opening up a 17-point lead but Illawarra responded in remarkable fashion by putting up 40 points in the second quarter.

That included 8/12 three-point shooting while limiting Inner West to just the 19 points on 7/18 shooting.

That saw the Hawks turn that 12-point quarter-time deficit into their own 56-47 advantage by half-time before going on with the job in the second half even though they never could fully shake off a Bulls team playing their last game for 2025.

The lead for the Hawks grew to 13 points in the third quarter and eventually 26 in the fourth before securing the eventual 21-point victory.

The win sees Illawarra finished the season with a 15-5 record with the final positions to be determined once the Sunday match ups have been played.

Todd Blanchfield is a 441-game NBL championship winning veteran and continues to play some of the best basketball of his life with another 29 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks for Illawarra with 8/18 three-point shooting.

Kyle Leslie added 18 points, three rebounds and three assists with 6/8 three-point shooting as well while Lachlan Dent contributed 13 points, seven boards, five assists and three steals, Matthew Mims 15 points and two steals, and Kobe McDowell-White 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

Inner West's season has now come to an end with a 7-13 record with Mirko Djeric top-scoring with 20 points, eight assists and three rebounds.

Maxwell Clark added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists with 5/14 three-point shooting with Tony Tolovae contributing 11 points and four boards, Josh Morgan nine points and nine rebounds, and Kwabena Brefo eight points, eight boards, two assists and two steals.

INNER WEST BULLS 80 (Djeric 20, Clark 17, Tolovae 11)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 101 (Blanchfield 29, Leslie 18, Mims 15)

 

Penrith Panthers (72) lost to Norths Bears (87)

The Norths Bears guaranteed that they will be part of the NBL1 East playoffs with the 87-72 road victory against the bottom placed Penrith Panthers.

The Bears had confirmed their finals position by beating the Sydney Comets on Friday night before backing up on Saturday on the road to the Panthers at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre.

It was a chance for Penrith to finish their season on a high and avoid a 10th straight defeat and perhaps even the wooden spoon, but it was going to be a tough task.

Norths started with 20 points to 16 in the first quarter before the Panthers hit back from a 10-point deficit to be back within just a solitary point at half-time.

The Bears then took over in the third period with 24 points to 14 to open up an 11-point lead which got out to 16 in the fourth term before they secured the 15-point victory.

The win improves Norths to a 12-8 record to close the regular season and to enter the playoffs on a three-game winning streak.

Iggy Mitchell ended up with 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals in the win for the Bears on 3/6 three-point shooting with Ben Gill contributing 12 points and five rebounds, and Hunter Goodrick 12 points, nine boards, four assists and two blocked shots.

Austin Patterson also had 19 points, six assists, three rebounds and two blocked shots.

Penrith will now finish with the wooden spoon having lost 10 straight matches with a 3-17 record with Jonah Pares finishing with 19 points and four assists, Ben Kearins 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Joshua Kalwy nine points, six boards, two assists and two blocked shots.

PENRITH PANTHERS 72 (Pares 19, Kearins 11, Kalwy 9)

NORTHS BEARS 87 (Mitchell 21, Patterson 19, Gill 12, Goodrick 12)

 

Canberra Gunners (76) defeated Maitland Mustangs (71)

It might have been a low scoring grind of a grand final rematch but in the end the Canberra Gunners got the 76-71 they needed over the Maitland Mustangs to stay a touch of claiming the regular season championship.

The grand final rematch didn’t quite have the same cache about it just because the Mustangs were already out of playoff contention as the defending champions but they could also deny Canberra the chance to finish in a top two position.

The Gunners played host to the Mustangs at the Australian Institute of Sport and needed the win to be stable for a top two finish while the title defence of Maitland has petered out with them having lost their past three games.

The Gunners got off to a good start with 19 points to 12 in the first quarter but then Maitland fired up in the second term with 25 points to 12 with 10/15 shooting to go into the half-time break leading 37-32.

Canberra then turned things around once more with 27 points to 17 in the third frame before then holding on for the eventual five-point victory despite only shooting 37 per cent from the field to the 41 from Maitland.

However, the Gunners did manage 18 extra field goal attempts with 25 offensive rebounds for the contest.

Canberra will now finish the regular season with a 15-5 record but it will take Sunday's results to determine just how high they end up.

Will Mayfield produced 25 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Gunners with Glenn Morison adding 15 points, 11 boards and three assists.

James Toohey also provided 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Cameron Pender eight points, 10 boards and three assists.

The championship defence of Maitland still will officially last one more day when they finish their regular season on the road to the Centre of Excellence.

Mandrell Worthy ended up with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Mustangs with Daniel Millburn adding 11 points and three boards, Christian Little seven points, three rebounds and two assists, Billy Parsons seven points, 12 boards and five assists, and Josh Clifford seven points and six rebounds.

CANBERRA GUNNERS 76 (Mayfield 25, Morison 15, Toohey 10)

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 71 (Worthy 20, Millburn 11, Clifford 7, Vea 7, Parsons 7, Little 7)