East Recap | Round 9 Sunday

Image credit: @DiscoveryOne_Photography (Greg Francis)

Piper Anderson and Biwali Bayles helped deliver Sydney Comets Sunday NBL1 East wins while Norths Bears women hit back, Todd Blanchfield shone for Illawarra Hawks and Sutherland Sharks knocked off the Centre of Excellence.

EAST RECAP | ROUND 9 SATURDAY

EAST RECAP | ROUND 9 FRIDAY

WOMEN

Hills Hornets (71) lost to Sydney Comets (91)

The Sydney Comets remained knocking on the door of a playoff spot when they hit back to score the 91-71 road win over the Hills Hornets with Piper Anderson and Abi Curtin combining for 57 points.

Both teams were coming off Saturday defeats with the Hornets going down by 24 points to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles while the Comets went down by 19 to the Bankstown Bruins.

They backed up for the Sunday match up at Hills Basketball Stadium and Sydney got the better of the start with 23 points to 12 in the first quarter even with both teams combining to shoot 2/18 from behind the three-point line.

That lead for the Comets grew to 18 points in the second term too and they went into half-time leading 46-28 before continuing to build on that with their advantage growing to 27 points in the third term too.

It was 28 in the fourth before the Comets went on to score the 20-point victory on the back of shooting 43 per cent from the field opposed to 33, and going 24/28 from the foul line to 12/17.

Sydney improves to 5-7 to be just outside the top eight as a result of the win with Piper Anderson delivering 31 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Abi Curtin also provided 26 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks while Mikayla Pirini added 11 points, five boards, four assists and two steals, and Alexandria Oliver eight points and seven rebounds.

The Hornets have now lost 10 straight to be sitting at 1-10 on the season with Jade Kirisome finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Elizabeth Smith also had 14 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals, Nikki Worner nine points and three boards, and Ella Gale nine points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.

HILLS HORNETS 71 (Kirisome 15, Smith 14, Gale 9, Worner 9)

SYDNEY COMETS 91 (Anderson 31, Curtin 26, Pirini 11)

Central Coast Crusaders (68) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (77)

The Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders made it a double win weekend as they move into the top eight by the end of Round 9 following the 77-68 road win over the Central Coast Crusaders.

Both teams had been in action on Saturday as well with the Crusaders suffering a fourth straight loss at the expense of the Penrith Panthers while the Spiders scored the win at home against the Maitland Mustangs.

The Crusaders were back on their home floor at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium and the bottom placed team started strongly with an early seven-point but by quarter-time Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai had worked their way on top 20-14.

The Spiders then completed a run of scoring 14 straight points into the second frame to open up a 16-point lead and they would end up outscoring the Crusaders 24 points to 17 going into half-time where they were leading 44-31.

That lead did continue to grow for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai and got out to as much as 19 points in the second half and even though Central Coast did keep fighting, the Spiders still completed the deal on the nine-point victory.

It's a double win weekend for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai to see them improve to a 5-6 record and now occupy eight position by the end of Round 9.

It's five straight losses now for Central Coast who remain in last place with a 1-11 record.

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 68

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 77

Centre of Excellence (69) lost to Sutherland Sharks (72)

The Sutherland Sharks scored seven of the game's last nine points to come from behind and beat the Centre of Excellence 72-69 to complete the perfect weekend in Canberra.

The Centre of Excellence were playing their first game since a pair of wins last weekend over the Sydney Comets and Albury-Wodonga Bandits as they hosted the Sharks at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Sutherland arrived coming off the win on Saturday against the Canberra Nationals at Tuggeranong and after the CoE opened up an early six-point lead, the Sharks responded with a 9-0 run to help them to the 20-17 advantage by quarter-time.

Sutherland were then still leading 40-34 by half-time but the Centre of Excellence turned things around in the third period with 21 points to 18 and then were still leading 67-65 with two minutes to play when Sitaya Fagan scored.

However, from there the Sharks took control the rest of the way starting with a three-pointer from Aliza Fabbro before Emily Garland scored attacking the basket, Vanessa Panousis hit a pair of free throws, and that run of 7-2 to close the game secured Sutherland the three-point win.

As a result of that strong finish, the Sharks leave Canberra with a pair of wins this weekend to improve to a 4-8 record on the season to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Maddie Norris had a big outing in the win for Sutherland with 26 points, 17 rebounds and five assists with 6/14 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.

Aliza Fabbro also had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on 4/9 from deep with Emily Garland contributing nine points and six boards, Vanessa Panousis nine points, six assists and four rebounds.

It's just a third loss for the Centre of Excellence of the season who are now 10-3 and coach Melissa Downer just went with a rotation of six players with four of them playing over 33 minutes including Zara Russell not coming off for a single second.

She finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals despite shooting 3/21 from the field with Sitaya Fagan continuing her dazzling form with 26 points, eight boards and two steals with 5/9 three-point shooting.

Isabel Smith added nine points, six assists and four rebounds, Aspen Crase nine points and seven boards, and Emilija Dakic seven points, nine rebounds and five assists.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 69 (Fagan 26, Russell 12, Crase 9, Smith 9)

SUTHERLAND SHARKS 72 (Norris 26, Fabbro 16, Panousis 9, Garland 9)

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (84) defeated Illawarra Hawks (67)

Taylor Wurtz was back to her best with five three-pointers for 25 points with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles making it three straight wins beating the Illawarra Hawks 84-67.

The Sea Eagles beat the Hills Hornets by 24 points on Saturday to start their weekend double while the Hawks arrived at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre playing for the first time since hammering the Hornets as well by 31 points last Saturday.

It was a strong start away from home for the Hawks with 25 points to 19 before the Sea Eagles took charge in the second term by outscoring Illawarra 23 points to 10.

That saw Manly Warringah open up the 42-35 advantage going into the half-time break before they were able to take further charge with 28 points to 17 in the third term.

That saw the Sea Eagles open up an 18-point lead in that third quarter before it got out further to 24 points in the fourth on the way to the eventual 17-point victory.

As a result of the win, Manly Warringah now sit in third position at the end of Round 9 with a 10-3 record and having won three straight including the pair of victories this weekend.

Taylor Wurtz starred in the victory for the Sea Eagles knocking down 5/9 from three-point territory for 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Chloe Dix also had 10 points, three rebounds and three assists while Zoey Miller contributed nine points, four boards and three assists, Kim Dickinson nine points and three rebounds, Sari Mowbray eight points and four boards, and Josie Bulman seven points, 13 rebounds and three assists.

The Hawks are now 3-8 for the season after losing in their lone match of the weekend with Asha Phillips top-scoring with 22 points, six rebounds and two steals on shooting 9/15 from the floor.

Ella Dent also had 11 points and four rebounds, Tsubasa Nisbet 10 points, six boards, two assists and two blocks, and Sophia Johnston 10 points and two assists on 4/6 field goal shooting.

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 84 (Wurtz 25, Dix 10, Dickinson 9, Miller 9)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 67 (Phillips 22, Dent 11, Nisbet 10, Johnston 10)

Maitland Mustangs (75) lost to Norths Bears (87)

The Norths Bears hit back from their first loss of the season the previous evening to come away with the 87-75 road victory on Sunday against the Maitland Mustangs.

After winning the opening 10 games of the 2025 season, the Bears went down to the defending championship Falcons in Newcastle on Saturday ahead of backing up against the Mustangs at Maitland Federation Centre on Sunday.

The Mustangs came into the match up on their home floor having lost also on Saturday at the hands of the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders meaning both teams were looking for the quick response.

Maitland started well to lead early by seven points before Norths turned the tide and by quarter-time managed to be leading 23-22.

However, the Mustangs again responded by going on a 10-0 scoring run to retake the lead and even go into the half-time break with the 44-42 advantage.

The Bears were potentially staring down the barrel at a double loss weekend but they came out of half-time determined to avoid that and outscored the Mustangs 23 points to 10 in the third term on the back of shooting 10/20 opposed to 4/17 from the home team.

From there Norths were able to complete the 12-point victory to ensure they still finish the round in top spot despite Saturday's loss with the 11-1 record.

Peggy Schell ended the afternoon with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists in the win for the Bears on 8/11 field goal shooting.

Carla Pitman added 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, Ruby Perkins 11 points, two boards and two steals, and Emma Donnelly 10 points and three rebounds.

The Mustangs are now 6-6 with the double loss weekend to just be clinging to a spot in the top eight despite Shakera Reilly finishing with 25 points and seven rebounds.

Kasey Neubert added 17 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and three assists, Alexis Plater 12 points and five rebounds, and Sydney Hunter nine points, seven boards and two assists.

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 75 (Reilly 25, Neubert 17, Plater 12)

NORTHS BEARS 87 (Schell 19, O'Hehir 17, Pitman 15)

MEN

Hills Hornets (74) lost to Sydney Comets (88)

Biwali Bayles was back in the line-up for the Sydney Comets on Sunday and delivered 34 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the 88-74 win over the Hills Hornets.

Bayles didn’t play on Saturday night but even without him the Comets scored the 13-point victory against the Bankstown Bruins while the Hornets also played on Saturday and scored the two-point win against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

So both teams arrived at Hills Basketball Stadium in winning form for the Sunday clash and after Sydney opened up an early eight-point lead, Hills responded with 15 straight points to be leading 23-16 at quarter-time.

The Comets then turned things back their way in the second term with 26 points to 16 while making 5/9 from downtown on the way to leading 42-39 at half-time.

Sydney then continued to build on that lead throughout the second half with the advantage growing to seven in the third quarter, and 17 in the fourth before they ended up scoring the 14-point victory.

The Comets continue to be building some impressive momentum having now won six in-a-row to be sitting in second place with a 9-3 record by the end of Round 9.

Biwali Bayes was back for Sydney and was spectacular with 34 points, seven rebounds and five assists on shooting 12/21 from the field, 5/10 from beyond the arc and 5/6 at the foul line.

Davo Hickey also added 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots, Obi Kyei 10 points, seven boards, three blocks and two steals, and Anthony Mundine III eight points on 2/4 three-point shooting.

The Hornets are now 5-7 on the season having split their two games this weekend with Liam Moss producing 18 points on 4/6 three-point shooting.

Zach Hudson also had 18 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and two assists, Ethan Moss eight points on 3/3 shooting, and Meekness Payne seven points, five rebounds and two steals.

HILLS HORNETS 74 (L Moss 18, Hudson 18, E Moss 8)

SYDNEY COMETS 88 (Bayles 34, Hickey 21, Kyei 10)

Central Coast Crusaders (89) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (100)

The Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders completed their best weekend of the NBL1 East backing up a win at the buzzer on Saturday with the 100-89 road win against the Central Coast Crusaders.

Akil Douglas scored just before the buzzer for the thrilling Saturday night win for the Spiders against the defending champion Maitland Mustangs while the Crusaders were also impressive with the victory at home to the Penrith Panthers.

That meant both teams arrived Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium full of confidence on Sunday afternoon and it was the Crusaders managing to lead narrowly 25-24 by the end of the opening quarter.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai were able to turn things around in the second frame with 24 points to 18 to head into half-time with the 48-43 advantage, but the Crusaders stuck with the Spiders in the third term who were just up by five still at three quarter-time.

The visitors were then able to pull away further in the final term with Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai outscoring Central Coast 24 points to 18 on the way to the eventual 11-point victory.

It's a double win weekend for the Spiders as they improve to a 4-7 record on the season with Akil Douglas backing up hitting the game winner the night before with another 28 points and five rebounds.

Daniel Titus added 19 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, Mohamed Kone 17 points, six boards and three assists, and Steven Hall 11 points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals.

The Crusaders end up splitting their two games in less than 24 hours to now be 5-7 on the season by the end of Round 9 with Garric Young delivering 24 points, 11 rebounds and three assists on shooting 11/17 from the field.

Ilisia Washington also had 23 points, eight rebounds and two assists with 6/13 three-point shooting, Klairus Amir 11 points and five rebounds, Luke Cassidy 11 points, 12 assists and five boards, and Lino Manhom eight points and 13 rebounds.

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 89 (Young 24, Washington 23, Amir 11)

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 100 (Douglas 28, Titus 19, Kone 17)

Centre of Excellence (80) defeated Sutherland Sharks (73)

The Centre of Excellence maintained their hold on top position in the NBL1 East with the 80-73 victory at home on Sunday against Kouat Noi and the Sutherland Sharks.

It was a first game for the Centre of Excellence since beating the Albury Wodonga-Bandits last Saturday while the Sharks got to the Australian Institute of Sport on Sunday coming off the loss to start the road double to the Canberra Gunners.

It was just a one-point lead to the Sharks by quarter-time before the visitors did open up an 11-point lead in the second term, but the CoE fired back by going on a 7-0 run and by half-time Sutherland's lead was just 38-37.

The Centre of Excellence then worked on top through the second half leading by as much as seven points in the third period, and by 10 in the fourth on the way to the eventual seven-point victory.

The CoE now retain top spot in the NBL1 East by the end of nine rounds of the 2025 season with an 11-2 record with Che Brogan producing 19 points, four rebounds and four assists on 6/9 field goal shooting.

Luke Fennell added 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Jacob Furphy 11 points and five boards, Sebastien Emenalo eight points, and Mading Kuany seven points.

Sutherland now slip outside of the top four with the two losses this week on the road trip to Canberra with a 7-5 record with Kouat Noi putting up 16 points, five rebounds and four steals on 6/15 shooting from the field and 3/10 from three-point range.

Lochlan Hutchison also provided 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals with Ryan Abbott adding 13 points and three boards, and Luke Jamieson 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 80 (Brogan 19, Fennell 16, Furphy 11)

SUTHERLAND SHARKS 73 (Noi 16, Hutchison 15, Abbott 13)

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (74) lost to Illawarra Hawks (108)

Todd Blanchfield showed exactly why he's signed up for another three NBL seasons firing the Illawarra Hawks to the 108-74 road win over the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Sunday.

The Hawks were playing their only game of the weekend and coming into it on a three-game winning streak up against a Sea Eagles outfit who went down to the Hills Hornets on Saturday.

Manly Warringah were back home at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre and it was a tight opening quarter between the two top eight teams with Illawarra just leading 25-22 by quarter-time.

It was in the second period when Illawarra blew the game open with 31 points to 11 on the back of shooting 11/21 from the field including making 6/14 from downtown while the Hawks only managed to shoot 5/21 and 1/9 from deep.

That saw the Hawks leading 56-33 at the half-time break before building on that further in the third quarter with 33 points to 19 to lead by as much as 39.

Illawarra would go on to score the 34-point victory to improve to an 8-3 record on the season to sit fourth with four straight wins.

Fresh off an NBL1 North championship last year at Mackay and then the NBL title with the Hawks, Todd Blanchfield is on top of the world right and led Illawarra with another 37 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists with shooting 8/18 from behind the three-point line.

Matthew Mims added 19 points, five rebounds and three assists, Kobe McDowell-White 13 points, four assists and three boards, and Lachlan Dent 11 points, five assists and four rebounds.

It's a double loss weekend for the Sea Eagles who are now 6-6 and clinging to eighth position with captain Mason Bragg finishing with 16 points, four assists and three rebounds as point guard.

Matthew Eldridge added 15 points and nine rebounds, Jamie Munro seven points, five boards and two assists, and Preston Purifoy seven points and two rebounds.

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 74 (Bragg 16, Eldridge 15, Purifoy 7, Munro 7)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 108 (Blanchfield 37, McDowell-White 13, Dent 11)

Maitland Mustangs (85) lost to Norths Bears (89)

The Norths Bears came from behind at three quarter-time to deliver an impressive final quarter to continue the tough recent run of the defending champion Maitland Mustangs with the 89-85 victory.

Both teams arrived at Maitland Federation Centre fresh off losses on Saturday with the Mustangs going down on the road to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders while the Bears also lost to start their road double against the Newcastle Falcons.

So both came into the Sunday match up determined to respond and after Maitland did open up an early eight-point lead, by quarter-time the Bears had worked their way narrowly on top 21-20.

Norths then built on that advantage with 24 points to 16 in the second term to go into the half-time break leading 45-36.

However, the defending champion Mustangs then turned it on in the third quarter by delivering 30 points on the back of shooting 11/18 from the field while also holding the Bears to 19 points that saw them turn that nine-point deficit into their own two-point lead at three quarter-time.

The Bears, though, worked back on top in the final 10 minutes going on an 11-0 scoring run to end up scoring the four-point victory in the finish to improve to a 5-7 record and stay in touch of a top eight position.

Austin Patterson delivered 20 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win for Norths with Michael Yoong contributing 16 points on 5/7 three-point shooting.

Jake Weinstein added 13 points, Lachlan Bofinger 12 points and five rebounds on 4/4 shooting, Iggy Mitchell 10 points, five assists and four boards, and Hunter Goodrick 10 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.

The Mustangs' championship defence isn’t quite going to script with them having now lost four of their past five matches to be sitting on a 6-6 record and only just clinging to a spot inside the top eight.

Billy Parsons fought valiantly for Maitland with 19 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and four steals but he'd be frustrated by going 5/13 at the foul line.

Christian Little added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, James Hunter 14 points and five boards, Mandrell Worthy 13 points on 2/3 three-point shooting, and Daniel Willburn 11 points.

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 85 (Parsons 19, Little 15, Worthy 13)

NORTHS BEARS 89 (Patterson 20, Yoong 16, Weinstein 13)