NBL1 East Recap | Saturday Round 17

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles women guaranteed top spot in the NBL1 East despite Lauren Nicholson's best efforts while Emily Simons put up 47 for the Norths Bears and Davo Hickey delivered a triple-double for the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday.

Saturday's women's results in the NBL1 East saw the Bankstown Bruins beat the Hills Hornets 67-59, the Albury-Wodonga Bandits defeat the Canberra Nationals 73-59, the Central Coast Crusaders down the Illawarra Hawks 86-62, the Maitland Mustangs win 72-69 against the Newcastle Falcons, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles defeat the Sutherland Sharks 65-54, and the Norths Bears down the Penrith Panthers 91-50.

The men's results then had the Bears beating the Panthers 108-80, the Falcons beating the Mustangs 76-68, the Sharks downing the Sea Eagles 85-62, the Hawks defeating the Crusaders 100-72, the Gunners won 95-74 against the Bandits, and the Hornets beating the Bruins 96-89.

NBL1 EAST RECAP | FRIDAY ROUND 17

WOMEN

Bruins keep winning to stay in playoff spot

The Bankstown Bruins continued their charge to the NBL1 East playoffs with their second win within 24 hours by beating the Hills Hornets 67-59 on Saturday afternoon.

The Bruins were backing up their win the previous evening over the Inner West Bulls by playing host to a Hornets team who also defeated the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders on Friday.

The Bruins only led by a point at quarter-time but then continued to grow that advantage throughout the evening including outscoring Hills 16 points to nine in the second term.

That had Bankstown leading 33-25 by half-time before the Bruins went on to lead by 10 points in the third stanza and 11 in the fourth before going on to win by eight.

The victory improves Bankstown to an 11-10 record to remain inside the top eight having won their past three matches with the Hornets now 4-17 with the defeat.

Shalome Dunlop played 20 minutes off the bench for Bankstown and put up 20 points, five rebounds and two steals with 7/12 shooting from the field, 2/5 from downtown and 4/4 at the foul line.

Violet Morrow contributed 15 points, 13 rebounds and four assists for the Bruins, and Bree Maimone 10 points, five boards and three assists.

Taylah Cottees top-scored for the Hornets with 16 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals, Britnee Sewell 13 points, five boards and four assists, and Rhiannon Yetsenga 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Reigning champs lock in playoff spot at expense of Nationals

The Albury-Wodonga Bandits have confirmed their playoff position in their championship defence by beating the Canberra Nationals 73-59 on Saturday afternoon.

Coming into the contest and the Bandits had the chance to guarantee a playoff spot with the win while the Nationals had to win to keep their own hopes alive setting the stage for the battle at Belconnen Basketball Stadium.

It was a close battle in the opening quarter but Albury-Wodonga took control in the second quarter outscoring Canberra 19 points to five to head into the half-time break leading 36-21.

The lead for the Bandits grew to 20 points in the third quarter and they would end up winning by 14 which means the reigning champions improve to an 11-9 record on the season while the Nationals are 9-11 heading into the last round.

Ashlee Hannan led the charge for Albury-Wodonga finishing with 21 points and six rebounds while Emma Mahady added 19 points, six boards and three assists, and Mikayla Pivec another 15 points, 17 rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots.

Lizzy Tonks produced 20 points, 10 rebounds and two assists for Canberra with Issie Bourne contributing 12 points, 14 boards and three assists, and Chloe Tugliach 12 points and two rebounds.

Dhal Fieg is COOKING ?‍?

2??6?? points in only 2??1?? minutes ?

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 15, 2023

Crusaders too strong for Hawks

The Central Coast Crusaders proved too strong for the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday evening to score the 86-62 victory.

Both teams did battle at The Snakepit while being out of the playoffs but it was the Crusaders who got off to the better start away from home with 22 points to 14 in the opening quarter.

The advantage for Central Coast continued to grow and the lead was 17 during the second stanza, 25 in the third and 28 in the fourth before they ended up scoring the 24-point win. 

The victory improves the Crusaders to 7-14 on the season with the Hawks now 5-16 with both teams having one game to go in the last round.

Darneka Rowe finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three assists in the win for Central Coast while shooting 8/13 from the field and 3/3 from beyond the arc.

Jasmine Forcadilla also had 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds, Katie Bailey 10 points and four assists, Kasey Quigley nine points and three boards, and Nicole Hutchins nine points, three rebounds and two assists.

Rebecca Abel finished up top-scoring for Illawarra with 15 points and three assists on 4/10 three-point shooting with Courtney Jardine contributing 13 points, three assists and two rebounds, Chelsea Hogg 10 points and six boards, and Emilia Garcia Leon six points, 12 rebounds and four assists.

Mustangs knock off second placed Falcons

The Maitland Mustangs snapped the eight-game winning streak of the Newcastle Falcons thanks to a huge finish on Saturday evening in what could very well cost their opponents a shot at top spot.

The Falcons came into the contest having won their past eight matches ahead of hosting a Mustangs team also having won six of their past seven with only a loss to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles thrown in there.

Maitland started well on the road with 17 points to 12 in the opening quarter but Newcastle turned the tide with 17 points themselves to 12 in the second to leave scores level at half-time.

The Falcons then managed to lead by six points in the third quarter and still by five in the fourth, but the Mustangs delivered a terrific finish from there including scoring nine consecutive points to nab the lead.

Eventually it was two clutch free-throws from Daila Walker that sealed the deal giving Maitland the three-point lead which they held on to when Rachel Williams blocked Nicole Munger's three-point attempt that could have sent the game to overtime.

The win improves the Mustangs to a 14-7 record with three wins in-a-row while it's a blow to Newcastle's top spot hopes but they remain second at 18-3.

On top of that block at the end of the game, Williams delivered 20 points and four rebounds for the Mustangs in the win with Madison Washington contributing 17 points, seven boards and five assists.

Sydney Hunter also had 13 points, 19 rebounds and three assists, and Shakera Reilly 11 points, six boards and three assists.

Despite the loss, Nicole Munger had a huge performance for Newcastle made up of 35 points, 15 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Abigail Curtin also had 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Mykea Gray nine points, six steals and two assists.

GAME-SAVING BLOCK BY RACHEL WILLIAMS ?

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 15, 2023

Sea Eagles hold out Sharks and Nicholson

The league leading Manly Warringah Sea Eagles shook off another big performance from Lauren Nicholson to further consolidate the regular season championship beating the Sutherland Sharks 65-54.

Coming into the contest and the Sharks had a chance to still finish in the top four if they could keep winning but the Sea Eagles also were still in a fight over top spot with Newcastle.

It turned out to be a low scoring affair with scores level at quarter-time before the Sea Eagles did open up a seven-point lead in the second period and to go into half-time on top 34-30.

Manly Warringah gradually continued to pull away throughout the second half with a nine-point lead in the third stanza and 12 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 11-point win.

The victory is a sixth in-a-row for the Sea Eagles to see them move a game clear in top spot at 19-2 with Newcastle's loss. Sutherland slips to a 14-7 record with a top four chance all but having slipped away.

Bree Delaney finished up top-scoring for Manly Warringah with 20 points and 13 rebounds with Felicity Henderson contributing 12 points and seven boards, Antonia Henderson 12 points, five steals and four rebounds, and Kim Hodge 10 points, six boards and two steals.

Lauren Nicholson did all she could to try and will Sutherland to another win by producing 32 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals on 11/21 shooting from the field, 2/4 from downtown and 8/10 at the charity stripe.

Aliza Fabbro added 14 points and two rebounds for the Sharks, and Olivia White two points, 14 boards and two blocked shots.

Spectacular Simons puts up 47 in win for Bears

Emily Simons ensured the Norths Bears kept their outside hopes of a top two finish alive while confirming at least a top four place thanks to a flying start on the way to a 91-50 victory against the Penrith Panthers.

It was a spectacular performance from the outset by Simons as she helped the Bears to outscore the Panthers 24 points to seven in the opening quarter.

It was another 26 points to 15 in the second term, 22 to 13 in the third and 19 to 15 in the fourth with the Bears ending up scoring the 41-point victory to improve to a 16-4 record to remain a chance of still replacing Newcastle in second position.

The Panthers are now sitting on a 4-16 record having lost five consecutive matches.

It was a stunning outing from Simons for the Bears as she finished with 47 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two assists on the back of shooting 17/26 from the floor, 7/12 from three-point territory and 6/7 from the free-throw line.

Jolene Anderson added 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Jessica Bygate eight points, five boards, three assists and two steals, and Kate Seebohm three points, five rebounds and 11 assists.

Meg Jefferson top-scored for Penrith with 12 points and nine rebounds with Chloe Williams contributing 11 points, four boards and three assists, and Emily Matthews 10 points and three rebounds.

MEN

Hills keep themselves in top four race

The Hills Hornets kept their hopes of a top four finish this NBL1 East season by beating the Bankstown Bruins 96-89 on Saturday night.

The Hornets just had to keep winning to maintain their hopes of a top four finish as they took on the Bruins on Saturday.

Bankstown was playing its last home game of the season and started well to lead 29-27 by the end of the first quarter.

However, the Hornets worked on top in the second period with 28 points to 14 to end up leading by as much as 15 points, and to go into the half-time break leading 55-43.

From there even though the Bruins outscored the Hornets 46 points to 41 in the second half, Hills ended up scoring the seven-point win which improves them to a 14-6 record on the season.

The Hornets will finish the season next Saturday away to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and then on Sunday at home to the Centre of Excellence.

The Bruins have just one game to go and that's away to the Newcastle Falcons.

Ben Kearins ended up with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the win for Hills with Liam Moss adding 16 points and five boards, Paul Brotherson 14 points, Marvin Fidel 12 points and five rebounds, and Lachlan Charlton 10 points and three boards.

Hayden Blankley had a big night for Bankstown despite the loss with 21 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.

Kobe Shannon also had 20 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals, Dragan Elkaz 13 points and five boards, Alex Foster 10 points and nine rebounds, and Miguel Campos 10 points and four assists.

Beautiful teamwork from the Bankstown Bruins ?

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 15, 2023

Big win for Gunners as they end Bandits season

The Canberra Gunners further consolidated their top four position and ended the playoff aspirations of the Albury-Wodonga Bandits with the 95-74 win on Saturday night.

The Gunners were at home at Belconnen Basketball Stadium having the chance to consolidate their place in the top four but it was always a must-win game for the Bandits to maintain any hopes of breaking into the top eight at the same time.

Canberra was just clinging to a one-point lead by quarter-time but the Gunners began to take charge to lead by 10 points during the second period and to still be leading 41-37 at the half-time interval.

The game was still up for grabs at that stage, but it didn’t stay that way for long with the Gunners taking charge throughout the second half outscoring the Bandits 54 points to 37 to end up winning by 21 points.

The victory improves Canberra to a 14-6 record with games to finish next weekend against the Sharks and Hawks where they can confirm their top four finish.

Albury-Wodonga fell to a 10-11 record with the loss with their playoff hopes now out of reach with just a game at home to the Maitland Mustangs remaining next week.

Dhal Fieg delivered 27 points, five rebounds and four assists for Canberra on 10/18 shooting from the field and 5/9 from three-point range.

Glenn Morison also put up 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks, Pietro Badalassi 15 points, five assists and four boards, Lachlan Smith 14 points, four assists and three rebounds, and James Toohey 12 points, eight boards and five assists.

Lochlan Cummings produced 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists for Albury-Wodonga, Jamir Coleman 22 points and 11 boards, and Michael Parks 20 points and six rebounds.

Hickey's triple-double inspires Hawks over Crusaders

All the Illawarra Hawks could do is beat the Central Coast Crusaders on Saturday night and hope other results would go their way to stay alive this season and they took care of their side of it with the 100-72 win.

The Hawks still need some luck if they were able to make the finals this season even if they won their last two games, but none of that would matter unless they took care of business against the Crusaders.

That was a Central Coast team having also won their past two matches last weekend by a combined five points over the Bruins and Bulls so it wasn’t going to be an easy task for the Hawks.

That was even more the case after the first quarter with Central Coast opening up a 13-point lead which got out to as much as 16 to start the second period.

The Hawks had to respond to keep any hope of reaching the playoffs alive and they completed a 15-0 run either side of half-time. Eventually Illawarra was able to assume the lead off Central Coast and never looked back.

The Hawks turned that seven-point deficit at half-time into an 11-point advantage by three quarter-time. In the end, Illawarra outscored Central Coast 53 points to 18 in the second half to end up winning by 28.

The victory improves Illawarra to an 11-10 record but to still stay alive they also needed Newcastle to lose which didn’t happen.

Tim Coenraad was back into the Hawks line-up and delivered 24 points, three rebounds and two steals on 4/8 three-point shooting.

Noah Pagotto added 19 points and 14 rebounds, Lucas Walker 16 points and five boards, and Brandon Freire 12 points and two rebounds, but it was Davo Hickey who was the star of the night for the Hawks.

He produced a triple-double made up of 15 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds and two steals on 7/10 shooting from the field.

Luke Cassidy delivered 16 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists for Central Coast with Aaron Redhead adding 10 points and two boards, James Trustum nine points, Hammish Loader nine points, four rebounds and three steals, and AJ Lawton nine points and three assists.

Falcons hold off Mustangs to lock in finals spot

The Newcastle Falcons confirmed their place in the NBL1 East finals by beating the Maitland Mustangs 76-68 at home on Saturday night.

The Falcons were at home at Newcastle Basketball Stadium on Saturday night playing host to a Mustangs team who had shot up to third position on the table having won their past 10 matches.

That meant that for Newcastle to score the win to guarantee a playoff berth they would need to play well, and they started strongly to lead 23-17 by quarter-time.

It was then a dominant second quarter defensively with Newcastle holding Maitland to just six points while scoring 17 themselves on the way to leading 40-23 by the main break.

The Falcons would then go on to lead by as much as 24 points in the third quarter and then despite a fast finish from Maitland who produced 24 points to 15 in the final term, Newcastle held firm to win by eight and lock in that playoff position.

Anthony Gaines top-scored for Newcastle with 18 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and four assists with Ryan Beisty contributing 16 points and nine boards, Thomas Akamarmoi 12 points and three rebounds, Jaidyn Goodwin 11 points, five boards and three assists, and Myles Cherry 10 points and 18 rebounds.

Will Cranston-Lown delivered 18 points, six steals, five assists and four rebounds with James Hunter adding 13 points, three boards and two blocks, Kevin Warren 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Billy Parsons nine points, four boards and two blocks.

Sharks stay in top four race with win over Sea Eagles

The Sutherland Sharks maintained their hopes of still finishing in the NBL1 East's top four on the back of Saturday night's 85-62 home victory against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

The Sharks were looking to bounce back from last week's loss to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits and raced out to a 10-point lead against the Sea Eagles before leading by five points at quarter-time.

That lead grew to 19 points in the second quarter, 29 in the third and eventually Sutherland secured the 23-point win to improve to a 14-7 record on the season.

The Sharks will now finish the season against the Canberra Gunners with a chance to take a top four spot with the victory. 

Following the loss, Manly Warringah is 4-17 having lost four straight with a game to finish at home to the Hills Hornets.

Jordan Mitchell top-scored in the win for Sutherland with 19 points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds on 7/9 shooting.

Adrian Cabrera added 18 points and five rebounds, Geoff Gerlach 14 points, 10 boards and six assists, Marquel Beasley 12 points and seven rebounds, and Lochlan Hutchison 11 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals.

Matthew Eldridge delivered 12 points, 12 rebounds, three assists two steals for Manly Warringah with Zackary Kimball adding 10 points and two assists, Kane Shrader eight points and four rebounds, Stefan Valkovic eight points and three boards, and Mitch Evans eight points, three steals and two rebounds.

Bears put themselves back in top four hunt

The Norths Bears put themselves back in the race for a top four finish this NBL1 South season beating the Penrith Panthers on Saturday night 108-80.

The Bears did arrive at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre having lost their past two matches to fall out of the top four, but they could still win their way back by winning their past three matches.

That challenge started on Saturday night against the second last placed Panthers and the Bears began well with 28 points to 19 in the first quarter.

That lead for Norths got out to as high as 24 points in the second quarter and then 35 in the final period on the way to the eventual 28-point victory.

The result improves the Bears to a 14-6 record on the season to remain in the top four race with games against the Inner West Bulls and Sydney Comets next weekend.

The Panthers have now lost 10 games in-a-row to be sitting at 3-17 also with games next weekend to finish against the Crusaders and Bulls.

Lewis Holey had a terrific night for the Bears with 20 points and 17 rebounds on the back of shooting 7/9 from the field, 3/4 from three-point range and 3/5 at the free-throw line.

Junior Madut added 19 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists, Robert Moore 15 points and five boards, Michael Yoong 13 points and seven assists, Nathaniel Musters 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Lucas Morgan 11 points and seven boards.

Brodie Schwarzer ended up with 17 points, five rebounds and two steals for Penrith, Tomas Ramos 16 points, eight boards, six assists, four steals and four blocks, Blair Williams 15 points and four rebounds, Caleb Fetui-Fa'amoe 11 points, five boards, three assists and two steals, and Jaedyn Fetui-Fa'amoe 10 points and two rebounds.