Featured images: Immy Leeon Photography / James O'Donohue Photography
The Albury-Wodonga Bandits women had to come from behind against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to stay unbeaten in the women's NBL1 East while the Hills Hornets men came from 14 points down in the final quarter to beat the Penrith Panthers in overtime.
The three women's NBL1 East matches on Sunday saw the Hills Hornets beat the Penrith Panthers 91-74 while the Albury-Wodonga Bandits defeated the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 75-70, and the Sutherland Sharks downed the Central Coast Crusaders 69-67.
The men's matches then saw the Sharks defeat the Crusaders 81-72, the Hornets defeat the Panthers 112-109 in overtime and the Sea Eagles down the Bandits 119-86.
RECAP NBL1 EAST | HERITAGE ROUND SATURDAY
WOMEN
Hills Hornets (91) defeated Penrith Panthers (74)
Tahlia Tupaea did all she could to give the Penrith Panthers a chance but the Hills Hornets had too many weapons on the way to the 91-74 victory at home on Sunday afternoon.
The Hornets came into the contest fresh having not ended up playing their game the previous night as scheduled against the Sydney Comets while the Panthers went down at home to the Centre of Excellence by 10 points.
They both took on one another at Hills Basketball Stadium on Sunday and it was Penrith who were clinging to the 21-19 lead by quarter-time.
The Hornets were able to turn the tide in the second period by outscoring the Panthers 27 points to 15 including going on a 12-0 scoring streak.
That saw Hills take a 46-36 lead into the half-time break before the home team stretched their lead out to 13 points in the third period, and 22 on the fourth on the way to the eventual 17-point triumph.
The win improves the Hornets to a 5-6 record on the season with Meg Jefferson leading the way with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists on 7/14 shooting from the field and 5/5 at the foul line.
Rachel McLimore added 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists with Emma Kary contributing 12 points and five boards, Hannah Griffin 11 points and three assists, and Cassandra Pentney nine points, nine rebounds and two steals.
The Panthers now slip to a 3-10 record on the season having lost their past three matches despite a huge game again from Tahlia Tupaea consisting of 36 points, five rebounds and two assists on 13/25 shooting from the floor and 7/7 at the foul line.
Chloe Williams contributed 14 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Mia Heide 11 points, 12 boards, three blocks and two steals.
Following a break next weekend, the NBL1 East resumes with the Hornets hosting the Sutherland Sharks on Saturday June 15. The Panthers will also be at home to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
HILLS HORNETS 91 (Jefferson 20, McLimore 15, Kary 12)
PENRITH PANTHERS 74 (Tupaea 36, Williams 14, Heide 11)
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (70) lost to Albury-Wodonga Bandits (75)
The Albury-Wodonga Bandits won the battle of heavyweights by producing a strong final quarter to remain undefeated this season to beat the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 75-70.
The Sea Eagles had lost just once so far this season ahead of hosting the Bandits at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre with Albury-Wodonga so far undefeated in 2024 including a road win on Saturday over the Central Coast Crusaders.
Manly Warringah also beat the Maitland Mustangs by 29 points on Saturday coming into the Sunday match up and the Sea Eagles then turned it on in the first quarter with 26 points to 12.
It was the first time this season the gauntlet had been thrown down to the undefeated Bandits who were missing the legendary Lauren Jackson who is with the Australian Opals in China.
The lead for Manly Warringah grew to 17 points in the second term as well but then the Bandits fired back and by half-time had cut the lead for the Sea Eagles to 39-37.
That set up a tantalising second half and Manly Warringah were still leading by five points at three quarter-time with Albury-Wodonga needing to dig deep to remain undefeated.
That's exactly what they did and a 10-0 scoring run saw the Bandits turn a five-point deficit into a five-point lead, and that would end up being the final winning margin.
Albury-Wodonga is now 14-0 on the season as a result of the hard fought win with Unique Thompson coming up huge once more. The 2022 Grand Final MVP delivered 27 points and 19 rebounds with 10/21 shooting from the field and 7/7 from the free-throw line.
Mikayla Pivec added 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists with Elizabeth Murphy contributing eight points, three boards, two assists and two blocked shots, and Ash Hannan six points, 12 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
Manly Warringah is now 9-2 on the season with the defeat with Zoey Miller top-scoring with 20 points to go with seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Bree Delaney added 17 points and two rebounds, Alex Delaney 14 points, 10 boards and three assists, and Josie Bulman 11 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The competition takes the week off over the King's Birthday long weekend before the Sea Eagles are away to the Penrith Panthers on Saturday June 15. The Bandits will also be at home that same evening to the Newcastle Falcons.
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 70 (Miller 20, B Delaney 17, A Delaney 14)
ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 75 (Thompson 27, Pivec 20, Murphy 8)
Central Coast Crusaders (67) lost to Sutherland Sharks (69)
Aliza Fabbro was a standout once again with the Sutherland Sharks having to battle hard to come away with the 69-67 victory over the shorthanded Central Coast Crusaders.
The Crusaders were back home on Sunday afternoon at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium with them attempting to bounce back from losing the previous night to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.
The home team were without Leilani Mitchell, Mikaela Dombkins, Jasmine Forcadilla and Kristina Moore so they were always going to be up against it opposed to the Sharks.
Sutherland came into the contest having beaten the Bankstown Bruins on Saturday too and the Sharks got on top early to open up the 23-10 lead by quarter-time.
Central Coast dug deep, though, and went on a 9-0 run in the second term to close that Sutherland lead to 40-34 at the half-time interval.
The Sharks were back out to a 14-point lead during the second half but the Crusaders kept on coming despite missing their four leading scoring players on the season.
A three-pointer with just over five minutes to play from Darneka Rowe had Central Coast back within three points and then with 2:45 on the clock, Rowe landed from downtown again and it was a two-point ball game.
Then after two free throws for Sutherland from Emily Garland, Rowe hit yet another three ball to bring Central Coast within a point and then Sara Matthews put them in front with 30 seconds to go.
The remarkable comeback against the odds was suddenly within reach, but Maddie Norris put the Sharks back in front before Matthews made one free-throw for scores to be level.
It was then Aliza Fabbro who made the clutch free throws for Sutherland and then Matthews missed her three-point attempt at the game winner with the Sharks clinging to the two-point win.
Sutherland improves to a 6-6 record with the double win weekend with Aliza Fabbro again outstanding with 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Maddie Norris also had 19 points, six rebounds and two steals for the Sharks, Emily Garland 12 points, and Olivia White four points and 15 rebounds.
It's two losses this weekend for Central Coast but given the players missing, the fight shown was more than encouraging.
Sara Matthews finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks while playing over 38 minutes for the Crusaders.
Darneka Rowe made 4/9 from three-point range for 16 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists with Taryn Mahoney adding 16 points and nine boards.
After the week's break, the Crusaders are away to the Norths Bears on Saturday June 15 with the Sharks also on the road to the Hills Hornets.
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 67 (Matthews 17, Mahoney 16, Rowe 16)
SUTHERLAND SHARKS 69 (Fabbro 30, Norris 19, Garland 12)
MEN
Hills Hornets (112) defeated Penrith Panthers (109)
The Hills Hornets and Penrith Panthers put on quite the Sunday afternoon show and they needed overtime to be separated, and it was the home team able to prevail in the finish 112-109.
The Hornets were playing host to the Panthers at Hills Basketball Stadium on Sunday afternoon on the back of having their game the previous evening against the Sydney Comets postponed.
Meanwhile, the Panthers lost by 26 points at home to the rolling Centre of Excellence and it was the Hornets who got the better of the start coming off that frustration of not getting to play the previous night.
The Hornets raced out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter and to still be on top 32-23 by the end of one.
However, Penrith responded with 31 points to 16 in the second quarter which saw the visitors take a 54-48 lead into the half-time break.
The Panthers kept the momentum going with another 25 points to 17 in the third frame which saw that lead get out to as much as 16 points, and then the away team were still holding onto a 14-point edge during the final quarter.
The Hornets had to dig deep to try and maintain pace with the top six teams and it was still Penrith holding onto a six-point lead coming into the final minute of regulation.
It was still a five-point ball game with 30 seconds remaining too before a bucket for the Hornets to Ishmael Sanders and then Ben Kearins was called for the offensive foul for Penrith.
Eventually it was drawing a couple of fouls and the free throws from Joe Patmore and Chris Bryant that saw Hills able to level scores. It was tied at 97-97 at the end of regulation when Zeke Evans' three on the buzzer for the Panthers wouldn’t go.
It was the Hornets who made the first break in overtime with a triple from Sanders giving them the five-point lead and then Bryant nailed a triple too to keep the margin at five with Bryant then pushing it out to seven, and Hills would hold on for the eventual three-point win.
Sanders did miss two free throws that kept the door open for the Panthers to force a second overtime, but Caleb Fetui-Fa'amoe didn’t have time for anything but a three-quarter court fling and the Hornets scored the win.
The victory improves Hills to a 7-4 record on the season with Ishmael Sanders outstanding with 39 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals with 8/17 shooting from three-point range.
Chris Bryant added 28 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists with Liam Moss contributing 17 points, two rebounds and two assists.
The Panthers have now lost nine in-a-row to be 1-12 on the season with Ben Kearins ending the afternoon with 21 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Brodie Schwarzer added 14 points, four assists and two rebounds, Josh Kalwy 13 points, four assists, four steals, three boards and two blocks, Caleb Fetui-Fa'amoe 16 points and five rebounds, Atien Acuel 19 points on 4/6 three-point shooting, and Ryan Peterson 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Following a break next weekend, the NBL1 East resumes with the Hornets hosting the Sutherland Sharks on Saturday June 15. The Panthers will also be at home to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
HILLS HORNETS 112 (Sanders 39, Bryant 28, Moss 17)
PENRITH PANTHERS 109 (Kearins 21, Acuel 19, Fetui-Fa'amoe 16)
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (119) defeated Albury-Wodonga Bandits (86)
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles flexed their muscles on Sunday afternoon with the 119-86 home win over the Albury-Wodonga Bandits with Jonas Harper knocking down seven three-pointers.
The Sea Eagles were back home at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre on the back of a 23-point loss to the Maitland Mustangs on Saturday while the Bandits started their road double with a four-point win over the Central Coast Crusaders.
Manly Warringah were on a mission to make up for that disappointing loss to the Mustangs and by quarter-time were leading the Bandits 29-21.
The Sea Eagles then opened up a lead as big as 18 points in the second period and went into half-time leading 60-45.
Manly Warringah continued to dominate in the second half with another 28 points to 20 in the third frame, and 31 to 21 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 33-point triumph.
The Sea Eagles improve to an 8-3 record on the season with the bounce back victory with Jonas Harper connecting on 7/8 from beyond the three-point line for 25 points.
Mason Bragg added 20 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds, Zackary Kimball 18 points and three boards, Stefan Valkovic 16 points and two rebounds, and Matthew Eldridge 16 points, 15 boards, five assists and two steals.
The Bandits slip to 9-5 with the loss with Kevion Blaylock finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots on 8/14 shooting.
Shawn Montague added 20 points on 8/12 shooting with Davo Hickey contributing 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Jacob Cincurak 13 points, two boards, two assists and two steals.
The competition takes the week off over the King's Birthday long weekend before the Sea Eagles are away to the Penrith Panthers on Saturday June 15. The Bandits will also be at home that same evening to the Newcastle Falcons.
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 119 (Harper 25, Bragg 20, Kimball 18)
ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 86 (Blaylock 21, Montague 20, Hickey 16)
Central Coast Crusaders (72) lost to Sutherland Sharks (81)
The defending champion Sutherland Sharks continue to keep the defence of their title alive with the 81-72 victory on Sunday afternoon over the Central Coast Crusaders.
The Sharks came into the weekend struggling at 4-6 even after a bounce back win last week against the Newcastle Falcons, but they did score the important Saturday win over the Bankstown Bruins.
They then backed up against the Crusaders on Sunday at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium with Central Coast looking to snap a seven-game losing skid.
It was the Crusaders who were leading 21-18 by the end of the first quarter before the Sharks did begin to take over in the second term with 24 points to 12 to go into the half-time break leading 42-33.
Sutherland were able to maintain that advantage throughout the rest of the match up too to end up scoring the nine-point victory to improve to a 6-6 record on the season with the three wins in-a-row.
Geoff Gerlach delivered 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals on 9/13 shooting in the win for Sutherland with Adrian Cabrera contributing 19 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Brian Williams added 19 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Lochlan Hutchison 11 points, eight boards, four assists and two steals.
The Crusaders are now 3-10 having lost eight straight with Theus Evan Wardlow top-scoring with 13 points and four assists with Ben Stevens adding 12 points and 10 rebounds, Robbie Heath 12 points, five assists and four boards, and Chan Nai 11 points and six rebounds.
After the week's break, the Crusaders are away to the Norths Bears on Saturday June 15 with the Sharks also on the road to the Hills Hornets.
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 72 (Wardlow 13, Stevens 12, Heath 12)
SUTHERLAND SHARKS 81 (Gerlach 23, Cabrera 19, Williams 19)
