Featured images: Greg Francis | @discoveryone_photography
It was a pair of wins for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders over the Centre of Excellence in Saturday's NBL1 East while Shyla Heal, Lauren Jackson, Lauren Nicholson, Biwali Bayles, Christian Aukuso, Jonas Harper were among the standout performers.
Saturday's women's results saw the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders beat the Centre of Excellence 87-79 while the Norths Bears defeated the Central Coast Crusaders 78-59, the Bankstown Bruins downed the Maitland Musangs 80-76 and the Sydney Comets won 93-63 against the Illawarra Hawks.
The Albury-Wodonga Bandits also beat the Newcastle Falcons 98-66, the Canberra Nationals defeated the Inner West Bulls 93-47, the Sutherland Sharks downed the Hills Hornets 99-70 and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles won 63-40 over the Penrith Panthers.
Then in the men's action, the Sea Eagles beat the Panthers 105-65 while the Hornets defeated the Sharks 105-81, the Gunners downed the Bulls 97-96, the Bandits won 94-88 against the Falcons, the Mustangs beat the Bruins 100-87, the Bears downed the Crusaders 110-100, the Comets beat the Hawks 120-81, and the Spiders defeated the CoE 81-75.
RECAP NBL1 EAST | ROUND 10 FRIDAY
WOMEN
Centre of Excellence (79) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (87)
The Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders made it four straight wins with another starring performance from young gun Jessie-May Hall to defeat the Centre of Excellence 87-79 in overtime.
The Spiders had scored wins over Bankstown, Hills and Inner West before the King's Birthday break last weekend and arrived at AIS Basketball and Netball Centre looking to keep that momentum rolling.
The Centre of Excellence were on their own four-game winning streak as well setting the stage for the fascinating match up and it didn’t fail to deliver.
It was the CoE leading by a solitary point at quarter-time before holding onto that advantage at 39-38 at half-time but that was after Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai did well to claw back from an 11-point deficit.
The Basketball Australia rising stars again opened up a nine-point lead in the third term, but once more the Spiders hit back and managed to open up their own five-point edge in the final stanza.
The CoE hit back, though, and when down two in the final minute, it was Sienna Harvey with a tough finish inside to tie scores up with 23 seconds remaining.
That's where the scores would stay at 75-75 by the end of regulation before Jasinta Haydardedeoglu knocked down a three for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai to open the extra period.
The Spiders maintained the advantage from there with 12 points to four in that extra five minutes to score the eight-point win to make it four in-a-row to improve to 5-10 on the season.
Jessie-May Hall continued her stunning run of form for the Spiders with 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and seven steals.
Ay'Anna Bey also had 23 points, five rebounds and three steals for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai with Keira Hudson contributing 18 points, four boards and two steals, and Haruna Inamura 11 points and four assists.
The CoE's four-game winning run comes to an end as they slip to 9-7 with Sienna Harvey top-scoring once more with 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Monique Bobongie added 18 points and 13 rebounds, Opal Bird 17 points and eight boards, Emilija Dakic eight points, four rebounds and four assists, and Jade Crook six points, 10 boards and three assists.
The Centre of Excellence remain at home on Sunday against the Newcastle Falcons while the Spiders are back home next Saturday to the Penrith Panthers.
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 79 (Harvey 21, Bobongie 18, Bird 17)
HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 87 (Hall 27, Bey 23, Hudson 18)
Norths Bears (78) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (59)
The defending champion Norths Bears made it 11 straight wins this season with Maddie O'Hehir putting up 26 points in the 78-59 win at home to the Central Coast Crusaders.
The Bears were back home at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre putting their winning run on the line against a Crusaders team trying to snap a two-game losing run.
But it's a Central Coast team still without Leilani Mitchell, Jasmine Forcadilla and Mikaela Dombkins, and the Bears were able to take advantage.
Norths were clinging to just the 15-13 lead by quarter-time before extending that advantage out to 42-34 by the half-time break.
The Bears then continued to grow that lead throughout the second half with it getting to 15 points in the third term, and 19 in the fourth before they scored the win by that 19-point margin.
The victory is an 11th in-a-row from Norths as the defending champs improve to 13-1 on the season with Maddie O'Hehir continuing her hot form with another 26 points, four rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots with 4/6 shooting from three-point land.
Emily Simons also had 17 points, four rebounds and four steals, Carla Pitman 15 points, six boards and two steals, Ae'Rianna Harris eight points, 11 rebounds and five steals, and Sarah Schicher pulled down 14 boards to go with two blocks.
The Crusaders have now lost three straight to be 8-6 as a result with Sara Matthews top-scoring with 17 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Darneka Rowe added 13 points and two rebounds, Kristina Moore 12 points, and Nicole Hutchins eight points, 11 rebounds and two steals.
The Crusaders back up on Sunday by hosting the Sydney Comets with the Bears back home next Saturday up against the Sydney Comets.
NORTHS BEARS 78 (O'Hehir 26, Simons 17, Pitman 15)
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 59 (Matthews 17, Rowe 13, Moore 12)
Bankstown Bruins (80) defeated Maitland Mustangs (76)
The Bankstown Bruins made a flying start and then held out the Maitland Mustangs for the 80-76 win at home with Violet Morrow delivering 26 points.
The Bruins were back home at Bankstown Basketball Stadium attempting to snap an eight-game losing run up against a Mustangs team also arriving having lost their last couple of games.
Bankstown got off to a stunning start with the home team leading by as much as 15 points in the first quarter and still being on top 27-14 by quarter-time.
Maitland fired back with a 12-0 run of their own in the second period but it was the Bruins still holding onto a 37-32 lead at the half-time break.
The Mustangs even managed to briefly grab the lead in the third quarter, but Bankstown worked back on top and eventually secured the four-point victory to snap the eight-match losing run.
The Bruins improve to a 3-11 record as a result of the win with Violet Morrow starring with 26 points, 10 rebounds and three steals on 6/10 three-point shooting.
Jihyun Park also had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists with Kira-May Filemu contributing 11 points and three boards.
The Mustangs have now lost three straight at 4-9 with Shakera Reilly delivering 19 points and 12 rebounds with 5/10 shooting from behind the three-point arc.
Natsumi Kohama added 19 points, seven assists, three steals and two rebounds, Shannon Burton 10 points, two boards and two assists, and Isabella Jennings 10 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
The Bruins are also playing on Sunday away to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles with the Mustangs still on the road to the Penrith Panthers.
BANKSTOWN BRUINS 80 (Morrow 26, Park 20, Filemu 11)
MAITLAND MUSTANGS 76 (Kohama 19, Reilly 19, Burton 10, Jennings 10)
Sydney Comets (93) defeated Illawarra Hawks (63)
Shyla Heal knocked down six three-pointers and scored 32 points as the Sydney Comets won big 93-63 at home to the Illawarra Hawks.
Both the Comets and Hawks came into the match up at Comets Stadium trying to stay in touch of a playoff spot in the NBL1 East with both looking to return to the winner's list to help that cause.
It was the Comets who made the better of the start to already be leading 26-17 by quarter-time before Sydney pushed that lead out to as much as 22 points in the second frame.
The Comets would still be leading 51-38 by half-time and they went on with the job from there to lead by as much as 27 points in the third quarter, then 31 in the fourth and to eventually score the 30-point victory.
The win improves Sydney to a 6-7 record on the season with Shyla Heal starring with 32 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals including hitting 6/12 from beyond the three-point arc.
Piper Anderson added 16 points, three steals, two blocks and two rebounds with Davida Dale contributing 16 points, six boards, five assists and two steals, and Janeen Camp 13 points, four rebounds and two steals.
The Hawks have now lost their past three matches at 6-8 with Ella Dent producing 25 points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds.
Georgia Ohrdorf also had 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, Asha Phillips seven points and six boards, and Emilia Garcia Leon six points and 12 rebounds.
The Comets are also in action on Sunday away to the Central Coast Crusaders while the Hawks are back home next Saturday to the Centre of Excellence.
SYDNEY COMETS 93 (Heal 32, Anderson 16, Dale 16)
ILLAWARRA HAWKS 63 (Dent 25, Ohrdorf 13, Phillips 7)
Albury-Wodonga Bandits (98) defeated Newcastle Falcons (66)
Lauren Jackson was back for the Albury-Wodonga Bandits and delivered 35 points and 19 rebounds to help keep the Albury-Wodonga Bandits perfect with the 98-66 win over the Newcastle Falcons.
The Bandits were back home at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre with Jackson herself back into the line-up as they put their undefeated record on the line against the third placed Newcastle who arrived with its own 11-2 record on the season.
With quite the imposing starting front court of Jackson, Unique Thompson and Ash Hannan, the Bandits were able to open up a nine-point lead already by the end of the first quarter.
Another 29 points to 20 in the second quarter from Albury-Wodonga saw the home team leading 53-35 by half-time before things continued to blow out further throughout the second half.
The lead for the Bandits grew to 29 points in the third frame and 34 in the fourth before they kept their unbeaten run going with the 32-point win to improve to 14-0 on the season.
Lauren Jackson had no trouble fitting right back in for Albury-Wodonga by delivering 35 points, 19 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots on the back of shooting 16/24 from the field.
She had plenty of help too with Unique Thompson putting up 19 points, 20 rebounds and two steals, Ash Hannan 14 points and three boards, and Elizabeth Murphy 12 points.
Awatea Leach also had 10 points, three rebounds and three assists, and Mikayla Pivec six points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds.
The Falcons slip to 11-3 with the defeat with Nicole Munger putting up another 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals as the reigning MVP of the NBL1 East.
Aarion Nichols added 14 points, five rebounds and two assists, Elissa Brett eight points, six boards and two steals, and Hannah Chicken eight points, eight rebounds and five steals.
The Falcons remain on the road on Sunday against the Centre of Excellence with Albury-Wodonga on the road next weekend to the Hills Hornets on Saturday.
ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 98 (Jackson 35, Thompson 19, Hannan 14)
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 66 (Munger 17, Nichols 14, Brett 8, Chicken 8)
Canberra Nationals (93) defeated Inner West Bulls (47)
The Canberra Nationals returned to the winner's list with a strong all-round team performance with all 10 players scoring in the 93-47 victory against the Inner West Bulls.
The Nationals were back home at Belconnen Basketball Stadium looking to snap a three-game losing streak up against the bottom placed Bulls who had lost 10 in-a-row themselves.
Scores were all level at 22-22 by quarter-time but it was in the second term when Canberra began to take over with 15 points to nine to go into the half-time break leading 37-31.
It was then a dominant second half performance from the Nationals beginning with 31 points to six in the third quarter that included the home team scoring 16 consecutive points.
The momentum continued for Canberra and the lead grew to as much as 48 points with another 16-0 run with the Nationals going on to win by 46 and to improve to 6-10 on the season as a result.
Callie Bourne finished the night with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals for Canberra on 5/9 shooting from the floor, 2/2 from three-point range and 3/4 at the foul line.
Maddison Penn also had 15 points and five rebounds with Lizzy Tonks contributing 14 points, seven boards and four assists, Elise Finney 12 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Mikala Williams eight points and three assists.
Inner West have now lost 11 in-a-row for a 1-14 record on the season with Margaret Robinson top-scoring with 12 points and 11 rebounds while Shiho Yamazaki added 11 points, five assists and four boards.
Canberra will host the Maitland Mustangs next Saturday with Inner West on the road to the Sutherland Sharks.
CANBERRA NATIONALS 93 (Bourne 15, Penn 15, Finney 12)
INNER WEST BULLS 47 (Robinson 12, Yamazaki 11, Kemp 7, Roulston 7)
Hills Hornets (70) lost to Sutherland Sharks (99)
Lauren Nicholson put up 44 points with six three-pointers as the Sutherland Sharks kept their playoff hopes alive with the 99-70 road victory against Hills Hornets.
Both teams came into the match up at Hills Basketball Stadium needing a win to stay in touch with the top six and it was Sutherland who started the better opening up the 23-17 lead by the end of the first period.
With Nicholson leading the charge, the Sharks were able to continue to build on that advantage the rest of the way leading by as much as 11 points in the second quarter, 18 in the third and then 29 in the fourth which would end up being the final margin.
The victory improves Sutherland to a 7-6 record on the season to give them three consecutive wins with Lauren Nicholson unstoppable with 44 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Nicholson ended up shooting a supremely efficient 17/21 from the field to go with 6/8 from three-point territory and 4/4 at the free-throw line.
Maddie Norris added 24 points, six rebounds and five assists with 5/11 shooting from downtown while Aliza Fabbro added 17 points, six boards, five assists and three steals, and Olivia White six points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
The Hornets now slip to a 5-7 record on the season with the defeat with Meg Jefferson putting up 20 points and 10 rebounds while Emma Kary contributed 17 points, three boards and two blocked shots, Rachel McLimore eight points and seven assists, and Ella Gale eight points and five rebounds.
The Hornets remain at home to host the Albury-Wodonga Bandits next Saturday with the Sharks also at home to the Inner West Bulls.
HILLS HORNETS 70 (Jefferson 20, Kary 17, McLimore 8, Gale 8)
SUTHERLAND SHARKS 99 (Nicholson 44, Norris 24, Fabbro 17)
Penrith Panthers (40) lost to Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (63)
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles kept in touch with a top two spot in the NBL1 East by beating the Penrith Panthers 63-40 on the road on Saturday.
The Sea Eagles arrived at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre looking to hit back from last week's loss at the hands of the undefeated Albury-Wodonga Bandits while the Panthers were hunting a fourth win of the season and to snap a three-game losing streak.
It wouldn’t prove to be an offensive game to write home about from either team but the Sea Eagles did open up a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
Manly Warringah were already leading by 12 points in the first quarter on the back of scoring 11 straight points before outscoring the Panthers 19 points to seven in the second period to go into half-time on top 33-13.
It was then another 11 points to just three in the third quarter and while Penrith scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, the Sea Eagles cruised to the 23-point victory.
The win improves Manly Warringah to a 10-2 record on the season with Alex Delaney finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three assists while Bree Delaney contributed 12 points, five boards and three blocked shots.
Brooke Flowers also had 10 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks and two assists, and Zoey Miller nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
Penrith has now lost four straight to hold a 3-11 record with Mia Heide finishing with eight points and 13 rebounds while Margaret Byrne had nine points and four boards, and Chloe Williams six points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.
The Sea Eagles are also in action on Sunday at home to the Bankstown Bruins while the Panthers are also at home to the Maitland Mustangs.
PENRITH PANTHERS 40 (Byrne 9, Heide 8, Williams 6)
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 63 (A Delaney 12, B Delaney 12, Flowers 10)
MEN
Centre of Excellence (75) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (81)
The Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders have broken through for their first win of the 2024 season with the 81-75 road win over the Centre of Excellence.
The Spiders arrived at AIS Basketball and Netball Centre having not won a game since July 8 last year and it was going to be a challenge to change that on the road to a CoE team having won 10 of its past 11 games.
After the Centre of Excellence opened up a nine-point lead early and the signs were ominous for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai, the visitors responded well with 12 consecutive points to see them leading 24-19 by the end of one.
It remained a tight contest leading into half-time and at the break it was the Spiders clinging to the 43-42 advantage.
Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai were sniffing that first win and put together a strong third quarter with 23 points to 16 to open up an eight-point lead, and from there Spiders were able to complete the job to end the drought with the six-point victory.
The Spiders are now 1-14 on the season as a result of the win with Isaiah Walter delivering 18 points, four assists and three rebounds.
Aaron Redhead added 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks, Steven Hall 12 points, four boards and three assists, and Brian Ansuh-Yeboah 11 points, five rebounds and two steals.
The Centre of Excellence slip to 11-5 on the season with the defeat with Kye Savage top-scoring with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Julius Halaifonua also had 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists with Jacob Furphy adding 14 points, seven boards and three assists, Emmett Adair 12 points, five rebound sand three blocks, and Che Brogan 10 points and six assists.
The Centre of Excellence remain at home on Sunday against the Newcastle Falcons while the Spiders are back home next Saturday to the Penrith Panthers.
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 75 (Savage 17, Halaifonua 16, Furphy 14)
HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 81 (Walter 18, Redhead 16, Hall 12)
Norths Bears (110) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (100)
It was quite the high scoring spectacle with the Norths Bears surviving 38 points from Robbie Heath to beat the Central Coast Crusaders 110-100.
The Bears and Crusaders arrived at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre ready to put on a show on Saturday evening and both teams combined for 56 points in the first quarter with Norths leading 31-25.
The Bears were able to extend their lead out to as much as 13 points in the second term before heading into the half-time break on top 60-47.
It was Central Coast's turn to catch fire during the third quarter as the visitors piled on 35 points but the Bears were able to respond and went on a 13-0 scoring run.
Eventually Norths were back out to a 14-point lead in the last quarter before scoring the 10-point victory to improve to an 8-6 record on the season to stay in the playoff mix.
Mandrell Worthy finished with 24 points, four assists and three rebounds on 8/12 shooting from the field for the Bears along with 2/3 from three-point range and 6/6 at the free-throw line.
Brennan Rymer added 19 points and three assists on 4/4 three-point shooting with Lewis Holey contributing 16 points and 11 boards, Cooper Wilks 15 points and three boards, and Pietro Badalassi 11 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.
The Crusaders have now lost five in-a-row with a 3-11 record despite the 38 points from Robbie Heath to go with seven assists, four rebounds and three steals on 11/17 shooting from the floor and 15/17 at the foul line.
Ben Stevens also had 23 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two assists, Chan Nai 11 points and four boards, James Trustum 11 points and two assists, and Evan Wardlow 10 points and three assists.
The Crusaders back up on Sunday by hosting the Sydney Comets with the Bears back home next Saturday up against the Sydney Comets.
NORTHS BEARS 110 (Worthy 24, Rymer 19, Holey 16)
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 100 (Heath 38, Stevens 23, Trustum 11)
Bankstown Bruins (87) lost to Maitland Mustangs (100)
A huge third quarter ensured the Maitland Mustangs beat the Bankstown Bruins 100-87 to maintain top spot and make it five straight NBL1 East victories.
The Mustangs arrived at Bankstown Basketball Stadium on a four-game winning streak and sitting clear on top of the standings ahead of taking on a Bruins team just clinging to staying in top six contention.
Bankstown started strongly too on its home floor scoring 11 straight points in the first quarter on the way to leading 31-21 by quarter-time.
Maitland began to hit back in the second quarter, though, with 22 points to 16 and that cut the Bruins lead to 47-43 by half-time.
The Mustangs then took charge in the third quarter by piling on 34 points to 12 and that saw them take over the match up. Maitland would end up leading by as much as 20 points in the final period before settling on the 13-point victory.
The win improves the Mustangs to a 12-1 record on the season with five consecutive victories with Matthew Gray ending up with 22 points and seven rebounds with Will Cranston-Lown contributing 22 points, nine assists, six boards and six steals.
Billy Parsons also had 16 points, three rebounds and two steals while James Hunter contributed 13 points and two boards, and Christian Little nine points, four assists and three steals.
Bankstown slip to a 7-7 record on the season with the defeat to remain outside the top six with Andrew Wolford top-scoring with 18 points and three assists on 3/3 three-point shooting.
Hayden Blankley also had 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, Jack Lopez 14 points and three boards, Naaman Hightower 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Gum Majak eight points and five boards.
The Bruins are also playing on Sunday away to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles with the Mustangs still on the road to the Penrith Panthers.
BANKSTOWN BRUINS 87 (Wolford 18, Blankley 16, Lopez 14)
MAITLAND MUSTANGS 100 (Gray 22, Cranston-Lown 22, Parsons 16)
Sydney Comets (120) defeated Illawarra Hawks (81)
Biwali Bayles and Christian Aukuso combined for 48 points as the Sydney Comets kept their playoff hopes alive with the 120-81 victory at home to the Illawarra Hawks.
Sydney were back home at Comets Stadium looking to snap a three-game losing slide while hosting a Hawks team also having lost their past two so both teams were attempting to return to the winner's list.
The Comets made an impressive start with 11 straight points in the first quarter to end up opening up the 28-15 lead by quarter-time.
That lead got out to as much as 19 points as well in favour of the Comets in the second quarter before the home team went into the half-time break in control 55-42.
The margin blew out further in the second half too with Sydney scoring 30 points to 18 in the third quarter before the Comets put up 35 points in the fourth term.
That saw the lead get out to as much as 42 points and eventually the Comets scored the 39-point win to snap a three-game losing run to improve to 6-7 on the season.
Biwali Bayles had a big say in the win for Sydney with 24 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals on 11/16 shooting from the field.
Christian Aukuso also delivered 24 points and 11 rebounds on 8/9 shooting from the floor and 3/3 from behind the three-point line.
Matthew Wacher added 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, Johnny Crnogorac 10 points, six boards and two assists, Ben White nine points and five rebounds, and Chol Adup nine points.
The Hawks have now lost three straight to be 2-12 on the season with Matthew Frierson top-scoring with 26 points on 6/17 three-point shooting.
Jacob Smith added 14 points and four rebounds, Phillip Dopud 11 points and five boards, and William Rice nine points on 3/5 three-point shooting.
The Comets are also in action on Sunday away to the Central Coast Crusaders while the Hawks are back home next Saturday to the Centre of Excellence.
SYDNEY COMETS 120 (Bayles 24, Aukuso 24, Wacher 12)
ILLAWARRA HAWKS 81 (Frierson 26, Smith 14, Dopud 11)
Albury-Wodonga Bandits (94) defeated Newcastle Falcons (88)
The Albury-Wodonga Bandits held out the fast finishing Newcastle Falcons to score the 94-88 victory at home to hold on to their place in the top six.
The Bandits were back home at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre looking to bounce back from a last up loss to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles as they hosted a Falcons team also trying to keep any hope of reaching the playoffs alive.
It was a blistering start from Albury-Wodonga as they went on a 17-0 scoring run in the first quarter on the way to taking a 33-15 lead at quarter-time.
That momentum continued in the second period with the Bandits' lead growing to 30 points and they would still be in control up 55-34 by the half-time break.
The home team went back out to a 28-point lead again the third quarter too but Newcastle was able to catch fire and pile on 34 points in the final quarter.
The deficit did prove too much to overcome despite a late Alex Clinton three ball cutting the final margin to six points, but the Bandits still scored the important win to improve to 10-5 on the season.
Kevion Blaylock top-scored for Albury-Wodonga with 23 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots on 11/18 shooting from the field with Davo Hickey adding 21 points, nine boards, eight assists, seven steals and two blocked shots.
Jacob Cincurak added 18 points and three rebounds on 5/9 three-point shooting with Lochlan Cummings contributing 10 points, three boards and two assists, and Shawn Montague nine points, four rebounds and three steals.
Newcastle slips to a 5-9 record on the season with the loss despite Leo O'Boyle delivering 30 points and five rebounds on 6/9 shooting from behind the three-point arc.
Ryan Beisty also had 19 points, seven rebounds, six steals, four assists and three blocks while Alex Clinton went 3/3 from downtown for nine points with Jaidyn Goodwin contributing eight points, seven assists and four rebounds, and Myles Cherry six points, 13 boards, five assists and three steals.
The Falcons remain on the road on Sunday against the Centre of Excellence with Albury-Wodonga on the road next weekend to the Hills Hornets on Saturday.
ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 94 (Blaylock 23, Hickey 21, Cincurak 18)
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 88 (O'Boyle 30, Beisty 19, Clinton 9)
Canberra Gunners (97) defeated Inner West Bulls (96)
Two top five teams put on quite the contest where they exchanged blows the entire evening before the Canberra Gunners prevailed 97-96 at home to the Inner West Bulls.
Coming into the match up at Belconnen Basketball Stadium and it was the Gunners sitting second attempting to bounce back from a loss to the Centre of Excellence while the Bulls were in fifth spot having last up beaten the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.
There were never more than nine points separating the two teams the entire contest with the Bulls managing to lead by four points at quarter-time.
Inner West were still clinging to the 47-44 lead at half-time and then still it was the visitors on top 71-69 by three quarter-time.
It was always destined to be a contest to go right down to the wire and that's what happened with Glenn Morrison leading Canberra back level with six minutes to play.
After the teams continued to exchange the lead, a three-pointer from Derek Emelifeonwu had the Gunners out to a three-point lead before a three-point play to Morison extended that out to a four-point advantage.
Five quick points in the final minute from Emelifeonwu proved to be the difference to help Canberra to a six-point lead and the 2022 champions would end up holding on for the one-point victory.
The win improves the Gunners to a 14-2 record on the season with 2022 Grand Final MVP Glenn Morison producing 28 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots on 10/15 shooting from the floor.
Will Mayfield also had 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals, Derek Emelifeonwu 15 points, three boards, two assists and two steals, and Lachlan Smith 14 points on 3/4 three-point shooting.
The Bulls slip to a 9-6 record with the one-point defeat despite 23 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists from Alex Higgins-Titsha who shot 9/11 from the floor and 4/4 from three-point range.
Jacob Ohmer also ended up with 22 points, three rebounds and two assists with Zach Hudson contributing 12 points, six boards and three assists, Nicko Timonera 12 points and four rebounds, Tony Tolovae 12 points and four boards, and Ramon Cao 10 points.
Canberra will host the Maitland Mustangs next Saturday with Inner West on the road to the Sutherland Sharks.
CANBERRA GUNNERS 97 (Morison 28, Mayfield 20, Emelifeonwu 15)
INNER WEST BULLS 96 (Higgins-Titsha 23, Ohmer 22, Tolovae 12, Timonera 12, Hudson 12)
Hills Hornets (105) defeated Sutherland Sharks (81)
The Hills Hornets made it three straight wins and ended the three-game winning streak of the Sutherland Sharks in the process with the 105-81 victory.
The Hornets were back home at Hills Basketball Stadium looking for a third straight win to try and break into the top six while the defending champion Sharks were out to keep their momentum going having won their last three.
It was a dominant start to the clash for Hills with the home team scoring 31 points to 15 in the first quarter and never looking back from there.
The lead for the Hornets got out to as much as 24 points in the second quarter and then 32 in the second half before they went on to score the 24-point victory against the defending champions.
The victory improves Hills to an 8-4 record on the season to be knocking on the door of the top six with Chris Bryant leading the charge with 27 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals on 11/17 shooting from the floor and 3/5 from downtown.
Ishmael Sanders also delivered 22 points, six rebounds and four assists, Saxon Orsini 15 points and two steals on 5/11 three-point shooting, Mitchell Smith 15 points, two rebounds and two steals, Liam Moss seven points and four assists.
The Sharks see their three-game winning run come to an end to slip to a 6-7 record despite 22 points and six rebounds from Brian Williams.
Lochlan Hutchison also had 11 points, two rebounds and two assists, Adrian Cabrera nine points and five boards, and Josh Sheehy nine points.
The Hornets remain at home to host the Albury-Wodonga Bandits next Saturday with the Sharks also at home to the Inner West Bulls.
HILLS HORNETS 105 (Bryant 27, Sanders 22, Smith 15)
SUTHERLAND SHARKS 81 (Williams 22, Hutchison 11, Sheehy 9, Cabrera 9)
Penrith Panthers (65) lost to Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (105)
Jonas Harper knocked down five three-pointers on his way to 25 points as the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles won big 105-65 on the road to the Penrith Panthers.
The Sea Eagles arrived at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre needing to keep winning to maintain their hold on a top six position while the Panthers were hunting a second win of the season.
It was a dominant performance from the outset by Manly Warringah with them going on an 11-0 scoring run in the first quarter to end up leading by as much as 16 points.
The Sea Eagles continued to extend that advantage through the rest of the match with the lead growing to 25 points in the second period, 29 in the third and 42 in the fourth.
Manly Warringah would then go on to record the 40-point victory to improve to a 9-3 record on the season with Jonas Harper putting up 25 points and two steals on the back of hitting 9/12 from the field and 5/6 from three-point territory.
Mason Bragg also delivered 19 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for the Sea Eagles, Aiden Pashley 13 points and six boards on 3/6 three-point shooting, Mitch Evans 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Luke Schroeder 10 points and four boards.
Penrith has now lost 10 consecutive matches at 1-13 with Ben Kearins ending up with 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Josh Kalwy 11 points, eight assists and four rebounds.
The Sea Eagles are also in action on Sunday at home to the Bankstown Bruins while the Panthers are also at home to the Maitland Mustangs.
PENRITH PANTHERS 65 (Kalwy 11, Kearins 11, J Fetui-Fa'amoe 8, Peterson 8)
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 105 (Harper 25, Bragg 19, Pashley 13)
