Featured images: Greg Francis | @discoveryone_photography
It was a Sunday for spectacular NBL1 East performances including Tahlia Tupaea hitting 37 points for the Penrith Panthers, Monique Bobongie 28 and Kye Savage 38 for the Centre of Excellence, and Biwali Bayles 44 for the Sydney Comets.
Sunday's NBL1 East women's results saw the Penrith Panthers defeat the Maitland Mustangs 77-72, the Bankstown Bruins downed the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 67-65, the Centre of Excellence won 89-84 against the Newcastle Falcons, and the Sydney Comets defeated the Central Coast Crusaders 61-56.
Then in Sunday's men's matches, the Mustangs beat the Panthers 103-86, the Sea Eagles defeated the Bruins 87-65, the Centre of Excellence downed the Falcons 104-84 and the Comets won 121-90 against the Crusaders.
RECAP NBL1 EAST | ROUND 10 SATURDAY
RECAP NBL1 EAST | ROUND 10 FRIDAY
WOMEN
Penrith Panthers (77) defeated Maitland Mustangs (72)
One of the teams was going to end their losing slide and it was the Penrith Panthers ultimately beating the Maitland Mustangs 77-72 on the back of 37 points from Tahlia Tupaea.
The Panthers were back home at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre attempting to snap a four-game losing run while the Mustangs arrived having lost their last three games.
So one of them was going to return to the winner's list on Sunday afternoon with Maitland getting off to a flying start with 27 points to 13 in the opening quarter.
After the Mustangs lead got out to 16 points, the Panthers hit back in the second quarter as they scored 12 straight points of their own to even grab the lead briefly.
Scores were all level at 39-39 by half-time and then Maitland worked back on top in the third quarter and that lead got back out to nine points again early in the fourth.
It was time for Penrith with Tahlia Tupaea leading the charge to take over for good and the home team ended up delivering 27 points to 17 in the final period and the Panthers ended up securing the five-point victory.
The win improves Penrith to a 4-11 record on the season and Tupaea had a huge say in the result finishing with 37 points and five rebounds on 9/17 shooting from the floor, 2/4 from downtown and 17/18 at the charity stripe.
Mia Heide added 13 points and 14 rebounds, Chloe Williams 11 points, five boards and two assists, and Tatiana Beaumont five points and eight rebounds.
Maitland now sits on a 4-10 record having lost four straight matches with Sydney Hunter finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Natsumi Kohama also had 13 points and six boards, Rachel Williams 10 points, three rebounds and three steals, and Shakera Reilly 10 points, seven boards, five assists and two steals.
The Panthers are on the road to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders on Saturday with the Mustangs also on the road to the Canberra Nationals.
PENRITH PANTHERS 77 (Tupaea 37, Heide 13, Williams 11)
MAITLAND MUSTANGS 72 (Hunter 18, Kohama 13, Reilly 10, Williams 10)
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (65) lost to Bankstown Bruins (67)
The Bankstown Bruins produced one of the upsets of the NBL1 East season by beating the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 67-65 away from home on Sunday.
The Bruins had three wins to their credit so far this season but each of those were teams in bottom four positions in the standings as they arrived at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre to take on a Sea Eagles team trying to back up a win on Saturday against the Penrith Panthers.
Manly Warringah did need to continue winning too to both keep in touch with the top two teams and to also ensure they were safe in a playoff position as they hosted the Bruins.
It turned out to be quite the fascinating contest and a tight battle right the way through with Manly Warringah's biggest lead the seven points they were up in the first quarter.
Bankstown's biggest advantage was nine points with six minutes to go into the contest when Violet Morrow knocked down a huge three-point dagger.
Alex Delaney immediately responded with a triple of her own for the Sea Eagles and the big shots continued as Jurnee-A'Mour Straker landed another from downtown for the Bruins and then Bree Delaney answered for Manly Warringah.
But every time the Sea Eagles got back within striking distance, Bankstown had the response and it was a triple from Jihyun Park with 2:30 to play that looked like it could be a dagger, but then Bree Delaney hit another three and Zoey Miller completed a three-point play.
So that had the home team back within a point with 30 seconds to play and then Bankstown had a shot clock violation but Manly Warringah couldn’t capitalise, and the Bruins secured the win with a free-throw from Kira-May Filemu.
It's the best win of the season for Bankstown as they improve to a 4-11 record with Jurnee-A'Mour Straker delivering 13 points, three rebounds and three assists with 3/4 three-point shooting.
Jihyun Park produced a triple-double too made up of 12 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists with Kira-May Filemu adding 12 points, and Sienna Tutani 11 points, five boards and two assists.
It's a tough loss for the Sea Eagles who slip to a 10-3 record having now lost three of the last five games despite Zoey Miller producing 22 points, five blocks three steals and two assists.
Brooke Flowers added 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks with Alex Delaney adding 11 points, six boards and four assists, and Antonia Henderson eight points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The Sea Eagles are at home to the Newcastle Falcons this coming Saturday while Bankstown don’t play again until being away to the Hills Hornets next Sunday.
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 65 (Miller 22, Flowers 12, A Delaney 11)
BANKSTOWN BRUINS 67 (Straker 13, Park 12, Filemu 12)
Centre of Excellence (89) defeated Newcastle Falcons (84)
The Centre of Excellence bounced back from a Saturday defeat with Monique Bobongie coming up big in the Sunday 89-84 victory at home to the Newcastle Falcons.
Both teams were coming off Saturday defeats as they did battle at AIS Basketball and Netball Centre with the CoE having lost to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders and the Falcons to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.
Given the Falcons came into the game at 11-3 and the Centre of Excellence were 9-7, then it was a crucial game in the race for the finals for both teams too, and it was Newcastle leading 28-24 by quarter-time.
The CoE was able to turn the tide in the second quarter and outscored the Falcons 29 points to 16 to end up leading by as much as 11 points themselves, and being on top 53-44 by the half-time interval.
The Basketball Australia rising stars would end up leading by as much as 12 in the second half but the Falcons kept on coming. However, the Centre of Excellence held out for the eventual five-point victory.
The win improves the CoE to a 10-7 record on the season to remain locked into a finals position with Monique Bobongie the star with 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists with 7/17 shooting from three-point territory.
Zara Russell added 17 points, three rebounds and two assists, Opal Bird 10 points and two boards, Sienna Harvey nine points, four rebounds and four assists, and Emilija Dakic six points, five boards, three assists and two steals.
Bonnie Deas also made her return from injury and played 22 and-a-half minutes for seven points and seven rebounds.
The Falcons have now lost two straight but remain in fourth position with an 11-4 record despite another 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists on 11/18 shooting from reigning MVP Nicole Munger.
Isla Juffermans also had 21 points and six rebounds, Hannah Chicken 12 points, seven boards and three assists, Elissa Brett nine points and six rebounds, and Aarion Nichols eight points, seven boards and two steals.
The Centre of Excellence are away to the Illawarra Hawks this Saturday while Newcastle is also on the road to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 89 (Bobongie 28, Russell 17, Bird 10)
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 84 (Munger 26, Juffermans 21, Chicken 12)
Central Coast Crusaders (56) lost to Sydney Comets (61)
Shyla Heal scored another 27 points as the Sydney Comets overcame the valiant Central Coast Crusaders 61-56 who fought hard despite being shorthanded still.
The Crusaders were back at home at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium but still without Leilani Mitchell, Jasmine Forcadilla and Mikaela Dombkins taking on a Comets team looking to make it three consecutive wins.
The Comets were able to open up a 17-12 lead by quarter-time but the Crusaders hit back in the second term with 20 points and hit the front before Sydney steadied enough to narrowly be on top 35-32 by the half-time interval.
Central Coast again briefly hit the lead in the third quarter too, but Sydney worked back on top and in the end held on for the five-point win having been out to a lead by as much as nine points.
It was a low-scoring affair with Sydney winning despite shooting 27.7 per cent from the field and going 5/27 from three while the Crusaders went 29.7 per cent overall and 8/28 from long-range.
Central Coast also had 21 turnovers for the game to 15 from Sydney while there were plenty of rebounds to share with the Comets grabbing 53 boards and the Crusaders 62.
Sydney improves to an 8-7 record on the season with the third straight win with Shyla Heal finishing with 27 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds.
Davida Dale added 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals with Alexandria Oliver contributing five points, 12 boards, three steals and three blocks, and Janeen Camp four points and eight rebounds.
Central Coast has now lost five straight to be sitting at 8-8 on the season with Sara Matthews ending up with 17 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, Taryn Mahoney 15 points, eight boards, two assists, two steals and two blocks, and Kate Cranney four points, 12 rebounds and two assists.
The Crusaders are next in action next Sunday away to the Inner West Bulls with the Comets away to the Norths Bears on Saturday.
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 56 (Matthews 17, Mahoney 15, Rowe 7)
SYDNEY COMETS 61 (Heal 27, Dale 20, Oliver 5)
MEN
Penrith Panthers (86) lost to Maitland Mustangs (103)
The Maitland Mustangs maintained top spot in the NBL1 East setting up the 103-86 win with a big first half on the road on Sunday to the Penrith Panthers.
The Panthers were back home at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre attempting to bounce back from a 40-point loss the previous night to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles while the Mustangs arrived on a five-game winning streak.
Maitland came out starting strongly with 29 points to 20 in the first quarter before then blowing the game open further in the second period with another 26 points to 15.
The Mustangs led by as much as 24 points on the way to the 55-35 lead at half-time and Maitland's advantage grew to as much as 25 in the second half before settling on the 17-point victory.
As a result of the win, Maitland improved to a 13-1 record on the season with six straight wins with Will Cranston-Lown having another standout performance with 27 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals on shooting 7/14 from three-point range.
Matthew Gray added 20 points and nine rebounds, Billy Parsons 15 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals, Will Mortimore 11 points and six rebounds, and Christian Little nine points, four assists, three boards and two steals.
The Panthers have now lost their past 11 games to be sitting at 1-14 on the season with Zeke Evans finishing with 24 points and six rebounds on 8/10 shooting from the floor and 7/8 from the foul line.
Ben Kearins also put up 17 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals, Josh Kalwy 11 points, nine assists and six boards, and Brodie Schwarzer 10 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.
The Panthers are on the road to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders on Saturday with the Mustangs also on the road to the Canberra Nationals.
PENRITH PANTHERS 86 (Evans 24, Kearins 17, Kalwy 11)
MAITLAND MUSTANGS 103 (Cranston-Lown 27, Gray 20, Parsons 15)
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (87) defeated Bankstown Bruins (65)
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles started and finished in dominant fashion for the 87-65 Sunday home victory against the Bankstown Bruins.
The Sea Eagles were fresh off a 40-point win on Saturday against the Penrith Panthers ahead of hosting the Bruins at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre with Bankstown trying to bounce back from a loss to the Maitland Mustangs.
Manly Warringah did need to keep winning to stay in touch with the top two teams and got off to the perfect start on their home floor with 25 points to 10 in the opening period.
The lead for the Sea Eagles got out to 17 points in the second term but then Bankstown was able to make things interesting by scoring 14 straight points to cut the Manly Warringah lead at half-time to just six points.
However, the Sea Eagles took control once more in the second half with 24 points to 19 in the third frame, and 23 to 12 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 22-point victory.
The win improves Manly Warringah to a 10-3 record on the season in third position with three straight wins with Matthew Eldridge finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Jonas Harper had another strong performance hitting 6/10 from three-point range on his way to 20 points, five steals and three assists with Mason Bragg contributing 14 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and four steals, and Zackary Kimball 10 points, seven boards, two assists and two steals.
Bankstown has now lost three in-a-row to sit at 7-8 on the season with Shareef Saipaia putting up 16 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Charlie McBeath also had 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, Naaman Hightower 10 points, seven boards and four assists, and Gum Majak nine points, six rebounds and two blocked shots.
The Sea Eagles are at home to the Newcastle Falcons this coming Saturday while Bankstown don’t play again until being away to the Hills Hornets next Sunday.
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 87 (Eldridge 20, Harper 20, Bragg 14)
BANKSTOWN BRUINS 65 (Saipaia 16, McBeath 12, Hightower 10)
Centre of Excellence (104) defeated Newcastle Falcons (84)
Kye Savage made sure the Centre of Excellence bounced back on Sunday from a surprise loss the day before as he put up 38 points in the 104-84 victory against the Newcastle Falcons.
Savage has already been earmarked an exciting future talent and will join the Brisbane Bullets for the upcoming NBL season. He showed exactly why with his performance on Sunday at AIS Basketball and Netball Centre.
The Centre of Excellence suffered a surprise loss on Saturday to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders while the Falcons arrived also having lost on the road the night before to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.
So both teams were attempting to hit back and it was the Basketball Australia rising stars who were on top virtually from start to finish.
The Centre of Excellence were only leading by four points at quarter-time but that was out to 13 during the second term and they went into half-time on top 48-38.
The CoE continued to control the contest and the lead blew out to 20 points by the final buzzer and as a result they improve to a 12-5 record on the season to remain in fourth position in the standings.
Kye Savage was the star in the win for the Centre of Excellence with 38 points, three rebounds and two assists on 7/9 three-point shooting and 13/13 free-throw shooting.
Julius Halaifonua added 15 points and five rebounds with Ajak Nyuon contributing 10 points and six boards, Alex Dickeson 10 points and seven assists, and Jacob Furphy 10 points and four rebounds.
Newcastle is now 5-10 following the two defeats on the road this weekend with Myles Cherry top-scoring with 23 points on 10/13 shooting from the field.
Leo O'Boyle added 16 points and four rebounds with Kobe Shannon contributing 12 points and three boards, and Ryan Beisty 10 points, six steals, four rebounds and four assists.
The Centre of Excellence are away to the Illawarra Hawks this Saturday while Newcastle is also on the road to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 104 (Savage 38, Halaifonua 15, Nyuon 10, Dickeson 10, Furphy 10)
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 84 (Cherry 23, O'Boyle 16, Shannon 12)
Central Coast Crusaders (90) lost to Sydney Comets (121)
The two teams combined for 211 points and 22 three-pointers in a shootout but the Sydney Comets had too much firepower with Biwali Bayles putting up 44 points in the 121-90 win over the Central Coast Crusaders.
The Crusaders were back home on a nine-game losing streak while the Comets arrived at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium on the back of also putting up 120 points two weeks ago in a 39-point win against the Hills Hornets.
It was a Comets team playing at quite the high tempo but it was the Crusaders benefitting from that early in Sunday's match up with the home team putting up 35 points to 26 in the first quarter.
Central Coast would end up leading by as much as 13 points in the second quarter as well but when the Comets worked back into the contest with eight consecutive points to cut the Crusaders lead to 62-56 at the half-time break.
The Crusaders couldn’t maintain that pace throughout the second half, but the Comets had another level to go to and in the end they turned it on spectacularly beginning with 37 points to 13 in the third quarter.
Eventually Sydney scored 11 straight points and would go on to lead by as much as 34 points before securing the 31-point victory to improve to a 7-7 record on the season as a result.
Biwali Bayles put together a spectacular performance for the Comets in the big win finishing with 44 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals on the back of shooting 16/24 from the floor, 3/4 from downtown and 9/12 from the charity stripe.
Johnny Crnogorac added 17 points and five rebounds, Chol Adup 14 points and three boards, Matthew Wacher 13 points, four assists and three rebounds, and Anthony Mundine 12 points, four boards and two assists.
Central Coast has now lost 10 straight matches to sit at 3-12 on the season with Robbie Heath putting up another 31 points and six rebounds on 9/16 shooting from the field and 11/12 at the foul line.
Ben Stevens also put up 23 points and 10 rebounds, Chan Nai 12 points and five boards, and Evan Wardlow 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Crusaders are next in action next Sunday away to the Inner West Bulls with the Comets away to the Norths Bears on Saturday.
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 90 (Heath 31, Stevens 23, Nai 12)
SYDNEY COMETS 121 (Bayles 44, Crnogorac 17, Adup 14)
