Featured images: @jamesodphotography
Lauren Jackson was remarkable with 50 points and 15 rebounds for the unbeaten Albury-Wodonga Bandits in Sunday's NBL1 East with Jasmine Forcadilla leading the Central Coast Crusaders back to winning while Hayden Blankley did the same for the Bankstown Bruins.
There were four NBL1 East Sunday women's matches with the Hills Hornets beating the Bankstown Bruins 72-67, the Albury-Wodonga Bandits defeating the Sutherland Sharks 119-64, the Maitland Mustangs downing the Centre of Excellence 88-53, and the Central Coast Crusaders winning 78-60 over the Inner West Bulls.
Then in the men's contests, the Bruins defeated the Hornets 93-81, the Sharks beat the Bandits 91-87, the Centre of Excellence downed the Mustangs 121-99, and the Bulls won 111-79 against the Crusaders.
RECAP NBL1 EAST | ROUND 11 SATURDAY
WOMEN
Hills Hornets (72) defeated Bankstown Bruins (67)
The Hills Hornets returned to the winner's list with the hard earned 72-67 home Sunday victory against the Bankstown Bruins.
The Hornets were back home at Hills Basketball Stadium having lost on Saturday to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits by 45 points ahead of hosting a Bruins team making their first appearance of the weekend and on a two-game winning streak.
It was Bankstown who started the better to be leading 15-9 by quarter-time but the Hornets responded with 21 points to 15 in the second period and that meant scores were all level at half-time.
The Hornets opened up an 11-point lead in the second half and from there held out the Bruins to score the five-point victory to improve to 6-8 on the season.
Meg Jefferson finished with 14 points, four rebounds and two steals in the win for the Hornets with Cassandra Pentney contributing 12 points and 10 boards, Taylah Moss 12 points, six rebounds and three steals, and Hannah Griffin nine points, six assists, five boards and two steals.
The Bruins are now 4-12 following the defeat with Jihyun Park finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two blocks, and Violet Morrow 24 points and five boards.
The Hornets will now play the Sydney Comets in the rescheduled game this Friday night while the Bruins will be away to the Penrith Panthers on Saturday.
HILLS HORNETS 72 (Jefferson 14, Moss 12, Pentney 12)
BANKSTOWN BRUINS 67 (Park 26, Morrow 24, Tutani 6)
Sutherland Sharks (64) lost to Albury-Wodonga Bandits (119)
Lauren Jackson continues to show why she's Australian's greatest ever basketballer putting up a monstrous 50 points and 15 rebounds as the Albury-Wodonga Bandits beat the Sutherland Sharks 119-64.
The undefeated Bandits arrived at Sutherland Basketball Stadium on the back of Saturday's 45-point win against the Hills Hornets while the Sharks were also in winning form having beaten the Inner West Bulls by 20 points.
Matching up against the imposing Albury-Wodonga was a different matter, though, with the league-leaders opening up a 25-13 lead already by the end of the first quarter.
It was another 29 points to 20 in the second quarter for the Bandits to be leading 54-33 at half-time, but they were able to dominate even more so in the second half with Jackson simply unstoppable.
Albury-Wodonga outscored Sutherland 37 points to 14 in the third quarter and 28 to 17 in the fourth to end up leading by as much as 60, and to score the 55-point win to improve to a perfect 17-0 on the season.
It was a sight to behold to watch Lauren Jackson perform the way she did at 43 years of age. She finished the afternoon with 50 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots on 18/33 shooting from the floor, 3/7 from long-range and 11/14 at the foul line.
The Grand Final MVP from 2022, Unique Thompson, was also tremendous with 28 points, 15 rebounds and three steals while Mikayla Pivec produced a second triple-double of the weekend with 19 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds.
Elizabeth Murphy also had 14 points, two rebounds and two blocks while the Bandits were without Perth Lynx WNBL forward Ash Hannan.
The Sharks slip to 8-7 following the loss but they are still sitting in sixth position having tried their best to compete with the Bandits while missing superstar Lauren Nicholson who is with the Australian Opals.
Aliza Fabbro finished with 31 points, four assists and three rebounds with Maddie Norris contributing 11 points and four boards, and Olivia White 11 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
The Sharks are away to the Canberra Nationals on Saturday with the Bandits to play host to the Inner West Bulls.
SUTHERLAND SHARKS 64 (Fabbro 31, Norris 11, White 11)
ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 119 (Jackson 50, Thompson 28, Pivec 19)
Centre of Excellence (53) lost to Maitland Mustangs (88)
The Maitland Mustangs took full advantage of the shorthanded Centre of Excellence for the 88-53 road victory with Shakera Reilly hitting five threes on her way to 29 points.
The Centre of Excellence were back home at AIS Basketball and Netball Centre but once again had just the seven players available on the back of Saturday's 12-point defeat at the hands of the Illawarra Hawks.
The CoE were again minus Bonnie Deas, Monique Williams, Monique Bobongie, Jade Crook, Opal Bird and Sienna Harvey while the Mustangs arrived looking to snap a five-game losing slide.
It didn’t take Maitland long to take charge with 19 points to eight in the first quarter before another 23 points to 16 in the second to go into half-time leading 42-24.
It was more of the same from the Mustangs in the second half with another 46 points to 29 to end up leading by as much as 35 points before winning in the end by that margin.
Maitland improves to a 5-11 record with the drought breaking victory with Shakera Reilly putting up her best performance of the season with 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 12/20 shooting from the field, and 5/9 from three-point range.
Sydney Hunter added 15 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, Isabella Jennings 13 points, four boards and two steals, and Kelsey Moss eight points and six rebounds.
The Centre of Excellence slip outside the top six with the loss at 10-9 now with one game remaining with Daisy Nousis again top-scoring with 19 points, nine rebounds and two assists.
Zoe Jackson added 11 points and six rebounds, Sarah Portlock nine points and seven boards, and Sitaya Fagan eight points, five rebounds and five steals.
The Centre of Excellence next take on the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Saturday on the road with the Mustangs away to the Norths Bears.
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 53 (Nousis 19, Jackson 11, Portlock 9)
MAITLAND MUSTANGS 88 (Reilly 29, Hunter 15, Jennings 13)
Inner West Bulls (60) lost to Central Coast Crusaders (78)
The Central Coast Crusaders welcomed back Jasmine Forcadilla and she played match winner with 31 points in the 78-60 victory away to the Inner West Bulls.
The Crusaders arrived at Auburn Basketball Centre having lost their past four matches to only be just clinging to a spot in the top six ahead of taking on the bottom placed Bulls on a 12-game losing slide of their own.
While Leilani Mitchell and Mikaela Dombkins were still missing for Central Coast, they did welcome back Jasmine Forcadilla and it was just the boost the Crusaders needed in the finish.
However, it was the Bulls leading 15-13 by the end of the first quarter before the Crusaders worked on top with 25 points to 11 in the second quarter to be leading 38-26 by half-time.
Central Coast would then lead by as much as 16 points in the third quarter and 18 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 18-point victory to consolidate a playoff position with a 9-7 record.
Jasmine Forcadilla was back in the line-up for the Crusaders and delivered 31 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals on 13/30 shooting from the floor.
Kristina Moore also had 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists, Sara Matthews nine points, five boards, two assists and two steals, Darneka Rowe six points, five rebounds and three assists, and Kate Cranney five points, seven boards, two steals and two blocked shots.
Inner West have now lost 13 in-a-row with a 1-16 record with Ai Matsumoto top-scoring with 18 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals.
Margaret Robinson also contributed 12 points and 17 rebounds, Shiho Yamazaki 12 points and two assists, and Rachel Kemp 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Bulls are away to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits on Saturday with the Crusaders on the road to the Illawarra Hawks.
INNER WEST BULLS 60 (Matsumoto 18, Robinson 12, Yamazaki 12)
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 78 (Forcadilla 31, Moore 18, Matthews 9)
MEN
Hills Hornets (81) lost to Bankstown Bruins (93)
The Bankstown Bruins got six threes and 31 points from Hayden Blankley to help them resist 43 points from Chris Bryant for the 93-81 road win over the Hills Hornets.
Both teams came into the Sunday match up at Hills Basketball Stadium trying to maintain any hopes of still reaching the playoffs in the NBL1 East with the Hornets having lost to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits the night before while the Bruins were on a three-game losing slide.
Bankstown had opened up an 11-point lead already by the end of the first quarter before extending that advantage to 16 points in the second term and going into the half-time break leading 49-35.
The Bruins maintained that double-figure advantage for much of the second half as well to end up winning by 12 points to snap the losing slide and improve to an 8-8 record.
Hayden Blankley starred in the win for Bankstown with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on 11/17 shooting from the floor and 6/8 from three-point range.
Andre Wolford also had 17 points, three assists and two rebounds, Thomas Buvac 12 points, four assists, three boards and two steals, and Wani Gwada nine points and five rebounds on 4/6 shooting.
The Hornets are three wins still behind the sixth placed Bandits after the two losses this weekend at 8-6 with Chris Bryant doing all he could for his team with 43 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
He shot 15/24 from the field, 3/5 from three-point range and 10/11 at the free-throw line.
Mitchell Smith added 10 points and three rebounds for Hills, and Liam Moss eight points, eight assists, two rebounds and two steals.
The Hornets will now play the Sydney Comets in the rescheduled game this Friday night while the Bruins will be away to the Penrith Panthers on Saturday.
HILLS HORNETS 81 (Bryant 43, Smith 10, Moss 8)
BANKSTOWN BRUINS 93 (Blankley 31, Wolford 17, Buvac 12)
Sutherland Sharks (91) defeated Albury-Wodonga Bandits (87)
The defending champion Sutherland Sharks might still have left themselves with too much work to do but they produced a big finish to beat the Albury-Wodonga Bandits on Sunday.
The Sharks were back home at Sutherland Basketball Stadium having lost their past two games to slip further from playoff contention while the Bandits arrived fresh off a 25-point win on Saturday against the Hills Hornets.
Sutherland were on top throughout the first half leading by as much as eight points in the first quarter and by nine in the second before still being up 44-41 by half-time.
However, Albury-Wodonga then took charge in the third quarter with the visitors to end up leading by as much as nine points themselves on the back of scoring 12 straight points.
But Sutherland were back within a point midway through the fourth quarter when Adrian Cabrera knocked down a three-pointer and eventually back-to-back buckets from Lochlan Hutchison had the home team in front with 2:45 on the clock.
Callum Norris extended the Sutherland lead with a three-pointer and in the end that set them to ice the game at the foul line and score the eventual four-point victory.
With the win, the defending champions improve to a 7-8 record on the season with Lochlan Hutchison finishing with 25 points, nine assists, five rebounds for the Sharks.
Geoff Gerlach also had 17 points, 13 rebounds and four assists with Adrian Cabrera contributing 15 points, six boards and four assists, Callum Norris 11 points and three steals, and Brian Williams 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Bandits are still in sixth position now with an 11-6 record having split their road double this weekend with Kevion Blaylock delivering 31 points, 12 rebounds and two assists.
Davo Hickey put up another 17 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists with Jacob Cincurak adding 17 points, five boards and three steals, and Mitch Dance 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
The Sharks are away to the Canberra Nationals on Saturday with the Bandits to play host to the Inner West Bulls.
SUTHERLAND SHARKS 91 (Hutchison 25, Gerlach 17, Cabrera 15)
ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 87 (Blaylock 31, Cincurak 17, Hickey 17)
Centre of Excellence (121) defeated Maitland Mustangs (99)
The Centre of Excellence continued their winning ways in their second last game of the regular season as they handed the Maitland Mustangs a second loss inside 24 hours with the 121-99 win.
Maitland came into the weekend having won 13 of 14 games for the season, but they suffered a heartbreaking loss on Saturday to the Canberra Gunners ahead of arriving at AIS Basketball and Netball Centre to take on the Centre of Excellence.
The CoE were fresh off a win against the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday as well with the two teams both on 13 wins coming into the contest although the Basketball Australia team has played three more matches than the Mustangs.
It was quite the exciting opening to the contest with the two teams combining for 66 points and by quarter-time it was the Centre of Excellence leading 36-30.
The CoE then pulled away further in the second period with 34 points to 23 to see them go into the half-time interval leading 70-53.
From there the CoE would go on to build a lead as big as 31 points in the second half on the way to the eventual 22-point win to improve to a 14-5 record on the season but with just one game of their campaign remaining.
Luke Fennell backed up his standout performance on Saturday with another strong showing made up of 22 points, six rebounds and three assists on 7/10 shooting from the floor, 2/2 from behind the arc and 6/7 at the foul line.
Jacon Furphy added 19 points and eight rebounds, Julius Halaifonua 17 points and four blocks, Kye Savage 17 points and two rebounds, Emmett Adair 19 points and six boards, and Sebastien Emenalo 12 points and four rebounds.
The Mustangs remain in second spot at 13-3 despite the double loss weekend with James Hunter top-scoring with 35 points, six rebounds and two steals on 13/18 shooting from the field and 9/14 at the free-throw line.
Will Cranston-Lown also had 32 points, five steals, three assists and two rebounds on 5/10 three-point shooting with Jay Cole contributing 17 points, seven boards and two assists.
The Centre of Excellence next take on the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Saturday on the road with the Mustangs away to the Norths Bears.
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 121 (Fennell 22, Furphy 19, Adair 19)
MAITLAND MUSTANGS 99 (Hunter 35, Cranston-Lown 32, Cole 17)
Inner West Bulls (111) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (79)
The Inner West Bulls consolidated their place in the top six with Jacob Ohmer putting up 35 points in their thumping 111-79 home win over the Central Coast Crusaders.
The Bulls were back home at Auburn Basketball Centre fresh off beating the Sutherland Sharks by 16 points on Saturday while the Crusaders arrived making their first appearance of the weekend and trying to snap a 10-game losing streak.
Inner West didn’t take long to take charge going on a 13-0 run in the first quarter and to end up putting up 36 points to be leading by 16 at quarter-time.
The Bulls would end up leading 61-46 at half-time before then putting up another 30 points to 20 in the third frame, and 20 to 13 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 32-point victory.
The win is a second of the weekend for Inner West to see them improve to an 11-6 record in fifth position with Jacob Ohmer lighting it up with 35 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds on 13/22 from the floor and 5/12 from three-point territory.
Ramon Cao added 23 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals, Zach Hudson 20 points, six boards and four steals, Alex Higgins-Titsha 15 points, three rebounds and two steals, and Viliami Foketi 11 points, five boards and three assists.
Central Coast has now lost 11 in-a-row this season to be sitting on a 3-13 record despite Robbie Heath delivering another 29 points and four rebounds.
Ben Stevens added 15 points and 11 rebounds, Chan Nai 12 points, 12 rebounds and two assists, and James Trustum eight points five boards and four assists.
The Bulls are away to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits on Saturday with the Crusaders on the road to the Illawarra Hawks.
INNER WEST BULLS 111 (Ohmer 35, Cao 23, Hudson 20)
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 79 (Heath 29, Stevens 15, Nai 12)
