Featured image: Tanya Hawkins Photograpy | @tanyahawkinsphotography
The last NBL1 East Saturday of the regular season saw Unique Thompson ensure the Albury-Wodonga Bandits stayed perfect with Maddy Norris shining for the Sutherland Sharks while Alex Higgins-Titsha helped confirm a finals spot for the men.
RECAP NBL1 EAST | ROUND 14 FRIDAY
WOMEN
Hills Hornets (64) lost to Norths Bears (100)
The Norths Bears hit back from their Grand Final rematch loss on Friday to take out their frustrations on the Hills Hornets to close the regular season with the 100-64 road victory.
The Bears suffered just a second loss of the season the previous night in overtime against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles with their 15-match winning streak coming to an end.
They arrived with that in the back of their minds at Hills Basketball Stadium with the Hornets also losing on Friday night to the Illawarra Hawks ahead of their last game of the season.
Already by quarter-time and the Bears had opened up a nine-point lead before they pushed that advantage out to 23 points in the second term and went into half-time on top 51-28.
It was more of the same throughout the second half with Norths ending up leading by as much as 35 points in the third frame and 39 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 36-point victory.
The result means the Bears as defending champions will finish the regular season in second spot with an 18-2 record with Carla Pitman delivering 20 points and four assists with 3/5 shooting from behind the three-point line.
Emily Simons added 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks, Holly Wills 14 points and four assists, Caitlyn Martin 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, Emilie Bessell 10 points and four assists, and Sarah Schicher nine points and 12 boards.
The Hornets end their season at 6-14 and losing their last six matches with Emma Kary finishing with 16 points on 4/6 three-point shooting.
Taylah Moss also contributed 12 points and three rebounds, Meg Jefferson 10 points, nine boards and three assists, and Rachel McLimore eight points and five assists.
HILLS HORNETS 64 (Kary 16, Moss 12, Jefferson 10)
NORTHS BEARS 100 (Pitman 20, Simons 16, Wills 14)
Central Coast Crusaders (59) lost to Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (86)
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles backed up winning their Grand Final rematch by making quite the statement with the 86-59 win on the road to the Central Coast Crusaders.
It always loomed as a significant last weekend of the regular season for the Sea Eagles starting with the match up on Friday with the Norths Bears and then being away to the also playoff bound Crusaders.
Manly Warringah managed to beat the Bears in an overtime thriller on Friday ahead of arriving to Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium on Saturday a team on a mission to go into the playoffs full of momentum.
After falling down four points early on, the Sea Eagles scored 11 straight points in the first quarter to be leading 17-11 by quarter-time.
From there, Manly Warringah took total control to lead by as much as 22 points in the second period and then 32 in the second half before they went on to score the 27-point victory.
The Sea Eagles now enter the finals on a six-game winning streak with a 16-4 record following the statement victory with Alex Delaney delivering 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists on shooting 4/11 from downtown.
Kim Hodge produced another 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists with Zoey Miller contributing 13 points, five boards and three assists, Josie Bulman 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Brooke Flowers 10 points, nine boards and three assists.
The Crusaders sorely missed Mikaela Dombkins as their four-game winning streak came to an end to see them finish the regular season with a 12-8 record.
Jasmine Forcadilla starred for Central Coast in Friday's win over the Spiders and backed it up with another 20 points, four steals and three rebounds.
Sara Matthews added 20 points and eight rebounds with Leilani Mitchell contributing 11 points, 10 boards, five assists and five steals.
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 59 (Forcadilla 20, Matthews 20, Mitchell 11)
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 86 (A Delaney 16, Hodge 14, Miller 13)
Newcastle Falcons (94) defeated Maitland Mustangs (52)
The Newcastle Falcons tuned up for the playoffs with a dominant 94-52 home victory against the Maitland Mustangs.
The Falcons were back home at Newcastle Basketball Stadium for their last game of the regular season having locked away a playoff spot and on a four-game winning streak.
They were playing host to a Mustangs team having lost their past three and being well out of the playoff hunt, and it was the Falcons who made a fast start.
Newcastle were already out to a 30-13 lead by the end of the first quarter before completing a 13-0 run into the second term and ending up leading by as much as 28 points.
The Falcons were on top 50-30 at half-time and then that lead continued to grow getting out to 39 points in the third term following a 19-0 scoring run from the home team.
Newcastle ended up leading by the final margin of 42 points to close the regular season with a 16-4 record and on a five-game winning run.
Isla Juffermans continued her standout form for the Falcons with 22 points, 11 rebounds and four steals on shooting 8/12 from the floor and 6/8 at the foul line.
Hannah Chicken added 16 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists while Nicole Munger had 15 points, eight boards, six assists and four steals, Elissa Brett 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Aarion Nichols 13 points and six boards.
Maitland's season comes to an end with a 5-15 record having lost their past four matches with Shakera Reilly top-scoring with 18 points, four rebounds and two assists while Natsumi Kohama contributed 11 points, five boards and three assists.
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 94 (Juffermans 22, Chicken 16, Munger 15)
MAITLAND MUSTANGS 52 (Reilly 18, Kohama 11, Faleafa 6)
Sutherland Sharks (98) defeated Illawarra Hawks (69)
The Sutherland Sharks confirmed their place in the playoffs for 2024 with the 98-69 home victory against the Illawarra Hawks.
Had the Sharks lost and the Sydney Comets defeated the Albury-Wodonga Bandits there was a still chance for them to miss the playoffs, but neither of those things happened on Saturday leaving Sutherland booked in even with a game on Sunday to go.
The Sharks were back home at Sutherland Basketball Stadium fresh off beating the Maitland Mustangs while the Hawks arrived after Friday night's win against the Hills Hornets in their last game at home for 2024.
It was a hot start from Sutherland with the home team out to a 10-point lead by the end of one and the Sharks then blew the game further open in the second term with 32 points to 15.
That saw the Sharks open up a 27-point lead which got out to as much as 37 points in the second half before they scored the eventual 29-point victory.
The win improves Sutherland to an 11-8 record to be locked into the playoffs even before also hosting the Bankstown Bruins on Sunday to close the regular season.
Maddy Norris delivered 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots in the win for the Sharks while knocking down 6/11 from three-point territory.
Lauren Nicholson also had 22 points, 10 assists, five steals and three rebounds, Aliza Fabbro 21 points, six boards and four assists, and Olivia White six points, seven rebounds and two assists.
The Hawks' season finishes with them holding a 9-11 record with Ella Dent top-scoring with 19 points to go with five rebounds and five assists with knocking down 4/9 from behind the three-point arc.
Asha Phillips added nine points and six rebounds, Ruby MacDonald nine points and six boards, Emilia Garcia Leon nine points and five rebounds, and Georgia Ohrdorf eight points and seven boards.
SUTHERLAND SHARKS 98 (Norris 25, Nicholson 22, Fabbro 21)
ILLAWARRA HAWKS 69 (Dent 19, Garcia Leon 9, MacDonald 9, Phillips 9)
Albury-Wodonga Bandits (90) defeated Sydney Comets (67)
Unique Thompson put up 35 points to help make sure the Albury-Wodonga Bandits completed their undefeated regular season with the 90-67 win at home against the Sydney Comets.
The Bandits were back home at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre without Jackson herself due to her being named for the Australian Opals to compete at the Paris Olympic Games and the Comets had the potential to put a 20th straight win in jeopardy.
With Shyla Heal fresh off producing two 50-point games last weekend and the Comets needing to win to keep their season alive, there was every chance of a huge test coming the way of the Bandits.
However, once again Albury-Wodonga would prove too strong starting off with 23 points to seven in the opening quarter.
The Bandits would lead by as much as 17 points in the first half before being on top 45-31 at the half-time break and then extending that advantage to as much as 12 in the second half.
Albury-Wodonga would end up winning by that 23-point margin to complete the perfect season with a 20-0 record to be two games clear in top spot heading into the finals.
The Grand Final MVP from 2022, Unique Thompson, was the star once again in the win for Albury-Wodonga with 35 points and 13 rebounds on 16/25 from the floor.
Mikayla Pivec produced another 13 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists with Awatea Leach contributing 11 points, six assists, five steals and four rebounds, Sarah Mellington 10 points and four assists, and Emma Mahady eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
The Comets remained in a playoff spot at 10-10 despite the loss and having lost the past two matches with Shyla Heal finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds and five steals.
Alexandria Oliver added 13 points and nine rebounds with Janeen Camp adding 10 points and 11 boards, Arisa Takamoto nine points and two rebounds, and Piper Anderson eight points and four boards.
ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 90 (Thompson 35, Pivec 13, Leach 11)
SYDNEY COMETS 67 (Heal 19, Oliver 13, Camp 10)
Inner West Bulls (42) lost to Penrith Panthers (64)
The Penrith Panthers were able to finish their season by recording a seventh victory of 2024 with the 64-42 victory on the road to the Inner West Bulls.
Both teams came into their last match of the season out of the playoff mix and on losing runs with the Panthers having lost their past two while the Bulls couldn’t escape bottom spot but could try snapping a 15-game losing streak.
Inner West were back home at ELS Hall Park but it was Penrith who had the better of proceedings beginning with 19 points to six in the opening quarter.
Again the Bulls managed just the nine points in the second period and with the Panthers adding another 16 they went into half-time leading 35-15.
Penrith's lead then got out to as much as 31 points in the fourth quarter before at least Inner West scored 10 straight points to cut the final margin to 22.
The victory sees the Panthers end the season with a 7-13 record with Mia Heide top-scoring with 17 points to go with collecting 19 rebounds and having six assists and four blocked shots.
Chloe Williams also had 15 points and three assists, Teagan Edwards 11 points, five boards and two steals, and Tatiana Beaumont eight points, three rebounds and two assists.
Inner West remains three games clear in bottom place with a 1-19 record for 2024 and having lost their past 16 matches despite Tylah Mundine ending up with 15 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
Ai Matsumoto added 11 points and two rebounds with Shiho Yamazaki contributing eight points and two assists, and Margaret Robinson eight points and 16 rebounds.
INNER WEST BULLS 42 (Mundine 15, Matsumoto 11, Robinson 8, Yamazaki 8)
PENRITH PANTHERS 64 (Heide 17, Williams 15, Edwards 11)
MEN
Hills Hornets (102) defeated Norths Bears (74)
For the second time in 24 hours, Chris Bryant and Ishmael Sanders fired the Hills Hornets to an impressive win, with the 102-74 home victory against the Norths Bears to keep finals alive.
The Hornets opened the last round of the season beating the Illawarra Hawks as they looked to keep the momentum going to close the season against the Bears.
Both teams came into the last game of the regular season on identical 10-9 records with the winner a chance to play finals should Bankstown lose to Sutherland on Sunday.
Each of them had their time in front in the first quarter, but then the Hornets took charge in the second period.
Hills ended up leading by as much as 11 in the second term on the way to being in front 44-36 at the half-time break.
The advantage grew out to 21 points in the third qurater in the favour of the Hornets and then 28 in the fourth which was the final margin.
Hills now finish the season with an 11-9 record with the two wins this weekend and it was the duo of Chris Bryant and Ishmael Sanders who were outstanding once more.
Bryant delivered another 30 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals with 4/6 three-point shooting while Sanders produced 26 points, six assists and four boards with 4/11 from downtown.
Mitchell Smith added 12 points and two rebounds, Marvin Fidel 11 points and four boards, and Campbell Green eight points with a pair of three-pointers.
The Bears end the season at 10-10 having lost four of the last six matches to slip from playoff contention.
Mandrell Worthy top-scored for Norths with 20 points and six rebounds with Robert Moore contributing 14 points, five boards and three assists, Patrick Fraser seven points, and Cooper Wilks seven points, six rebounds and two assists.
HILLS HORNETS 102 (Bryant 30, Sanders 26, Smith 12)
NORTHS BEARS 74 (Worthy 20, Moore 14, Fraser 7, Wilks 7)
Central Coast Crusaders (92) defeated Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (73)
The Central Coast Crusaders were able to finish their season on a high at home with the 92-73 win against the playoff bound Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
The Sea Eagles couldn’t move from third position no matter the result on Saturday after they beat the Norths Bears the previous evening and had won eight of the previous nine matches.
As a result, Manly Warringah were without the services of Jonas Harper, Mason Bragg and Matthew Eldridge, and Central Coast were able to take advantage to end their season on a winning note.
The Crusaders scored 15 consecutive points in the first quarter to set the tone and then opened up a 14-point lead in the second term to go into half-time leading 54-40.
Another run of 14 straight points from Central Coast saw that lead get out to as much as 30 and the home team would end up scoring the 19-point triumph.
It ends the season on a winning note for the Crusaders with a 5-15 record with Robbie Heath producing 21 points on 4/7 three-point shooting to go with seven rebounds and two steals.
Ben Stevens also had a big night with 20 points, 19 rebounds and three assists on 9/10 shooting with Chan Nai contributing 19 points and seven boards, and Luke Cassidy six points and 10 assists.
The Sea Eagles will remain in third place despite the result with a 15-5 record with Zackary Kimball making the most of his increased minutes with 30 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals on 13/20 shooting.
Mitch Evans added 12 points, five assists and four rebounds, and Aiden Pashley seven points, five boards, five assists and two steals.
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 92 (Heath 21, Stevens 20, Nai 19)
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 73 (Kimball 30, Evans 12, Pashley 7)
Sutherland Sharks (93) defeated Illawarra Hawks (74)
It hasn’t been the championship defending season the Sutherland Sharks hoped for but they did start their last weekend with a strong 93-74 home win against the Illawarra Hawks.
Coming off last year's championship triumph, the Sharks have never really got going in 2024 and came into Saturday night's game at Sutherland Basketball Stadium on a three-game losing streak having fallen from finals contention.
They were playing host to the also out of contention Hawks who were playing their last game of the season having lost the previous night to the Hills Hornets at home.
After a closely contested opening quarter, Sutherland was able to open up a double-digit lead in the second term and then went into half-time leading 42-33.
The Sharks then turned on some of their best basketball of the season in the third quarter with a 12-0 scoring run to lead by as much as 25 points and then going on to score the 19-point victory.
Sutherland improves to an 8-11 record with the win and now finishes the season on Sunday also at home to the Bankstown Bruins.
Brian Williams ended up with 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists in the win for the Sharks with Adrian Cabrera providing 15 points and six boards, Lochlan Hutchison 15 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists, Klairus Amir 11 points and seven rebounds, and Angus Lake 11 points and four boards.
Illawarra's season is now over with a nine-game losing streak and 2-18 record with Lachie Dent putting up 23 points with 4/8 three-point shooting.
Riley Abercrombie also had another 19 points and six rebounds with Phillip Dopud contributing nine points, six boards, two steals and two blocks, and Jacob Smith seven points and eight rebounds.
SUTHERLAND SHARKS 93 (Williams 19, Cabrera 15, Hutchison 15)
ILLAWARRA HAWKS 74 (Dent 23, Abercrombie 19, Dopud 9)
Newcastle Falcons (64) lost to Maitland Mustangs (85)
The Maitland Mustangs put the pressure back on the Canberra Gunners to win on Sunday for top spot after their 85-64 win against the Newcastle Falcons.
Coming into the last round of the season and both the Gunners and Mustangs could still claim the regular season championship with Canberra at 17-2 and Maitland at 16-3.
What the Mustangs first had to do was beat the Falcons at Newcastle Basketball Stadium on Saturday which would be enough to see them finish on top unless the Gunners beat the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders on Sunday.
Maitland will hold the season-split over Canberra, but first they did need to take care of business against Newcastle with the Mustangs able to open up a two-point lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Falcons had their own plans to end the season on a winning note and even found their way in front in the second term on the back of going on a 9-0 run.
However, Maitland worked back on top to be leading 45-35 by half-time and then pulling away further in the second half with 24 points to 18 in the third period, and 16 to 11 in the fourth.
Maitland secured the 21-point win to at least guarantee them second spot and possibly first should Canberra lose to Hornsby on Sunday.
Christian Little delivered 18 points, nine assists, five rebounds and two assists in the win for Maitland with James Hunter contributing 14 points and six boards, and Will Cranston-Lown 11 points and six rebounds.
Matthew Gray also had 11 points and 10 rebounds, Billy Parsons 12 points, seven boards and three assists, and Jay Cole eight points, five rebounds and three steals.
The Falcons finish the season having lost their last two matches with a 7-13 record with Ryan Beisty finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
Myles Cherry added 13 points and eight rebounds with Leo O'Boyle providing nine points and eight boards, Kobe Shannon seven points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Jaidyn Goodwin seven points and four boards.
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 64 (Beisty 16, Cherry 13, O'Boyle 9)
MAITLAND MUSTANGS 85 (Little 18, Hunter 14, Parsons 12)
Albury-Wodonga Bandits (86) lost to Sydney Comets (99)
The Sydney Comets continued to loom large heading towards the playoffs winning 99-86 on the road to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits to secure a top eight position.
The Comets have been in some sparkling form in the back end of the season despite last week's loss to the Canberra Gunners that ended a six-game winning run.
The Comets could still put away that finals position up against the Bandits at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.
It was an impressive showing from the Comets up against a team that will mark their return to the playoffs for the first time in a decade in 2024.
Sydney were leading 25-18 already by the end of the first quarter and then still leading 44-41 at the half-time break.
The Comets then built on that advantage again in the second half with the lead getting out to 19 points in the fourth quarter before they settled on the 13-point victory.
The win sees Sydney finish the season with a 12-8 record in a playoff spot with former Adelaide 36ers NBL forward Obi Kyei shining with 32 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Matthew Wacher also provided 24 points on 6/9 three-point shooting with Biwali Bayles contributing 23 points, 12 boards and six assists, and Johnny Crnogorac seven points, six rebounds and two blocked shots.
Albury-Wodonga will be part of the finals too having finished with a 13-7 record with Lochlan Cummings finishing with 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Davo Hickey produced another 17 points, 12 rebounds and six assists with Kevion Blaylock contributing 15 points, 10 boards, three steals and three blocks, and Jacob Cincurak 11 points on 3/6 three-point shooting.
ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 86 (Cummings 19, Hickey 17, Blaylock 15)
SYDNEY COMETS 99 (Kyei 32, Wacher 24, Bayles 23)
Inner West Bulls (114) defeated Penrith Panthers (90)
The Inner West Bulls locked away their playoff position in style with the 114-90 home victory against the Penrith Panthers.
Coming into the last round of the regular season and the Bulls just needed to take care of business at ELS Hall Park against the bottom placed Panthers and their place in the top eight was secure heading into the finals.
The Bulls were coming off beating the Newcastle Falcons last Sunday to retain that hold on sixth position and they started well at home to the Panthers with 32 points to 21 in the opening quarter.
It was another 33 points to 21 in the second quarter and that saw Inner West well in control leading 65-42 at the half-time break.
From there, the Bulls would lead by as much as 27 points in the third quarter and 30 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 24-point victory.
The win improves Inner West to a 13-7 record to close the season and be locked into that finals spot with Alex Higgins-Titsha's big week continuing.
Fresh off signing as an NBL development player at the Cairns Taipans, he delivered 21 points, five rebounds and two assists on 7/12 shooting for Inner West.
Nicko Timonera added 20 points on 3/5 three-point shooting with Jacob Ohmer contributing 19 points and four rebounds with 5/14 shooting from downtown, and Ramon Cao 16 points and four boards.
Zachery Hudson provided 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals with Viliami Foketi adding nine points, five assists, two rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
The Panthers will finish the season in last place at 1-19 and having lost their last 16 matches following that lone win for 2024 against the Illawarra Hawks.
Ben Kearins finished the season leading the way for Penrith with 19 points, six assists, six steals and three rebounds with Josh Kalwy adding 18 points, 12 boards and four assists, Caleb Fetui-Fa'amoe 16 points and six rebounds, and Atien Acuel 12 points and eight boards.
INNER WEST BULLS 114 (Higgins-Titsha 21, Timonera 20, Ohmer 19)
PENRITH PANTHERS 90 (Kearins 19, Kalwy 18, C Fetui-Fa'amoe 16)
