East Recap | Round 10 Saturday

Image credit: Rob Sheeley/@robshots

Point guards shone in NBL1 East with Taylor Young debuting for Sutherland Sharks, Biwali Bayles shining for Sydney Comets and Lachlan Dent putting up 35 for Illawarra Hawks while Shyla Heal led Bankstown Bruins to another win as did Caitie Jones for Albury-Wodonga Bandits.

EAST RECAP | ROUND 9 THURSDAY

WOMEN

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (82) defeated Canberra Nationals (57)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles kept in touch of a top two spot with the dominant 82-57 home win over the Canberra Nationals with Taylor Wurtz putting up 27 points.

The Sea Eagles were back on their home floor at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre having won their past three games to be knocking on the door with Canberra arriving having scored a thrilling win over the Centre of Excellence last Thursday night before the King's Birthday long weekend.

Manly-Warringah only shot 2/12 from three-point range in the first quarter but were still leading 26-19 by quarter-time before putting together a 14-0 scoring run into the second term.

That saw the Sea Eagles end up leading by 20 points and going into half-time on top 45-34 with Canberra doing well to fight back into the contest before the break.

But it was all Manly Warringah in the third term and not only did they score 26 points on hitting 6/10 from behind the three-point arc, but also restricted the Nationals to just six points and 3/15 shooting.

Even with Canberra putting up 17 points to 11 in the final term, the Sea Eagles cruised to the 25-point victory to improve to an 11-2 record on the season.

Taylor Wurtz once again top-scored for Manly Warringah with 27 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists while knocking down 7/17 from three-point territory.

Kim Dickinson also had 20 points and six rebounds, Maja Jurlina nine points on 3/7 shooting from long-range, Antonia Henderson seven points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Josie Bulman seven points, 11 boards, five assists and two steals.

Canberra are now 5-7 to remain outside of a playoff position by the end of the round with Callie Bourne top-scoring with 19 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals.

Carlie McAlister also had 12 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, and Mia Slater 11 points and six boards.

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 82 (Wurtz 27, Dickinson 20, Jurlina 9)

CANBERRA NATIONALS 57 (Bourne 19, McAlister 12, Slater 11)

Albury-Wodonga Bandits (70) defeated Norths Bears (63)

The Albury-Wodonga Bandits kept their top four aspirations alive with Caitie Jones hitting 28 points and Riley Lupfer knocking down five threes as they beat a Norths Bears team 70-63 who had a horror shooting night.

The Bandits came into the match up at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre looking to stop a two-game losing slide to stay in top four touch while the Bears needed to keep winning to maintain first place.

That set up a tantalising match up on the Border and the Bandits started strongly going on a 12-0 scoring run in the first quarter to lead by 13, and still be up 19-12 by quarter-time.

The league-leading Bears hit back in the second term with 21 points to 18 to cut the Albury-Wodonga lead to 37-33 by half-time.

Both teams combined to shoot 1/17 from three-point range in the third quarter with the Bandits scoring 12 points to the 10 from the Bears, and from there Albury-Wodonga got back out to a 12-point lead in the fourth term.

They were able to hold out Norths down the stretch too for the seven-point win with the win crucial for the Bandits' season as they improve to a 9-4 record.

Caitie Jones continues to thrive in her first season in the NBL1 East after previously playing at Warwick and Lakeside in the West, and stints in Europe, and she delivered 28 points, two assists and two blocked shots.

Riley Lupfer also knocked down 5/11 from behind the three-point line with Kijana McCowan adding seven points, four rebounds and four steals, and Brynn Masikewich seven points, 11 boards and four assists.

The Bears are now 11-2 to conceded top spot in the process to the Newcastle Falcons after a night where they only managed to shoot 28 per cent from the field and 3/29 from downtown to lose despite taking 14 extra shots and eight more foul shots than the Bandits.

 The big guns from Norths had rough shooting nights with Emma Donnelly finishing with four points and seven rebounds on 2/11 shooting while Carla Pitman had six points, 12 boards and six assists on 3/14 shooting, and Maddie O'Hehir six points, four rebounds and three steals on 3/18 shooting.

Caitlyn Martin had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists while Ruby Perkins top-scored with 19 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals.

ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 70 (Jones 28, Lupfer 19, McCowan 7, Masikewich 7)

NORTHS BEARS 63 (Perkins 19, Martin 12, Schell 8)

Penrith Panthers (63) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (68)

Another standout performance from teenager Jessie-May Hall with 25 points led the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders to the 68-63 win over the Penrith Panthers to keep them inside the top eight.

The teams returned to action after the King's Birthday long weekend at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre with the Panthers trying to stay in touch of the top eight and the Spiders to consolidate their hold on a place.

The two teams only combined for 30 points in the first quarter on shooting 11/39 from the field but by quarter-time it was the Panthers narrowly leading 17-13.

It was only a combined 27 points in the second term, but 17 of those went the way of Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai which saw them able to turn that into the 30-27 advantage by half-time.

The Spiders kept that momentum going into the third term with another 22 points to 17 which saw them build a lead as much as 10 points, and from there they converted it into the five-point victory in a hard fought contest.

The victory improves Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai to the 6-6 record on the season with Jessie-May Hall once again playing a starring role with 25 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists despite shooting 1/10 from behind the arc.

Lucy Mead added 11 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Ay'Anna Bey 10 points, eight boards and two assists.

Penrith slip to a 5-9 record ahead of taking on the Canberra Nationals on Sunday in another crucial clash between two teams trying to stay in playoff contention.

Jordan Vasquez finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Panthers with Jolzyne Impreso adding 15 points, six boards and two steals, and Mia Heide 11 points, seven rebounds and five steals.

PENRITH PANTHERS 63 (Vasquez 16, Impreso 15, Heide 11)

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 68 (Hall 25, Mead 11, Bey 10)

Inner West Bulls (85) lost to Sydney Comets (93)

Two teams locked in the battle for playoff spots played out a terrific contest and in the end the combined 57 points from Abi Curtin and Piper Anderson saw the Sydney Comets prevail despite 50 points from Kristina Moore and Chieh Oh, and a triple-double from Tahlia Tupaea for the Inner West Bulls.

Coming into the contest at Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatics Centre, the Bulls were sitting in sixth place at 6-5 with the Comets back in 10th at 5-7, but the difference between a win and loss for both teams was going to be pivotal for the 2025 season.

The Comets did have the better of the start away from home with 26 points to 18 in the first quarter despite missing all three of their three-point attempts while Inner West made 2/11 of theirs.

Sydney took further control in the second quarter to open up a 23-point lead as well and then were able to go into the half-time break in control at 54-31 on the back of shooting 21/40 from the floor while the Bulls went 3/21 from behind the three-point arc.

The Bulls then turned things around in the third term with 26 points to 15 while hitting 4/6 from downtown and then also 14/16 at the foul line which saw them cut the Sydney lead back to 12 at three quarter-time.

Sydney were able to just do enough to hold out Inner West, though, for the eight-point victory which improves them to a 6-7 record on the season with consecutive wins.

Abi Curtin once again had a standout performance for the Comets with 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists on 12/22 shooting with Piper Anderson adding 27 points, five boards and three assists.

Then there was Arisa Takamoto with 11 points, Elle Fletcher nine points, four rebounds and two assists, and Alexandria Oliver eight points, nine boards and two assists.

The Bulls have now slipped to a 6-6 record as well with that battle for top eight spots in the NBL1 East continuing to tighten up.

Tahlia Tupaea produced a triple-double despite the loss for Inner West with 13 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals.

Kristina Moore also scored 28 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals on 5/9 three-point shooting with Chieh Ou contributing 22 points and six boards, and Mizuki Wakamatsu 11 points, four assists and two rebounds.

INNER WEST BULLS 85 (Moore 28, Ou 22, Tupaea 13)

SYDNEY COMETS 93 (Curtin 30, Anderson 27, Takamoto 11)

 

Illawarra Hawks (52) lost to Bankstown Bruins (93)

The emergence of the Bankstown Bruins since the arrival of Shyla Heal continued as they closed in on a playoff spot with the 93-52 win over the Illawarra Hawks.

Going into the break over the King's Birthday long weekend and the Bruins had won their past three matches including handing the Newcastle Falcons their first, and only, loss so far of their championship defence.

They arrived at The Snakepit full of confidence on the back of that with the Hawks on the hunt for a fourth win of their season.

It was a strong start from Bankstown as they kept their momentum going with 26 points to 16 in the first quarter on the back of shooting 8/15 from the field and 8/8 at the foul line.

That lead then continued to grow and the Bruins were on top 48-33 at the half-time break before an even more dominant third period with 25 points to six on the back of limiting the Hawks to shooting 2/17 from the field.

Bankstown closed the deal with another 20 points to 13 in the fourth quarter for the 41-point victory to make it four consecutive wins with a 6-8 record to be closing in on a playoff spot.

Shyla Heal put in another standout performance for the Bruins with 29 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals with 7/12 shooting from the field, 3/5 from downtown and 12/13 at the charity stripe.

Juliunn Redmond added 22 points, eight rebounds, five steals, three assists and three blocks, Jane Dunlop 10 points, five boards and two steals, and Sienna Tutani seven points and four rebounds.

Illawarra are now 3-9 following the loss ahead of hosting the Centre of Excellence on Sunday with Kiara Bell top-scoring with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two assists.

Ella Dent added 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, and Asha Phillips eight points.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 52 (Bell 23, Dent 11, Phillips 8.)

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 93 (Heal 29, Redmond 22, J Dunlop 10)

Sutherland Sharks (66) lost to Maitland Mustangs (79)

The Maitland Mustangs got off to a flying start and that was enough to set up their snapping of a four-game losing streak with the 79-66 win away to the Sutherland Sharks.

The Sharks were back home at Sutherland Basketball Stadium attempting to make it four straight wins to stay in the playoff hunt while Maitland arrived having lost four in-a-row to be just clinging to their playoff position.

The Mustangs got off to the flying start in an attempt to return to the winner's list going on a 12-0 run in the first quarter to open up a 16-point lead and to still be on top 29-15 by quarter-time on the back of hitting 5/10 from deep opposed to the 1/9 from Sutherland.

It remained an even contest the rest of the way, but the Mustangs had built that double-figure lead in the first quarter and were able to capitalise on that for the eventual 13-point victory.

There wasn’t a whole lot that separated the teams but the Mustangs did end up taking five more shot attempts and two more free throws along with making 11/36 from three-point territory opposed to 5/27 from the Sharks.

The win for Maitland snaps a four-game losing streak to steady them in a playoff position with a 7-6 record with Shakera Reilly producing 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals on 7/12 three-point shooting.

Sydney Hunter added 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Kasey Neubert 13 points, 15 boards, three assists and three steals, and Rachel Williams 12 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Sutherland now falls further out of the playoff race at 4-9 with Emily Garland top-scoring with 20 points and three rebounds on 7/11 shooting.

Maddie Norris added 18 points, eight rebounds and seven rebounds, Aliza Fabbro 10 points, four assists and two boards, and Laci Hawthorne eight points and three rebounds in just 11 minutes.

SUTHERLAND SHARKS 66 (Garland 20, Norris 18, Fabbro 10)

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 79 (Reilly 25, Hunter 20, Neubert 13)

Hills Hornets (86) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (43)

The Hills Hornets were too strong in the battle of bottom teams in the NBL1 East with the 86-43 home win against the Central Coast Crusaders.

The two teams came into the match up at Hills Basketball Stadium with a combined 2-21 record with just the one win apiece so both of them were desperately hunting that elusive second victory of 2025.

It was a dominant first quarter performance from the Hornets with the home team scoring 13 straight points on the way to opening up a 17-point lead, and still being on top 27-11 by quarter-time.

That lead got out to 21 points in the second frame for Hills and by the half-time break they were leading 43-22 having limited the Crusaders to those 22 points on shooting 8/34 from the field.

That lead for the Hornets grew to 27 points in the third quarter and then blew out further in the fourth thanks to another 14-0 scoring run.

Hills opened up a 43-point edge and that would prove to be the final winning margin as they broke a 10-game losing streak to improve to 2-10 on the season.

Jade Kirisome ended up top-scoring for the Hornets with 15 points with 3/6 shooting from downtown while Elizabeth Smith added 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals, Ella Gale 12 points, 16 boards and three blocks, and Kennedy Johnson 10 points and six rebounds.

The Crusaders are now the lone one-win team in the NBL1 East at 1-12 with Leilani Mitchell battling hard for 21 points, three rebounds and two assists including hitting 3/5 from three-point range.

However, the rest of her teammates only combined for 22 points on 6/51 field goal shooting at 11.8 per cent.

HILLS HORNETS 86 (Kirisome 15, Smith 13, Gale 12)

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 43 (Mitchell 21, Stone 6, Boonstra 3, Bird 3, Wakelin-Gray 3)

Centre of Excellence (71) lost to Newcastle Falcons (73)

Nicole Munger and Jiselle Havas kicked the game's last two shots including from the latter with three seconds to go for the defending champion Newcastle Falcons to come from behind to beat the Centre of Excellence 73-71.

With the Centre of Excellence sitting fourth and Newcastle in second, it always shaped as a fascinating match up at the Australian Institute of Sport.

The CoE were coming off a heartbreaking loss last Thursday night to the Canberra Nationals while Newcastle arrived having won their last couple since dropping their lone game so far of 2025 against the Bankstown Bruins.

It was a tight opening quarter with the Falcons just leading 18-15 by the end of the first quarter but it was in the second term where Newcastle made their move with the defending champions opening up a 13-point lead.

That advantage was still 44-36 by the half-time break with the Falcons still leading by eight at three quarter-time, but then the Centre of Excellence fired up.

Neither team scored for the next two minutes until Nicole Munger grabbed the defensive rebound, took the ball up the floor and knocked down the pull up jumper for Newcastle.

Emilija Dakic did get a good look on the last possession to put the Centre of Excellence back in front, but it wouldn’t fall and it was Munger who set up Jiselle Havas for the mid-range jumper that secured the two-point win for the Falcons.

The win improves Newcastle to an 11-1 record in their championship defence with reigning MVP Nicole Munger delivering another 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Meg Jefferson also had 14 points, four rebounds and two steals, Kate Kingham 13 points, three boards and two steals, Isabelle Burns nine points and four rebounds, and Sophie Brennan nine points, six boards and three steals.

The Centre of Excellence are now 10-5 having lost three straight games and they were without the services of emerging superstar Sitaya Fagan.

Zara Russell delivered 21 points and eight rebounds on 4/9 three-point shooting for the CoE with Isabel Smith adding 13 points, four boards and four assists, and Olivia Olechnowicz 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Emilija Dakic also had eight points, five rebounds and four assists, and Jemyma Manyok eight points, eight boards and two assists.

The CoE went on a 9-0 scoring run in the final term to grab the lead and then they were still on top 71-69 following a pair of free throws to Isabel Smith with almost three minutes in the game still to go.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 71 (Russell 21, Smith 13, Olechnowicz 11)

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 73 (Munger 19, Jefferson 14, Kingham 13)

MEN

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (90) lost to Canberra Gunners (102)

The defending champion Canberra Gunners kept themselves in the top two hunt with the 102-90 win with Glenn Morison producing 32 points over the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles who got 18 points and 17 assists from point guard Mason Bragg.

The Sea Eagles were back home at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre trying to cling to their hold on a spot in the top eight while the Gunners were looking to stay close to the top two and to bounce back from a defeat at the hands of the Centre of Excellence.

The two teams combined for 61 points in the first quarter with the Gunners leading 32-29 on the back of shooting 13/17 from the field opposed to the 13/23 from the Sea Eagles.

 The Canberra lead got out to nine points in the second term before leading 54-47 heading into the half-time interval.

The Gunners kept on building on that advantage with it getting out to 19 points in the third quarter and 20 in the fourth, and then despite a strong finish from Manly Warringah, they scored the 12-point triumph.

Canberra improved to a 9-4 record with the win to remain hot on the hammer of the Sydney Comets in second place.

Canberra captain Glenn Morison showed he remains a powerful inside force with 32 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 13/16 field goal shooting.

Will Mayfield added 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists on 4/8 three-point shooting, Brooklyn Bruton 10 points and three assists, James Toohey nine points and seven rebounds.

Manly Warringah are now 6-7 following the defeat with captain Mason Bragg finishing with 18 points, 17 assists, eight rebounds and three steals.

Isaiah Lee top-scored with 23 points on 5/10 three-point shooting with Preston Purifoy contributing 15 points and four rebounds, Jamie Munro 16 points and two steals, and Stefan Valkovic 12 points and two steals.

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 90 (Lee 23, Bragg 18, Munro 16)

CANBERRA GUNNERS 102 (Morison 32, Mayfield 22, Bruton 10)

Albury-Wodonga Bandits (75) lost to Norths Bears (80)

The Norths Bears held out the fast finishing Albury-Wodonga Bandits for the 80-75 victory that keeps them in the finals hunt in the NBL1 East for 2025.

The Bandits were back on their home floor at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre looking to back up their last up win against the Inner West Bulls while the Bears arrived having also won their last game before the King's Birthday long weekend against the defending champion Maitland Mustangs.

Norths scored 16 points in the first quarter despite shooting just 7/23 but they held Albury-Wodonga to eight points on 2/11 having led by as much as 10 in that opening 10 minutes.

The Bears were still leading by seven points at half-time before extending that advantage to 12 by three quarter-time, and then holding out the Bandits who put up 26 points in the fourth quarter to end up scoring the five-point victory.

The win improves Norths to a 6-7 record on the season to remain in playoff contention with Hunter Goodrick delivering 16 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two assists.

Austin Patterson added 15 points, four rebounds and two blocks, Iggy Mitchell 12 points, five rebounds and two steals, and Robert Moore 12 points and four boards.

The Bandits are now 3-10 on the season with the defeat with Ahren Freeman top-scoring with 16 points and six rebounds on 7/9 field goal shooting despite going 1/7 from the foul line.

Matthew Gray added 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, Marcus La Spina 12 points and 10 boards, Simon Lafaele 10 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Jacob Cincurak six points and six assists.

ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 75 (Freeman 16, Gray 15, La Spina 12)

NORTHS BEARS 80 (Goodrick 16, Patterson 15, Moore 12, Mitchell 12)

Penrith Panthers (89) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (91)

Huge shots from Mohamed Kone and Nathaniel Chappel in the last two minutes were what set up the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders for the thrilling 91-89 win over the Penrith Panthers.

The Panthers were back home at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre attempting to get off bottom spot in the NBL1 East as they hosted a Spiders outfit attempting to make it three consecutive wins.

By quarter-time, Penrith had opened up a 28-23 lead before pushing that advantage out to nine points before the Spiders finished the first half strongly and went into the half-time break leading 46-44.

It would then be a tight contest the entire second half with no more than seven points separating the two teams, and it was Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai leading by seven when Steven Hall hit a three ball with just over three minutes to play.

Penrith fired back, though, and scored the next nine straight points including back-to-back layups to Jonah Pares to grab the lead with just under two minutes on the clock.

That's when the Spiders responded with a triple to Mohamed Kone and then shortly after a bucket to Nathaniel Chappell, and ultimately that would seal the deal on the two-point win for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai.

The win improves the Spiders to a 5-7 record on the season with Mohamed Kone finishing with 17 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Steven Hall added 15 points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds, Alexander Sidhu 14 points, 15 boards and three assists, Daniel Titus 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, and Akil Douglas nine points and 10 boards.

Penrith are now 3-11 having lost four straight games to remain in bottom place with Ben Kearins finishing with 13 points and four assists while Lachlan Charlton added 13 points on 3/4 three-point shooting.

Josh Kalwy also had 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, Oliver Amajoyi 12 points and two boards, Jonah Pares 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Zeke Evans seven points, 12 boards and seven assists.

PENRITH PANTHERS 89 (Kearins 13, Charlton 13, Amajoyi 12, Kalwy 12)

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 91 (Kone 17, Hall 15, Sidhu 14, Titus 14)

Inner West Bulls (77) lost to Sydney Comets (81)

Biwali Bayles continued his spectacular form to lead the Sydney Comets to the 81-77 road win over the Inner West Bulls.

Coming into the contest at Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatics Centre, the Bulls might have been near the bottom of the standings having lost two straight and the Comets were sitting second on a six-game winning run, but it proved to be a highly competitive affair.

The teams combined for just 24 points in the first quarter with Sydney leading 14-10 despite just shooting 6/18 from the floor opposed to the 2/17 from the Bulls.

The scoring picked up in the second frame and Inner West outscored Sydney 23 points to 21 to cut the Comets lead by half-time to 35-33.

The Comets then pulled away once more with 28 points to 18 in the third term with 5/8 three-point shooting and they would end up leading by as much as 14 points.

Inner West did put up 26 points to 18 in the final period but couldn’t quite pull off the comeback with the Comets securing the four-point win to keep their momentum going.

The win improves Sydney to a 10-3 record with seven straight wins with Biwali Bayles backing up his starring role for the Indigenous All Stars on Wednesday night with another 29 points, six assists and four rebounds with 11/22 field goal shooting.

Obi Kyei added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Comets, Anthony Mundine III 16 points and two boards, Goc Malual eight points and eight rebounds, and Davo Hickey four points, eight boards, four assists and two steals.

Inner West are now 4-9 following a third consecutive defeat with Mirko Djeric top-scoring with 18 points and nine assists on 4/9 three-point shooting.

Dalen Ridgnal added 16 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, Maxwell Clark 14 points, three boards and two assists, and Andrew Swanson 14 points and eight rebounds on 5/7 field goal shooting.

INNER WEST BULLS 77 (Djeric 18, Ridgnal 16, Clark 14, Swanson 14)

SYDNEY COMETS 81 (Bayles 29, Kyei 17, Mundine III 16)

Illawarra Hawks (112) defeated Bankstown Bruins (100)

The big guns came out to play with Jaylin Galloway scoring 32 points, Jason Cadee 31 and Todd Blanchfield 30, but it was Lachlan Dent the different with 35 to lead the Illawarra Hawks to the 112-100 win over the Bankstown Bruins.

It was a star studded match up at The Snakepit with the Hawks looking for a fifth straight win to stay in the top four up against a Bruins outfit still trying to break into the top eight.

It was a monstrous first quarter from both teams as they combined for 75 points with the Hawks scoring 39 of them on 6/13 three-point shooting with the Bruins delivering 36 with 5/14 shooting from downtown.

Illawarra were still able to cling to the three-point lead but Bankstown turned things around in the third period to level scores up by three quarter-time.

That’s when the Hawks took charge outscoring the Bruins 27 points to 15 in the fourth quarter to sure the 12-point victory and to improve to a 9-3 record with five straight wins ahead of hosting the Centre of Excellence on Sunday.

Lachlan Dent knocked down 8/14 from three-point territory for Illawarra on his way to 35 points and eight assists with Todd Blanchfield going 7/19 from downtown for 30 points and 12 rebounds.

Matthew Mims also provided the Hawks with 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals, Kobe McDowell-White 12 points, nine boards and three assists, and Kyle Leslie 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Bankstown remain outside of the top eight now with a 6-8 record with Sydney Kings NBL forward Jaylin Galloway giving them 32 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals on 7/16 three-point shooting.

Jason Cadee added 31 points, seven boards, five assists and three steals, Dominique Keyes 10 points, six rebounds and two steals, and Hayden Blankley seven points, nine boards, five assists and three blocked shots.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 112 (Dent 35, Blanchfield 30, Mims 14)

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 100 (Galloway 32, Cadee 31, Keyes 10)

Sutherland Sharks (87) defeated Maitland Mustangs (75)

The Sutherland Sharks welcomed in new import point guard Taylor Young who provided a nice boost as they scored the 87-75 win against the Maitland Mustangs.

The Sharks were back home at Sutherland Basketball Stadium looking to bounce back from losing their past two matches and they brought in new import guard Young to help ensure their playoff position.

Young started this season as captain of the East Perth Eagles in the NBL1 West where he averaged 15.5 points, 7.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds over the first three matches before suffering a torn hamstring.

There was somewhat of a divide between club and player on his return to play date at the Eagles, and subsequently Young was released, which opened the door for him to join the Sharks for the rest of the 2025 season.

Sutherland were playing host to a defending champion Maitland team also having lost their past couple of matches so both teams were determined for the win on Saturday night.

Scores were all level at 22-22 by quarter-time before the Sharks added another 22 points in the second term to just 17 from the Mustangs to see them go into the main break leading 45-39.

Sutherland pushed that lead out to 15 points early in the fourth quarter on the back of scoring 12 consecutive points, and from there the Sharks were able to secure the 12-point victory.

Sutherland now improves to an 8-5 record with the win to remain solid in the top eight and in touch of the top four with Taylor Young marking his first appearance with 13 points on 5/10 shooting.

Kouat Noi top-scored with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists with Jason Spurgin contributing 13 points and six boards, and Lochlan Hutchinson 12 points and six assists.

The championship defence of the Mustangs continues to wabble with them now having lost three straight to be sitting at 6-7 despite Christian Little putting up 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Luka Vea added 14 points and three rebounds, Majak Boc 12 points and six boards, Billy Parsons 11 points and six rebounds, and Mandrell Worthy 10 points, five boards, five assists, four steals and two blocked shots.

SUTHERLAND SHARKS 87 (Noi 21, Spurgin 13, Young 13)

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 75 (Little 16, Vea 14, Boc 12)

Hills Hornets (78) lost to Central Coast Crusaders (83)

Garric Young produced 27 points and 17 rebounds as the Central Coast Crusaders stormed home for the 83-78 road win over the Hills Hornets to close in on a playoff spot.

The Hornets were back home at Hills Basketball Stadium to host the Crusaders with both teams sitting on identical 5-7 records and needing a win to stay in contention for a finals contention.

Hills made the impressive start on their home floor with 27 points to 20 in the first quarter and after having led by 11, were still up seven by quarter-time.

That lead for the Hornets grew to 16 points in the second term with the home team heading into the half-time break leading 49-38.

That lead was again 14 points in the third quarter and still by three quarter-time Hills were leading 65-57.

The job was ahead of the Crusaders but they were up to the challenge with 26 points to 13 in the fourth term on the back of shooting 9/16 from the floor to go with 7/11 from the foul line to end up securing the five-point win.

The victory improves Central Coast to a 6-7 record with Garric Young superb with 27 points and 17 rebounds on the back of shooting 10/16 from the field and 7/13 at the foul line.

Ilisia Washington delivered 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds on 4/7 three-point shooting, Lino Manhom 12 points, 12 boards, four steals, three assists and two blocks, and Tom Akamarmoi 11 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Hills are now 5-8 following the defeat to slip further away from a playoff spot with Zach Hudson top-scoring with 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals on 8/13 field goal shooting.

Pafe Momoisea added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, Meekness Payne 12 points, five boards and three assists, Jacob Foy 12 points and two rebounds, and Deng Gak 10 points, 13 boards and two assists.

HILLS HORNETS 78 (Hudson 19, Momoisea 12, Payne 12, Foy 12)

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 83 (Garric Young 27, Washington 21, Manhom 12)

Centre of Excellence (86) defeated Newcastle Falcons (80)

The Centre of Excellence maintained their hold on top spot in the NBL1 East holding out the fast finishing Newcastle Falcons for the 86-80 victory on their home floor.

The CoE beat the Canberra Gunners last Thursday night heading into the King's Birthday long weekend to maintain top spot ahead of hosting a Newcastle line-up having moved into the top eight on the back of winning three straight.

It was a fast start from the league-leading Centre of Excellence with 29 points to 21 in the opening quarter before that lead extended to 14 points in the second frame and they would go into half-time leading 42-35 while shooting 7/19 from three to the 2/8 from Newcastle.

The Centre of Excellence kept building on that lead with 27 points to 20 in the third period with it growing to 16 points, and then despite Newcastle scoring 25 points to 17 in the fourth, the CoE still ended up winning by six.

The victory improves the CoE to a 13-2 record on the season having now won four in-a-row ahead of a road clash with the Illawarra Hawks on Sunday.

The Basketball Australia young guns got 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals out of Alex Dickeson who knocked down 4/7 from three-point range.

Mading Kuany added 12 points and six rebounds, Nash Walker 11 points, three steals, three blocks and two boards, James Dyson Merwe 10 points and nine rebounds, and Che Brogan nine points, six assists and four boards.

Newcastle's three-game winning streak comes to an end with them now sitting at 6-7 with Eylijah Stephens putting up 20 points, five rebounds and two assists on 3/4 three-point shooting.

Matur Maluach also had 17 points, three rebounds and three steals, Myles Cherry 14 points, 11 boards, five assists, three blocks and two steals, Ryan Beisty 12 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Kobe Shannon nine points.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 86 (Dickeson 24, Kuany 12, Walker 11)

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 80 (Stephens 20, Maluach 17, Cherry 14)