East Recap | Round 11 Sunday

Image credit: Immy Leeon (@immyleeonsports)

Newcastle Falcons scored a pair of Sunday NBL1 East wins including the defending champion women hitting back while Jade Kirisome put up 31 points for Hills Hornets, the Centre of Excellence women won big only for Central Coast Crusaders to beat the men.

EAST RECAP | ROUND 11 SATURDAY

YOUNG EMBRACING UNEXPECTED MOVE TO SHARKS

WOMEN

Penrith Panthers (61) lost to Newcastle Falcons (85)

The Newcastle Falcons hit back from their loss the previous evening by producing an emphatic performance on the road on Sunday to beat the Penrith Panthers 85-61.

The two teams also played on Saturday with the Panthers losing to the Canberra Gunners by 11 points while Newcastle suffered just a second loss as defending champions going down to the 2023 champion Norths Bears by six points.

The Panthers backed up on Sunday by remaining at home at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre looking for an upset win that would keep them in the playoff race while the Falcons couldn’t afford to lose again or else fall further back of a top two position.

Newcastle did go on a 9-0 run in the first quarter to open up a six-point advantage before leading 21-18 by quarter-time.

Things remained close as well leading into half-time with the Falcons only clinging to a 43-40 lead by the break.

It was in the third quarter where Newcastle made their move by outscoring the Panthers 20 points to seven before then producing another 22 points to 14 in the fourth quarter.

That saw the Falcons end up leading by as much as 28 points and then securing the eventual 24-point victory thanks to ending up attempting 20 extra field goals and making 9/31 from downtown opposed to the 2/15 from Penrith.

Newcastle now sits on a 12-2 record with the win but has slipped to third position in the standings after that loss on Saturday to be behind the Sea Eagles and Bears who are both also on 12-2 records but ahead courtesy of percentage.

Kate Kingham delivered 26 points, five rebounds and five assists on 5/11 three-point shooting for the Falcons with Nicole Munger providing 19 points, 18 boards, seven assists and three steals.

Meg Jefferson added 16 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two assists, and Susi Walmsley six points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists with 2/4 three-point shooting.

Penrith are now 5-11 on the season having lost their past three matches with finals now starting to get out of reach with Jordan Vasquez providing another 23 points, 19 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.

Zoe Jackson also had 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks, Sofia Hunt 10 points, Teagan Edwards seven points, four boards and two steals, and Serika Shillingsworth six points and four assists.

PENRITH PANTHERS 61 (Vasquez 23, Jackson 12, Hunt 10)

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 85 (Kingham 26, Munger 19, Jefferson 16)

Centre of Excellence (84) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (31)

Sitaya Fagan was back on Saturday for the Centre of Excellence to help them get back to winning and then they dominated the Central Coast Crusaders on Sunday with the 84-31 victory.

Coming into the weekend and the Centre of Excellence had lost their past four matches but they got some key players back led by one of the country's most exciting talent in Fagan, and scored the 20-point win on Saturday over the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

The Crusaders also played on Saturday in Tuggeranong suffering an eight straight defeat to the tune of 30 points at the hands of the Canberra Nationals.

That meant that the job was ahead of Central Coast to be competitive with the Centre of Excellence, and that became more of a challenge as the game went on.

The CoE scored 28 points to 12 in the first quarter while shooting 5/9 from three-point territory before another 16 points to eight in the second term on the way to leading 44-20 by half-time.

Central Coast then only managed two points in the entire third quarter on the back of shooting 1/11 while the CoE scored another 22 points on 10/21 shooting to increase their lead to 44 points.

That advantage grew to 56 points in the fourth term and the Centre of Excellence went on to score the 53-point victory from there on the back of shooting 41 per cent from the field to just 22 per cent from the Crusaders.

The CoE shot 9/32 from three-point range while the Crusaders missed all 12 of their attempts while the Basketball Australia young guns also pulled down 18 offensive rebounds and forcing Central Coast into 32 turnovers on the way to attempting 25 extra field goal attempts.

The Centre of Excellence improve to a 12-6 record with their two wins this weekend with Sitaya Fagan playing a starring role once more with 17 points, nine rebounds, four steals, four blocks and three assists.

Emilija Dakic provided 15 points, seven rebounds, five stelas and four assists, Zara Funnell 13 points and three boards, Zara Russell 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Isabel Smith eight points and three boards.

Central Coast remain in bottom place at 1-14 having now lost their past eight matches with Jes Stone finishing with seven points and three steals, Leilani Mitchell six points, and Mikaela Dombkins six points and eight rebounds.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 84 (Fagan 17, Dakic 15, Funnell 13)

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 31 (Stone 7, Mitchell 6, Dombkins)

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (78) lost to Hills Hornets (94)

Jade Kirisome scored 31 points and the Hills Hornets recorded the 94-78 road win over the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders to make it three wins on the trot.

Both teams had been in action the previous evening with the Spiders losing also on their home floor to the Centre of Excellence by 20 points while the Hornets won their second straight match beating the Sutherland Sharks by 33 points.

The two teams then put on a show in the first quarter combining for 59 points with the Hornets narrowly leading 30-29 by quarter-time on shooting 12/22 from the field with 5/9 from deep while Hornsby shot 10/21 with 3/10 from downtown.

The scoring then completely dried up in the second term with just the 22 points combined and it was the Spiders outscoring the Hornets 12 to 10 which saw them take a 41-40 advantage into the break.

The Hornets were then able to work their way on top throughout the second half with 24 points to 19 in the third quarter, and 30 to 18 in the fourth on the way to recording the 16-point victory.

With the win the Hornets improve to a 4-10 record on the season and having now won three in-a-row with Jade Kirisome delivering 31 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 4/8 three-point shooting.

Hannah Griffin added 14 points on 4/6 shooting from downtown with Elizabeth Smith contributing 14 points, 10 assists, four steals and two rebounds, Kennedy Johnson 12 points and 11 boards, Ella Gale 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Nikki Worner 10 points and eight boards.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai slip to a 6-8 record with their two defeats this weekend with Jessie-May Hall still putting in another impressive performance made up 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Taryn Mahoney also had 21 points and five rebounds with 5/8 three-point shooting while Ay'Anna Bey contributed 19 points, seven boards and two assists.

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 78 (Hall 23, Mahoney 21, Bey 19)

HILLS HORNETS 94 (Kirisome 31, Smith 14, Griffin 14)

MEN

Penrith Panthers (63) lost to Newcastle Falcons (98)

The Newcastle Falcons will finish Round 11 back inside the top eight of the NBL1 East on the back of a thumping 98-63 road win against the Penrith Panthers.

The Panthers were making their only appearance of the weekend attempting to snap five-game losing streak with them back home at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre.

Newcastle arrived fresh off a loss on Saturday by 32 points to the Norths Bears with both teams out to rediscover some winning form.

Penrith started well with an early four-point lead before Newcastle went on a 9-0 scoring run before leading 22-18 by quarter-time.

The Falcons then took control in the second period with 27 points to 15 on the back of shooting 10/22 from the field and 4/11 from downtown while the Panthers went 6/14 and 1/4 from long-range.

Newcastle were leading 49-33 by half-time and then in the fourth quarter rammed home their advantage further with 31 points to 15 to end up scoring the commanding 35-point victory.

The win improves the Falcons to a 7-8 record on the season to be back inside the top eight with Myles Cherry starring with 24 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and three assists with 10/15 field goal shooting.

Leo O'Boyle contributed 15 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals, Ryan Beisty 14 points, 13 boards and two assists, Matur Maluach 12 points and four rebounds, Eylijah Stephens 11 points and two steals, and Kobe Shannon eight points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals.

The Panthers have now lost their past six matches to remain in bottom spot at 3-13 with Brodie Schwarzer top-scoring with 13 points on 3/6 three-point shooting.

Lachlan Charlton added 11 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks, Zeke Evans 11 points and five boards, and Jonah Pares eight points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

PENRITH PANTHERS 63 (Schwarzer 13, Evans 11, Charlton 11)

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 98 (Cherry 24, O'Boyle 15, Beisty 14)

Centre of Excellence (68) lost to Central Coast Crusaders (76)

It's a new look class at the Centre of Excellence for the back end of the NBL1 East and they have now dropped from top spot after the Central Coast Crusaders scored the 76-68 Sunday victory.

The Centre of Excellence did still beat the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders on Saturday despite the new-look roster as they backed up to host the Crusaders on Sunday at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Central Coast also played on Saturday and suffered a 46-point defeat at the hands of the Canberra Gunners so it was always going to be an intriguing match up.

It was a tight opening with the Crusaders leading 22-21 by quarter-time before the CoE went on a 9-0 run in the second period and on the back of that were able to lead 44-40 by half-time.

Central Coast turned things around in the third term outscoring the CoE 25 points to 14 thanks to shooting 10/21 from the field opposed to the 6/15 from the hosts.

The Crusaders went on to open up an 11-point lead from there and then secured the eight-point victory to see them improve to a 7-8 record and to remain right in contention for a top eight position still.

Garric Young stepped up impressively in the win for Central Coast with 24 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots with 10/18 field goal shooting.

Lino Manhom added 12 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals, Luke Cassidy 12 points, six assists and three boards, and Tom Akamarmoi 11 points, seven rebounds and five steals.

The Centre of Excellence now slip to third position as a result of the loss with a 14-4 record and having played four more games than the Sydney Comets and Illawarra Hawks who sit above them.

Marcus Vaughns top-scored for the CoE with 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals with Guer Bar adding 10 points, Jai Faale 10 points and three rebounds, Rio Bruton nine points, seven boards and three assists, William Hamilton eight points and four rebounds, and Flynn Pavely eight points, five boards and two assists.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 68 (Vaughns 11, Bar 10, Faale 10)

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 76 (Young 24, Manhom 12, Cassidy 12)

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (70) lost to Hills Hornets (89)

Meekness Payne scored 25 points and the Hills Hornets got back to the winner's list by beating the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders 89-70 on the road on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams were also in action on Saturday with the Spiders also at home to the Centre of Excellence where they lost by 14 points while the Hornets went down on the road to the Sutherland Sharks by 12 points.

That had both teams attempting to bounce back on Sunday at The Brickpit with the two teams combining for 49 points in the first quarter and Hills narrowly leading 26-23 by quarter-time.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai then worked on top in the second frame with 26 points to 12 while shooting 10/19 from the field including 3/6 from downtown.

On the back of that, the Spiders went into the half-time break leading 49-38 but it was then all the Hornets in the third period.

Hills scored 31 points in the third quarter on shooting 11/15 from the field and 7/13 at the foul line while holding the Spiders to just seven points on 2/16 shooting.

It was another 20 points to 14 from the Hornets in the final quarters as they went on to score the 19-point victory while shooting 50 per cent from the field as a team opposed to the 34 per cent form Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai.

With the victory Hills improve to a 6-9 record on the season with Meekness Payne providing 25 points, four rebounds and two assists on 9/13 field goal shooting, 3/4 from downtown and 4/6 at the foul line.

Deng Gak also produced 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks, Zach Hudson 16 points, eight assists and five boards, and Liam Moss 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai are now 5-9 on the season with the loss with Mohamed Kone top-scoring with 23 points to go with four rebounds, three steals and two assists on 3/6 three-point shooting.

Akil Douglas added 15 points and eight rebounds, Atien Acuel nine points, five boards, two assists and two steals, and Daniel Titus seven points and six rebounds.

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 70 (Kone 23, Douglas 15, Acuel 9)

HILLS HORNETS 89 (Payne 25, Gak 20, Hudson 16)