East Recap | Round 12 Saturday

Image credit: James O'Donohue @jamesodphotography

Obi Kyei and Biwali Bayles had another 48 points and 26 rebounds for Sydney Comets in the NBL1 East after Abi Curtin delivered 37 and 15 with Shyla Heal having another 35 for Bankstown Bruins, and Kristina Moore 29 for Inner West Bulls.

EAST RECAP | ROUND 11 SUNDAY

WOMEN

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (95) defeated Newcastle Falcons (72)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles consolidated top spot in the NBL1 East with the impressive 95-72 home win against the defending champion Newcastle Falcons.

The Sea Eagles came into the contest at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre on a 10-match winning streak in first place as they played host to a defending champion Newcastle team who would go back on top of the standings with a win.

Both teams came into the game with identical 12-2 records highlighting what was at stake for the Round 12 match up with Manly Warringah starting on fire shooting 13/20 in the first quarter including 4/7 from three-point range to be leading 32-21 by quarter-time.

The Sea Eagles then completed an 18-0 scoring run to lead by as much as 31 points in the second term and with outscoring the Falcons 26-15 once again, they went into the half-time break leading 58-36.

Newcastle did try to work back into the game in the second half but just as they were starting to build momentum, Manly Warringah had the answers and went on another 12-0 scoring run to open up another 27-point lead.

That turned into the 23-point win for the Sea Eagles to see them go clear of the Falcons in top spot with a 13-2 record and an 11-game winning streak having now lost since losing away to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits back on April 12.

Manly Warringah's monster weekend now continues away to the second placed Norths Bears on Sunday after Taylor Wurtz delivered another 33 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals with 8/19 three-point shooting.

Kim Dickinson added 20 points and six rebounds, Sari Mowbray 11 points, two boards and two assists, Zoey Miller nine points, six assists and four rebounds, and Chloe Dix nine points, five boards and four assists.

The Falcons are now 12-3 on the season in their championship defence after Meg Jefferson finished the game with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists while Kate Kingham added 18 points, three assists and two boards on 3/5 three-point shooting.

Nicole Munger also had 16 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and four steals, and Claudea Waihape-Andrews eight points and four rebounds.

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 95 (Wurtz 33, Dickinson 20, Mowbray 11)

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 72 (Kingham 18, Jefferson 18, Munger 15)

Penrith Panthers (75) lost to Sydney Comets (88)

Abi Curtin delivered 37 points and 15 rebounds, and the Sydney Comets put up 36 points to nine in the fourth quarter to come from behind and get the important 88-75 win over the Penrith Panthers.

The Panthers were back home at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre looking to snap a three-game losing streak and looking to also upset the playoff hopes of the Comets at the same time.

The Comets did start well enough in a game critical to their season with 21 points to 15 in the opening quarter but then the Panthers put in a blistering performance in the second term.

Penrith put 33 points on the board while shooting 11/18 from the field and making all four of their three-point attempts while holding the Comets to 14 points on 5/18 shooting.

That saw Penrith in control at half-time leading 48-35 and then extending that lead to as much as 21 points in the third quarter, and still being up 14 by three quarter-time.

The job was ahead of the Comets but they were up to the challenge by delivering 36 points in the last quarter on shooting 16/19 at the foul line along with shooting 9/14 from the field.

They held the Panthers to just nine points and 3/21 shooting at the same time to come from 14 points down to score the 13-point victory.

It's a crucial win in the context of the season for the Comets as they improve to a 7-8 record to remain knocking on the door of a top eight position.

Abi Curtin had a brilliant night in the finish for the Comets ending up with 37 points, 15 rebounds and two assists on 14/26 field goal shooting and 8/9 at the foul line.

Piper Anderson added 24 points and four rebounds, Arisa Takamoto 10 points, four assists and three steals, Elle Fletcher seven points, three assists and two boards, and Alex Kayrouz seven points and four rebounds.

Penrith are now 5-12 having lost their past four matches with Mia Heide producing 20 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

Jordan Vasquez added 14 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, Meleke Jenkins nine points, two assists and two steals, Zoe Jackson nine points, five rebounds and two assists, and Tatiana Beaumont seven points, eight boards and three assists.

PENRITH PANTHERS 75 (Heide 20, Vasquez 14, Jackson 9)

SYDNEY COMETS 88 (Curtin 37, Anderson 24, Takamoto 10)

Albury-Wodonga Bandits (100) defeated Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (82)

Caitie Jones put up another 24 points and threatened a triple-double for the Albury-Wodonga Bandits as they kept their winning run going beating the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

The Bandits were back home at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre having won their past couple of games to be sitting in fourth position ahead of hosting a Spiders team having lost their last two matches as they try to stay in playoff contention.

It was Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai holding on to the 21-18 lead by quarter-time before the Bandits took control of the contest on their home floor with 30 points to 18 in the second term on the back of knocking down 7/13 from three-point territory.

Albury-Wodonga did go on a 16-0 scoring run to break the game open in that second quarter to lead 48-40 at half-time before pushing that advantage to 23 in the third quarter, and then completing the deal on the eventual 18-point triumph.

The Bandits went 18/41 from three-point territory as a team opposed to the 9/26 from the Spiders along with takin an extra 11 field goals despite Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai getting up 24 free-throw attempts to nine.

Albury-Wodonga also forced the Spiders into 19 turnovers from which they scored 15 points in the win that is their third straight on the way to improving to an 11-4 record to stay inside the top four.

Caitie Jones continued her standout first season in the NBL1 East with another 24 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals for the Bandits on the back of hitting 4/6 from behind the arc.

Riley Lupfer also went 5/13 for 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals while Emma Mahady contributed 15 points, nine boards, two assists and two steals, and Brynn Masikewich 14 points and eight rebounds.

The Spiders remain outside a playoff position now sitting at 6-9 on the season with Nicola Sainsbury top-scoring with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists with Ay'Anna Bey adding 15 points, five boards and two steals.

Lucy Mead also had 13 points and three rebounds, Jessie-May Hall 12 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, and Nicole Hutchins eight points, eight boards and two assists.

ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 100 (Jones 24, Lupfer 19, Mahady 15)

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 82 (Sainsbury 18, Bey 15, Mead 13)

Canberra Nationals (79) defeated Illawarra Hawks (64)

The Canberra Nationals made a fast start and converted that into the 79-64 important victory at home to the Illawarra Hawks to maintain their hold on a top eight position.

The Nationals were back home at Belconnen Basketball Stadium having won their past two games to occupy eighth position ahead of hosting a Hawks team with just the four wins for the season so far.

It was an impressive start from Canberra on their home floor with 27 points to 17 in the first quarter on the back of shooting 11/23 from the floor opposed to the 6/18 from the Hawks.

The Nationals turned that into a 19-point lead in the second term and on the back of that they turned that into the 49-38 half-time advantage.

Canberra maintained that control throughout the second half leading by as much as 19 points once again on the way to the eventual 15-point victory.

It's an important win for the Nationals too as they improve to 8-7 on the season with three straight wins to remain in the top eight.

Carlie McAlister continued her standout season with Canberra with another 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists with Callie Bourne contributing 23 points, 10 boards, six assists and four steals.

Mikala Williams added 18 points and three assists, and Elise Finney 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Hawks slip further from playoff contention to now be 4-11 on the season with Ella Dent delivering 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Sophia Johnston also had nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, Asha Phillips eight points, seven boards and two assists, and Tsubasa Nisbet eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.

CANBERRA NATIONALS 79 (McAlister 24, Bourne 23, Williams 18)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 64 (Dent 21, Johnston 9, Phillips 8, Nisbet 8)

Central Coast Crusaders (70) lost to Sutherland Sharks (90)

Ahead of the pending return of new mother Lauren Nicholson, the Sutherland Sharks returned to the winner's list with the 90-70 win on the road to the Central Coast Crusaders.

It was a battle of the bottom two teams in the NBL1 East at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium with the Crusaders at home and hunting a second win of 2025 while the Sharks arrived trying to avoid a third straight loss and even keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

It was a tight opening to the contest with Sutherland narrowly leading 18-17 by quarter-time even with Central Coast shooting 1/10 from downtown in those first 10 minutes.

The Sharks then did open up a nine-point lead during the second term and turned that into the 43-37 advantage by half-time.

Sutherland then worked further on top in the second half with 24 points to 15 in the third term, and 23 to 18 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 20-point victory to keep their season alive with Lauren Nicholson soon to return having had her first baby.

The Sharks improve to a 5-10 record with the victory and with a crucial clash to come now on Sunday against the Sydney Comets.

Vanessa Panousis delivered 25 points, five assists and three rebounds in the win while knocking down 5/9 from three-point range with Emily Garland contributing 17 points, four boards and four assists.

Maddie Norris added 16 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, Olivia Douglas nine points, 15 boards, six steals and five assists, and Madison Kerry nine points, three assists and two rebounds.

The Crusaders have now lost their past nine game games to slip to a 1-15 record with Jess Stone finishing with 19 points while Mikaela Dombkins had 17 points, 13 rebounds and two steals but it was tough going for Central Coast without Leilani Mitchell.

Jasmine Forcadilla also had 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals, and Tai Wakelin-Gray eight points, 16 boards, six steals and three assists.

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 70 (Stone 19, Dombkins 17, Forcadilla 15)

SUTHERLAND SHARKS 90 (Panousis 25, Garland 17, Norris 16)

Maitland Mustangs (73) lost to Inner West Bulls (78)

Kristina Moore produced another 29 points to lead the Inner West Bulls to the 78-73 road win over the Maitland Mustangs to keep them in touch of a top four position in the NBL1 East.

The Mustangs were back home at Maitland Federation Centre and looking for an important win themselves to consolidate a top eight spot having lost five of their past six matches.

They were up against a Bulls team fresh off beating the Illawarra Hawks last week where Kristina Moore put up 47 points so the stage was set for a tantalising match up.

It would turn out to be a remarkably tight contest all the way through with nothing more than seven points ever separating the two teams.

It was the Mustangs leading by a solitary point at quarter-time before the Bulls worked on top with 22 points to 18 in the second frame to go into half-time leading 41-38.

Maitland managed to score eight straight points to reclaim the lead in the third quarter but it was still Inner West holding a five-point advantage by three quarter-time.

The Bulls were able to convert that into the five-point victory with both teams shooting 37 per cent for the game, but it was Maitland taking 18 extra shots for the contest.

Despite that, Inner West got the win thanks to 27 free-throw attempts to nine to secure the win that improves them to an 8-6 record on the season.

Kristina Moore kept her hot form going for the Bulls with 29 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks with 5/10 three-point shooting along with a perfect 8/8 at the foul line.

Tahlia Tupaea added 19 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, Tylah Mundine 13 points, 12 boards and two steals, and Mizuki Wakamatsu 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

The Mustangs have now lost six of the past seven to be sitting at 7-8 on the season ahead of taking on the red hot Bankstown Bruins on Sunday.

Mila Wawszkowicz finished with 18 points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks for Maitland with Shakera Reilly contributing 16 points, six boards, three assists and three steals.

Kasey Neubert also had 15 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals, Sydney Hunter 14 points and six boards, and Rachel Williams eight points, six assists, two rebounds and two steals.

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 73 (Wawszkowicz 18, Reilly 16, Neubert 15)

INNER WEST BULLS 78 (Moore 29, Tupaea 19, Mundine 13)

Hills Hornets (101) lost to Bankstown Bruins (106)

It was quite the high scoring spectacle with the teams combining for 207 points as the Bankstown Bruins came from behind with Shyla Heal delivering 35 points and just missing a triple-double for the 106-101 win over the Hills Hornets.

The Hornets were back home at Hills Basketball Stadium looking to make it four consecutive wins playing host to a Bruins team having one four straight to be knocking on the door of the top eight since the arrival of Geelong United WNBL signing Shyla Heal.

With both teams in winning form coming into the clash, it was always going to be an enterprising affair and by quarter-time it was Bankstown leading 26-21 with both teams having knocked down four three-pointers in that opening 10 minutes.

The two teams then combined for 64 points in the second quarter with Bankstown putting up 33 of those with 5/10 three-point shooting while Hills stayed in touch with 31 on 5/11 shooting from deep.

That saw the Bruins leading 59-52 at the half-time break before the Hornets worked on top in the third period with 27 points to 18 to go into the three quarter-time huddle leading 79-77.

Bankstown were able to respond in the fourth quarter to come from behind and secure the five-point victory thanks to shooting 12/19 in that last term opposed to the 8/19 from the home team.

It's a big result in the context of the season for the Bruins as well as they try to break into the top eight having now won five straight to improve to a 7-8 record.

Shyla Heal once again starred in the win for Bankstown with 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists on shooting 12/19 from the floor and 6/10 from three-point territory.

Jada Rice added 23 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks, Jane Dunlop 17 points, six boards, four assists and two steals, Juliunn Redmond 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Shalome Dunlop 12 points, four boards and two assists.

The Hornets' winning run comes to an end in the process as they slip to a 4-11 record now despite getting 23 points, 13 rebounds and four assists out of Ella Gale on 10/17 field goal shooting.

It was Kennedy Johnson who ended up top-scoring with 25 points, seven rebounds and four steals with 4/8 three-point shooting.

Sienna Clark added 15 points and five assists, Elizabeth Smith 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Jade Kirisome eight points, five assists and four boards.

HILLS HORNETS 101 (Johnson 25, Gale 23, Clark 15)

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 106 (Heal 35, Rice 23, J Dunlop 17)

MEN

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (88) defeated Newcastle Falcons (81)

With both teams looking for a win to consolidate a place in the top eight there was plenty on the line and it was the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles who prevailed 88-81 over the Newcastle Falcons.

Coming into the match up at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre and the Sea Eagles were sitting seventh at 7-7 and the Falcons eighth at 7-8.

There was every chance as a result the winner would be safe in a finals position and the loser ending the round outside the top eight heightening the stakes, and it was a tight opening with Manly Warringah leading 14-13 by quarter-time.

The scoring picked up in the second period with the Falcons putting up 27 points on 4/6 three-point shooting with the Sea Eagles managing just the 20 points on 9/21 shooting.

That saw Newcastle leading 40-34 by half-time and then the Falcons pulled away further with 27 points to 23 in the third term to be leading by 10 points at three quarter-time.

Manly Warringah turned the game on its head in the final period with 31 points to 14 while making all 16 of their free-throw attempts to turn that 10-point deficit into a seven-point victory.

It's a crucial win for the Sea Eagles too as they improve to an 8-7 record ahead of Sunday's match up on the road to the Norths Bears.

Preston Purifoy finished with 24 points, six rebounds, five steals and two assists in the win for Manly Warringah while Matthew Eldridge delivered 15 points and 12 boards.

Isaiah Lee also had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, Oliver Hammond 11 points, five boards and three assists, and Stefan Valkovic 10 points, two rebounds and two steals.

The Falcons now are in danger of slipping out of the top eight with a 7-9 record despite getting 20 points and three rebounds from Leo O'Boyle.

Myles Cherry delivered 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, Kobe Shannon 12 points and three assists, and Eylijah Stephens 11 points and three assists, and Ryan Beisty eight points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 88 (Purifoy 24, Eldridge 15, Lee 15)

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 81 (O'Boyle 20, Cherry 19, Shannon 12)

Penrith Panthers (84) lost to Sydney Comets (90)

Obi Kyei and Biwali Bayles provided 48 points, 26 rebounds and 10 assists as the Sydney Comets maintained top spot in the NBL1 East with the 90-84 win against the Penrith Panthers.

The Panthers were back home at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre trying to get off bottom spot in the NBL1 East as they took the challenge up to the league-leading Comets.

Sydney didn’t take long to take charge with 30 points to 15 in the first quarter on the back of knocking down 5/12 from three-point territory.

That lead got out to 19 points in the second quarter for the league-leaders before they went into the half-time break on top 50-31.

It was still a 19-point lead by three quarter-time before Penrith threw everything into what would have been the upset of the season with 35 points in the final quarter on the back of hitting 6/11 from three-point territory.

They couldn’t quite make up the whole deficit with the Comets holding on for the six-point victory to maintain top position with a 12-3 record and having won their past nine matches ahead of Sunday's clash with the Sutherland Sharks.

Obi Kyei delivered another 28 points and 14 rebounds in the win for Sydney with Biwali Bayles producing another 20 points, 12 boards and nine assists.

Anthony Mundine III also had 16 points with 4/8 three-point shooting while Shareef Saipaia contributed nine points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Penrith remains in bottom spot with a 3-14 record and having lost their past seven matches with Brodie Schwarzer top-scoring with 20 points and two assists with 6/16 three-point shooting.

Jonah Pares added 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, Ben Kearins 14 points, six boards and two assists, and Zeke Evans 13 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots.

PENRITH PANTHERS 84 (Schwarzer 20, Kearins 14, Pares 14)

SYDNEY COMETS 90 (Kyei 28, Bayles 20, Mundine III 16)

Albury-Wodonga Bandits (93) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (127)

The Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders put up 127 points including 107 of those in the opening 30 minutes on the way to the 127-93 win against the Albury-Wodonga Bandits to keep their season alive.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai arrived at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre needing to go on a winning run if they wanted to remain a chance to play finals while them and the Bandits both were on two-game losing runs.

There was 59 points between the two teams in the first quarter with the Spiders leading 30-29 by quarter-time before the visitors piled on 39 points to 23 in the second term.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai shot 15/23 from the floor with 5/8 shooting from downtown to go into half-time leading 69-52 and then the Spiders kept that hot form going with another 38 points to 23 in the third period.

That meant that the Spiders ended up scoring 19 straight points to lead by as much as 38 points on the way to the 34-point win in a game that featured 220 points between the two sides.

Both teams ended up shooting 49 per cent from the floor with Hornsby then adding 16/37 from three-point territory and the Bandits 6/21 from downtown with the Spiders winning the possession game significantly taking 25 extra shots with 17 offensive rebounds and 24 turnovers from Albury-Wodonga.

Daniel Titus delivered 32 points, eight rebounds and two assists while shooting 13/20 from the field with Alexander Sidhu contributing 19 points, seven boards, three steals and two assists.

Akil Douglas added 19 points and six rebounds with Mohamed Kone contributing 16 points, five assists, five steals and three boards, Nathaniel Chappell 11 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Atien Acuel 10 points and four boards.

Albury-Wodonga are now 3-12 following the loss with Ahren Freeman delivering 35 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 13/22 shooting from the floor.

Matthew Gray added 23 points and five rebounds, Francis Wineera-Mulvihill 12 points, four assists, three boards and two steals.

ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 93 (Freeman 35, Gray 23, Wineera-Mulvihill 12)

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 127 (Titus 32, Sidhu 19, Douglas 19)

Canberra Gunners (93) defeated Illawarra Hawks (85)

The Canberra Gunners came from behind at three quarter-time to beat the Illawarra Hawks 93-85 and to leapfrog them in the standings as a result.

It was second against fourth when the Gunners hosted the Hawks at Belconnen Basketball Stadium, but with Canberra 11-4 and Illawarra 11-3 coming into the game, the winner was always going to finish the weekend sitting above the other.

That rose the stakes significantly with Illawarra also on a seven-game winning streak while the Gunners had won three straight meaning both teams arrived in good form as well.

It was the Hawks narrowly leading 23-22 by the end of the first quarter before they had managed to build on that with 23 points to 18 in the second term to go into the half-time interval on top 46-40.

Both teams had their turns of a six-point advantage in the third quarter but by three quarter-time it was still the Hawks clinging to the two-point lead.

But in the final term it was all Canberra with 28 points to 18 to finish up shooting 13/16 at the foul line to just 3/4 from Illawarra and that proved the difference with the Gunners closing the deal on the eight-point victory.

The win improves Canberra to a 12-4 record on the season coming off playing in last year's grand final and to move further inside the top four and ahead of the Hawks.

Cameron Pender delivered 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win for Canberra while Derek Emelifeonwu contributed 17 points with 3/6 three-point shooting.

Will Mayfield added 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals, Glenn Morison 12 points, eight boards and four assists, and James Toohey 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Illawarra are now 11-4 following the loss but they do remain in third position with Todd Blanchfield producing 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Lachlan Dent added 18 points, four rebounds and three assists with 4/8 three-point shooting while Kobe McDowell-White contributed 13 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals, Matthew Mims 10 points, five boards and three assists, and Christian Maran 10 points and three rebounds.

CANBERRA GUNNERS 93 (Pender 18, Emelifeonwu 17, Mayfield 13)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 85 (Blanchfield 21, Dent 18, McDowell-White 13)

Central Coast Crusaders (90) defeated Sutherland Sharks (88)

Ilisia Washington hit the gamer winner as the Central Coast Crusaders beat the Sutherland Sharks 90-88 in a thriller to heighten the battle between both over an NBL1 East playoff battle.

The two teams came into the clash at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium with not much separating them with the Sharks 9-5 in fifth having won their last couple while the Crusaders were ninth at 7-8 after beating the Centre of Excellence.

That made it an extra significant game for Central Coast as they try to chase down one of those teams inside the top eight and on the back of that, the Crusaders were leading 23-21 by quarter-time having knocked down 4/8 from three-point range.

Central Coast opened up a nine-point lead in the second term but by half-time it was just a four-point advantage in their favour.

The Sharks worked their way in front during the third quarter before by three quarter-time it was a one-point lead for the Crusaders to set up the big finish.

Taylor Young was playing his third game of the season with the Sharks after starting 2025 as captain of the East Perth Eagles in NBL1 West, and he shot his new team out to a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

Luke Cassidy brought Central Coast back level with a three-pointer of his own a couple of minutes before Garric Young put the Crusaders in front by four which stayed the case until just over four minutes to play.

That was out to six with 1:45 to go when Solomon Kuol landed a three ball but then Sutherland responded immediately thanks to Kouat Noi.

Ryan Abbott then knocked down all three at the foul line to level things before the Crusaders had a turnover and Sutherland had the chance to go to the lead, but Luke Jamieson's three-point attempt didn’t fall.

Ilisia Washington then did score to give Central Coast the lead but there was still time for Sutherland to get up a shot, but Abbott's attempt bounced out and then Young couldn’t convert on the offensive rebound thanks to the presence of Lino Manhom.

That meant the Crusaders got what they needed with the crucial two-point win to improve to 8-8 on the season to strengthen their playoff push.

Solomon Kuol ended up with 21 points and three rebounds with 5/8 three-point shooting while Garric Young added 18 points and 13 boards, Ilisia Washington 14 points, Luke Cassidy 12 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Alex Bailey nine points.

The Sharks are now 9-6 following the defeat and they back up on Sunday against the league-leading Sydney Comets looking to avoid a double loss weekend which would leave them vulnerable.

Kouat Noi delivered 21 points and nine rebounds for Sutherland with Geoff Gerlach contributing 16 points and five boards, Lochlan Hutchison 14 points and three assists, and Taylor Young 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 90 (Kuol 21, Young 18, Washington 14)

SUTHERLAND SHARKS 88 (Noi 21, Gerlach 16, Hutchison 14)

Maitland Mustangs (87) defeated Inner West Bulls (83)

The defending champion Maitland Mustangs produced a huge fourth quarter just when they needed it most to avoid a fifth straight loss and come from behind to beat the Inner West Bulls 87-83.

The Mustangs returned to their home floor at Maitland Federation Centre with their title defence hanging by a thread having lost their past four matches and having slipped out of the top eight altogether.

The Bulls were also on their own four-game losing slide to be out of the playoff race coming into the contest, and it was the Mustangs that got the start they needed to be leading 28-25 by quarter-time.

Inner West then worked their way on top in the second quarter with 20 points to 16 and that saw the Bulls take a narrow 45-44 lead into the half-time break.

Inner West continued with that momentum from there with another 23 points to 15 in the third term and that saw their lead get out to 10 points, and it grew to as much as 11 in the fourth.

Maitland knew that there might be no coming back in terms of reaching the playoffs with another loss and they dug deep as a result to deliver a huge fightback from there including going on a 9-0 scoring run.

The Mustangs ended up outscoring the Bulls 28 points to 15 in the last term to go from being nine points down to scoring the four-point win that breathes some life back into their championship defence.

Maitland are now 7-8 on the season ahead of another crucial clash on Sunday with the Bankstown Bruins.

Mandrell Worthy delivered 24 points, six rebounds and two steals for the Mustangs on 4/6 three-point shooting with James Hunter contributing 15 points and three boards, and Christian Little 14 points, 10 assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Majak Boc also had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Billy Parsons nine points, 12 boards and three assists, and Daniel Millburn nine points, two rebound and two assists.

The Bulls have now lost five in-a-row to sit on a 4-11 record on the season after Andrew Swanson delivered 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Nicko Timonera added 15 points and two rebounds, Dalen Ridgnal 15 points, 11 boards and three assists, Mirko Djeric 13 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, and Maxwell Clark 10 points, four boards and two steals.

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 87 (Worthy 24, Hunter 15, Little 14)

INNER WEST BULLS 83 (Swanson 18, Timonera 15, Ridgnal 15)

Hills Hornets (56) lost to Bankstown Bruins (95)

The Bankstown Bruins returned to the winner's list with a strong sowing from Jaylin Galloway in the 95-56 road win against the Hills Hornets.

The Bruins arrived at Hills Basketball Stadium having lost their past two games to have fallen outside the top eight in the NBL1 East while the Hornets were trying to back up their win against the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

It was a strong start from Bankstown with 21 points to 14 in the first quarter before they dominated the second term further with another 29 to 12 on the back shooting 21/38 for the half opposed to 9/34 for the Hornets with both teams going an identical 3/13 from downtown.

The Bruins then further rammed home their advantage with 25 points to 11 in the fourth quarter to end up winning by 39 points while shooting 54 per cent from the field to the 29 from the Hornets.

The win improves Bankstown to a 7-8 record as they attempt to bounce back into the top eight with another crucial clash to come on Sunday with the defending champion Maitland Mustangs who are on the identical record.

Sydney Kings NBL forward Jaylin Galloway produced 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals while Hayden Blankley added 17 points, three boards and two steals.

Andre Wolford provided 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, Dominique Keyes 10 points and 10 boards, and Jason Cadee four points, 12 assists, six rebounds and four steals.

The Hornets are now 6-10 on the season following the loss with Deng Gak producing 17 points on 3/5 three-point shooting with Meekness Payne providing 10 points and five rebounds, Jacob Foy eight points, four boards and three assists, and Zach Hudson seven points, 10 rebounds and three steals.

HILLS HORNETS 56 (Gak 17, Payne 10, Foy 8)

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 95 (Galloway 18, Blankley 17, Wolford 13)