East Recap | Round 3 Friday

Friday night basketball came to the NBL1 East to open Round 3 and it was a pair of home victories for the Penrith Panthers against the Hills Hornets.

EAST RECAP | ROUND 2 SUNDAY

WOMEN

Penrith Panthers (64) defeated Hills Hornets (58)

Friday night NBL1 East basketball saw the Penrith Panthers score their second win of the 2025 season with the 64-58 victory over the Hills Hornets.

The Friday night clash at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre might have never seen either team really reach full gear, but what the game had going for it was that it was a tight affair right throughout the evening.

Penrith was at home and looking to improve on their 1-1 record from the opening two rounds while the Hornets won their lone appearance of the season so far with the win last week over the Sutherland Sharks.

The teams did have an enterprising start, though, combining for 45 points in the first quarter with the Hornets leading 25-20 by quarter-time.

However, they would only combine for 77 points for the remaining 30 minutes with Penrith outscoring Hills 19-15 in the second period which cut the Hornets advantage to 40-39 by the half-time break.

Penrith was then able to hold Hills to just eight points in the third quarter while scoring 16 themselves to assume the lead on the back of an 11-0 scoring run.

The Panthers then held that advantage throughout the final period to score the six-point win and improve to a 2-1 record on the season.

It wasn’t a great offensive night from either team with the Panthers ending up shooting 34 per cent opposed to the 27 from the Hornets, but Penrith did manage to make 9/28 from three-point range while Hills hit just 2/16.

However, the Hornets did go 18/21 at the foul line with the Panthers not getting to the line much finishing with 5/8.

Serika Shillingsworth finished with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists in the win for Penrith with Tatiana Beaumont adding 10 points, four boards, four assists and three steals, and Chanel Bastin nine points and three rebounds.

Mia Heide also had eight points, 12 rebounds and five assists, Jolzyne Impreso eight points, two boards and two steals, and Jordan Vasquez seven points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Jade Kirisome top-scored with 19 points to go with six assists for the Hornets with Hannah Griffin adding 13 points and two assists, Taylah Moss 10 points and three assists, and Ella Gale six points, 22 rebounds and three assists.

PENRITH PANTHERS 64 (Shillingsworth 10, Beaumont 10, Bastin 9)

HILLS HORNETS 58 (Kirisome 19, Griffin 13, Moss 10)

MEN

Penrith Panthers (85) defeated Hills Hornets (82)

It was a Friday night thriller in the NBL1 East with the Penrith Panthers making it consecutive wins with the 85-82 victory at home to the Hills Hornets.

The Panthers were fresh off a win against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles while the Hornets had played just the one game so far in 2025 and that was a loss last Saturday to the Sutherland Sharks.

The two teams did battle at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre in a rare Friday night NBL1 East fixture and it was the visiting Hornets who got the better of the start to be on top 25-19 by quarter-time.

It was another 21 points to 16 in the second quarter for the Hornets and they opened up a lead by as much as 14 points before heading into the half-time break leading 46-35.

The lead for the Hornets was back out to 13 early in the third quarter too but the Panthers worked back into the contest and an 11-0 scoring run even had them leading by a point at three quarter-time.

It turned out to be an exciting final quarter with the two teams combining for 54 points but in the end the Panthers continued to have all the answers down the stretch to secure the three-point home victory to improve to 2-1 on the season.

Jonah Pares had a big say on the final result for Penrith with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots on 7/8 shooting.

Oliver Amajoyi also contributed 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks, Jett Hickson 14 points, four boards, three steals and two blocked shots, and Zeke Evans 12 points and nine rebounds.

Zach Hudson top-scored for the Hornets with 14 points to go with nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks.

Meekness Payne also had 13 points and two rebounds for Hills, Liam Moss 13 points and five assists, and Joe Patmore 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.

PENRITH PANTHERS 85 (Pares 16, Amajoyi 14, Hickson 14)

HILLS HORNETS 82 (Hudson 14, Payne 13, Moss 13)