NBL1 East Semi-Finals Preview

On Sunday the NBL1 East women’s and men’s championships will be crowned. And the two teams crowned the champions will head off to the Coles Express NBL1 National Final in September! 

The NBL1 East Grand Finals will be streamed on Sunday live on Kayo Sports here. 

It’s all on the line starting Saturday as the winners of the elimination finals will face off with the first and second seeds from the regular season. 

Women’s 

Albury-Wodonga Bandits v Norths Bears 

Lauren Jackson, Unique Thompson and Ai Yamada against Riley Evans, Emily Simons and the Coach of the Year Ranae Garlepp - now that’s a match-up. 

The Albury-Wodonga Bandits have been the best team in the East all season, despite missing the GOAT with Opals duties and bringing in double-double machine Thompson mid-season. Yamada has been a phenomenal point guard through an ever-changing roster and the twin towers of Jackson and Thompson are an undefendable duo. 

The Norths Bears have been consistently great all season, under Garlepp the Bears finished 14-6, tied for third in the East ladder. The Bandits will have to stop Riley Evans who averaged close to 20 points per game in the regular season, as well as Emily Simons who is coming off a 25-point and rebound performance in the elimination final. 

This will be a great one, tune in live on Saturday at 1:15pm on NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App here. 

Sutherland Sharks v Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 

Superstar and NBL1 East Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Nicholson and her Sutherland Sharks will have a hefty task ahead of them. 

Manly are coming off a three-point win and a game-winning floater from Zoey Miller to advance into the Semi-Finals, while their star Alex Delaney scored 27 points in the game against Newcastle. 

The Sharks have had a decent break between Round 18 and their star point guard Vanessa Panousis and Nicholson will be hungry to make the grand final.

Who will advance?  Find out on Saturday at 3:15pm on NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App here. 

Men’s 

Canberra Gunners v Illawarra Hawks 

The best team in the East all season will go up against MVP front-runner Kiwi Gardner on Saturday night in what is set to be an epic clash. 

The Gunners finished the season with a record of 16-6 and have one of the deepest teams in the competition, led by Defensive Player of the Year James Toohey. On any given night the likes of Glenn Morrison, Toohey or Dhal Fieg could put up 20 points so how can the Hawks win? 

Kiwi Gardner. The 5’7 point guard has been an electric scorer all season, averaging 32 points per game and leading the conference in assists as well. Despite a 3/15 shooting performance in the elimination finals, the MVP-front runner is almost impossible to stop. 

Tune in for Gardner vs the Gunners on Saturday at 5:30pm on NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App here. 

Maitland Mustangs v Sutherland Sharks 

The Sutherland Sharks have had an up and down season but after a massive win in the elimination final, where their two stars Lochlan Hutchinson and Adrian Cabrera had 48 points combined, they will take on Maitland in a do or die game. 

Maitland are a talented group of players, like the Gunners, they have three-four players who can go off to swing the outcome of the game. Especially James Hunter who averaged 17 points per game for the second on the ladder Mustangs. 

Tune in live to see who makes it to the grand final on Saturday at 7:30pm on NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App here.