Recap NBL1 East | Round 5 Saturday

Feature images via: Aaron Camua / James O'Donohue Photography

Vanessa Panousis, Nicole Munger and Lauren Jackson dominated in NBL1 East wins for Sutherland Sharks, Newcastle Falcons and Albury-Wodonga Bandits while Will Cranston-Lown helped keep the Maitland Mustangs perfect despite Davo Hickey's best efforts.

Saturday's women's action saw the Penrith Panthers beat the Canberra Nationals 56-53 while the Hills Hornets defeated the Illawarra Hawks 85-72, Albury-Wodonga Bandits downed the Maitland Mustangs 99-65, and the Newcastle Falcons won 73-56 over the Bankstown Bruins.

The Sutherland Sharks also beat the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders 94-83 with the Norths Bears downing the Inner West Bulls 87-55, the Sydney Comets defeated the Centre of Excellence 75-68, and the Manly Sea Eagles won 82-68 against the Central Coast Crusaders.

The men's contests then saw the Sea Eagles beat the Crusaders 102-81 while the Centre of Excellence downed the Comets 95-79, the Bulls defeated the Bears 112-89, the Sharks beat the Spiders 88-78, the Bruins won 88-62 against the Falcons, the Mustangs defeated the Bandits 113-89, and the Hornets won 92-69 over the Hawks.

RECAP NBL1 EAST | ANZAC ROUND SUNDAY

WOMEN

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (82) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (68)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles have continued their unbeaten start to the season with the 82-68 win against the Central Coast Crusaders.

On the back of finishing in top spot last year before losing a heartbreaking Grand Final to the Norths Bears, the Sea Eagles had won their first three games of 2024 but it was set for a fascinating match up with the 5-1 Crusaders at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre.

It was a terrific contest in the opening half too with no more than five points separating the two teams with Manly Warringah leading 23-20 by the end of the first term.

Central Coast were able to turn that around with 21 points to 16 in the second period to then go into the half-time break narrowly leading 41-39.

The Sea Eagles turned the tide spectacularly in the third quarter by scoring 12 consecutive points and ending up outscoring the Crusaders 25 points to 10 to open up a 17-point lead.

From there, Manly Warringah went on to win by 14 to improve to a perfect 4-0 on the season with Bree Delaney finishing with 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.

There were plenty more strong contributors with Antonia Henderson adding 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, Zoey Miller 14 points and four boards, Josie Bulman 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Alex Delaney seven points, 10 assists and eight boards.

Jasmine Forcadilla put up 27 points and five rebounds with 5/9 three-point shooting for Central Coast with Leilani Mitchell adding 13 points and four assists despite a rough shooting night, and Darneka Rowe 11 points and two assists.

The Sea Eagles will again be in action on Sunday away to the Sutherland Sharks with the Comets hosting the Sutherland Sharks next Saturday.

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 82 (B Delaney 19, Henderson 14, Miller 14)

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 68 (Forcadilla 27, Mitchell 13, Rowe 11)

Centre of Excellence (68) lost to Sydney Comets (75)

The Sydney Comets broke their losing slide with a strong showing to beat the Centre of Excellence 75-68 in Canberra on Saturday.

The Comets came into the contest at AIS Basketball and Netball Centre with just one win so far this season and having lost three straight up against a Centre of Excellence team having started well with three straight wins after a first up loss.

It was a hot start from Sydney as they went on an 11-0 scoring run to open up a nine-point advantage by the end of the first quarter.

The Comets were able to stretch that advantage out to 18 points in the second frame as well and by half-time the advantage was 45-31.

The lead was back out to as much as 17 in the second half for the Comets before they secured the impressive seven-point win in the finish to improve to 2-5 on the season.

There was a lot to like in the performance from the Comets with Davida Dale delivering 17 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals.

Arisa Takamoto added 13 points, five steals and three rebounds, Piper Anderson 13 points and five assists, Janeen Camp 12 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, and Alexandra Kayrouz nine points and five boards.

The CoE are now 3-2 on the season following the loss with Monique Bobongie finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.

Zara Russell also had 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Opal Bird 16 points, eight boards and two assists.

The Centre of Excellence will also host the Norths Bears on Sunday while the Comets will host the Sutherland Sharks next Saturday.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 68 (Bobongie 21, Russell 17, Bird 16)

SYDNEY COMETS 75 (Dale 17, Anderson 13, Takamoto 13)

Norths Bears (87) defeated Inner West Bulls (55)

The defending NBL1 East champion Norths Bears put together another standout showing at home on Saturday to beat the Inner West Bulls 87-55.

It was a contest pitting the defending champions up against the current bottom placed team at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre but for the first quarter it was a close contest.

Norths were only leading 18-15 by quarter-time but the Bears took over in the second period as they went on a 12-0 scoring run and the lead blew out to 20 points.

That saw Norths outscoring Inner West 25 points to eight in the quarter and that had them leading 43-23 going into the half-time break.

That lead continued to grow for the Bears throughout the second half and got out to as much as 32 points in the third quarter, and 34 in the fourth before they went on to score the 32-point win to improve to 5-1 on the season in their championship defence.

Maddie O'Hehir continued her tremendous form for the Bears with another 17 points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 6/10 shooting from the field.

Sarah Schicher added 13 points, 10 boards, four assists and three blocked shots, Lauryn Walker 12 points and three steals, Emilie Bessell 12 points and two rebounds, and Ae'Rianna Harris 10 points, five boards and four blocks.

The Bulls are now 1-7 with the defeat with Piath Gabriel finishing with 18 points and six rebounds with Tylah Mundine contributing 13 points and five boards, and Margaret Robinson six points, five rebounds and two assists.

The Bears will take on the Centre of Excellence now on Sunday with the Bulls at home to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles next Saturday.

NORTHS BEARS 87 (O'Hehir 17, Schicher 13, Walker 12, Bessell 12)

INNER WEST BULLS 55 (Gabriel 18, Mundine 13, Robinson 6)

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (83) lost to Sutherland Sharks (94)

A combined 57 points from Vanessa Panousis and Aliza Fabbro saw the Sutherland Sharks overcome the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders 94-83.

Hornsby were hunting their second win of the season when hosting the Sharks at The Brickpit but it was Sutherland who started the better to open up an eight-point lead by quarter-time.

The Sharks pushed that advantage out to 13 points in the second term but the Spiders were doing well to stay in touch and Sutherland's lead at the main break was 52-41.

Horsby Ku-Ring-Gai did keep on fighting throughout the second half and did get it back to being a four-point ball game early in the second half when Keira Hudson scored going to the basket.

That would be as close as the Spiders would get, though, with the Sharks ending up winning by 11 to improve to 3-3 on the season.

Vanessa Panousis was outstanding in the win for Sutherland finishing with 33 points, five rebounds and five assists while hitting 12/12 at the foul line.

Aliza Fabbro added 24 points, three boards, three steals and two assists with Olivia White contributing 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Taya Webb 11 points, seven boards and four assists.

Jessie May Hall finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the loss for the Spiders with Ay'Anna Bey contributing 20 points and 10 boards, and Keira Hudson 17 points, two rebounds and two assists.

The Sharks will be at home to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Sunday with the Spiders on the road to the Illawarra Hawks next Saturday.

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 83 (Hall 24, Bey 20, Hudson 17)

SUTHERLAND SHARKS 94 (Panousis 33, Fabbro 24, White 13)

Newcastle Falcons (73) defeated Bankstown Bruins (56)

Nicole Munger continued her dazzling form to open the NBL1 East season with another 29 points and 21 rebounds in the 73-56 victory against the Bankstown Bruins.

The Falcons were back home at Newcastle Basketball Stadium putting their perfect record on the line up against a Bruins team looking to improve on their 2-4 start.

It didn’t take Newcastle long to take control of the contest with the home team going on a 12-0 scoring run to go up by 20, and to still be leading 25-10 by quarter-time.

That advantage got out to 22 in the second term as well for the Falcons before they went in at half-time in control 38-18.

The lead marginally improved throughout the second half too for Newcastle getting out to 23 points in the third frame and 24 in the fourth before they went on to win by 17.

The Falcons improved to a 7-0 record with the win with Nicole Munger a dominant presence once again with another 29 points, 21 rebounds, four assists and three steals on 10/20 shooting from the field, 5/10 from three-point range and 4/4 at the free-throw line.

Kate Kingham added 11 points and five rebounds for Newcastle, Aarion Nichols seven points, eight boards, four assists and two steals, and Sophie Brennan six points, three rebounds and two steals.

Bankstown is now 2-5 with the loss with Violet Morrow putting up 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists while Abbey Vallance contributed 11 points and four boards, and Kiahna Davis-White six points and three rebounds.

The Bruins will be back home next Saturday hosting the Albury-Wodonga Bandits with the Falcons staying at home to host the Centre of Excellence.

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 73 (Munger 29, Kingham 11, Chicken 8)

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 56 (Morrow 17, Vallance 11, Wright 7)

Albury-Wodonga Bandits (99) defeated Maitland Mustangs (65)

Lauren Jackson seems to be getting better every week with the Albury-Wodonga Bandits and her 43 points and 22 rebounds left the Maitland Mustangs with little hope on Saturday.

The Bandits put their undefeated record on the line back at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre on Saturday hosting a Mustangs team attempting to avoid a third successive defeat.

But Jackson was never going to let that happen as she put together a stunning dominant performance with the Bandits already leading by 15 points during the first quarter.

That advantage continued to grow for the home team with the Albury-Wodonga lead getting out to 19 points in the second period, 26 in the third and 34 in the fourth on the way to the 34-point victory.

The win for the Bandits improves them to a 7-0 record on the season and the scariest aspect of that is that 2022 Grand Final MVP Unique Thompson is still to join the group.

Lauren Jackson produced a phenomenal performance for the Bandits finishing with 43 points, 22 rebounds and two blocked shots on 15/24 shooting from the floor, 3/3 from downtown and 10/11 at the free-throw line.

Mikayla Pivec also delivered 17 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and two steals, Awatea Leach 16 points, four boards and two assists, and Emma Mahady eight points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Maitland slips to 3-4 with the defeat despite 23 points, five rebounds and three assists from Shakera Reilly.

Sydney Hunter also had 16 points, five steals and four rebounds, and Natsumi Kohama 14 points, two boards and two assists.

Albury-Wodonga start a four-game road stretch next Saturday to the Bankstown Bruins with the Mustangs hosting the Hills Hornets.

ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 99 (Jackson 43, Pivec 17, Leach 16)

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 65 (Reilly 23, Hunter 16, Kohama 14)

Hills Hornets (85) defeated Illawarra Hawks (72)

The Hills Hornets started and finished on fire on the way to the 85-72 home victory against the Illawarra Hawks.

The Hornets were back home at Hills Basketball Stadium looking to snap a four-game losing slide up against a Hawks team also trying to avoid a third consecutive defeat.

Hills got off to a flying start leading by as much as 12 points in the opening period and then going into quarter-time with the 23-13 advantage.

The Hornets were still leading 39-29 at the half-time interval but the Hawks fired back in the third quarter and even nabbed the lead briefly.

Hills were able to respond, though, and then outscored Illawarra 28 points to 19 in the final quarter on the way to securing the 13-point win to improve to 2-4 on the season.

Rachel McLimore finished with 21 points, nine assists and five rebounds in the win for the Hornets while knocking down 5/11 from downtown.

Hannah Griffin added 19 points, four rebounds and two assists with Emma Kary contributing 17 points, six boards and five assists, and Ella Leasuasu 13 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Asha Phillips produced 17 points and six rebounds for Illawarra with Emilia Garcia Leon adding 17 points, seven boards, three assists and two steals, and Georgia Ohrdorf 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Hornets remain at home on Sunday to host the Canberra Nationals with the Hawks to host the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders next Saturday.

HILLS HORNETS 85 (McLimore 21, Griffin 19, Kary 17)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 72 (Phillips 17, Garcia Leon 17, Ohrdorf 11)

 

Penrith Panthers (56) defeated Canberra Nationals (53)

The Penrith Panthers scored their second victory of the NBL1 East season with the hard earned 56-53 win over the Canberra Nationals.

The Panthers were back home at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre looking for that second win of 2024 hosting a Canberra team looking to make it three wins in succession.

Neither team might have quite ever got going offensively, but a close game is a good game as they say, and that's exactly what this was.

Scores were locked at 10-10 by the end of the first quarter before Canberra managed just four points in all of the second term. Penrith added 13 themselves to go into the half-time break leading 23-14.

The Nationals bounced back in the third quarter and got rolling with 25 points to turn a 12-point deficit into a tied ball game by three quarter-time.

The Nationals were then able to lead by as much as five in the final period, but Penrith hit back to set up a thrilling finish.

Jasmyn Boutzos scored for the Nationals with just over a minute to play to tie scores up and in an eventful final minute, the only score would be the winning three-point play from Panthers favourite Tahlia Tupaea.

She might have had a rough shooting night going 4/21, but she delivered when it mattered most to get her team over the line by three points and improve to 2-5 on the season.

Mia Heide finished the night with 16 points and 17 rebounds with 9/10 free-throw shooting for Penrith with Chloe Williams contributing 15 points, five boards and three assists, and Tupaea 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Canberra is now 3-4 following the defeat with Bianca Dufelmeier ending up with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists, Nikki Worner 10 points and three boards, and Callie Bourne eight points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Canberra remains on the road on Sunday to take on the Hills Hornets while Penrith will be away to the Norths Bears next Saturday.

PENRITH PANTHERS 56 (Heide 16, Williams 15, Tupaea 13)

CANBERRA NATIONALS 53 (Worner 10, Dufelmeier 10, Bourne 8)

MEN

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (102) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (81)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles continued their encouraging start to the NBL1 East season with the 102-81 home victory against the Central Coast Crusaders.

The Sea Eagles were back home at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre having won two of three games to open the season ahead of hosting a Central Coast team looking to bounce back from last week's loss to the Maitland Mustangs.

It was a close contest for the first half as well with Manly Warringah leading by four at quarter-time before Central Coast outscored them 23 points to 13 in the second frame to go into the main break leading 46-40.

The Sea Eagles turned the tide emphatically in the second half, though, to outscore Central Coast 33 points to 21 in the third period, and 29 to 14 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 21-point win.

The victory improves Manly Warringah to a 3-1 record to start the season with Matthew Eldridge outstanding with 27 points and 14 rebounds on 9/14 shooting from the floor, 4/5 from downtown and 5/5 at the free-throw line.

Mason Bragg continued his standout form with another 23 points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals with Jonas Harper contributing 20 points, five assists, four steals and three boards, and Eromon Uadiale 11 points and seven rebounds.

The Crusaders slip to 3-4 with back-to-back losses with Robbie Heath delivering another 29 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Theus Evan Wardlow added 13 points, four assists and three rebounds for Central Coast, Luke Cassidy 11 points, four boards, four assists and two steals, and Chan Nai 20 points and six rebounds with 4/11 three-point shooting.

The Sea Eagles will again be in action on Sunday away to the Sutherland Sharks with the Comets hosting the Sutherland Sharks next Saturday.

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 102 (Eldridge 27, Bragg 23, Harper 20)

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 81 (Heath 29, Nai 20, Cassidy 11)

Centre of Excellence (95) defeated Sydney Comets (79)

Luke Fennell showed exactly why he has an NBL future leading the charge as the Centre of Excellence beat the Sydney Comets 95-79.

The Centre of Excellence had lost their past two matches heading into the match up at AIS Basketball and Netball Centre against a Comets team fresh off consecutive losses themselves.

The Comets began well away from home opening up a 12-point advantage in the first quarter and Sydney still held onto a seven-point advantage both in the second and third quarters.

But the CoE were working their way on top and even though the Comets briefly held the lead thanks to Christian Aukuso to start the fourth quarter, the young guns from Basketball Australia soon took charge.

It started with a jumper from newly signed Brisbane Bullet Kye Savage and the CoE went on with the job from there to score the 16-point victory and improve to a 2-3 record on the season as a result.

Ahead of joining the South East Melbourne Phoenix in NBL25 as a development player, Luke Fennell showed what a bright future he has leading the Centre of Excellence with 22 points, six rebounds and three assists on 8/15 shooting from the field and 5/5 at the foul line.

James O'Donnell added 14 points and 17 rebounds, Emmett Adair 14 points and four rebounds, Julius Halaifonua 13 points, three boards, two steals and two blocks, and Yuto Kawashima 11 points.

The Comets are now 3-4 following the loss despite 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals from Obi Kyei with Johnny Crnogorac adding 15 points and seven boards, Ernest Docker 13 points and three rebounds, and Christian Aukuso 12 points and six boards.

The Centre of Excellence will also host the Norths Bears on Sunday while the Comets will host the Sutherland Sharks next Saturday.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 95 (Fennell 22, O'Donnell 14, Adair 14)

SYDNEY COMETS 79 (Kyei 16, Crnogorac 15, Docker 13)

Norths Bears (89) lost to Inner West Bulls (112)

The Inner West Bulls made it six straight wins in emphatic fashion with the 112-89 win on the road to the Norths Bears.

The Bears were back home at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre looking for a third straight win while the Bulls arrived attempting to make it a sixth consecutive victory.

Inner West managed to be leading 29-23 by quarter-time with the Bulls going on a 10-0 scoring run to end up leading by as much as 14 points in the second period, and still 59-48 at half-time.

The Bulls then rammed home their advantage in the final period outscoring Norths 33 points to 21 on the way to the eventual 23-point victory.

The win improves Inner West to a 7-1 record on the season with six wins in-a-row while shooting at 57 per cent from the field as a team.

Alex Higgins-Titsha delivered another 23 points and eight rebounds in the win for the Bulls with Ramon Cao adding 23 points and six boards while Jacob Ohmer contributed 21 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Zachery Hudson added 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals with Nicko Timonera contributing 10 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals.

The Bears are now 3-3 following the loss with Pietro Badalassi producing 24 points and six rebounds, Mandrell Worthy 21 points, nine boards, five assists and two steals, Lewis Holey 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Michael Yoong nine points and six assists.

The Bears will take on the Centre of Excellence now on Sunday with the Bulls at home to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles next Saturday.

NORTHS BEARS 89 (Badalassi 24, Worthy 21, Holey 11)

INNER WEST BULLS 112 (Cao 23, Higgins-Titsha 23, Ohmer 21)

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (78) lost to Sutherland Sharks (88)

It took a big final quarter from the defending champion Sutherland Sharks to overcome the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders on the road on Saturday.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai came into the contest at The Brickpit still winless in 2024 after seven games ahead of hosting the defending champion Sharks who themselves are still trying to build momentum in their title defence.

The Spiders made the flying start too opening up a 15-point edge in the first quarter and still being on top 30-18 by the end of the opening term.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai stretched that advantage out to 23 in the second term and that first win of the season was within reach of the Spiders, and it would have been quite the statement against the defending champions.

The Spiders were still on top 54-37 at half-time but Sutherland began to whittle down the deficit throughout the second half.

Eventually the Sharks outscored the Spiders 22 points to eight in the fourth quarter to end up escaping with the 10-point victory to steady their season at 3-3.

Klairus Amir finished with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists in the win for Sutherland with Brian Williams contributing 20 points, five boards, two assists and two steals, and Geoff Gerlach 14 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Lochlan Hutchison added 12 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds and four steals also in the win for the Sharks while Callum Norris scored 11 points with 6/7 from the foul line.

Hornsby threw everything at that first win of the season with Aaron Redhead top-scored with 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Isaiah Walter added 15 points and six rebounds, Brian Ansuh-Yeboah 10 points, four boards and three steals, and Nathaniel Chappell 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.

The Sharks will be at home to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Sunday with the Spiders on the road to the Illawarra Hawks next Saturday.

HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 78 (Redhead 18, Walter 15, Chappell 10, Ansuh-Yeboah 10)

SUTHERLAND SHARKS 88 (Amir 20, Williams 20, Gerlach 14)

Newcastle Falcons (62) lost to Bankstown Bruins (88)

Shareef Saipaia knocked down seven three-pointers for 31 points as the Bankstown Bruins beat the Newcastle Falcons 88-62 on the road.

The Falcons were back home at Newcastle Basketball Stadium looking to win consecutive games for the first time in 2024 but they were up against a Bankstown team determined to snap a three-game losing run.

It was the Bruins who made the better of the start to lead by 10 already at three quarter-time and then with Saipaia shooting the lights out, Bankstown broke the game wide open in the second frame.

The Bruins would pile on 38 points to 12 to end up leading by as much as 34 points and to be on top 62-28 at the half-time break.

The lead for the visitors got out to as much as 37 points as well in the final period before Bankstown went on to score the 26-point win and improve to 4-3 on the season by snapping a three-game losing run.

Shareef Saipaia had a night out for the Bruins shooting 7/10 from behind the arc on his way to 31 points, two rebounds and two steals.

Naaman Hightower added 13 points and 14 rebounds, Andre Wolford 12 points, and Jack Lopez nine points, three rebounds and two assists.

Francis Wineera-Mulvihill top-scored for the now 2-5 Newcastle with 21 points, four rebounds and two assists with Myles Cherry contributing 19 points, nine boards and two steals, and Ryan Beisty 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bruins will be back home next Saturday hosting the Albury-Wodonga Bandits with the Falcons staying at home to host the Centre of Excellence.

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 62 (Wineera-Mulvihill 21, Cherry 19, Beisty 12)

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 88 (Saipaia 31, Hightower 13, Wolford 12)

Albury-Wodonga Bandits (89) lost to Maitland Mustangs (113)

The Maitland Mustangs shook off 29 points from Davo Hickey to keep their unbeaten start to the 2024 season going with the 113-89 victory on the road over the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.

It shaped as a fascinating contest with the Bandits back home at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre on a five-game winning run ahead of hosting the undefeated Mustangs on a mission after last year's heartbreaking Grand Final defeat.

Already by quarter-time and Maitland was in control of the contest leading by 10 points before the Mustangs pulled away further by scoring 14 consecutive points to open up a 23-point lead.

Albury-Wodonga did respond heading into half-time with an 11-0 run of their own to cut the Maitland lead to 55-44 at the break.

However, the Mustangs pulled away further throughout the second half with 30 points to 19 in the third period to end up leading by as much as 29 points and to win by 24 to improve to a perfect 7-0 record on the season.

Reigning MVP Will Cranston-Lown was outstanding once again for Maitland with 29 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals with 4/9 shooting from downtown.

Billy Parsons also put up 21 points, four rebounds and three assists on 9/10 shooting with Christian Little producing 17 points and five boards, and James Hunter 13 points and nine rebounds.

The Bandits are now 5-2 following their five-game winning run ending despite another 29 points, seven rebounds and two assists from Illawarra Hawks NBL guard Davo Hickey who had 17/22 from the free-throw line.

Kevion Blaylock also had 18 points on 6/8 shooting with Shawn Montague contributing 16 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Mitch Dance 16 points and nine boards.

Albury-Wodonga start a four-game road stretch next Saturday to the Bankstown Bruins with the Mustangs hosting the Hills Hornets.

ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 89 (Hickey 29, Blaylock 18, Dance 16, Montague 16)

MAITLAND MUSTANGS 113 (Cranston-Lown 29, Parsons 21, Little 17)

Hills Hornets (92) defeated Illawarra Hawks (69)

Ishmael Sanders and Chris Bryant combined for 50 points as the Hills Hornets made it four straight wins beating the Illawarra Hawks 92-69.

The Hornets were back home at Hills Basketball Stadium on a three-game winning streak up against the winless Hawks on Saturday but for three quarters it would prove to be a close affair.

Scores were level at 14-14 by the end of the first quarter and then by half-time it was Illawarra clinging to the slender 35-34 advantage.

Hills managed 27 points to 24 in the third quarter to hold the narrow two-point lead at three quarter-time before the Hornets blew the game open in the final period.

The home team put up 31 points to 10 to end up scoring the 23-point victory to improve to 4-2 on the season with the four consecutive victories.

Ishmael Sanders delivered 26 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Hornets on the back of shooting 6/14 from behind the three-point arc.

Chris Bryant continued his mighty impressive form for Hills with another 24 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 8/11 shooting from the floor and 8/11 at the foul line.

Liam Moss added 11 points and four rebounds, and Mitchell Smith nine points, two boards and two assists.

Brad Ballinger top-scored for the still winless Hawks with 21 points and six rebounds with Phillip Dopud contributing 17 points and five boards, Matthew Frierson 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, and William Rice 10 points on 4/6 shooting.

The Hornets remain at home on Sunday to host the Canberra Gunners with the Hawks to host the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders next Saturday.

HILLS HORNETS 92 (Sanders 26, Bryant 24, Moss 11)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 69 (Ballinger 21, Dopud 17, Frierson 13)

Penrith Panthers (70) lost to Canberra Gunners (86)

The Canberra Gunners made it five straight wins with Grand Final MVP Glenn Morison a dominant force in the 86-70 victory against the Penrith Panthers.

The Panthers were back home at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre looking for a second win so far of the season up against the 2022 champion Gunners finding ominous form arriving on a four-game winning streak.

The Panthers made an impressive start as well at home and were leading 23-15 by the end of the first quarter, and they were leading by as much as 10 points in the second term and still clinging to the 38-36 advantage by half-time.

Penrith had thrown the gauntlet down to the Gunners and Canberra responded emphatically in the second half starting with 26 points to 15 in the third period.

Another 24 points to 17 in the fourth term and the Gunners went on to score the 16-point win having earlier been down by 10 to make it five wins in-a-row and to improve to a 6-1 record.

Glenn Morison put up a dominant showing in the win for Canberra finishing with 25 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two assists.

Lachlan Smith scored 18 points with 4/5 three-point shooting with Cameron Pender adding 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Will Mayfield 11 points, five boards, four assists and three steals.

Caleb Fetui-Fa'amoe top-scored for the Panthers with 15 points, eight rebounds and two assists with Josh Kalwy adding 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Ryan Peterson 10 points and two boards.

Canberra remains on the road on Sunday to take on the Hills Hornets while Penrith will be away to the Norths Bears next Saturday.

PENRITH PANTHERS 70 (Fetui-Fa'amoe 15, Kalwy 11, Peterson 10)

CANBERRA GUNNERS 86 (Morison 25, Smith 18, Pender 14)