Featured images: Viesther Rex Bergas / James O'Donohue
Lauren Jackson had an incredible 50 points to keep the Albury-Wodonga Bandits undefeated in the NBL1 East with Isla Juffermans leading the Newcastle Falcons with 34 while Andre Wolford had 37 points and eight triples in a win for Bankstown Bruins.
Saturday's women's results saw the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles beat the Hills Hornets 101-64, the Penrith Panthers defeated the Maitland Mustangs 69-68, the Newcastle Falcons downed the Central Coast Crusaders 90-78, the Centre of Excellence won 73-68 against the Sutherland Sharks.
The Albury-Wodonga Bandits also defeated the Canberra Nationals 120-72 while the Sydney Comets beat the Bankstown Bruins 77-54, the Illawarra Hawks defeated the Inner West Bulls 72-3-, and the Norths Bears downed the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders 79-74.
Then in the men's matches, the Bulls beat the Hawks 88-85, the Bruins defeated the Comets 98-82, the Canberra Gunners downed the Bandits 94-76, the Falcons won 77-68 over the Crusaders, the CoE beat the Sharks 101-59, the Mustangs defeated the Panthers 110-73, the Sea Eagles won 95-72 against the Hornets, and the Bears downed the Spiders 107-88.
RECAP NBL1 EAST | ROUND 6 SUNDAY
WOMEN
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (101) defeated Hills Hornets (64)
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles continued their undefeated start to the NBL1 East season with a commanding 101-64 home win over the Hills Hornets.
Manly Warringah have come into the season on a mission after last year's Grand Final loss and they brought a perfect 7-0 record into their clash with the Hornets at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre.
The Hornets were on their own three-game winning run and it was a first quarter full of runs with the Sea Eagles racing out to a 17-4 start, but Hills hit back with 10 straight points of their own.
That saw Manly Warringah lead 17-14 by the end of one but the home team then turned on the afterburners in the second period with 33 points to 16 to blow the game open.
They led 50-30 at half-time as a result and then another 34 points to 19 in the third quarter saw the lead for the Sea Eagles extend to as much as 37 in the second half before they won by that 37-point margin.
Manly Warringah are now 8-0 with the win with Alex Delaney ending up with 23 points and six rebounds with 4/9 three-point shooting and going 7/10 from the free-throw line.
Bree Delaney added 19 points and five assists while going 5/8 from downtown while Zoey Miller contributed 17 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals, and Josie Bulman 17 points, 13 boards and four assists.
The Hornets slip to 4-5 on the season with the loss with Emma Kary top-scoring with 17 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots.
Meg Jefferson added 12 points, Lucy Corke 11 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Rachel McLimore nine points, four assists and two boards.
The Sea Eagles now play host to the Norths Bears next Saturday with the Hornets on the road to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 101 (A Delaney 23, B Delaney 19, Bulman 17)
HILLS HORNETS 64 (Kary 17, Jefferson 12, Corke 11)
Maitland Mustangs (68) lost to Penrith Panthers (69)
A big finish inside and then a crucial defensive rebound from Rhiannon Pope has seen the Penrith Panthers clinch the thrilling 69-68 road win over the Maitland Mustangs.
The Mustangs were back home at Maitland Federation Centre looking to snap a four-game losing slide up against a Panthers team arriving with just a 2-7 record on the season.
Penrith made a flying start to already be leading by as much as 12 points in the first quarter with the lead for the Panthers then getting out to 20 in the second period.
Penrith would go into half-time leading 44-29 but the Mustangs turned things around after the break with 23 points to eight to grab the lead.
From there, it was all set for a thrilling finish and scores were tied at 66-66 with two minutes to play when Margaret Byrne scored for Penrith with Tahlia Tupaea having fouled out.
Sydney Hunter answered to put Maitland up front before it was a one-point game following a free-throw from Rhiannon Pope.
Pope would eventually put Penrith in front as when she got the deflection after having her initial shot blocked by Rachel Williams. She put it in on the back of that and then up the other end grabbed the rebound after a miss for Maitland from Shannon Burton.
The Panthers scored the one-point win with Mia Heide finishing with 20 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals.
Tahlia Tupaea had 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals before fouling out with Tatiana Beaumont contributing 13 points, five boards and four assists, and Rhiannon Pope seven points and four rebounds.
Sydney Hunter top-scored for Maitland with 18 points and nine rebounds with Shakera Reilly contributing 13 points, seven boards, three assists and two steals, Rachel Williams eight points and four assists, and Shannon Burton eight points, three boards and two assists.
The Mustangs back up on Sunday away to the Inner West Bulls while the Panthers are on the road next Saturday to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.
MAITLAND MUSTANGS 68 (Hunter 18, Reilly 13, Burton 8, Williams 8)
PENRITH PANTHERS 69 (Heide 20, Tupaea 14, Beaumont 13)
Newcastle Falcons (90) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (78)
The Newcastle Falcons hit back emphatically from a first loss of the season with the 90-78 win over the Central Coast Crusaders with Isla Juffermans delivering 34 points.
The Falcons opened the season winning their first eight matches before last Sunday's loss to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles ahead of hosting the Crusaders at Newcastle Basketball Stadium.
Central Coast came out impressively on the road opening up a nine-point lead in the first quarter and they were still up seven in the second term but Newcastle soon worked its way on top.
The Falcons managed to build a nine-point advantage during the third period and that got out to 15 in the fourth before the home team won by 12 for the bounce back victory.
Newcastle improves to a 9-1 record with the victory with Isla Juffermans outstanding with 34 points and nine rebounds on the back of shooting 17/22 from the floor.
Reigning MVP Nicole Munger added 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists with Kate Kingham contributing 15 points and six boards, and Aarion Nichols 11 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
Central Coast slips to 6-3 on the season with the defeat despite Leilani Mitchell producing 30 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals on 5/12 three-point shooting.
Mikaela Dombkins also had 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, Sara Matthews 11 points, seven boards, three steals and two assists, and Jasmine Forcadilla 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Newcastle will be on the road to the Sutherland Sharks next Saturday while the Crusaders are also away to the Centre of Excellence.
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 90 (Juffermans 34, Munger 25, Kingham 15)
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 78 (Mitchell 30, Matthews 11, Dombkins 11)
Sutherland Sharks (68) lost to Centre of Excellence (73)
The Centre of Excellence set up a commanding lead and then held out the fast finishing Sutherland Sharks for the 73-68 road victory.
The Centre of Excellence arrived at Sutherland Basketball Stadium looking to build on last week's win over the Inner West Bulls while the Sharks were home and trying to also build on a win against the Sydney Comets.
It was a tight opening quarter to the contest with the CoE only leading 15-13 by quarter-time but the young guns from the Basketball Australia young guns then got on top in the second frame.
The CoE outscored the Sharks 24 points to 11 in the second term to go into half-time in control leading 39-24.
The lead did grow to as much as 26 points in the third quarter as well for the CoE and it would prove a match-winning advantage but only just with Sutherland putting up 25 points to 15 in the final period.
The CoE did hold on to win by five points and improve to a 5-4 record as a result with Monique Bobongie outstanding once more with 25 points, five rebounds and three steals.
Zara Russell also had 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and Sienna Harvey 14 points, seven boards and three assists.
The Sharks are now 4-5 on the season with the defeat despite 17 points with 5/11 three-point shooting from Maddie Norris.
Vanessa Panousis also had 17 points, six assists and five rebounds with Emily Garland contributing 12 points and three assists, Melinda Andriejunas nine points, nine boards, three assists and three steals, and Olivia White eight points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
The Centre of Excellence play host to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits on Sunday while the Sharks will be at home next Saturday to the Newcastle Falcons.
SUTHERLAND SHARKS 68 (Panousis 17, Norris 17, Garland 12)
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 73 (Bobongie 25, Russell 16, Harvey 14)
Canberra Nationals (72) lost to Albury-Wodonga Bandits (120)
An incredible 50-point performance from Lauren Jackson and the return of Unique Thompson saw the Albury-Wodonga Bandits romp to the 120-72 victory over the Canberra Nationals.
Canberra were always up against it at home in Tuggeranong on a three-game losing streak up against a Bandits team not only undefeated and featuring Jackson, but welcoming back 2022 Grand Final MVP Thompson.
Jackson was an unstoppable force right from the outset with 20 points in the opening quarter to help Albury-Wodonga to the 38-16 lead by the end of the first period.
It was another 28 points to 21 from the Bandits in the second frame to go into the half-time break on top 66-37.
Albury-Wodonga went on with the job in the second half with another 54 points to 35 from the Nationals to end up winning by 48 and improve to a perfect 10-0 on the season.
The Bandits ended up shooting 61.2 per cent from the field for the night while pulling down 62 rebounds to 31.
Lauren Jackson was remarkable ending up with 50 points and 19 rebounds on the back of shooting 22/28 from the field.
Ash Hannan added 22 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two assists while Unique Thompson marked her first appearance of the season with 21 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
Mikayla Pivec also had 12 points, 19 assists and seven rebounds with Awatea Leach contributing eight points, five assists and four boards.
Maddison Penn top-scored for Canberra with 26 points and five assists on 6/10 three-point shooting with Lizzy Tonks chipping in with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Callie Bourne nine points, five boards and five assists.
The Bandits remain in Canberra to play the Centre of Excellence on Sunday while Canberra takes on the Inner West Bulls away next Saturday.
CANBERRA NATIONALS 72 (Penn 26, Tonks 18, Bourne 9)
ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 120 (Jackson 50, Hannan 22, Thompson 21)
Sydney Comets (77) defeated Bankstown Bruins (54)
The Sydney Comets made it back-to-back wins with Davida Dale again starring in the 77-54 home victory against the Bankstown Bruins.
The Comets were looking to back up last week's win over the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders hosting the Bruins at Comets Stadium with Bankstown trying to snap a three-game losing run.
It was a dominant opening from Sydney with 24 points to eight in the first quarter with the Comets then seeing their lead grow to as much as 28 points in the second term.
They were still leading 45-25 by the half-time break with the advantage back out to as much as 25 in the second half before they would win by 23 and improve to a 4-6 record on the season as a result.
Davida Dale continues to settle into the NBL1 East nicely having previously played in the NBL1 North. She delivered another 28 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and five steals in the win for the Comets.
Arisa Takamoto added 13 points, five boards and three steals, Alexandria Oliver 12 points and nine rebounds, Dylan-Jada Alexander nine points and five boards, and Janeen Camp eight points and seven rebounds.
Violet Morrow top-scored for Bankstown with 15 points and nine rebounds while Britney Wright contributed 13 points and nine boards, and Jihyun Park 12 points and seven rebounds.
The Bruins back up to play host to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders on Sunday while the Comets are away to the Maitland Mustangs next Saturday.
SYDNEY COMETS 77 (Dale 28, Takamoto 13, Oliver 12)
BANKSTOWN BRUINS 54 (Morrow 15, Wright 13, Park 12)
Inner West Bulls (30) lost to Illawarra Hawks (72)
It was a remarkably dominant win for the Illawarra Hawks with the 72-30 thumping of the Inner West Bulls away from home.
The Bulls were back home at ELS Hall Park still hunting a second win of the season with the Hawks arriving trying to bounce back from a loss to the defending champion Norths Bears.
The Hawks raced out to a 21-8 lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back with that advantage growing to 19 in the second term.
Illawarra were on top 33-16 by the end of the first half before then adding another 18 points to seven in the third quarter, and 21 to seven in the fourth to end up winning by 42 points.
The victory improves the Hawks to a 5-5 record on the season with Georgia Ohrdorf delivering another 18 points and three rebounds on 7/12 shooting from the field.
Emilia Garcia Leon also had 15 points, five rebounds and two assists with Imogen Thompson contributing 12 points and two steals, and Lauren Calver six points, five rebounds and two steals.
Inner West are now 1-10 following the tough loss with Shiho Yamazaki finishing with 13 points and three rebounds.
The Bulls play host to the Maitland Mustangs on Sunday with Illawarra to host to the Bankstown Bruins next Saturday.
INNER WEST BULLS 30 (Yamazaki 13, Sebastian 5, Robinson 5)
ILLAWARRA HAWKS 72 (Ohrdorf 18, Garcia Leon 15, Thompson 12)
Norths Bears (79) defeated Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (74)
The defending champion Norths Bears had to dig deep to beat the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders 79-74 at home on Saturday.
The Bears were back home at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre on a six-game winning streak up against the one-win visiting Spiders, but it would prove to be a fascinating contest.
It would prove a close affair all the way through too with neither team able to open up a double-figure advantage at any stage.
It was Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai leading by three at quarter-time and then still clinging to the 41-40 advantage at the half-time interval.
It was still a one-point lead for the Spiders at three quarter-time but the Bears were able to work on top in the last quarter thanks to a 6-0 scoring run to go up by eight, and hold on for the five-point win.
The victory is a seventh straight for the defending champion Bears with Emily Simons delivering 29 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Carla Pitman added 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals while Ae'Rianna Harris contributed 10 points, 11 boards, six steals, three assists and three blocks.
Despite not getting the win, there was a lot to be encouraged by in the performance from Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai with Ay'Anna Bey finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Keira Hudson added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Haruna Inamura 14 points, and Jessie May Hall 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Spiders remain on the road to the Bankstown Bruins on Sunday while the Bears are on the road to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles next Saturday.
NORTHS BEARS 79 (Simons 29, Pitman 21, Harris 10)
HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 74 (Bey 22, Inamura 14, Hudson 14)
MEN
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (95) defeated Hills Hornets (72)
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles returned to the winner's list in emphatic fashion with the 95-72 home victory against the Hills Hornets.
The Sea Eagles returned home to Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre on the back of losing by just two points last week to the Newcastle Falcons ahead of hosting a Hornets team on the back of beating the previously undefeated Maitland Mustangs.
It didn’t take the Sea Eagles long to take control of the contest opening up an 11-point advantage and still being up 23-15 by the end of the first quarter.
Manly Warringah were still leading 51-41 by the half-time interval before the lead for the home team continued to grow throughout the second half.
The Sea Eagles would end up leading by 16 points in the third stanza and 25 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 23-point victory to improve to a 6-2 record on the season.
Jonas Harper delivered 23 points in the win for Manly Warringah with Mason Bragg adding 21 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and four steals, Matthew Eldridge 17 points and eight boards, and Zackary Kimball 12 points.
The Hornets are now 5-4 following the defeat with Chris Bryant producing another 25 points, four rebounds and two assists on 4/6 three-point shooting.
Ishmael Sanders also had 19 points and four assists, Mitchell Smith nine points and four rebounds on 4/4 shooting, and Liam Moss seven points, six boards and three assists.
The Sea Eagles now play host to the Norths Bears next Saturday with the Hornets on the road to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.
MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 95 (Harper 23, Bragg 21, Eldridge 17)
HILLS HORNETS 72 (Bryant 25, Sanders 19, Smith 9)
Maitland Mustangs (110) defeated Penrith Panthers (73)
The Maitland Mustangs hit back in emphatic fashion from their shock loss to hammer the Penrith Panthers 110-73.
Maitland suffered its first loss of the season last Saturday at home to the Hills Hornets by 15 points before being back at Maitland Federation Centre a week later to play host to a Panthers team having lost their past five matches.
How the Mustangs responded to that first loss was always going to be fascinating and from the outset it was clear they were on a mission to respond strongly.
Maitland opened up a 15-point lead already in the first quarter before leading 34-21 at quarter-time before extending that advantage out to 16 in the second frame, and leading 53-37 at the main break.
The lead continued to grow throughout the second half for the Mustangs with it growing to 30 points in the third period, and 37 in the fourth before that 37-point final winning margin.
The victory improves Maitland to an 8-1 record on the season with Will Cranston-Lown leading the charge with 24 points, three assists, two rebounds and two blocks on shooting 10/15 from the floor and 3/5 from downtown.
Matthew Gray added 20 points and 11 rebounds, Christian Little 17 points, seven steals and six assists, Billy Parsons 16 points, 10 boards and seven assists, and James Hunter 15 points, three rebounds and two steals.
The Panthers have now lost six straight at 1-9 with Jaedyn Fetui-Fa'amoe top-scoring with 17 points and seven rebounds while Brodie Schwarzer added 12 points and three assists, and Caleb Fetui-Fa'amoe 10 points and two rebounds.
The Mustangs back up on Sunday away to the Inner West Bulls while the Panthers are on the road next Saturday to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.
MAITLAND MUSTANGS 110 (Cranston-Lown 24, Gray 20, Little 17)
PENRITH PANTHERS 73 (J Fetui-Fa'amoe 17, Schwarzer 12, C Fetui Fa'amoe 10)
Newcastle Falcons (77) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (68)
The Newcastle Falcons made it consecutive wins on the back of beating the Central Coast Crusaders 77-68 at home.
The Falcons were back home at Newcastle Basketball Stadium looking to back up last week's two-point win over the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles ahead of hosting a Crusaders team on a three-match losing run.
Even though Newcastle opened up an eight-point lead in the first quarter, scores were back level by quarter-time before the Falcons went into half-time leading 40-36.
Central Coast managed to turn that back around in the third quarter outscoring the Falcons 20 points to 15 to grab the lead, but the momentum swings would continue.
Newcastle got back on top with 22 points to 12 in the final period to end up claiming the nine-point victory to improve to a 4-6 record on the back of consecutive victories.
Myles Cherry had another standout performance for Newcastle with 20 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and two blocks on 9/13 shooting from the floor.
Francis Wineera-Mulvihill added 18 points, four rebounds and two assists, Ryan Beisty 14 points and eight boards, and Kobe Shannon nine points, five rebounds and five assists.
Central Coast has now lost four straight games at 3-6 with Robbie Heath putting together another terrific performance consisting of 33 points, eight rebounds and four assists with 6/14 three-point shooting.
Luke Cassidy added 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, Theus Evan Wardlow eight points, five boards and three assists, and Tye McGann eight points and nine rebounds.
Newcastle will be on the road to the Sutherland Sharks next Saturday while the Crusaders are also away to the Centre of Excellence.
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 77 (Cherry 20, Wineera-Mulvihill 18, Beisty 14)
CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 68 (Heath 33, Cassidy 10, McGann 8, Wardlow 8)
Sutherland Sharks (59) lost to Centre of Excellence (101)
The Centre of Excellence inflicted some more pain on the defending champion Sutherland Sharks with the 101-59 victory.
The Sharks were back home at Sutherland Basketball Stadium trying to arrest a two-game losing slide, but missing Lochlan Hutchison and Adrian Cabrera was going to make things a challenge.
The Centre of Excellence arrived having now won four straight matches as well and the Basketball Australia young guns already opened up a 10-point advantage in the first quarter.
The CoE continued to build on that lead with it getting out to 19 points in the second term and they were still in control 48-33 at the half-time break.
Things really blew out in the second half with the Centre of Excellence lead growing to 26 points in the third quarter and 43 in the fourth on the back of completing a 19-0 run.
The CoE would end up scoring the 42-point victory to make it five straight wins to improve to 6-3 on the season with Brisbane Bullets NBL signing Kye Savage delivering 17 points and three steals on 5/11 shooting from three-point land.
Nash Walker added 14 points and four assists, James O'Donnell 14 points and six rebounds, Julius Halaifonua 10 points and four boards, Che Brogan eight points, five steals, four assists and four rebounds, and Oscar Goodman eight points and five boards.
It's a third straight defeat for the now 3-6 defending champion Sharks with Brian Williams top-scoring with 15 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Spencer Musgrove added 10 points and two assists, and Jordan Hilder seven points and three rebounds.
The Centre of Excellence play host to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits on Sunday while the Sharks will be at home next Saturday to the Newcastle Falcons.
SUTHERLAND SHARKS 59 (Williams 15, Musgrove 10, Hilder 7)
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 101 (Savage 17, O'Donnell 14, Walker 14)
Canberra Gunners (94) defeated Albury-Wodonga Bandits (76)
Not even another impressive triple-double from Davo Hickey was enough for the Albury-Wodonga Bandits with the Canberra Gunners too strong in the 94-76 home victory.
The Gunners were back home at Tuggeranong putting a seven-game winning streak on the line as they attempted to maintain top spot up against a Bandits team hot on their heels at 7-2.
That set the stage for a tantalising match up but it was Canberra who got on top early and then continued to build on that lead throughout the evening despite the best efforts once more of Illawarra Hawks NBL guard Davo Hickey.
The Gunners were leading by two points at quarter-time before extending that lead to seven at half-time, but it was in the second half when they took further charge.
The lead for Canberra pushed out to 17 points in the third frame and then 23 in the fourth before the league-leaders went on to claim the 18-point victory to make it eight straight wins to maintain top spot.
Lachlan Smith top-scored for the Gunners with 19 points while James Toohey added 18 points and four assists, Derek Emelifeonwu 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds, and Will Mayfield 17 points, nine boards, five assists and four steals.
The Bandits are now 7-3 following the defeat with Davo Hickey producing another triple-double made up of 27 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists.
Kevion Blaylock added 19 points, seven rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks, Shawn Montague 10 points and six rebounds, and Mitchell Dance eight points and three boards.
The Bandits remain in Canberra to play the Centre of Excellence on Sunday while Canberra takes on the Inner West Bulls away next Saturday.
CANBERRA GUNNERS 94 (Smith 19, Emelifeonwu 18, Toohey 18)
ALBURY-WODONGA BANDITS 76 (Hickey 27, Blaylock 19, Montague 10)
Sydney Comets (82) lost to Bankstown Bruins (98)
Andre Wolford put up 37 points with eight three-pointers to lift the Bankstown Bruins to the 98-82 road victory over the Sydney Comets.
Sydney were back home at Comets Stadium hunting a third straight victory up against a Bruins team looking to hit back from last week's 22-point defeat at the hands of the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.
It was a tight contest throughout the first half with Bankstown leading by just two points at the end of the first quarter before narrowly extending that advantage to three by half-time.
The Bruins then blew the game wide open in the third quarter with an 11-0 scoring run to see that lead get out to as much as 19 points.
It got to 21 in the fourth quarter as well before Bankstown ended up winning by 16 points to improve to a 5-4 record on the season as a result.
Andre Wolford had a night to savour in the win for the Bruins with 37 points, five rebounds and two assists on the back of knocking down 8/9 from behind the three-point line.
Hayden Blankley added 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots with Naaman Hightower contributing 12 points, 11 boards, three blocks, two assists and two steals.
The Comets slip to a 5-5 record with the loss with Matthew Wacher finishing with 20 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals with Johnny Crnogorac adding 17 points and 11 boards.
Anthony Mundine also had 13 points, two assists and two steals, Christian Aukuso 11 points and eight rebounds, and Chol Adup 10 points and three boards.
The Bruins back up to play host to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders on Sunday while the Comets are away to the Maitland Mustangs next Saturday.
SYDNEY COMETS 82 (Wacher 20, Crnogorac 17, Mundine 13)
BANKSTOWN BRUINS 98 (Wolford 37, Blankley 15, Hightower 12)
Inner West Bulls (88) defeated Illawarra Hawks (85)
Alex Higgins-Titsha played the role of hero for the Inner West Bulls for the thrilling 88-85 home victory against the Illawarra Hawks.
It might have appeared a mismatch on paper at ELS Hall Park with the Bulls at home at 7-3 up against the 1-8 Hawks, but it proved to be quite the exciting match up.
The Hawks got the better of the start to be leading 24-17 by quarter-time with their advantage getting out to as much as 13 points in the second frame as well.
Illawarra were still leading 52-43 by half-time in search of a second win for the season but Inner West responded in the third quarter with 22 points to 16, and then the Bulls hit the front in the fourth term.
However, the game was set for a thrilling finish and Illawarra pushed back out to a five-point lead after a three ball from Riley Abercrombie early in the last quarter.
That lead grew to seven thanks to Abercrombie again but a couple of dunks from Alex Higgins-Titsha had Inner West right back in the contest.
Tony Tolovae then put the home team back in front but Brad Ballinger responded to put Illawarra on top once more by a point with four minutes to play.
It was Higgins-Titsha who restored the Bulls lead but scores were again level with two minutes on the clock thanks to a Hawks three ball from Matthew Frierson.
Higgins-Titsha was proving the difference, though, and his go ahead bucket with 15 seconds remaining was enough to seal the three-point win for the Bulls and to improve them to 8-3 on the season.
Higgins-Titsha finished the night with 32 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks for Inner West on shooting 12/19 from the field and 8/11 from the free-throw line.
Tony Tolovae added 19 points, three assists and two rebounds, and Ramon Cao 18 points and six boards.
Despite the strong performance, the Hawks are now 1-9 with Riley Abercrombie finishing with 35 points and six rebounds with Matthew Frierson contributing 28 points, five boards, three steals and two assists, and Brad Ballinger eight points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
The Bulls play host to the Maitland Mustangs on Sunday with Illawarra to host to the Bankstown Bruins next Saturday.
INNER WEST BULLS 88 (Higgins-Titsha 32, Tolovae 19, Cao 18)
ILLAWARRA HAWKS 85 (Abercrombie 35, Frierson 28, Ballinger 8)
Norths Bears (107) defeated Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (88)
The Norths Bears made it three straight wins with a commanding performance at home to beat the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders 107-88.
The Bears were back at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre looking to continue their winning ways up against a Spiders team still hunting a first victory of 2024.
Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai did make a good start away from home to be leading by two at quarter-time and then extending that advantage to seven during the second term, and still being up by five in the third frame.
They were throwing the gauntlet down to Norths and the Bears did respond in style with a 37-point to 17 third quarter to take control of the contest.
The lead for the Bears ended up growing to 26 points in the final term before they went on to score the 19-point win and to improve to 6-4 on the season with three straight wins.
Mandrell Worthy ended up top-scoring for Norths with 23 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds on 8/11 from the field and 6/9 at the foul line.
Robert Moore contributed 16 points and two rebounds, Patrick Fraser 14 points and five boards on 4/4 three-point shooting, and Pietro Badalassi 13 points and five rebounds on 3/3 shooting from downtown.
Lewis Holey also had 11 points and 10 rebounds with Michael Yoong adding 10 points and six assists.
Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai are now 0-11 on the season with Alexander Sidhu delivering 17 points, 11 rebounds and three steals with Nathaniel Chappell contributing 14 points and five boards, Aaron Redhead 13 points and three rebounds, and Isaiah Walter 13 points, five assists and three boards.
The Spiders remain on the road to the Bankstown Bruins on Sunday while the Bears are on the road to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles next Saturday.
NORTHS BEARS 107 (Worthy 23, Moore 16, Fraser 14)
HORNSBY KU-RING-GAI SPIDERS 88 (Sidhu 17, Chappell 14, Redhead 13, Walter 13)
