Recap NBL1 East | Round 8 Sunday

Monique Bobongie shone in a big Sunday win for the Centre of Excellence with Mikaela Dombkins dominant for the Central Coast Crusaders while the Norths Bears won a thriller over the Newcastle Falcons with Andre Wolford putting Bankstown Bruins on his back.

In the women's NBL1 East on Sunday, the Centre of Excellence beat the Illawarra Hawks 75-56, the Central Coast Crusaders defeated the Bankstown Bruins 87-81, the Norths Bears downed the Newcastle Falcons 82-78, and the Canberra Nationals beat the Sydney Comets 81-75.

Then in the men's matches, the Canberra Gunners beat the Comets 81-77 while the CoE beat the Hawks 115-76, the Bruins defeated the Crusaders 87-81, and the Bears downed the Falcons 79-71.

RECAP NBL1 EAST | ROUND 8 SATURDAY

RECAP NBL1 EAST | ROUND 7 SUNDAY

WOMEN

Centre of Excellence (75) defeated Illawarra Hawks (56)

Monique Bobongie produced a dominant performance to inspire the Centre of Excellence to Sunday's 75-56 home victory against the Illawarra Hawks.

The Centre of Excellence were again at home at AIS Basketball and Netball Centre looking to bounce back from the previous day's loss against the Central Coast Crusaders.

They were playing host to a Hawks team who fresh off beating the Bankstown Bruins also on Saturday on their home floor.

It didn’t take long for the emerging stars from Basketball Australia to take charge of the contest with them going on a 14-0 scoring run in the first quarter to end up leading 19-10 by the end of one.

That lead continued to grow throughout the afternoon in favour of the Centre of Excellence getting out to 16 points in the second quarter, 19 in the third and 21 in the fourth.

The CoE ended up winning by 19 in the finish to snap a two-game losing run and improve to a 6-6 record on the season.

Monique Bobongie came up huge for the Centre of Excellence with 25 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals on the back of shooting 11/26 from the field and playing more than 38 minutes.

Zara Russell also produced 16 points, three assists and three steals, Opal Bird 12 points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists, and Sienna Harvey nine points, eight boards and two steals.

The Hawks are now 6-6 as well after splitting their two games this weekend with Georgia Ohrdorf finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds with Ella Dent adding 16 points, five boards and four assists.

The Centre of Excellence play on the road to the Penrith Panthers on Saturday with the Hawks hosting the Newcastle Falcons.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 75 (Bobongie 25, Russell 16, Bird 12)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 56 (Ohrdorf 19, Dent 16, Garcia Leon 7)

Bankstown Bruins (81) lost to Central Coast Crusaders (87)

The Central Coast Crusaders made it the double win weekend with Mikaela Dombkins dominant in the 87-81 Sunday road win over the Bankstown Bruins.

The Bruins were coming off a five-point loss to the Illawarra Hawks on the road on Saturday with Central Coast beating the Centre of Excellence by 22 points.

The two teams then did battle on Sunday afternoon at Bankstown Basketball Stadium and it was a high scoring opening with the two teams combining for 54 points in the first quarter.

It was Central Coast leading 29-25 by quarter-time before the Crusaders began to pull away in the second quarter with the lead out to 13 points, and they were still up 46-36 at the half-time interval.

From there, the Crusaders would open up a 15-point advantage in the second half and then had to hold out the fast finishing Bruins in the final period to secure the six-point victory.

The win improves Central Coast to an 8-3 record on the season with Mikaela Dombkins producing a dominant all-round performance with 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists on 9/18 shooting from the floor and 4/7 from three-point range.

Jasmine Forcadilla added 16 points, three rebounds and two assists with Kristina Moore contributing 14 points, six assists and four boards, Leilani Mitchell 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Darneka Rowe 11 points and three boards.

Bankstown is now 2-10 with seven consecutive defeats with Jihyun Park putting up 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Jennifer Mailei added nine points and two rebounds, Kira-May Filemu eight points, seven boards and five assists, Britney Wright eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Abbey Vallance eight points, three boards and two assists.

Bankstown will now play host to the Sutherland Sharks on Saturday with the Crusaders also at home to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 81 (Park 25, Mailei 9, Filemu 8, Wright 8, Vallance 8)

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 87 (Dombkins 24, Forcadilla 16, Moore 14)

Newcastle Falcons (78) lost to Norths Bears (82)

The defending champion Norths Bears continued their winning charge this season holding out the Newcastle Falcons for the 82-78 road victory.

The stage was set for a tantalising Sunday match up at Newcastle Basketball Stadium with both teams in some hot form.

Newcastle was at home and fresh off beating the Sutherland Sharks the previous night while the Bears handed the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles their first defeat of the season also on Saturday.

So that set the stage with both teams having lost just one game coming into the match this season too and it was a close battle in the first half with nothing more than six points separating the two teams.

Norths were clinging to the 45-40 advantage at half-time with the Bears then blowing the game wide open with it getting out to an 18-point lead in the third quarter.

That would prove a match winning edge too and while Newcastle kept on fighting and did get back as close as one-point in the final minute thanks to an offensive rebound and put back from Isla Juffermans.

However, the Bears held firm and free throws from Emily Simons and Carla Pitman sealed the deal for the four-point win and to see the defending champs improve to an 11-1 record on the season with nine consecutive wins.

Emily Simons ended up with 18 points and seven rebounds in the win for Norths with Maddie O'Hehir contributing 16 points, four assists and three boards, and Holly Wills 15 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Carla Pitman also had 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals while Caitlyn Martin added 10 points and four assists.

Newcastle slips to 10-2 with the defeat despite reigning MVP Nicole Munger delivering another 31 points, five assists and four rebounds on 11/20 shooting from the field and 7/8 at the free-throw line.

Isla Juffermans added 15 points and 11 rebounds, Elissa Brett 11 points, three boards and three steals, Hannah Chicken seven points and seven rebounds, and Aarion Nichols seven points, seven boards, four assists and three steals.

The Falcons will now be on the road to the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday with the Bears playing host to Canberra on the same day.

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 78 (Munger 31, Juffermans 15, Brett 11)

NORTHS BEARS 82 (Simons 18, O'Hehir 16, Wills 15)

Sydney Comets (75) lost to Canberra Nationals (81)

The Canberra Nationals were able to produce a strong finish to secure the 81-75 road victory against the Sydney Comets.

Both teams came into the Sunday match up at Comets Stadium on the back of a Saturday victory with Canberra beating the Inner West Bulls by 47 points while the Comets welcomed back Shyla Heal and scored the 16-point win over the Maitland Mustangs.

That set the stage for the Sunday clash and it was the Nationals leading most of the afternoon including by four points at quarter-time and then by seven at half-time.

The lead was back out to double-figures for Canberra in the third quarter but Sydney fired back and even briefly grabbed the lead early in the final period when Janeen Camp scored.

However, Canberra were able to quickly regain the lead thanks to an and-one play from Callie Bourne before they went on to score the eventual six-point victory.

The win improves Canberra to a 5-7 record with the pair of wins this weekend with Jasmyn Boutzos top-scoring with 19 points and three rebounds on 4/10 three-point shooting.

Callie Bourne added 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, Lizzy Tonks 16 points, 13 boards, six assists and two steals, and Maddison Penn 11 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals.

The Comets are now also 5-7 with the split of the weekend double with Davida Dale producing another 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while Shyla Heal finished with 20 points and five steals.

Janeen Camp also had 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Alexandria Oliver 10 points, 10 boards and two blocked shots.

The Comets will now host the Hills Hornets on Saturday night while Canberra remains on the road to the Norths Bears also on Saturday.

SYDNEY COMETS 75 (Heal 20, Dale 20, Camp 16)

CANBERRA NATIONALS 81 (Boutzos 19, Bourne 18, Tonks 16)

MEN

Centre of Excellence (115) defeated Illawarra Hawks (76)

The Centre of Excellence flexed their muscles at home to the Illawarra Hawks with Kye Savage and James O'Donnell combining for 46 points in the 115-76 victory.

The CoE were fresh off beating the Central Coast Crusaders the previous day also at AIS Basketball and Netball Centre to make it eight wins in-a-row ahead of hosting a Hawks team fresh off their second win of the season against the Bankstown Bruins.

The young guns from Basketball Australia had already opened up a 14-point lead during the opening quarter and then were leading 31-20 by the end of one.

The Centre of Excellence would continue to build on that lead the rest of the afternoon with it growing to 22 points in the second frame and they were leading 55-36 at half-time.

It was more of the same in the second half with the CoE out to a 37-point advantage in the third quarter and then 49 in the fourth before they won by 39 in the finish.

The victory is an eighth in-a-row for the Centre of Excellence who are now 9-3 on the season with James O'Donnell delivering 24 points and 12 rebounds on 9/14 shooting from the field.

Kye Savage added 22 points, eight rebounds and two assists on 4/6 three-point shooting with Yuto Kawashima contributing 15 points and three boards, Alex Dickeson 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals, and Oscar Goodman 11 points.

The Hawks slip to 2-10 on the season with the defeat with Riley Abercrombie once again top-scoring with 20 points on 4/9 shooting from three-point range.

Matthew Frierson also had 16 points with 4/12 shooting from beyond the arc while Patrick Lancaster added eight points, five assists and four rebounds.

The Centre of Excellence play on the road to the Penrith Panthers on Saturday with the Hawks hosting the Newcastle Falcons.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 115 (O'Donnell 24, Savage 22, Kawashima 15, Dickeson 15)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 76 (Abercrombie 20, Frierson 16, Lancaster 8)

Bankstown Bruins (87) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (81)

Andre Wolford stepped up with another match-winning performance to lead the Bankstown Bruins to the 87-81 home victory against the Central Coast Crusaders.

Bankstown came into the game back home at Bankstown Basketball Stadium with a loss on Saturday on the road to the Illawarra Hawks while the Crusaders went down as well to the Centre of Excellence.

So both teams were attempting to avoid a two-loss weekend with the Crusaders getting the better of the start to go out to a 10-point lead in the opening period.

That lead for Central Coast got out to as much as 13 points in the second frame and the visitors were still clinging to the 42-36 lead at the half.

However, Bankstown ended up working on top and 24 points to 16 in the fourth quarter was enough for them to end up scoring the six-point victory.

The Bruins improve to a 7-5 record on the season with the win with Andre Wolford starring once more with 29 points on 8/16 shooting from the field, 4/8 from three-point territory and 9/9 at the foul line.

Hayden Blankley added 20 points and six assists, Naaman Hightower 16 points, 12 boards and six assists, and Charlie McBeath eight points, five rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocked shots.

Central Coast are now 3-8 on the season following the defeat with James Trustum top-scoring with 19 points and seven rebounds.

Robbie Heath had another 18 points, six rebounds and three assists with Ben Stevens contributing 14 points and 14 boards.

Bankstown will now play host to the Sutherland Sharks on Saturday with the Crusaders also at home to the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 87 (Wolford 29, Blankley 20, Hightower 16)

CENTRAL COAST CRUSADERS 81 (Trustum 19, Heath 18, Stevens 14)

Newcastle Falcons (71) lost to Norths Bears (79)

Mandrell Worthy put up 30 points as the Norths Bears produced a huge second half to beat the Newcastle Falcons 79-71.

Newcastle was looking to bounce back from losing the previous night to the defending champion Sutherland Sharks while the Bears had also fallen in a thriller by a point to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

That meant both teams were on a mission on Sunday afternoon at Newcastle Basketball Stadium and it was a tight battle in the first quarter with the Bears leading 19-18 by the end of one.

Norths pushed the lead out to 10 points in the second period and ended up going into half-time leading 41-33.

The Bears continued to push that lead out to 13 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth before then holding out the Falcons in the finish for the eight-point victory.

The win improves the Bears to a 7-5 record on the season with Mandrell Worthy putting in a starring performance with 30 points and nine rebounds on the back of shooting 10/18 from the field, 5/6 from behind the arc and 5/5 at the charity stripe.

The Falcons are now 4-8 following the two losses this weekend with Francis Wineera-Mulvihill top-scoring with 25 points, seven rebounds and two assists on the back of shooting 10/15 from the floor, 3/5 from three-point range and 2/2 at the free-throw line.

Myles Cherry also contributed 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks, Kobe Shannon 15 points, eight boards and five assists, and Ryan Beisty nine points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Falcons will now be on the road to the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday with the Bears playing host to Canberra on the same day.

NEWCASTLE FALCONS 71 (Wineera-Mulvihill 25, Cherry 15, Shannon 15)

NORTHS BEARS 79 (Worthy 30, Moore 10, Musters 9)

Sydney Comets (77) lost to Canberra Gunners (81)

It was a dramatic finish on Sunday afternoon but it was the Canberra Gunners maintaining top spot with the eventual 81-77 road victory against the Sydney Comets.

Both teams came into the Sunday match up at Comets Stadium having played the night before with the Comets losing to the Maitland Mustangs while the Gunners scored a two-point win against the Inner West Bulls.

It was a challenging weekend for the Comets taking on both top two teams but they started well on their home floor to be leading 25-21 at quarter-time.

Sydney did open up a six-point lead in the second term but by half-time the Gunners had closed that gap and scores were tied at 37-37.

It was the turn of the Gunners to push out to a six-point lead in the third quarter but the momentum swings continued in the second half with Sydney scoring 12 consecutive points to turn that six-point deficit into a six-point lead of their own.

The lead did continue to switch hands through the last quarter but it was 2022 Grand Final MVP Glenn Morison who scored with a minute to play to put Canberra out to a six-point lead which was enough to secure the four-point victory.

The Gunners improve to an 11-1 record on the season in top spot having now won 10 straight with James Toohey backing up his heroics from the previous night with another 21 points, five steals and three rebounds on 6/10 three-point shooting.

Derek Emelifeonwu added 19 points and two steals, Glenn Morison 12 points, six rebounds and six assists, Cameron Pender eight points, nine boards and six assists, and Will Mayfield eight points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Comets are now 5-7 after three consecutive defeats with Matthew Wacher top-scoring with 19 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals with 3/6 shooting from downtown.

Johnny Crnogorac added 17 points and six rebounds for Sydney, Obi Kyei 13 points and eight boards, Anthony Mundine 10 points and four rebounds, and Christian Aukuso seven points and nine boards.

The Comets will now host the Hills Hornets on Saturday night while Canberra remains on the road to the Norths Bears also on Saturday.

SYDNEY COMETS 77 (Wacher 19, Crnogorac 17, Kyei 13)

CANBERRA GUNNERS 81 (Toohey 21, Emelifeonwu 19, Morison 12)