Central Spotlight | Brazel triple-double helps Sabres dominate

Featured image: @snapshotphotography3 / Snap Shot Photography

Tayla Brazel continued her hot start to the NBL1 Central season with a triple-double and Sturt Sabres stayed undefeated with the emphatic Anzac Day performance to beat the Eastern Mavericks 102-52.

The Mavericks were back home at St Francis de Sales Community Sports Centre just trying to be competitive given the form the Sabres arrived in with six straight wins to open the season including on Friday night at home to the Southern Tigers.

The Sabres have come into the 2026 season on a mission after losing a third Grand Final in the past four years back in 2025, and they are looking ominous already and kept that going on Anzac Day against the hapless Mavericks romping to the 50-point victory to improve to 6-0.

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Even though Sturt won by 50 points and took 34 more shot attempts than the Mavericks and 15 more free throws on the back of forcing them into 36 turnovers and collecting 26 offensive rebounds themselves, they also left plenty of points out there.

The Sabres did only shoot 44 per cent from the field, 25 per cent from behind the arc and 15/30 at the free-throw line.

Tayla Brazel was outstanding finishing with a triple-double consisting of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in just 27 minutes on 10/15 shooting with 3/6 from downtown.

Paige Padroth also finished with 16 points, four steals, three rebounds and three assists, Liz Williamson 15 points and 10 boards, Nicola Mathews 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Mia Walker-Roberts 12 points, three boards and two steals.

It was a tough night for the Mavs against the unbeaten Sabres with the 36 turnovers meaning they only got up 56 shot attempts across 40 minutes and scored just the 52 points as a result with a quarter of those coming at the foul line.

Annaliese Watkinson top scored with 16 points, three steals and two rebounds while Antigonie Sanabria had 12 points, seven boards, three assists and three steals, and Bella Schaftenaar 11 points and three rebounds.

The Mavericks were playing the first half of their double this weekend while the Sabres started theirs staying unbeaten with the win against the Southern Tigers on Friday, and it didn’t take Sturt to take charge as well on Anzac Day.

The Sabres had opened up a 24-11 lead by quarter-time while forcing the Mavs into 14 turnovers inside the opening 10 minutes from which they scored 11 points with Tayla Brazel also having nine by the end of one.

It was another 26 points to nine in the second quarter in favour of Sturt with the Mavs having another six turnovers and coughing up five more points from them with the Sabres remaining in total control leading 50-20 by the half-time interval.

Eastern tried to make a game of it in the third quarter with 20 points but Sturt still stretched the lead with 26 of their own before another 26 to 12 in the final period with the Sabres ensuring they stayed unbeaten in 2026 with the 50-point Anzac Day hammering.

The Mavericks will look to bounce back away to the Woodville Warriors on Sunday while the Sabres don’t play again until next Saturday at home to the Norwood Flames.

NBL1 CENTRAL 2026 SEASON | ANZAC ROUND

EASTERN MAVERICKS 52 (Watkinson 16, Sanabria 12, Schaftenaar 11)

STURT SABRES 102 (Brazel 24, Padroth 16, Williamson 15)