East Spotlight | Bears beat Bruins in cracking contest

Featured image: @flicksby.tessa

It was billed as the game of the NBL1 East season and it's going to take some beating with Shyla Heal brilliant with 40 points for the Bankstown Bruins but ultimately, she tasted her first defeat with the Issy Morgan shining for the Norths Bears who prevailed 90-88.

Both teams came into the match up at Bankstown Basketball Stadium in hot form with the Bruins having won 11 straight and not having lost with Heal in their uniform either last season or this year.

The Bears then arrived having won all 15 of their matches so far in 2026 so the stage was set and at no point was there more than eight points separating the two teams throughout a cracking contest.

In the end, after Heal hit a huge three with just over a minute left to put Bankstown back up two, the Bears did score the game's last four points and then held on in a dramatic finish with the best accidental block you'll ever see from Talya Brugler on Margot De Freitas secured the win.

The result means that the Bears go further clear in top spot at 16-0 while the Bruins are 12-3 and face the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Sunday.

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The game certainly lived up to its billing and by the end it was the little between them right across the board with the Bears shooting at 43 per cent to 45 from the Bruins while Norths went 11/33 from downtown and 19/21 at the line to 10/23 and 18/20.

The Bears had 10 offensive rebounds to seven while both teams had 14 turnovers, and if it is a preview for a finals preview at some point then we are in for a treat.

Issy Morgan ended up being the star of the win for Norths with 30 points with 11 rebounds, three steals and two assists on 12/18 shooting from the field, 3/7 from downtown, and 3/3 at the foul line.

Jaz Shelley had not made a field goal for six points in the first half but finished with 23 points to go with eight assists, six rebounds, three steals and three blocks with 3/12 shooting from downtown.

Talya Brugler also had 21 points, 11 rebounds and three steals, and Caitlyn Martin 10 points.

Bankstown might have had a first loss in 12 games and Heal might have tasted defeated for the first time over last season and this one, but she did all she could with 40 points, seven rebounds and five assists with 13/26 shooting from the floor, 4/9 from deep and 10/11 at the foul line.

Margot De Freitas worked into the game after a hectic week coming back from France with 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists with Tahlia Tupaea adding 12 points, six boards, four assists and three steals.

The game had plenty of hype coming into it and deservedly so with the form both teams were in coming into it and it was the Bruins who had the better of the start with Shyla Heal showing the way to open up a seven-point lead.

Bankstown were still clinging to the 25-24 advantage by the end of the first quarter before Issy Morgan fired up for Norths in the second quarter and had 21 points with the 3/5 three-point shooting by half-time.

The Bears did manage to assume the 47-46 lead by half-time even with Jaz Shelley managing just six points all at the foul line while missing all seven of her shot attempts with Heal up to 25 points with 3/5 shooting from downtown for Bankstown.

Bankstown then got on top in the second quarter with 27 points to 18 on the back of 9/15 from the field and 7/8 at the foul line including Heal adding another nine points which helped the Bruins to the 73-65 lead by three quarter-time.

The fourth quarter then very well could have been the most dramatic in the NBL1 East this season with Shelley hitting two early three-pointer to draw scores level with seven minutes to play.

The scores continued to exchange hands the rest of the way with Morgan completing a three-point play with 2:30 to go before Margot De Freitas and Heal hit triples for Bankstown to have them up two with just over a minute on the clock.

Talya Brugler then hit two free throws and Caitlyn Martin got the steal of Tahlia Tupaea leading to a layup to Morgan for the Bears to be up two.

Eventually with 26 seconds to go, that was still the margin and Bankstown had possession before Heal missed only for Kiahna Davis-White to pull down the offensive rebound.

That's where things got interesting and Shelley blocked her attempted put back and the Bears got back possession only for Shelley to be called for the turnover to give Bankstown one more chance.

Coming out of a timeout with 3.7 seconds left, Brugler had the best accidental block on De Freitas' shot you'll ever before the ball fell back in the hands of the Bruins import, but she was caught unawares of time still left and the Bears held on for the two-point win in a classic.

The Bruins will now attempt to avoid consecutive losses when they are away to the defending champion Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Sunday while the Bears don’t play again until next Saturday away to the Canberra Nationals.

NBL1 EAST 2026 SEASON | ROUND 12

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 88 (Heal 40, De Freitas 18, Tupaea 12)

NORTHS BEARS 90 (Morgan 30, Shelley 23, Brugler 21)