East Spotlight | Crase hits winner for CoE

Featured image: @DiscoveryOne_Photography, Greg Francis

The Centre of Excellence were well on track for a second straight big win over the Canberra Nationals but Caitie Jones had 10 points in the last quarter to put the home team on top before Aspen Crase secured the 80-79 NBL1 East win.

The two teams had also played the previous night at the Australian Institute of Sport with the Centre of Excellence winning 93-71 ahead of the Friday night rematch at Southern Cross Stadium in Tuggeranong leading into the King's Birthday long weekend.

The CoE had then opened up a 19-point lead by half-time which was as much as 23 in the third, but Canberra then fired back and all of a sudden with 30 seconds to go, the Nationals were back in front when Callie Bourne completed a three-point play.

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Then on the next possession after an offensive rebound, Aspen Crase drained the three ball to put the Centre of Excellence back in front and they held on to win by a point when there was no call up the other end when Bourne took the ball hard to the basket.

The Centre of Excellence improve to a 12-4 record after the double wins against Canberra with Zara Russell delivering 19 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Aspen Crase also had 14 points and eight rebounds with 3/4 three-point shooting along with hitting the game winner with Jasmine Jones adding 13 points and four assists, Jemyma Manyok 11 points and five rebounds, and Isabel Smith nine points, five boards and two steals.

Canberra are now 4-9 following the double losses to the Centre of Excellence with Callie Bourne finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists with 9/16 field goal shooting along with 2/3 from downtown.

Allison Day added 16 points, six rebounds and two assists, Zara Funnell 15 points on 3/6 three-point shooting, and Caitie Jones 14 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four steals with 10 of those points coming in the last quarter.

The two teams were coming off their battle the previous night which saw the Centre of Excellence prevail by 22 points and then it was 16 points apiece in the first quarter after both teams went on significant scoring runs along the way.

It was in the second period when the Centre of Excellence pulled away with 31 points to 16 on the way to leading 47-28 by half-time having gone on a run of scoring 14 straight points while having 18 points off the bench to five, and 28 points in the paint to 10 by the break.

After the Centre of Excellence got out to a 23-point lead in the third quarter, the Nationals fired back to score 15 points themselves to cut the CoE's advantage back to 14 in the end at three quarter-time.

But Canberra kept on coming and three minutes into the fourth term saw then back within six, then two minutes later it was suddenly just a two-point ball game.

The Centre of Excellence got away again with five straight points but the Nationals had a taste for us by again scoring five straight to make it a two-point margin only with three minutes on the clock.

Caitie Jones then completed a three-point play to make it a one-point margin and then after the CoE again got up four, Jones hit a three ball to bring them back within one, and then Callie Bourne put them in front with 30 seconds left.

It was Aspen Crase who hit the biggest shot of the night with a three ball on the back of an offensive rebound to put the Centre of Excellence in front by one and they held on to win when there was no call on a drive from Bourne for Canberra where it did appear there was plenty of contact.

The Nationals will now be in action again on Saturday June 13 on the road to the Illawarra Hawks while the Centre of Excellence will play the Central Coast Crusaders away as well.

NBL1 EAST 2026 SEASON | HERITAGE ROUND

CANBERRA NATIONALS 79 (Bourne 22, Day 16, Funnell 15)

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 80 (Russell 19, Crase 14, Jones 13)