East Spotlight | Slazinski fires Sea Eagles to big win

Featured image: Graeme Dix

Quinn Slazinski had 29 points to three quarters, Emmanuel Tshimanga 13 points and 13 rebounds to half-time and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles opened their NBL1 East account with the 93-75 road win over the Hills Hornets.

The Hornets were playing their first home game of the season at Hills Basketball Stadium after splitting their first two games on the road to open the 2026 campaign prior to the Easter break.

The Sea Eagles opened their season with a home loss to the defending champion Canberra Gunners but they arrived for the Friday night match up with the Hornets on a mission.

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Manly Warringah were leading by nine points at quarter-time, 17 at half-time and then 25 at three quarter-time on the way to the eventual 18-point win to improve to 1-1 to start the new NBL1 East season.

The Sea Eagles ended up pulling down 21 offensive rebounds to 14 in the game while they did shoot 43 per cent from the field opposed to 35 from the Hornets on their home court.

Quinn Slazinski wasn’t needed to add to his scoring tally in the last quarter with the win secured but he was outstanding for Manly Warringah with 29 points, 14 rebounds and two steals with 10/20 shooting from the field, 2/3 from deep and 7/8 at the stripe.

Emmanuel Tshimanga also didn’t score in the second half but still had a significant impact with 13 points, 17 rebounds and four assists in just 23 minutes.

Isaiah Lee added 12 points, two rebounds and two steals, Jake Hyman 11 points, three boards and two assists, Jack Giddens eight points and four rebounds, and Stefan Valkovic eight points and four boards.

It was a tough night in the first home game of the season for the Hornets with them shooting just 36 per cent from the field with Meekness Payne top-scoring with 20 points and five rebounds.

Saxon Orsini also had 19 points, three rebounds and two steals, Edward Carr seven points, four boards and four blocks, Gum Majak seven points, six rebounds and five blocks, and Shaun Stewart four points and seven assists.

It wasn’t the start in their home opener that the Hornets were looking for with Manly Warringah going on a 10-0 run in the first quarter to open up a 12-point lead with Quinn Slazinski having 13 points already by quarter-time.

The Sea Eagles were leading 25-16 by the end of one with seven offensive rebounds to four, and nine free-throw attempts to three.

That lead for Manly Warringah blew out to 18 points in the second quarter and the visitors scored another 24 points to 16 to be leading 49-32 heading into the half-time interval.

Slazinski already had 20 points to his name by the break with Emmanuel Tshimanga having a double-double already too with 13 points and 13 rebounds including five of his team's 13 offensive boards that helped them get up an 11 extra shots and six more free throws in the opening half.

It was more of the same again in the third quarter with another 23 points to 15 to be on top by 25 at three quarter-time even with Tshimanga not scoring for the term but Slazinski did another nine points to have 29 to his name through three quarters.

Hills did manage to put up 25 points in the fourth quarter and outscore the Sea Eagles but Manly Warringah were still able to cruise to the 18-point road victory.

It's the only game of the weekend for the Hornets while the Sea Eagles back up on Saturday remaining on the road to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

NBL1 EAST 2026 SEASON | ROUND 2

HILLS HORNETS 75 (Payne 20, Orsini 19, Momoisea 8)

MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES 93 (Slazinski 29, Tshimanga 13, Lee 12)