East Wrap | Men's Round 10

Quinn Slazinski had 61 points in two Manly Warringah Sea Eagles NBL1 East wins while Matt Mims and Todd Blanchfield had 54 for Illawarra Hawks, Garric Young 30 as Central Coast Crusaders made it five straight and Will Johnston 69 in two games for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

>> MARTIN CONTINUING TO GROW WITH 13-0 BEARS

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | GUNNERS GET TITLE DEFENCE BACK ON TRACK

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | GUNNERS JUST MANAGE TO AVOID FOURTH STRAIGHT

>> EAST WRAP | MEN'S HERITAGE ROUND

SATURDAY

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (111) defeated Albury Wodonga Bandits (70)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles some offensive flow and dominated the Albury Wodonga Bandits for the 111-70 win to stay in touch of a top four position.

Manly Warringah were back home at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre having won just two of their last four games and averaging just 66 points in doing so.

So as they hosted the Bandits they were looking to get their offence back on track and that started well from the start with 28 points to 26 in the first quarter.

The Sea Eagles then had another 31 points to 16 in the second term, 23 to 18 in the third and 29 to 10 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 41-point victory.

The win improves Manly Warringah to a 10-3 record to stay knocking on the door of the top four with Quinn Slazinski having another standout performance with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists with 5/8 three-point shooting.

Oliver Hammond added 20 points, three rebounds and two assists, Emmanuel Tshimanga 12 points and 10 boards, Jamie Munro 11 points and seven rebounds, Jack Giddens 11 points, three assists and two blocks, and Isaiah Lee 10 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Albury Wodonga are now 1-12 as a result of the loss with Christian Cook finishing with 18 points and three assists, Kevion Blaylock 18 points, eight boards and three assists, and Bailey Lloyd nine points.

Sutherland Sharks (87) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (95)

No Davo Hickey, no worries for the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders as they kept their improved form going with the 95-87 road victory against the Sutherland Sharks.

The Sharks were back home at Sutherland Basketball Stadium having won their last two but the Spiders had built some momentum prior to the break winning three of six after starting the season going 0-6.

That was with Illawarra Hawks NBL star Hickey in the line-up and while he might now be gone, they were looking to continue their good form only for Sutherland to shoot out of the blocks with 32 points to 19 in the first quarter.

The Sharks were still leading 57-43 by half-time but they the Spiders made their move with 24 points to six in the third frame, and another 28 to 24 in the fourth on the way to the eight-point victory.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai improve to a 4-9 record with the win with Will Johnston delivering 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on 4/8 three-point shooting.

Alex Sidhu also had 21 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, Daniel Titus 20 points, three boards and three blocked shots, Brian Ansuh-Yeboah 10 points, and Martez Brown eight points, 13 rebounds and four steals.

Sutherland are now 5-6 with the loss with Bailey Macarthur finishing with 25 points and five rebounds with 9/11 free-throw shooting.

Jason Spurgin also had 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, Tyler Robertson 12 points, eight boards and four assists despite shooting 1/12 from deep, Adrian Cabrera 10 points on 5/5 shooting, and Lochlan Hutchison eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Maitland Mustangs (85) defeated Sydney Comets (67)

Reyne Smith drained another five triples and the Maitland Mustangs consolidated their top eight position with the 85-67 home win against the Sydney Comets.

The Mustangs hosted the Comets at Mojo Homes Centre trying to bounce back from a loss to the Norths Bears with Sydney arriving also having lost their past two and dropping outside the top eight.

Maitland started strongly with 24 points to 15 in the first quarter before another 15 to 11 in the second term to go into the half-time interval leading 39-26.

The Mustangs took further control with another 26 points to 16 in the third period and led by as much as 28 before completing the 18-point home victory.

Maitland improve to a 7-6 record with the win with Reyne Smith landing 5/9 from beyond the arc for 23 points and three rebounds.

Will Cranston-Lown added 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists, Myles Cherry 12 points, seven boards and three assists, Isaac Testoni nine points and five rebounds, and Billy Parsons seven points and four boards.

Sydney are now 6-8 following a third straight defeat with Ahmed Barba-Bey finishing with 22 points, six rebounds and two steals with Obi Kyei adding 10 points, nine boards and two blocks, Ethan Marten-Coney eight points and four rebounds, and Bailey Chambers eight points and four boards.

Bankstown Bruins (85) defeated Newcastle Falcons (78)

The Bankstown Bruins kept themselves in the finals hunt with a solid 85-78 home victory against the Newcastle Falcons.

The Bruins were on a six-game losing run ahead of hosting the Falcons at Bankstown Basketball Stadium and were still without Jason Cadee with his hamstring injury.

It was a tight contest early and the Falcons were even leading by two early in the second quarter but then the Bruins took over with 15 straight points to go into half-time leading 50-36.

Bankstown then retained control through the second half leading by as much as 16 points and winning by seven to stop their losing run and improve to a 5-8 record.

Ted Wolfe top-scored for the Bruins with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks with 9/15 field goal shooting.

Bismark Nsiah also had 17 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks with Anthony Mundine III contributing 13 points and two assists, Jesse Edwards 13 points and two boards with 4/7 three-point shooting, and Alex Higgins-Titsha nine points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Newcastle have now lost three in-a-row at 2-10 with Mandrell Worthy finishing with 20 points, four blocks and three steals with Cha'Vez Woods contributing 18 points and two boards, Ryan Beisty 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists, Matur Maluach 10 points and two boards, and Elias Cato nine points and 11 rebounds.

Illawarra Hawks (102) defeated Canberra Gunners (93)

It was the second Grand Final rematch and the Illawarra Hawks got one back on the Canberra Gunners and needed overtime to do it with Todd Blanchfield and Matt Mims both scoring 27 points in the 102-93 win.

After playing in last year's thrilling Grand Final, Canberra also beat Illawarra earlier this season at home on their banner raising night, but the Hawks haven't lost since then.

They were back home at The Snakepit on Saturday night on an eight-game winning streak while the Gunners were still missing Glenn Morison but were fresh off two wins against the Centre of Excellence last Thursday and Friday nights to get their title defence back on track.

Illawarra then started on fire with 30 points to 16 in the first quarter with 11 of those points from Mims but Canberra worked back into the contest and by three quarter-time were leading by a point.

Eventually it was three clutch free throws late from Will Rice that drew Canberra level again with Illawarra and got the game to overtime, but in the extra period it was all the Hawks with them scoring the first nine points to win by that margin.

The victory is a ninth in-a-row for Illawarra as they improve to an 11-1 record in top spot while Canberra are now 10-4 and having lost four of their last six matches.

Matt Mims had a hot start and then had a crucial run late in the fourth quarter on his way to 27 points and seven assists while reigning MVP Todd Blanchfield had another 27 points, 21 rebounds and three assists.

Mohamed Kone added 17 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals, and Mason Peatling 14 points, nine boards and three assists.

Will Mayfield produced another 23 points, eight rebounds and two assists for Canberra with DJ Hoskins adding 23 points and four assists with both shooting 4/8 from three-point territory.

Evan Wardlow also had 12 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals, Will Rice 12 points and five boards, Cameron Pender nine points and 12 rebounds, and Ed Bigg-Wither eight points, eight boards and two steals.

Central Coast Crusaders (98) defeated Centre of Excellence (83)

Garric Young put up 30 points and led the Central Coast Crusaders to a fifth straight win beating the Centre of Excellence 98-83.

The Crusaders hosted the CoE at Guzman y Gomez Stadium having won four straight to be knocking on the door of the top eight while the Centre of Excellence have lost some key players and dropped two games last week to Canberra.

Central Coast started strongly with 31 points to 26 in the first quarter but the CoE responded with 25 to 19 themselves and at half-time they were clinging to the 51-50 advantage.

The Crusaders turned the tide from there with 32 points to 22 in the third frame and 16 to 10 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 15-point victory to make it five in-a-row and improve to an 8-7 record.

Garric Young finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and two steals in the win with 11/21 shooting from the floor, 2/2 from downtown and 6/7 at the free-throw line.

Matur Maker added 18 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks, Tom Akamarmoi 17 points, four boards, four assists and four steals, Haidyn Gunderson 10 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Luke Cassidy 10 points, nine assists, six boards and four steals.

The Centre of Excellence have now lost three straight to be 13-4 with Ajak Nyuon delivering 24 points, nine rebounds and three blocks with Will Hamilton adding 18 points, six boards and two assists, and Antonio Browne 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Penrith Panthers (79) lost to Norths Bears (85)

The Norths Bears came from behind for a big fourth quarter to beat the Penrith Panthers 85-79 and maintain second position in the standings.

The Panthers played host to the Bears at Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium looking to snap a five-game losing streak while Norths arrived needing a win to maintain their hold on a top two position.

The Bears started impressively for an early eight-point lead but that margin was back to just one at quarter-time and four at half-time in favour of the visitors.

Penrith then had 28 points to 23 in the third quarter to be leading 60-59 by three quarter-time only for the Bears to put up 26 to in 19 in the last period on the way to the six-point victory.

The win improves the Bears to 12-2 on the season with Lachlan Bofinger putting up 18 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two assists while Iggy Mitchell top scored with 19 points and five boards.

Fabijan Krslovic added 16 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals, and Jake Weinstein seven points, three assists and two steals.

The Panthers are 111 having lost six straight with Jesse Weinstein finishing with 17 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals with Angus Ole adding 14 points on 4/5 three-point shooting, Simun Krpez 11 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals, and Jett Hickson nine points and seven boards.

SUNDAY

Hills Hornets (75) lost to Albury Wodonga Bandits (84)

Christian Cook 24 points and five assists to lead the Albury Wodonga Bandits to a second win of the season beating the Hills Hornets 84-75.

The Bandits arrived at Hills Basketball Stadium having lost to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles the previous night while the Hornets were playing their first game since beating the Inner West Bulls back on May 31.

It was then a tight contest through the first half with Hills leading by two points at quarter-time and then the Bandits were on top 42-39 by half-time.

Albury Wodonga kept that momentum going with another 22 points to 15 in the third quarter and they led by as much as 12 before going on to score the nine-point victory.

The win improves the Bandits to a 2-12 record with Christian Cook finishing with 24 points and five assists with Lochlan Cummings contributing 18 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Kevion Blaylock also had 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Bailey Lloyd seven points and three boards, Lochlin Harvey six points and two rebounds, and Sam Webb six points and two blocks.

The Hornets are now 4-9 following the defeat with Meekness Payne adding 20 points and four rebounds with Saxon Orsini adding 14 points and three steals, and Josh Pain 12 points and five rebounds.

Ned Carr also had 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, Liam Moss nine points, two boards and two assists, and Gum Majak pulled down seven rebounds.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (89) lost to Newcastle Falcons (104)

The Newcastle Falcons withstood 41 points from Will Johnston for the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders and bounced back from a loss the night before to score the 104-89 home victory.

Newcastle arrived at The Brickpit fresh off a loss on Saturday to the Bankstown Bruins with the Spiders coming off an eight-point win on the road to the Sutherland Sharks as they looked to keep that momentum going.

Newcastle made a strong start with 29 points to 20 in the opening stanza with Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai responding with 30 points to 22 in the second term and that cut the Falcons lead at half-time to 51-50.

Newcastle then had another 27 points to 19 in the third quarter and 26 to 20 in the fourth on the way to the 15-point victory that improves them to a 3-10 record having split their weekend double.

Mandrell Worthy finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in the win while hitting 4/6 from three-point territory.

Matur Maluach added 15 points and six rebounds, Ryan Beisty 15 points, 14 boards and four assists, Cha'Vez Woods 16 points and two steals, and Trace Evans 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai are now 4-10 having also split their two games this weekend with Will Johnston backing up his 28 points the night before with another 41 with four assists and 14/27 field goal shooting along with 10/10 at the free-throw line.

Martez Brown also had 16 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals, Harrison Evans 13 points and five boards, and Nathaniel Chappell eight points, five rebounds and three assists.

Sutherland Sharks (78) defeated Canberra Gunners (75)

The Sutherland Sharks scored the only 10 points of the last 1:45 to overrun the Canberra Gunners to win 78-75 and hand the defending champions a second nail-biting defeat in less than 24 hours.

Canberra came into the weekend after a pair of wins back on Thursday and Friday night against the Centre of Excellence before losing in overtime in the Grand Final rematch with the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday.

Sutherland then also lost at home to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai the night before heading into the Sunday clash at Sutherland Basketball Stadium as they renewed their rivalry that included a preliminary final win for the Gunners last year.

Canberra were on top most of the afternoon including by as much as 16 points after a 14-0 run in the first quarter and still by 11 in the third term, and again by seven with just 1:45 remaining.

It was then all Sutherland over the last 1:45 as they scored the only 10 points for the rest of the game made up of three balls to Jason Spurgin and Lochlan Hutchison, a dunk from Spurgin and then clutch free throws from Bailey Macarthur.

The win sees the Sharks to a 6-6 record by the end of Round 10 with the defending champion Gunners now 10-5 with the pair of losses in two thrillers this weekend.

Sutherland dug deep to avoid the double loss weekend with Jason Spurgin coming up big late on his way to 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.

His Sydney Kings NBL teammate Tyler Robertson also had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists on 4/9 three-point shooting with Lochlan Hutchison contributing 12 points and six assists.

Bailey Macarthur added 10 points and three rebounds, Luke Jamieson nine points and 13 boards, Harrison Raynor nine points and seven rebounds, and Adrian Cabrera seven points, four assists and three boards.

It's a double loss weekend for the Gunners despite being good chances to win both encounters with Will Mayfield finishing with another 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists even while going 1/8 from beyond the arc.

Will Rice added 13 points, eight rebounds and two steals, DJ Hoskins 12 points, Evan Wardlow 10 points, four assists and two steals, and James Toohey eight points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (87) defeated Centre of Excellence (72)

Quinn Slazinski scored another 34 points with 4/5 three-point shooting to lead the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to the 87-72 win over the Centre of Excellence.

The Sea Eagles were fresh off beating the Albury Wodonga Bandits by 41 points the night before and they returned home to Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre on Sunday hosting a Centre of Excellence team just holding on following the departure of a string of key players.

The CoE fell to a third straight loss to the Central Coast Crusaders on Saturday and they were leading 14-11 by quarter-time before Manly Warringah had 29 points to 22 in the second term to go into half-time leading 40-36.

The Sea Eagles continued to build on that advantage through the second half with the lead getting out to 10 points in the third period, and 17 in the fourth before the eventual 15-point victory.

That gives Manly Warringah three straight wins to improve to an 11-3 record with Slazinski starring once more with 34 points, three steals and two rebounds on 4/5 three-point shooting.

Emmanuel Tshimanga also had 19 points, 15 rebounds and two assists, Oliver Hammond 12 points, five boards, five assists and three steals, and Isaiah Lee 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.

The Centre of Excellence have now lost four straight to 13-5 with just two games remaining in their season with Ajak Nyuon having another 21 points and six rebounds.

Antonio Browne added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists, Will Hamilton 12 points, four boards, three assists and two steals, and Luke Paul 11 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Maitland Mustangs (91) defeated Inner West Bulls (72)

The Maitland Mustangs made it a double win weekend with the 91-72 victory over the Inner West Bulls with Will Cranston-Lown putting up 28 points and four assists.

The Mustangs remained at home for a second game of the weekend at Mojo Homes Centre coming off a win over the Sydney Comets on Saturday with the Bulls arriving playing a first game since losing to the Inner West Bulls back on May 31.

It was a flying start from Maitland with 29 points to nine in the first quarter and then that lead got out to 25 points in the second term and the Mustangs ended up leading 50-28 by half-time.

That lead then grew to 28 points in the second half before the Mustangs ended up winning by 19 to make it a double win weekend to improve to an 8-6 record.

Former MVP Will Cranston-Lown starred in the win for Maitland with 28 points, four assists and two steals with 10/15 field goal shooting and 6/7 from the foul line.

Daniel Millburn also had 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals, Reyne Smith 10 points, seven steals, five boards and two assists, and Majak Boc eight points and five rebounds.

Inner West are now 6-7 following the defeat with Louis Bleechmore top scoring with 16 points, six rebounds and two assists with Malok Majak adding 10 points, five boards and two steals, and Max Clark nine points and two assists.