East Wrap | Men's Round 11

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Elias Cato had 28 points and hit the game winner in the NBl1 East for the Newcastle Falcons while Tyler Robertson had 51 and nine threes over two Sutherland Sharks wins with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles ending the winning run of the Illawarra Hawks.

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SATURDAY

Penrith Panthers (81) lost to Maitland Mustangs (95)

Even without Reyne Smith, the Maitland Mustangs proved too strong for the Penrith Panthers winning 95-81 to make it three straight will former MVP Will Cranston-Lown playing a starring role.

The Panthers were looking for a second win of the season hosting the Mustangs at Blacktown Leisure Centre and while Maitland were on a two-game winning run, they were without Smith for the weekend.

The Mustangs still managed 24 points to 16 in the opening quarter and then another 21 to 13 in the second to go into the half-time break leading 45-29.

The lead for Maitland then blew out to 26 points in the fourth quarter before the Panthers did manage to go on a 12-0 run to cut the final margin back to 14.

Maitland have now won three straight to improve to a 9-6 record with Cranston-Lown stepping up for 21 points, 10 assists and three rebounds.

Myles Cherry also had 19 points, nine rebounds and two steals, Billy Parsons 18 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, and Matthew Gray 11 points, 11 boards and three assists.

Penrith have now lost seven straight to be 1-12 with Simun Krpez finishing with 22 points and five rebounds with 3/4 three-point shooting.

Jesse Weinstein added 16 points and four assists, Jett Hickson 10 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Ben Kearins eight points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (82) defeated Illawarra Hawks (77)

Quinn Slazinski again showed the way as the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles made it four wins in-a-row and denied the Illawarra Hawks a 10th on the trot with the 82-77 triumph.

It was first against third at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre with Manly Warringah having won three straight to be third while Illawarra remained in top spot having won nine in-a-row.

The Sea Eagles then opened up a nine-point lead in the first quarter and never trailed the rest of the night including leading by as much as 13 points in the third term on the way to holding out the Hawks in the finish for the five-point victory.

The win is a fourth in-a-row for Manly Warringah as they improve to a 12-3 record with Illawarra suffering just a second loss of the season after playing in last year's Grand Final to now be 11-2.

Slazinski continues to be the standout performer on a Sea Eagles team now looking to break into the top two after four straight wins. He delivered another 23 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Isaiah Lee had all of his 16 points in the first half while also finishing with seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks while Emmanuel Tshimanga added 15 points, nine boards and three blocked shots.

Jamie Munro added 10 points and three rebounds, Jack Giddens 10 points, six boards and two assists, and Oliver Hammond seven points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Todd Blanchfield produced another 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals with 4/10 three-point shooting for Illawarra while Matt Mims had just the five points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals despite playing all 40 minutes.

Mohamed Kone ended up with 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Mason Peatling 17 points, 14 boards and three assists, and Philip Dopud eight points and four rebounds.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (66) lost to Hills Hornets (84)

The Hills Hornets returned to the winner's list to keep themselves in the finals mix with the 84-66 road win against the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

Not only are the Spiders now adjusting to life without Davo Hickey again, but were without Will Johnston as they played host to the Hornets at The Brickpit.

The Hornets arrived just clinging to staying in the playoff mix with 27 points to 19 in the first quarter having opened up a lead as large as 12.

It was another 14 points to 11 in the second frame in favour of Hills before 22 to 16 in the third, and 21 to 20 in the fourth before securing the 18-point victory.

The win improves the Hornets to a 5-9 record with Meekness Payne delivering 22 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots with Josh Pain adding 14 points and five boards.

Gum Majak also had 14 points, 13 rebounds and three assists with Pafe Momoisea contributing 10 points, two boards and two assists, Ned Carr eight points, five rebounds and three blocks, and Saxon Orsini eight points and three assists.

The Spiders are now 4-11 with the defeat with Martez Brown finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots with 10/12 shooting.

Harry Evans added nine points, 13 rebounds and two assists, Jackson Smyth nine points and an assist, and Brian Ansuh-Yeboah seven points, five rebounds and three assists.

Sutherland Sharks (115) defeated Centre of Excellence (88)

Tyler Robertson and Bailey MacArthur combined for 50 points and nine three-pointers as the Sutherland Sharks took full advantage of the shorthanded Centre of Excellence for the 115-88 victory.

The CoE were just scrambling to suit up enough players for their last weekend of the regular season when they arrived at Sutherland Basketball Stadium with the Sharks needing to make sure of a win to consolidate a playoff position.

Sutherland had 29 points to 21 in the first quarter but the CoE hit back with 26 to 21 in the second to limit the Sharks' lead to 51-47 by half-time.

With their six players, the CoE couldn’t still with the Sharks from there with the home team having 36 points to 19 in the third period, and 28 to 22 in the fourth on the way to the 27-point victory.

The win improves the Sharks to a 7-6 record on the season with Robertson landing 5/14 from beyond the arc for 28 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals.

MacArthur also finished with 22 points on 4/4 three-point shooting with Jason Spurgin contributing 20 points and nine rebounds, Harry Raynor 14 points, five boards and four assists with 4/6 shooting from deep, and Lochlan Hutchison 11 assists with six steals, four points and three rebounds.

The CoE are now 13-6 having lost five in-a-row with just one match left in their regular season on Sunday with Jai Fa'ale finishing with 34 points, four rebounds and four assists with 6/10 three-point shooting which included him scoring his team's last 16 points of the game.

Curtis Evic added 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, Isaac Riddle 15 points and eight board, Reuben Ritchie 11 points, two rebounds and two assists, and Harry Cook seven points, seven boards and two assists.

Canberra Gunners (63) lost to Inner West Bulls (67)

The championship defence of the Canberra Gunners continues to splutter with the Inner West Bulls finishing strongly on the road for the 67-63 win against them.

The Gunners were back home at Southern Cross Stadium having lost their past two games and five of the last seven after starting their title defence on an eight-match winning run.

The Bulls arrived at Tuggeranong having lost three straight themselves to be outside a playoff position with Canberra opening up a seven-point lead in the first quarter, and 12 in the second on the way to leading 42-30 by half-time.

The Gunners ended up leading by as much as 13 points in the third term but only had eight points for the quarter for Inner West to get back into the contest and then hit the front early in the last quarter.

The lead then continued to exchange hands from there but the Gunners were back up four with just under three minutes to play following an and-one from Cameron Pender.

Inner West answered with the next five points all from Jasper Rentoy and then James Toohey made a technical free-throw to tie scores up with a minute to go.

The Bulls scored the only four points from there with a put back from Louis Bleechmore and then free throws from Rentoy to secure the four-point victory.

The win improves Inner West to 7-7 for the season with Majak putting up 19 points, 16 rebounds and two assists while Rentoy ended up with 13 points with 4/7 shooting from the field and 4/4 at the stripe.

Bleechmore also had 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists, and Kwabena Brefo 10 points, eight boards, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Canberra are now 10-6 with the third straight defeat with Pender finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds on 7/11 field goal shooting.

Toohey also had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists, Angus Byatt nine points, four boards and two assists, and Will Mayfield nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Albury Wodonga Bandits (92) lost to Newcastle Falcons (93)

Elias Cato nailed a stunning three-point game winner for the Newcastle Falcons after they forced the turnover on the Albury Wodonga Bandits to snatch the 93-92 road victory.

Both teams were coming off wins despite occupying bottom three positions ahead of their clash at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.

Newcastle made a blistering start with 15 straight points in the first quarter and were out to a 17-point lead in the second term before still being on top 48-40 by half-time.

Albury Wodonga then took charge with 31 points to 18 in the third frame and were leading by as much as eight, and then still up one with possession with 24 seconds to go.

Christian Cook was fouled and made one before both teams turned the ball over giving Newcastle one last chance with six seconds to go for Matur Maluach to find Cato wide open in the quarter to knock down the match winning three-pointer.

The win improves the Falcons to 4-10 with back-to-back wins with Cato not only hitting that winner, but finishing with 28 points and 10 rebounds with 10/14 shooting from the floor and 3/4 from deep.

Ryan Beisty also had 17 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals, Mandrell Worthy 17 points, four boards and three assists, and Cha'Vez Woods 13 points and two assists.

The Bandits are now 2-13 with the loss with Cook finishing with 25 points, four rebounds and four assists with 10/15 free-throw shooting.

Kevion Blaylock added 25 points, nine rebounds and three assists, Marcus La Spina 19 points, four boards and two assists, Sam Webb 10 points and six rebounds, and Lochlan Cummings nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Norths Bears (87) defeated Sydney Comets (62)

The Norths Bears were celebrating Pink Round at home on Saturday and maintained their top two position with the 87-62 win against the Sydney Comets.

North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre turned pink for the occasion with the Bears needing to keep winning to stay in one of the top two positions while the Comets needing to avoid a fourth straight defeat to stay in the finals mix.

Norths made the fast start with 25 points to 12 in the opening quarter before Sydney fired back with 19 to 10 in the second to cut the Bears advantage to 35-31 by half-time.

Norths pulled away further thanks to a massive 33 points to 14 third quarter to end up leading by as much as 31 and securing the 25-point win to improve to a 13-2 record having won three straight.

Lachlan Bofinger top scored for the Bears with 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks and went 2/4 from downtown to raise money for 'Tough4T'.

Bailey Hanson also had 20 points, five assists and four rebounds, Iggy Mitchell 14 points, nine boards and three assists, and Matthew Wacher 14 points, three rebounds and two assists.

The Comets have now lost their past four games to slip to a 6-9 record with Akil Douglas top scoring with 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

Chol Adup also had 15 points on 3/6 three-point shooting, Obi Kyei seven points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks, and Bailey Chambers five points, six boards and four assists.

SUNDAY

Centre of Excellence (79) lost to Inner West Bulls (90)

Jai Fa'ale had 20 points in the first half but again the Centre of Excellence had just six players available and the Inner West Bulls dominated the second half for the 90-79 victory.

The CoE were playing their last game of the regular season on Sunday at the Australian Institute of Sport having now lost five straight matches including on Saturday by 27 points to the Sutherland Sharks.

They once again had just six players available on Sunday against a Bulls team arriving fresh off beating the Canberra Gunners the previous night.

It was an encouraging start from the Centre of Excellence with 23 points to 15 in the first quarter and 23 to 17 in the second on the way to leading 46-32 by half-time with Fa'ale delivering 20 of those points.

But it was all Inner West after the break with 29 points to 15 in the third quarter and 29 to 18 in the fourth on the way to the 11-point victory.

It's back-to-back wins now for the Bulls as they improve to an 8-7 record with Louis Bleechmore starring once more with 31 points, six rebounds and four assists on 13/24 shooting.

Kobe Shannon added 15 points, seven assists, five steals and four rebounds, Malok Majak 13 points and 10 rebounds, Josh Morgan 13 points and four boards, and Kwabena Brefo nine points, three rebounds and two assists.

The Centre of Excellence now end their season with a 13-7 record with Fa'ale finishing with 30 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals with 13/14 free-throw shooting.

Curtis Evic added 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots, Jongkuch Mach 11 points, seven boards and three blocks, and Harry Crook nine points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Penrith Panthers (71) lost to Central Coast Crusaders (84)

The Central Coast Crusaders continued their hot form with a sixth straight win by beating the bottom placed Penrith Panthers 84-71.

The Crusaders were playing their lone game of the weekend against the Panthers at Minto Indoor Sports Centre who were coming off a seventh straight loss the day before against the Maitland Mustangs.

Penrith made an encouraging start with 21 points to 17 in the first quarter having come back from seven points down to go on a 9-0 scoring run.

Central Coast then took charge in the second period with 26 points to 14 to go into half-time leading 43-35 before another 18 points to 13 in their third term as their advantage got out to 20 and they secured the eventual 13-point win.

It's a sixth win in-a-row now for the Crusaders as they improve to 9-7 on the season with Garric Young delivering 27 points and seven rebounds with 10/14 field goal shooting and going 7/10 at the free-throw line.

Thomas Akamarmoi added 16 points, five rebounds and two assists, Haidyn Gunderson nine points, three boards and two assists, Matur Maker nine points, eight boards, three steals, two assists and two blocks, and Luke Cassidy eight points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Penrith have now lost eight straight to be 1-13 in last spot with Jonah Pares top scoring with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Jett Hickson added 15 points, six boards, three assists and two steals, and Simun Krpez 10 points, six rebounds and two steals.

Hills Hornets (73) lost to Sutherland Sharks (80)

Sydney Kings NBL star Tyler Robertson put up another 23 points and the Sutherland Sharks made it three consecutive victories with the 80-73 win over the Hills Hornets on Sunday.

It was Sunday afternoon basketball at Hills Basketball Stadium with both teams fresh off Saturday wins with the Hornets beating the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders to keep their season alive while the Sharks won big at home to the Centre of Excellence.

The Hornets were then leading by 10 points at the end of the first quarter and were still on top by nine at the half, but the home team then managed just six points on 2/17 shooting in the third term.

That saw the Sharks take control and ended up leading by as much as 13 points on the way to the seven-point win to make it three consecutive wins with an 8-6 record while Hills are now 5-10.

It's now three straight wins for Sutherland with Sydney Kings NBL star Tyler Robertson delivering 23 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals with 4/11 shooting from behind the arc and 9/11 at the charity stripe.

Bailey MacArthur added 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, Luke Jamieson 14 points, 10 boards and two assists, Jason Spurgin 13 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks, and Harry Raynor seven points and four boards.

Meekness Payne ended up top scoring for the Hornets with 18 points and two rebounds while Saxon Orsini finished with 14 points, eight boards and five assists, and Ben Williams 11 points on 4/4 shooting.

Josh Pain also had eight points and three rebounds, Ned Carr seven points, five boards and two blocks, and Gum Majak seven points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.

Illawarra Hawks (92) defeated Bankstown Bruins (77)

The Illawarra Hawks bounced back from just a second loss of the season on Saturday to beat the Bankstown Bruins 92-77 on Sunday even with Todd Blanchfield and Matt Mims combining to shoot 1/17 from beyond the arc.

The Hawks were back home in Wollongong coming off their nine-game winning run ending on Saturday at the expense of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles while the Bruins were playing their lone game of the weekend having lost six of the past seven.

Determined to avoid back-to-back losses, Illawarra started strongly with 24 points to 14 in the first quarter and they were still leading 43-36 by the half-time break.

Illawarra maintained their control from there with the lead getting to as much as 16 before settling at 15 with them improving to 12-2 as a result.

Blanchfield had another 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists for Illawarra even while missing all nine three-point attempts with Mims ending up with 10 points and six rebounds with 1/8 from downtown.

Mason Peatling contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks, Mohamed Kone 19 points, eight boards, five assists and four steals, and Ethan Moss 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Bankstown are now 5- 9 with the defeat with Deonte Williams top scoring with 22 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Bismark Nsiah also had 10 points and seven rebounds, Angus Lake 10 points and six boards, Anthony Mundine III 10 points and three assists, and Ted Wolfe 13 points, eight boards, five assists and three steals.