East Wrap | Men's Round 5

Reyne Smith had 37 points, Quinn Slazinski 36, Mason Peatling 32, Darnell Hoskins 32, Malok Majak 31 and Todd Blanchfield a triple double in NBL1 East wins for Maitland Mustangs, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, Illawarra Hawks, Inner West Bulls and Canberra Gunners.

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | MAJAK STARS AS BULLS WIN AGAIN

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | PEATLING, BLANCHFIELD HAND COE FIRST LOSS

>> EAST WRAP | MEN'S ANZAC ROUND

SATURDAY

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (82) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (71)

Quinn Slazinski lit it up with 36 points and six three-pointers as the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles made it six straight with the 82-71 win over the Central Coast Crusaders.

The Sea Eagles were back home at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre putting their winning run on the line against a Crusaders outfit having lost three in-a-row.

It was Central Coast who defied that recent form with 23 points to 16 in the first quarter and the Crusaders were still clinging to the 42-40 half-time edge.

The Sea Eagles worked on top in the third team and then with 24 points to 17 in the last secured the 11-point victory to make it six straight and improve to 6-1.

Slazinski continued the outstanding start to his NBL1 career with another 36 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals in the win with 6/17 three-point shooting and going 8/9 at the foul line.

Isaiah Lee added 10 points, four assists and three rebounds, Emmanuel Tshimanga nine points and 19 boards, Oliver Hammond eight points and five assists, and Jack Giddens six points, six rebounds and two blocks.

The Crusaders have now lost four in-a-row to be 3-5 with Aaron Redhead delivering 19 points and 17 rebounds with Seth Chapman adding 13 points, seven boards and three assists, and Luke Cassidy nine points and nine assists.

Hills Hornets (62) lost to Norths Bears (92)

It was a dominant performance on the road as the Norths Bears responded to their first loss of the season with the 92-62 win against the Hills Hornets.

The Hornets were back home at Hills Basketball Stadium trying to make it three straight with the Bulls fresh off a first defeat at the hands of the Illawarra Hawks last Sunday.

The Bears made a hot start with 25 points to 15 in the opening period and then that lead blew out to 24 in the second term and by half-time Norths were in control leading 47-23.

Hills managed just the eight points in the second quarter and while they managed 20 in response in the third, Norths had another 26 as that advantage got out to 33.

It was 36 in the last quarter too and then the Bears completed the 30-point victory to improve to 7-1 and bounce back emphatically from last Sunday's loss.

Lachlan Bofinger top-scored for Norths with 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals but he had plenty of help with five teammates also scoring in double digits.

Iggy Mitchell had 13 points and seven rebounds, Matthew Wacher 12 points, two boards and two steals, Lewis Holey 11 points and seven rebounds, Fabijan Krslovic 11 points, seven boards and five assists, and Bailey Hanson 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

The Hornets are now 3-3 following the home loss with Shaun Stewart finishing with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Ned Carr also had 10 points and 10 rebounds, Liam Moss five points, two boards and two assists, Saxon Orsini five points and two steals, Jacob Foy five points, two rebounds and two steals, and Gum Majak five points and four boards.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (69) lost to Sydney Comets (92)

The Sydney Comets returned to the winner's list with Akil Douglas showing the way with 22 points in their 92-69 road win against the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

The Spiders were back home at The Brickpit still hunting a first win of the season with the Comets arriving also having lost their past couple.

It was just a two-point lead at the end of the first quarter in favour of Sydney but then they were able to open up an eight-point edge in the second frame, and go into half-time still on top 44-38.

The Comets then asserted their authority further with 28 points to 14 in the third quarter before that lead blew out to 26 in the last term on the way to the eventual 23-point victory.

Sydney improves to 4-3 with the big win with Douglas delivering 22 points and five rebounds on 10/16 field goal shooting.

Ahmed Barba-Bey also had 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, Ethan Marten-Coney 12 points, six boards and three assists, and Chol Adup 11 points and three rebounds.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai are now 0-6 with the loss with Daniel Titus finishing with 20 points, four rebounds and two steals with Martez Brown adding eight points, 15 boards and three blocks, Lachlan Arnot eight points and four steals, and Nathaniel Chappell eight points and four rebounds.

Bankstown Bruins (78) lost to Maitland Mustangs (104)

The Maitland Mustangs produced a dominant performance on the road to beat the Bankstown Bruins 104-78 on the back of Reyne Smith catching fire with 37 points and six three-pointers.

The Bruins were back home at Bankstown Basketball Stadium hunting a fourth win in-a-row with Maitland trying to bounce back from last week's defeated at the hands of the Centre of Excellence.

It was then Bankstown leading by two by the end of one before Maitland put up 34 points in the second frame on the way to the 50-46 half-time advantage.

The Mustangs then saw their lead grow to 14 points in the third period and 26 in the last which was the final margin as they improved to a 3-4 record as a result.

Cairns Taipans NBL sniper Reyne Smith had a frustrating day against the CoE last week but hit back with 37 points and six rebounds while shooting 14/20 from the field and 6/10 from beyond the arc.

Billy Parsons also had 20 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for the Mustangs, Will Cranston-Lown 19 points, six assists and four boards, Daniel Millburn 10 points and three rebounds, and Ben Matthews four points, eight boards and five steals.

The Bruins are now 4-3 following the heavy home defeat with Alex Higgins-Titsha finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and two block, Anthony Mundine III 20 points and three boards, and Jason Cadee 15 points and five assists.

 

Illawarra Hawks (107) defeated Centre of Excellence (95)

Mason Peatling put up 32 points and Todd Blanchfield delivered a triple double as the NBL veterans led the Illawarra Hawks to hand the Centre of Excellence a first loss with the 107-95 victory.

The CoE arrived at The Snakepit in Wollongong on Saturday night having won their first four matches of the season as they took on a Hawks team having made the Grand Final in 2025 and lost just once in six games.

It was in the second quarter when the Hawks began to pull away and by half-time Blanchfield and Matt Mims had combined for 30 points and 8/15 three-point shooting.

Mason Peatling then got rolling in the second half and the end result was the 12-point victory for the Hawks as they improve to 6-1 on the season with four on the trot with the CoE now 4-1 after a first defeat of 2026.

It was a hot shooting performance by the Hawks as they ended up going 18/41 at 44 per cent from long range with Blanchfield, Mims and Peatling combining to go 14/31.

Peatling top-scored for Illawarra with 32 points, six rebounds and two assists on 13/19 shooting from the floor and 4/7 from behind the three-point arc.

Blanchfield still scored 25 points but did plenty more for a triple double made up of 11 rebounds and 10 assists while still shooting 5/12 from three-point range.

Mims provided another 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals with Mohamed Kone contributing 13 points, six boards, three steals and two assists, and Ethan Moss six points, four assists, three boards and two steals.

Alex Dickeson once again delivered a standout performance with 21 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks with Ajak Nyuon contributing 20 points and five boards.

Jai Faale also had 19 points and three assists, Will Hamilton 10 points and five rebounds, Isaac Riddle eight points and four boards, and NBL Next Star Luke Paul five points, five rebounds and four assists.

Sutherland Sharks (58) lost to Newcastle Falcons (77)

The Newcastle Falcons produced a standout defensive performance on the way to the 77-58 win over the Sutherland Sharks to score their first victor of 2026.

The Sharks were back home at Sutherland Basketball Stadium looking for a second win of 2026 with the Falcons still trying to get on the board.

Newcastle were just leading 19-17 by quarter-time and then 36-29 at half-time and 54-44 by half-time before a dominant final period with 23 points to 14 to secure the eventual 19-point victory.

The Falcons restricted the Sharks to just 58 points for 40 minutes with 28 per cent shooting from the field and 3/25 from three-point range while forcing them into 19 turnovers.

Newcastle are now 1-5 with the first win of the season with Mandrell Worthy delivering 23 points and three assists, Jude Jennings 23 points, four assists and three rebounds, Jai Smith nine points and five boards, and Ryan Beisty pulling down 17 rebounds.

The Sharks have now lost three straight at 1-4 with Bailey MacArthur top-scoring with 18 points, four rebounds and two assists with Lucas Walker adding 11 points, five boards and three stelas, Ryan Abbott seven points and 11 rebounds, and Luke Jamieson dishing out 11 assists.

Canberra Gunners (115) defeated Albury Wodonga Bandits (75)

The defending champion Canberra Gunners flexed their muscles once again at home with the dominant 115-75 win over the Albury Wodonga Bandits with Darnell Hoskins delivering 32 points with nine three-pointers.

Coming off not only winning an NBL1 East championship in 2025 but also being National Champions and doing it on their home floor, the Gunners were back at Tuggeranong on Saturday having won all five matches of 2026.

There had been some close including last week over the Penrith Panthers while the Bandits arrived still hunting a first win of the season.

That job became all that tougher when the Gunners put up 27 points to 16 in the first quarter and then another 33 to 19 in the second to go into half-time on top 60-35.

Canberra went on with the job from there with 21 points to 17 in the third term and 34 to 23 in the fourth on the way to the massive 40-point win to make six straight for the season and 11 in-a-row dating back to 2025.

Darnell Hoskins was outstanding with 32 points and two assists with 9/15 three-point shooting while James Toohey had another 16 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals, and Glenn Morison 14 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Edwards Bigg-Wither also had 12 points, five rebounds and two assists with out missing a shot, Will Mayfield 11 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Evan Wardlow 10 points, five assists, three boards and three steals.

The Bandits are now 0-6 to open 2026 with Kevion Blaylock top-scoring with 25 points, seven rebounds and two assists with Christian Cook contributing 14 points and five assists, and Lochlan Cummings 14 points, four boards and three assists.

SUNDAY

Centre of Excellence (113) defeated Albury Wodonga Bandits (72)

The Centre of Excellence suffered a first loss of the season the night before but they hit back emphatically on Sunday with the 113-72 home win against the winless Albury Wodonga Bandits.

After winning their first four games of 2026, the CoE went down to the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday night ahead of returning to the Australian Institute of Sport to host a Bandits team coming off a 40-point loss the previous evening to the Canberra Gunners.

The Centre of Excellence started on fire going on a 15-0 run on the way to the 30-16 lead at quarter-time before another 28 points to 19 in the second term to be on top 58-35 at half-time.

It was more of the same through the second half with the CoE ending up leading by as much as 44 in the second half on the way to the eventual 41-point win to improve their season to 5-1.

Will Hamilton finished with 23 points and three rebounds with 5/10 three-point shooting while Jai Faale had 22 points, eight assists and seven boards, and Yahya Basaran 12 points and six rebounds.

Alex Dickeson also had 11 points, four rebounds and two assists, Antonio Browne 10 points, four boards and two steals, and Ajak Nyuon eight points and six rebounds.

The Bandits are now 0-7 having lost their two games in the nation's capital this weekend by a combined 81 points.

Kevion Blaylock finished with 16 points and six rebounds with Lochlan Cummings adding 15 points, two boards and two assists, Christian Cook 12 points, three rebounds and three steals, and Majok Majok 12 points and seven boards.

Penrith Panthers (68) defeated Sydney Comets (67)

If the Penrith Panthers were going to break their drought it was always going to come in dramatic fashion and that's what happened in their 68-67 Sunday home win against the Sydney Comets.

The Panthers were back home at Minto Indoor Sports Centre having lost the first five games of 2026 but also 15 in-a-row dating back to last season as they hosted a Comets team who were fresh off a big Saturday win over the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

The two teams only combined for 23 first quarter points with the Comets leading 12-11 by quarter-time but they picked it up in the second to go into half-time on top 37-29.

The Panthers were going to have to dig deep to get that first win and that's what they did and by the time they went on a 10-0 scoring run topped off by a Ben Kearins three ball, they were up nine in the fourth quarter.

Sydney stormed back and when Ahmed Barba-Bey hit a technical free-throw with a couple of seconds left, the scores were all level.

However, on that same play Jesse Weinstein drew the foul and he stepped up to the line for the Panthers and hit the second to deliver them the one-point victory.

It's a first win for the Panthers since May 17 last year with Simun Krpez putting up 21 points, three rebounds, three blocks and two assists with 4/7 three-point shooting.

Brodie Schwarzer added 13 points and two rebounds, Jack Ticic 12 points, nine boards and two steals, Jett Hickson eight points, 10 rebounds and five steals, and Ben Kearins eight points, four boards, three assists and two steals.

Ahmed Barba-Bey finished with 11 points and four rebounds for the now 4-4 Comets with Akil Douglas adding 15 points and eight boards, Ethan Marten-Coney 10 points and five rebounds, and Obi Kyei eight points, six boards and four assists.

Newcastle Falcons (81) lost to Inner West Bulls (86)

Malok Majak had a huge afternoon with 31 points and 14 rebounds as the Inner West Bulls made it consecutive wins by holding out the Newcastle Falcons 86-81 for the Sunday road victory.

The Bulls got back on the winner's list last Sunday against the Central Coast Crusaders following three straight losses and this Sunday's clash with the Falcons at Newcastle Basketball Stadium was their first game since then.

Newcastle were back on their home floor having scored their first win of 2026 the night before on the road to the Sutherland Sharks.

After a close battle for three quarters, the Bulls opened up a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and then held out the fast finishing Falcons to complete the five-point victory to improve to 4-3 on the season with Newcastle now 1-6.

Malok Majak finished with 31 points and 14 rebounds in the win for Inner West with Jasper Rentoy adding 11 points and five assists, and Louis Bleechmore 11 points and seven rebounds.

Cooper Wilks also had 10 points and four rebounds, and Maxwell Clark 10 points, five assists, four boards and three steals.

Newcastle couldn’t quite back up their Saturday road win over the Sutherland Sharks but Mandrell Worthy delivered a massive second half to try and give them a sniff.

He finished with 26 points on 10/20 shooting from the floor, 2/5 from three-point territory and 4/4 at the charity stripe before fouling out.

Matur Maluach had 10 of his 16 points in the first half to go with five rebounds on 6/11 field goal shooting while Ryan Beisty contributed 14 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Jude Jennings also had 10 points, four rebounds and two assists, Jai Smith six points and eight boards, and Jaidyn Goodwin five points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals.