East Wrap | Men's Round 6

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Reyne Smith drained 12 triples for 43 points in a big Maitland Mustangs NBL1 East win as Davo Hickey got Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders on the board with Quinn Slazinski putting up 55 in two Manly Warringah Sea Eagles games while Adrian Cabrera had 32 for Sutherland Sharks.

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | SHARKS PREVAIL AFTER BRUINS LOSE CADEE

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | BLANCH STARTS HOT AND HAWKS WIN BIG

>> MIMS WILLING TO SHOOT BIG TO ACHIEVE DREAMS

>> EAST WRAP | MEN'S ROUND 5

SATURDAY

Centre of Excellence (96) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (74)

The Centre of Excellence proved too strong at home beating the Central Coast Crusaders 96-74 with Jai Faale leading the deep team effort with 20 points.

The CoE were back home at the Australian Institute of Sport having bounced back from a loss to the Illawarra Hawks by beating the Albury Wodonga Bandits while the Crusaders arrived having lost their past four.

Central Coast were on a mission to change that and put up 33 points in the first quarter on the way to leading by as much as 13 in the second term before the Centre of Excellence got going.

The CoE had assumed the 54-51 lead by half-time before they then outscored the Crusaders 42 points to 23 across the second half on the way to the eventual 22-point victory.

The Centre of Excellence improve to 6-1 with the win with Jai Faale providing 20 points, three rebounds and two steals on 7/8 free-throw shooting.

Ajak Nyuon added 13 points and six rebounds, Alex Dickeson 11 points, four assists, two boards and two steals, Luke Paul 11 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals, and Isaac Riddle seven points and two boards.

The Crusaders have now lost five in-a-row to be 3-6 with Aaron Redhead putting up 26 points and five rebounds with 5/9 three-point shooting.

Ian Lavalaye added 16 points and three rebounds, and Haidyn Gunderson seven points and five boards.

Inner West Bulls (76) lost to Illawarra Hawks (97)

Todd Blanchfield lit it up with 18 first-quarter points to set the tone for the Illawarra Hawks before they went on to score the thumping 97-76 win over the Inner West Bulls to make it five in-a-row.

The Hawks are building nicely this season with Mason Peatling settling in alongside Blanchfield and Matt Mims as they look to go one better than their heartbreaking Grand Final loss last year to the Canberra Gunners.

They arrived at Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatics Centre having won four straight but the Bulls had been building momentum too having won their past couple.

But the Hawks opened up an 11-point lead by quarter-time on the back of 18 points and four triples from Blanchfield and then went on with the job from there for the eventual 21-point victory to improve to 7-1.

Blanchfield made a blistering start for the Hawks with the 18 first-quarter points on his way to 31 for the game with 14 rebounds, five assists and three blocks with 7/12 three-point shooting and 12/19 overall from the floor.

Mason Peatling also had 20 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks while Philip Dopud contributed 14 points and six rebounds, Mohamed Kone 16 points, five boards and five assists, and Matt Mims eight points, seven rebounds, six steals and five assists.

The Bulls might not have quite been able to make it three straight wins but Kobe Shannon did have a strong showing with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists with 4/11 three-point shooting.

Louis Bleechmore added 18 points and six rebounds also going 4/9 from behind the arc while Malok Majak had a hot start with 13 points in the first quarter but only finished with 15 to go with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals on 6/17 shooting.

Bankstown Bruins (82) defeated Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (65)

Quinn Slazinski continued the stunning start to his NBL1 career with another 33 points to lead the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to the 107-98 road win over the Bankstown Bruins.

The Bruins were home at Bankstown Basketball Stadium trying to avoid consecutive losses up against a Sea Eagles outfit having won six straight.

Manly Warringah did open up a seven-point lead in the first quarter before leading by three after one, and then opening up a 50-42 advantage by half-time.

The Sea Eagles then pushed out to an 18-point lead in the third quarter and 20 in the fourth before ending up winning by nine after the Bruins did put up 33 points in the last term.

Manly Warringah have now won seven straight to be 7-1 with Slazinski starring once more with 33 points, eight assists, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks with 5/8 three-point shooting and going 12/15 at the stripe.

Isaiah Lee added 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists with Stefan Valkovic adding 23 points and five boards on 5/8 shooting from behind the arc, Clancy Bird 10 points and three rebounds, and Eromon Uadiale six points and three boards.

Bankstown are now 4-4 following the loss with Alex Higgins-Titsha putting up 28 points, nine rebounds and two assists on 11/15 field goal shooting.

Deonte Williams added 27 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, Ted Wolfe 16 points, eight boards, five assists and two blocks, Zeke Evans 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals, Anthony Mundine III eight points and three boards, and Jason Cadee seven points and seven assists.

Norths Bears (95) defeated Newcastle Falcons (80)

The Norths Bears maintained their hold on second place with the 95-80 home victory against the Newcastle Falcons.

The Bears bounce back to beat the Hills Hornets last week following their first loss of the season to the Illawarra Hawks while Newcastle arrived at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre with just one so far in 2026.

The Falcons started well to be leading 20-17 by quarter-time having been up by as much as nine before the Bears took over in the second frame with 32 points to 21 to go into half-time on top 49-41.

It was another 20 points to 16 in the third quarter and 26 to 23 in the fourth for Norths to score the 15-point victory and improve to 8-1 on the season as a result.

Lachlan Bofinger finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals with 9/14 field goal shooting while Iggy Mitchell added 18 points, seven boards and four assists.

Fabijan Krslovic also had 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks, Matthew Wacher 12 points, six assists and four boards, and Ben Gill nine points and five rebounds.

Newcastle are now 1-7 with Mandrell Worthy putting up 22 points with five rebounds, two assists and two steals while Matur Maluach contributed 15 points and five boards, Jaidyn Goodwin 15 points and three assists, and Ryan Beisty 11 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Penrith Panthers (61) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring Gai Spiders (76)

Davo Hickey was on board for the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders and helped them to the 76-61 road win over the Penrith Panthers.

The Illawarra Hawks NBL championship hero of just over 12 months ago joined the Spiders during the week as they were hunting a first win up against the Panthers at Minto Indoor Sports Centre who had won just once so far in 2026.

With Hickey in the line-up the Spiders made a fast start with 30 points to 14 in the opening quarter having gone on a 19-0 scoring run.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai then maintained their advantage the rest of the way to lead by as much as 20 points in the second half on the way to the 15-point triumph to be on the board for 2026 after six consecutive defeats.

Hickey made an immediate impact for the Spiders finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks despite the seven turnovers to go with it in his 32 minutes.

Martez Brown also had 16 points, three rebounds and three steals, Alexander Sidhu 15 points, 10 boards and two assists, Jackson Smyth nine points, two assists and two steals, and Daniel Titus seven points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four blocks.

The Panthers are now 1-6 following the loss with Simon Krpez providing 19 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks while Ben Kearins added 10 points, five boards and four assists, and Jett Hickson eight points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Albury Wodonga Bandits (79) lost to Maitland Mustangs (103)

Reyne Smith had a record setting night for the Maitland Mustangs draining 12 three-pointers for 43 points to lead them to the 103-71 win over the Albury Wodonga Bandits.

The Bandits were back home at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre still hunting a first win of 2026 while the Mustangs arrived coming off a win against the Bankstown Bruins.

It was just a two-point lead for the Mustangs by quarter-time before they put up 31 points to 21 in the second term to go into half-time leading 58-46.

It was more of the same through the second half with the lead for Maitland growing to 32 points in the last quarter before they scored the 24-point victory to improve to a 4-4 record as a result.

Smith had a night out with an NBL equalling 12 three-pointers from 19 attempts on his way to 43 points, two assists and two steals.

Will Cranston-Lown added 13 points, five assists and three rebounds, Billy Parsons 11 points, 10 boards and two assists, Cooper Crowe nine points and two assists, and Isaac Testoni nine points, three boards and two assists.

Albury Wodonga are now 0-8 following the home defeat with Christian Cook providing 29 points and two assists with Kevion Blaylock adding 26 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Sydney Comets (79) defeated Hills Hornets (74)

The Sydney Comets needed overtime but ended up prevailing 79-74 at home against the Hills Hornets.

The Comets were back home at Comets Stadium trying to get back to the winner's list to take on a Hornets team also fresh off a loss to the Norths Bears.

Sydney started well at home to lead 19-14 by quarter-time before Hills hit back with 23 to 17 in the second term to go into half-time leading 37-36.

It remained a tight battle the entire second half with no more than four points separating the two teams with Shaun Stewart scoring to put the Hornets up three with 1:45 to play before Akil Douglas made it a one-point game and then a free-throw from Goc Malual took it to overtime.

And in the extra period the Comets took charge with 11 points to six on the way to the five-point victory to improve to a 5-4 record.

Douglas ended up with 24 points and five rebounds with 3/5 three-point shooting for Sydney with Obi Kyei adding 20 points, eight boards, three steals, three blocks and two assists, Ahmed Barba-Bey 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals, and Malual 11 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks.

The Hornets are 3-4 following the loss with Meekness Payne providing 19 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists with Stewart adding 17 points, 10 boards and three assists, Pafe Momoisea 12 points, and Gum Majak six points and eight rebounds.

SUNDAY

Centre of Excellence (73) defeated Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (60)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles weren’t able to take their momentum with them to Canberra on Sunday managing just the 60 points on the way to losing to Centre of Excellence 73-60.

The Sea Eagles had won seven straight coming into the match up including beating the Bankstown Bruins the night before while the CoE also were fresh off bating the Central Coast Crusaders.

The Centre of Excellence then dominated from the outset with 23 points to seven in the first quarter before leading 37-22 by half-time.

Manly Warringah did put up 26 points in the third frame but they could never quite get on top and the Centre of Excellence pulled away once more to lead by 15 and go on to win by 13 to snap the winning run of the Sea Eagles.

The CoE improves to 7-1 with the double win weekend with Jai Faale delivering another 16 points and two rebounds with Alex Dickeson adding 15 points, two boards and two steals, Luke Paul 11 points and five rebounds, Antonio Browne nine points, and Jongkuch Mach seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

The Sea Eagles saw their seven-game winning streak end with them now 7-2 as a result with Quinn Slazinski still managing another 22 points with 3/6 three-point shooting.

Isaiah Lee also had 16 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals, and Eromon Uadiale pulled down 10 rebounds.

Norths Bears (102) defeated Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (96)

Davo Hickey couldn’t quite lift the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders to a second win of the weekend with the Norths Bears prevailing in a thriller 102-96 on their home floor.

Both teams arrived at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre having played on Saturday with the Bears beating the Newcastle Falcons also at home while the Spiders scored their first win beating the Penrith Panthers having welcomed in NBL star Hickey.

That set up a mouth watering Sunday clash and by quarter-time it was the Bears leading 26-18 but the Spiders hit back with 28 points to 28 in the second period to have scores locked at 46-46 by the half.

Eventually the Bears were able to see off the challenge of the Spiders to win by six and improve to a 9-1 record as a result.

Matthew Wacher provided 18 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks with Fabijan Krslovic contributing 18 points, five boards, four assists and two steals, and Lachlan Bofinger 17 points, 16 rebounds and three assists.

Iggy Mitchell also had 15 points, five assists and three rebounds, Bailey Hanson 15 points, six assists and four boards, and Robbie Moore 13 points and four rebounds.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai might have lost to now be 1-7 but showed how transformed they are with Hickey in the line-up who provided 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists even with another seven turnovers.

Jackson Smyth top scored with 21 points, three rebounds and three assists on 3/6 three-point shooting with Daniel Titus adding 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, Martez Brown 13 points, 13 boards and four assists, and Alexander Sidhu 10 points and three rebounds.

Hills Hornets (77) lost to Canberra Gunners (103)

The perfect start to the championship defence of the Canberra Gunners continued with the 103-77 road win against the Hills Hornets.

The Hornets were back home at Hills Basketball Stadium coming off a thrilling loss on Saturday to the Sydney Comets with the Gunners arriving for their lone appearance of the weekend still yet to lose in 2026.

Canberra started strongly with 28 points to 19 in the first quarter before another 24 to 15 in the second frame on the way to the 52-34 half-time advantage.

It was another 19 points to 13 in the third period and 32 to 30 in the last with the Gunners improving to 7-0 as defending champions with the 26-point victory.

Glenn Morison top-scored for Canberra with 21 points, six assists and five rebounds with Cameron Pender adding 19 points and eight boards, and Will Rice 18 points and five rebounds.

Will Mayfield also provided 13 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, DJ Hoskins eight points and three assists, and Evan Wardlow seven points, five assists and three rebounds.

The Hornets are now 3-5 after the pair of losses for the weekend with Shaun Stewart delivering 20 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Ned Carr added 14 points, eight rebounds and two steals, Josh Pain 13 points and three assists, and Jacob Foy eight points, two rebounds and two assists.

Bankstown Bruins (90) lost to Sutherland Sharks (97)

The Bankstown Bruins lost Jason Cadee to a hamstring injury and then Alex Higgins-Titsha fouled out with the Sutherland Sharks able to make the most of it with Adrian Cabrera huge in the 97-90 win.

The Bruins were back home at Bankstown Basketball Stadium looking to respond to the previous night's loss to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles while the Sharks were playing a first game since last Saturday's loss to the Newcastle Falcons.

Cadee helped Bankstown to the 7-2 start when he hit a triple but he soon was done for the day with a hamstring injury and then when Higgins-Titsha fouled out with six minutes to go, it was a big ask for the Bruins.

The Sharks weren’t in a charitable mood and ended up completing the seven-point win to snap their three-match losing run to improve to 2-4 with the Bruins now 4-5 after a pair of losses in less than 24 hours.

It's a second win of the season for Sutherland with Adrian Cabrera showing the way with 32 points, four rebounds and four assists with 8/12 field goal shooting and going 15/16 at the free-throw line.

Harry Raynor added 14 points, four rebounds and two assists while going 3/5 behind the three-point arc with Bailey MacArthur providing 12 points and two boards, and Lochlan Hutchison 11 points, six assists and three steals.

The Bruins did a good job to stay in touch after losing Jason Cadee halfway through the first quarter and then even after Alex Higgins-Titsha fouled out with six minutes to go after he had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Deonte Williams had a huge performance to finish with 29 points, seven rebounds, five steals and two assists with 10/12 free-throw shooting with Zeke Evans adding nine points and six boards, and Anthony Mundine III nine points with 3/5 shooting from downtown.