East Wrap | Men's Round 8

Featured image: @DiscoveryOne_Photography, Greg Francis

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders handed Canberra a first loss as defending NBL1 East champions, Albury Wodonga Bandits got a first win, Central Coast Crusaders made it a double and so did Centre of Excellence and Maitland Mustangs.

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SATURDAY

Sutherland Sharks (99) lost to Central Coast Crusaders (104)

The Central Coast Crusaders snapped their six-game losing slide in style with the 104-99 overtime win over the Sutherland Sharks on the back of Garric Young's 28 points.

The Sharks were hosting the Crusaders at Sutherland Basketball Stadium having won their past two while Central Coast arrived on a six-match losing run.

Central Coast started well to chase that fourth win of the season to lead 25-23 by quarter-tim before Sutherland produced 34 points to 25 in the second term to be up 57-50 by half-time.

Sutherland's lead got out to 12 points in the third quarter and was still eight in the fourth before Central Coast hit back.

Suddenly the Crusaders were back up five with a minute to play before five quick points for Sutherland and then Tom Akamarmoi scored for Central Coast, and Harry Raynor hit two free for the Sharks to get the game to overtime.

Then in the extra period, the Crusaders put up 12 points to seven to score the five-point win to improve to a 4-7 record.

Garric Young led the charge for Central Coast with 28 points, seven rebounds and three steals with Tom Akamarmoi adding 16 points, eight boards and two steals.

Luke Cassidy also had 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Haidyn Gunderson 12 points, four boards and two steals, Aaron Redhead 12 points and nine rebounds, and Matur Maker nine points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

The Sharks are now 3-5 with the loss with Jason Spurgin producing 24 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Harry Raynor also had 23 points on 5/8 three-point shooting with Adrian Cabrera contributing 14 points, two rebounds and two assists, Bailey Macarthur 12 points and five boards, and Lochlan Hutchison 11 points and six assists.

Newcastle Falcons (69) lost to Illawarra Hawks (94)

Todd Blanchfield had another 25 points and six three-pointers but it was Mohamed Kone's turn to catch fire as well for 26 points with four triples as the Illawarra Hawks beat the Newcastle Falcons 94-69.

The Falcons hosted the Hawks at Newcastle Basketball Stadium looking to make it back-to-back wins up against an Illawarra team on a six-game winning streak.

The scores were all level at 23-23 by quarter-time before Newcastle took a 44-42 lead into half-time.

From there it was all the Hawks with 32 points to 12 in the third quarter and 20 to 13 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 25-point victory to improve to a 9-1 record with seven consecutive wins.

Mohamed Kone delivered 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the win for Illawarra on shooting 4/6 from behind the three-point arc.

Todd Blanchfield also put up another 25 points and 13 rebounds with 6/12 three-point shooting while Matt Mims added 12 points, nine assists and eight boards, and Mason Peatling 12 points and seven rebounds.

The Falcons are now 2-8 for the season with Mandrell Worthy delivering 21 points and five rebounds on 9/14 field goal shooting.

Elias Cato added 15 points, five rebounds and two steals, Matur Maluach 10 points, three boards and two assists, and Ryan Beisty nine points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Maitland Mustangs (102) defeated Hills Hornets (84)

Billy Parsons and Will Cranston-Lown combined for 38 points as the Maitland Mustangs made it three wins in the past four matches with the 102-84 home win against the Hills Hornets.

The Mustangs did come into the match up at Mojo Homes Center after a loss to the Newcastle Falcons while Hills arrived having lost their past four matches.

Maitland then made a strong start with 32 points in the first quarter with 12 of those from Cranston-Lown to set the tone for the rest of the evening before they completed the 18-point victory to improve to 5-5 on the season.

The Mustangs have now won three of their past four matches with Parsons putting up 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists while shooting 8/13 from the field.

Cranston-Lown had 12 points in the first quarter on the way to 19 for the game with five assists, four rebounds and two steals with 8/12 shooting and going 3/6 from downtown.

Reyne Smith also had 16 points and two assists, Daniel Millburn 12 points and three rebounds, James Beavis 11 points and two boards on 3/5 shooting from behind the arc, and Myles Cherry nine points, nine rebounds and six assists.

The Hornets are now 3-7 following the loss with Shaun Stewart fighting valiantly with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists with 4/5 three-point shooting.

Meekness Payne also contributed 18 points, five rebounds and two steals, Ned Carr 10 points, 10 boards and four blocks, Jacob Foy nine points and two rebounds, and Ben Williams eight points and three boards.

Bankstown Bruins (80) lost to Inner West Bulls (108)

Max Clark and Malok Majak combined for 53 points as the Inner West Bulls scored the impressive 108-80 win on the road to the Bankstown Bruins.

The Bruins were back home at Bankstown Basketball Stadium trying to snap a four-game losing slide while the Bulls arrived coming off a win against the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

It was a fast start from Inner West opening up an early 10-point lead before still being on top 28-20 by quarter-time before another 30 points to 18 in the second frame.

That saw the Bulls leading 58-38 by half-time before going on with the job from there with the lead growing to 27 points in the third quarter and 35 in the fourth before Bankstown did go on a 13-0 scoring run.

The Bulls still secured the 28-point win to improve to a 6-4 record with Max Clark producing 28 points, five rebounds and three assists with 8/15 three-point shooting.

Malok Majak also had 25 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals while Cooper Wilks contributed 16 points and eight boards, Louis Bleechmore 12 points and three assists, and Kobe Shannon eight points, three rebounds and three assists.

The Bruins are now 4-7 having lost five in-a-row with Ted Wolfe top scoring with 21 points, two steals and two blocked shots with 9/13 field goal shooting.

Deonte Williams also had 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, Alex Higgins-Titsha 11 points, 15 boards, three assists and two steals, and Angus Lake nine points on 3/3 three-point shooting.

Norths Bears (61) lost to Centre of Excellence (87)

Both teams came into the contest with combined 19-2 records for the season but it was the Centre of Excellence with the dominant display to beat the Norths Bears 87-61 on the back of a huge second half.

The Bears hosted the CoE at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre having won four straight with their opponents on a five-match winning streak setting up a tantalising match up.

Norths did get out to an eight-point lead in the first quarter but the Centre of Excellence hit back with an 8-0 run to be leading 16-15 by quarter-time.

The CoE then added 23 points to 18 in the second term to go up 39-33 by half-time before another 17 points to 12 in the third frame, and 31 to 16 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 26-point victory.

It's six straight wins for the Centre of Excellence to be 10-1 on the season with Ajak Nyuon starring with 25 points and 11 rebounds on 8/12 field goal shooting and 8/9 at the foul line.

Jai Fa'ale provided another 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, Alex Dickeson 17 points, nine rebounds and five steals, and Luke Paul seven points, six assists and four boards.

The Bears are now 10-2 on the season with the defeat with Lachlan Bofinger producing another 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk added 11 points and three rebounds, Iggy Mitchell nine points, 10 boards, four assists and three blocks, and Bailey Hanson six points.

Canberra Gunners (63) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (73)

The unbeaten run of the defending champion Canberra Gunners is over with Davo Hickey and the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders beating them 73-63.

On the back of winning last year's NBL1 East and National championships, the Gunners have started the season with eight straight wins ahead of hosting the Spiders at Southern Cross Stadium in Tuggeranong.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai arrived trying to avoid a third straight defeat but it was Canberra leading 21-19 by quarter-time.

The Gunners then got up seven early in the second quarter but the Spiders were able to limit them to just 12 points for the term in the end and by half-time it was the visitors leading 35-33.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai then kept that momentum going in the third term with another 23 points to 11 and then ended up leading by 18 and even resisted an 11-0 run from Canberra to hold on and secure the 10-point win.

The win improves the Spiders to 2-8 on the season with Davo Hickey producing 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds with Daniel Titus adding 17 points, 11 boards, four assists and two steals.

Alex Sidhu top scored with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists with Martez Brown adding six points and 10 boards.

The Gunners are now 8-1 with the loss with Glenn Morison finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds with James Toohey adding 12 points and three rebounds with 4/8 three-point shooting.

Will Mayfield also had nine points, seven rebounds, six steals and five assists.

Sydney Comets (85) defeated Albury Wodonga Bandits (68)

The Sydney Comets built a 27-point lead and then held out the Albury Wodonga Bandits for the 85-68 home victory.

Sydney were back home at Comets Stadium trying to bounce back from a loss to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles with the Bandits still hunting a first win of 2026.

The Comets started strongly with 18 points to 11 in the first quarter before another 29 to 19 in the second term to go into half-time leading 47-30.

Sydney had another 19 points to 14 in the third frame and then the Comets lead got out to 27 early in the final term and even with Albury Wodonga putting up 24 points in the last term, the home team still prevailed by 17.

The Comets improve to a 6-5 record with the win with Akil Douglas finishing with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists with 4/6 three-point shooting.

Obi Kyei added 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Viliami Foketi    10 points and two steals, Ahmed Barba-Bey 10 points and two assists, and Johnny Crnogorac nine points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.

Albury Wodonga are now 0-10 with the loss with Kevion Blaylock finishing with 18 points and five rebounds with Christian Cook adding 15 points and four boards, Lochlan Cummings 13 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Sam Webb nine points, eight boards and two assists.

SUNDAY

Centre of Excellence (70) defeated Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (60)

It was a good test for the Centre of Excellence up against NBL star Davo Hickey and they were up for the challenge with the 70-60 win to improve to an 11-1 record for the season.

Both teams came into the match up at the Australian Institute of Sport coming off wins on Saturday with the CoE beating the Norths Bears by 26 points while the Spiders handed the defending champion Canberra Gunners a first loss of 2026.

That meant both teams were feeling good about themselves coming into the match up but the CoE did work on top early and never surrendered the advantage even though Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai had pulled back within four by three quarter-time.

The Centre of Excellence continued to have all the answers to end up winning by 10 points to make it seven wins in-a-row and to improve to 11-1 on the season with the Spiders now 2-9 after splitting their double header weekend against two top teams.

It was another impressive all-round performance from the Centre of Excellence with NBL Next Star Luke Paul delivering 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals including a massive late dunk to help secure the win.

Jai Fa'ale continued his impressive form with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists with Alex Dickson adding 10 points and two steals, and Ajak Nyuon eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Davo Hickey finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai on a rollercoaster afternoon that saw him shoot 7/19 from the floor and have seven turnovers along the way.

Harry Evans also had 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks for the Spiders, Jackson Smyth 12 points, and Alex Sidhu four points with nine rebounds and two assists.

Maitland Mustangs (85) defeated Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (61)

The Maitland Mustangs continued a mighty impressive weekend double with the 85-61 home win on Sunday against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

The Mustangs were back home at Mojo Homes Centre coming off the 18-point Saturday night win over the Hills Hornets with the Sea Eagles making their lone appearance of the weekend and having won eight of the last nine.

The Mustangs started well once again with 28 points to 19 in the first quarter before a dominant second period with 25 points to nine to go into half-time with the 53-28 advantage.

The lead for Maitland got out to 27 points in the second half as well before they secured the 24-point win to make it two wins for the weekend to improve to a 6-5 record.

Reyne Smith went 4/14 from behind the arc on the way to 28 points and three steals for the Mustangs with Will Cranston-Lown adding 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Billy Parsons contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds with Myles Cherry contributing eight points and two assists, and Ben Matthews five points, six rebounds and two steals.

Manly Warringah are now 8-3 following the loss with Quinn Slazinski continuing his standout form despite the result with 23 points and 12 rebounds with 9/11 foul shooting.

Stefan Valkovic added 11 points and five rebounds, Jamie Munro nine points and five boards, and Isaiah Lee six points and three rebounds.

Inner West Bulls (80) lost to Albury Wodonga Bandits (98)

The Albury Wodonga Bandits are on the board for 2026 with the 98-80 road win over the Inner West Bulls with Christian Cook and Lochlan Cummings putting up 28 points apiece.

Both teams were coming playing on Saturday night where the Bulls beat the Bankstown Bruins by 28 points while the Bandits went down to the Sydney Comets by 17 ahead of doing battle at Concord Recreational Centre.

Chasing that elusive first win of the season, Albury Wodonga started well with 23 points to 20 in the first quarter and then another 22 to 13 in the second to be leading 45-33 at half-time.

The Bandits went on with the job from there with another 30 points to 19 in the third quarter to open up a 23-point advantage and went on to score the 18-point victory.

Albury Wodonga are now 1-10 as a result of the first win for 2026 with Christian Cook delivering 28 points and six assists with Lochlan Cummings adding 28 points and two assists with 6/7 three-point shooting.

Kevion Blaylock added 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and Marcus La Spina 10 points and seven boards.

Inner West are now 6-5 having split their weekend double with Louis Bleechmore top scoring with 21 points, five rebounds and two assists on 7/11 shooting.

Max Clark added 14 points and seven assists, Malok Majak 11 points and seven rebounds, and Cooper Wilks 11 points, four boards and two blocked shots.

Central Coast Crusaders (89) defeated Penrith Panthers (83)

The Central Coast Crusaders made it a double win weekend with the 89-83 Sunday win over the Penrith Panthers with Matur Maker delivering 23 points and 16 rebounds.

The Crusaders snapped their six-game losing run the night before against the Sutherland Sharks in overtime and backed up hosting the Panthers at Guzman y Gomez Stadium on Sunday.

Penrith were playing their only game of the round and started well getting out to a 12-point lead in the second quarter and they were still leading 50-45.

Central Coast took over in the second half starting with 24 points to 17 in the third frame and then 20 to 16 in the fourth on the way to the six-point victory to make it a double win weekend and improve to 5-7.

Matur Maker starred in the win for the Crusaders for 23 points, 16 rebounds and three steals with 13/16 free-throw shooting.

Tom Akamarmoi also had 16 points, two assists and two steals, Aaron Redhead 18 points and 16 rebounds, Luke Cassidy 13 points, 11 assists, six boards and four steals, Haidyn Gunderson nine points, and Garric Young eight points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Penrith are now 1-9 having lost their past four matches with Simun Krpez putting up 32 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals on 4/8 three-point shooting.

Jett Hickson added 21 points and six rebounds, Brodie Schwarzer nine points on 3/6 three-point shooting, and Ben Kearins eight points, six rebounds and five assists.