East Wrap | Women's Anzac Round

Featured image: Kye Santarossa | @kye.santarossa

The Central Coast Crusaders broke through for first NBL1 East win in nearly 12 months while there were two more wins for Bankstown Bruins and Norths Bears, and Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders won an overtime thriller over Maitland Mustangs.

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FRIDAY

Bankstown Bruins (94) defeated Sydney Comets (86)

Mikaya Pirini and Eryn Fisher kept fighting valiantly for the Sydney Comets but ultimately the 37 points first up this season from Shyla Heal was too much as the Bankstown Bruins prevailed 94-86.

Heal took a backseat in the first quarter with Margot De Freitas putting up 14 points before Heal had 13 in the second on her way to 37 in the game, but they could never quite shake the Comets.

Even though Bankstown built a 15-point lead on several occasions in the second half, Sydney kept on fighting even in the absence of Chantel Horvat before the Bruins secured the eight-point win to improve to a 3-2 record with the Comets now 2-3.

Heal might not have played since her last WNBL game with Geelong Venom back on February 7, but showed no signs whatsoever of rust with 37 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

De Freitas had 14 of her 16 points in the first quarter to go with 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Kiahna Davis-White also had 12 points and six rebounds, Tahlia Tupaea 10 points and seven assists, and Davida Dale six points, three rebounds and three assists.

Not only did Mikayla Pirini have the job of guarding Heal for a lot of the night, but also took on extra offensive responsibility to finish with 24 points, nine assists and six rebounds with 5/10 three-point shooting for the Comets.

Eryn Fisher had a big second half to end up with 18 points and nine rebounds on 6/11 shooting from the field and 6/8 at the stripe with Alexandra Kayrouz adding 14 points, two assists and two steals.

ANZAC DAY

Sydney Comets (59) lost to Norths Bears (70)

Jaz Shelley put up 30 points and nearly had a triple-double including steals as the Norths Bears stayed unbeaten with the 70-59 Anzac Day win over the Sydney Comets.

The Comets were facing their second big test in well under 24 hours after losing to Shyla Heal and the Bankstown Bruins on Friday as they backed up to host the Bears at Comets Stadium.

The Bears put their unbeaten record on the line and were up by four at quarter-time before both teams struggled offensively in the second with just the combined 15 points with Norths up 28-25 at half-time.

The Bears were then able to build on their lead throughout the second half getting up by as much as 13 and winning by 11 to improve to 6-0 as a result.

Shelly was on fire for the Bears on all fronts to deliver 30 points, eight rebounds, seven steals and four assists with 5/14 three-point shooting and going 9/11 at the stripe.

Tayla Brugler added 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Issy Morgan 13 points, seven boards, six steals and two blocks.

The Comets are now 2-4 on the season after two tough encounters this weekend with Eryn Fisher again standing tall for another 20 points and five rebounds with 8/9 free-throw shooting.

Alexandria Oliver added 14 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two assists, Mikayla Pirini seven points, eight assists and five boards, and Alexandra Kayrouz five points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Hills Hornets (81) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (54)

The Hills Hornets snapped their losing run with strong performances from all five starters in the 81-54 home victory on Anzac Day against the Central Coast Crusaders.

The Hornets were back home at Hills Basketball Stadium having lost their past three games while the Crusaders had lost 18 straight dating back to the back half of 2025.

Hills started strongly with 22 points to 11 in the first quarter and built that advantage to 14 in the second period, 24 in the third and 27 in fourth on the way to the eventual 27-point victory.

The win improves the Hornets to a 2-3 record with Kennedy Johnson top-scoring with 15 points, three rebounds and three steals.

Brooke Bjelko added 11 points and eight rebounds, Ella Gale 11 points, nine boards, four blocks and two assists, and Jade Kirisome 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The Crusaders are now 0-6 having lost 19 in-a-row with Nikki Worner finishing with 12 points and five rebounds, Leila Hefferman 12 points and five boards, Bronte Moore nine points and Tristan Black pulled down 10 rebounds.

Inner West Bulls (43) lost to Bankstown Bruins (99)

Seven Bankstown Bruins players scored in double-figures and Shyla Heal was only needed to add 10 in 15 minutes as they hammered the Inner West Bulls 99-43.

The Bruins arrived at Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatics Centre fresh off the Friday night win over the Sydney Comets where Heal made her return with 37 points.

They were away to a Bulls team still chasing a first win of 2026 but already by quarter-time the Bruins had 27 points on the board to be up by 14.

It was another 27 points to nine in the second period for Bankstown, 31 to 14 in the third and 14 to seven in the last for them to romp to the 56-point Anzac Day victory.

The Bruins improve to 4-2 with the double win weekend with Kiahna Davis-White finishing with 16 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two blocks, and Margot De Freitas 13 points and five boards.

Nadia Aukuso also had 12 points and seven rebounds, Jane Dunlop 11 points and six boards, Lily Austin 11 points, Heal 10 points, two assists and two steals, and Tahlia Tupaea 10 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals.

The Bulls are now 0-5 to start the season with Taylah Levy delivering 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Ai Matsumoto 10 points, three boards, two assists and two steals.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (91) defeated Maitland Mustangs (90)

The Anzac Day thriller took place at The Brickpit with the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders beating the Maitland Mustangs 91-90 in overtime with the game ultimately decided at the free-throw line.

The Spiders were still attempting to win a first game with Jessie-May Hall not in the line-up against a Mustangs team also on a two-game winning streak and they put on quite a show.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai were leading by two at half-time and went out to an 11-point lead in the third term, and were still up eight in the fourth, but they couldn’t ever shake the Mustangs.

It was Kasey Neubert who scored the last bucket of regulation with a minute to play for the Mustangs to tie scores up and it stayed at 82-82 by the time the buzzer went.

Then in overtime, Ay'Anna Bey hit a pair of free throws for the Spiders to level scores with just under a minute to play before she hit two more 30 seconds later to put her team up two.

Shakera Reilly then went to the line for Maitland up the other and made the first but missed the second only for Kate Love to grab the offensive rebound.

Reilly then had a chance to win the game with a three and so did Sara Matthews, but it wasn’t to be with Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai hanging on for the one-point overtime win.

The Spiders improve to 3-2 with the win with Ruby Perkins delivering 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Bey 21 points, 10 boards and two assists.

Kristina Moore added 16 points, four rebounds and two assists, Laya Hartman 11 points and five boards, and Lucy Mead eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Maitland are now 2-3 following the defeat with Reilly delivering 25 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals with 6/9 three-point shooting.

Kasey Neubert added 17 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks, Sara Matthews 16 points and five assists, and Jessalyn Finney 13 points, nine boards and two assists.

Illawarra Hawks (50) lost to Sutherland Sharks (80)

The Sutherland Sharks bounced back emphatically from a first loss of the season to beat the Illawarra Hawks 80-50.

Sutherland lost to the Norths Bears last Saturday ahead of arriving at The Snakepit on Anzac Day looking to hit back against a Hawks team coming off beating the Central Coast Crusaders.

The Sharks opened up a 13-point lead in the first quarter on the way to being up 43-30 at half-time and then going on with the job from there.

It was another 23 points to seven in the third period and 14 to 10 in the last to secure the 30-point victory to improve to a 3-1 record.

Abi Curtin top-scored for the Sharks with 27 points, seven rebounds and two steals with 4/5 three-point shooting while Lauren Nicholson added 16 points, seven assists and six boards.

Maddy Norris also had 12 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, Ella Dent 10 points, three boards, three steals and two assists, and Jordyn Dewhurst eight points.

Illawarra are now 2-3 on the season with Una Jovanovich finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds, Imogen Thompson 10 points and six boards, Asha Phillips nine points and six rebounds, and Charlotte Giles nine points and four boards.

Newcastle Falcons (71) defeated Centre of Excellence (65)

The Centre of Excellence returned to action with the first 12 points but the experience of the Newcastle Falcons ended up shining through as they overpowered them in the finish for the 71-65 win.

The CoE won their first two games against the Penrith Panthers and Bankstown Bruins but hadn’t played since March 29 ahead of taking on the Falcons at Newcastle Basketball Stadium.

The Centre of Excellence wasted no time getting rolling with a 12-0 run to start the game and they were still up by 14 in the third term, and by six in the fourth.

However, the experience of Newcastle came to the fore down the stretch with Nicole Munger having another huge performance with a near triple-double.

Newcastle improves to a 4-1 record after the come from behind win at home with the Centre of Excellence now 2-1.

Meg Jefferson delivered 21 points, seven rebounds and four steals in the win for Newcastle while Munger only narrowly missed another triple-double with 19 points, 11 boards, nine assists and two steals.

Kate Kingham also had 14 points, six rebounds and six assists, Rose Bond 11 points and four boards, and Isabelle Burns six points and five rebounds.

Given the CoE led by double-figures for a lot of the game, there was still a lot to like despite the first loss of the season with Isabel Smith ending up with 23 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

Olivia Olechnowicz also had 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, Zara Russell six points and six assists, Jemyma Manyok six points and six rebounds, and Reece Anticevic six points and three boards.

Albury Wodonga Bandits (86) lost to Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (94)

Emily Lytle and Unique Thompson combined for 61 points and 24 rebounds but it wasn’t quite enough for the Albury Wodonga Bandits with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles keeping their winning going with the 94-86 victory.

The Bandits played host to the defending champions at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre trying to end their winning run and they ended up giving it a good shot.

Manly Warringah did start well with 24 points to 18 in the first quarter before getting out to 12-point advantage in the second term to go into half-time on top 55-45.

Albury Wodonga hit back with 26 points to 19 in the third term and then the Bandits hit the front in the last quarter only for the Sea Eagles to fire back with 11 straight points to secure the eight-point victory and make it 25 straight victories as a result.

The Sea Eagles are 6-0 on the season with the win with Jayda Jansen delivering 21 points, three assists and three steals while hitting 3/5 from behind the arc.

Sari Mowbray added 20 points with 5/9 three-point shooting with Zoey Miller contributing 14 points, five assists and four rebounds, Josie Radan 13 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals, and Alex Delaney 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

The Bandits are now 2-3 following the defeat with Emily Lytle delivering 34 points, four assists and three rebounds with 5/11 three-point shooting.

Unique Thompson also had 27 points, 21 rebounds and two assists with Kijana McCowan adding nine points, six boards and two assists, and Emma Mahady eight points, two rebounds and two assists.

Canberra Nationals (73) defeated Penrith Panthers (52)

The Canberra Nationals got back to winning at home to the Penrith Panthers on Anzac Day with the 73-52 victory.

The Nationals were back at Tuggeranong looking to snap a two-game losing run while hosting a Panthers team also looking for a second win in 2026.

Canberra were only leading by four points at quarter-time and by seven at half-time before taking control further in the third frame with 23 points to 12.

From there the Nationals ended up winning by 21 to improve to 2-3 on the season with Caitie Jones still to join them to provide some added firepower.

Allison Day finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two steals for Canberra with Skye Rees contributing 17 points, nine boards and two assists, and Zara Funnell 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Jorja Langi, Callie Bourne and Jasmyn Boutzos all scored five points as well while Bourne also had 16 rebounds and nine assists.

The Panthers are now 1-4 on the season with the loss with Hannah Griffin contributing 19 points and two steals, and Tatiana Beaumont 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.

SUNDAY

Maitland Mustangs (64) lost to Centre of Excellence (73)

The Centre of Excellence were pushed by the Maitland Mustangs but ended up securing a first win since March 29 beating the Maitland Mustangs 73-64 on Sunday.

The CoE won their first two games of the season and then returned to action on Anzac Day only to lose a tight battle with the Newcastle Falcons ahead of taking on the Mustangs at Mojo Homes Centre.

Maitland also lost to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders in overtime on Anzac Day setting up the Sunday battle with the CoE leading by two at quarter-time and then taking control in the second term with an 18-0 scoring run.

That saw them leading by as much as 21 points and to still be in control at 45-27 by half-time.

But the Mustangs fired back in the second half to keep things interesting but the Centre of Excellence did enough to secure the nine-point win and improve to 3-1 on the season.

Zara Russell starred in the win for the CoE with 26 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals with Aspen Crase adding 12 points and eight boards, and Olivia Olechnowicz 10 points, six steals and four rebounds.

Maitland are now 2-4 following the two losses this weekend with Shakera Reilly delivering 18 points and seven rebounds with 5/12 three-point shooting.

Charlotte Cougle added 15 points, five steals and three rebounds, Kasey Neubert 12 points, 10 boards, two steals and two blocks, and Jessalyn Finney 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Central Coast Crusaders (78) defeated Inner West Bulls (65)

The drought is over for the Central Coast Crusaders with them avoiding a 20th straight defeat by celebrating at home on Sunday with the 78-65 victory against the Inner West Bulls.

Both teams came into the Sunday match up at Guzman y Gomez Stadium yet to win in 2026 with the Crusaders on a 19-game losing run with the Bulls having lost all five so far this year.

One of them was going to taste that winning feeling again and it was Central Coast at home who started on fire with 30 points to 13 in the first quarter.

That lead got out to 20 in the second frame and 23 in the third for the Crusaders and despite only six points in the last quarter, they held on for the 13-point victory.

It's a first win for Central Coast since May 3 last year with Nikki Worner finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Tristan Black added 17 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and three steals, Bronte Moore 10 points, three boards and three assists, Leila Heffernan nine points, eight rebounds and two assists, and Holly Handley eight points, three assists and two steals.

Taylah Levy did what she could to avoid a sixth straight loss to open 2026 for Inner West with 33 points, five rebounds and two assists with Mizuki Wakamatsu adding 16 points and four boards.

Illawarra Hawks (40) lost to Norths Bears (88)

The Norths Bears held the Illawarra Hawks to just 40 points in 40 minutes to put in another standout all-round performance to stay undefeated in the NBL1 East with the 88-40 Sunday victory.

The Bears arrived at The Snakepit having won their opening six matches of the season including on Anzac Day against the Sydney Comets with the Hawks having lost on Saturday as well at home to the Sutherland Sharks by 30 points.

Norths then asserted their dominance early and never let up to hold the Hawks to just 40 points and 14 made shots for the game while they led by as much as 51 before winning by 48 and improving to the perfect 7-0 record.

Jaz Shelley finished with 18 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals with Emma Donnelly adding 18 points and five boards, Caitlyn Martin 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals, and Emily Simons 11 points, four boards and four steals.

It was a rough afternoon for Illawarra at home but it could have been worse had it not been for Asha Phillips who scored 15 points to go with seven rebounds and two steals.

Una Jovanovich also had nine points and three rebounds for the Hawks, and Emerson McCrea six points and five boards.