East Wrap | Women's Round 1

Featured image: Immy Leeon (@immyleeonsports)

There were Round 1 NBL1 East doubles for the Centre of Excellence by 96 points, Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders by 133 and the Norths Bears by 74 with Zara Russell, Jessie-May Hall and Jaz Shelley among the first up stand outs.

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | COE FLEX MUSCLES AGAIN TO OPEN 2026

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | SEA EAGLES WITH PERFECT START TO DEFENCE

SATURDAY

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (81) defeated Canberra Nationals (61)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles scored the first 11 points of their championship defence and were never headed from there to open the new season with a home 81-61 win over the Canberra Nationals.

Manly Warringah raced out to an 11-0 start with Canberra going scoreless for the first 5:15 of the game during which period they missed their opening eight shot attempts and had a couple of turnovers.

They were playing catch up the rest of the way and could never seriously threaten the Sea Eagles although they did crawl back within 15 points by three quarter-time.

But Manly Warringah pulled away again with 28 points to 23 in the fourth quarter for the 20-point win to make it 20 straight victories with the free-throw differential monstrous.

The Sea Eagles ended up going 31/39 from the stripe to just 4/8 from the Nationals.

Manly Warringah might have only had eight players available to open their championship defence and four of those played well over 30 minutes, but they all stood up.

Alex Delaney was hot early with nine first quarter points on her way to top-scoring with 25 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals despite ending up going 3/10 from three-point range.

Josie Radan was also impressive with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals on a supremely efficient 8/9 from the field.

Carlie McAlister did all she could to keep Canberra in the contest finishing with 23 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and two steals on 11/22 field goal shooting.

Centre of Excellence (112) defeated Penrith Panthers (42)

As is the case most seasons, it's a new-look Centre of Excellence coming into 2026 but they couldn’t have been more impressive first up with the emphatic 112-42 home win over the Penrith Panthers.

The CoE did make the grand final last season and then opened up 2026 on fire on Saturday at the Australian Institute of Sport with a 37-9 first quarter against a Panthers team trying to build on their 5-15 2025 campaign.

The Basketball Australia rising stars were leading 61-15 by half-time and ended up scoring the 70-point victory while ending up pulling down 31 offensive rebounds and forcing Penrith into 36 turnovers to end up taking an extra 43 shot attempts and eight more free throws.

Zara Russell starred for the CoE with 25 points, eight rebounds, six rebounds and six steals with 6/10 shooting from downtown while Isabel Smith added 18 points, four boards, four assists and three steals.

Jay Sebasio contributed 17 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, Aspen Crase 14 points and six boards, Olivia Olechnowicz 11 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals, and Jemyma Manyok nine points, 10 boards, three blocks and two steals.

Tatiana Beaumont ended up with 12 points, six rebounds and three steals for the Panthers with Chloe Williams contributing 11 points, four boards and three steals, and Sofia Hunt 10 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (113) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (35)

Jessie-May Hall and Ruby Perkins combined for 47 points, 17 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals in a commanding 113-35 home win for the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders against the Central Coast Crusaders.

Both teams are trying to rise up the ladder in 2026 after combining for just eight wins in 2025 and it was the Spiders who sent quite the message first up at The Brickpit.

The Spiders raced out to a 30-8 lead by quarter-time before going into the half-time interval on top 62-16 and turning that into the eventual 78-point win with another 51 points to 19 in the second half.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai ended up shooting 49 per cent from the field with 11/28 from three-point territory and 22/30 at the foul line while pulling down 57 rebounds including 20 at the offensive end along with scoring 20 points from Central Coast's 32 turnovers.

Jessie-May Hall continues to be a star on the rise with 24 points, nine rebounds, six steals and five assists to start the new season for the Spiders with Ruby Perkins delivering 23 points, eight boards, six assists and two steals on 8/11 shooting.

Ay'Anna Bey also had 14 points, three rebounds and three assists, Lola Gralton 13 points and five boards, Lucy Mead 13 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds, Laya Hartman nine points, five boards, five steals and three assists, Nicola Sainsbury nine points and three rebounds, and Nicole Hutchins eight points and 11 boards.

The Crusaders shot just 18 per cent from the field with 3/24 from three-point land with Jess Stone having seven points and three rebounds, Cushla Alpen six points and seven boards, Kizzah Maltezo six points and two rebounds, and Tristan Black four points and eight boards.

Maitland Mustangs (67) lost to Illawarra Hawks (71)

The Illawarra Hawks came from 14 points down to open the new season with a 71-67 road win against the Maitland Mustangs.

The season for both teams got underway on Saturday at Mojo Homes Centre and on their home floor, Maitland started strongly to be leading 25-14 by quarter-time and being up by as much as 14 in the second.

However, Illawarra fired back and ended up outscoring the Mustangs 38 points to 27 in the second half to secure the first up four-point road win.

Una Jovanovich starred in the comeback win for the Hawks with 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals with 4/6 shooting from three-point territory.

Asha Phillips added 15 points and four rebounds on 3/6 shooting from downtown with Emerson McCrea delivering 12 points, seven boards and three steals, and Ruby MacDonald 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Mustangs only ended up shooting 34 per cent from the field with 6/22 from three despite going 21/30 at the free-throw line with Shakera Reilly delivering 20 points and eight rebounds with 4/7 shooting from deep.

The rest of her teammates only went 2/15 from beyond the arc, though, with Kasey Neubert contributing 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, Sara Matthews 14 points, five boards, three assists and two steals, and Rachel Williams eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Newcastle Falcons (65) lost to Norths Bears (66)

Isabelle Morgan hit the clinching free-throw in a dramatic start to the season as the Norths Bears secured the thrilling 66-65 road win against the Newcastle Falcons.

The 2024 championship winning Falcons played host to the 2023 title winners at Newcastle Basketball Stadium on Saturday with both teams again top four finishers in 2025.

It was a fluctuating affair first up with Newcastle building a nine-point lead during the second quarter before Norths turned that around for their own 10-point edge during the third frame.

It all ended up going down to the wire with Kate Kingham scoring to return Newcastle to the lead with just under two minutes to go before Jaz Shelley levelled things up with a free-throw in her first NBL1 East game having crossed from Geelong United in the NBL1 South.

Morgan was then fouled and hit one at the stripe at the Bears which turned the match-winner with the Falcons unable to score out of a timeout in the last possession when Rose Bond's three-point attempt didn’t fall.

Shelley finished with 19 points, seven steals, five assists and three rebounds with 10/11 foul shooting in the win for the Bears with Caitlyn Martin providing 16 points, four boards and two steals.

Emma Donnelly also had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Peggy Schell 10 points, six boards and two steals.

Nicole Munger delivered 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Newcastle with Meg Jefferson providing 18 points, three boards and two steals, Kingham 10 points, five rebounds and two steals, and Bond seven points, nine boards and four assists on 2/4 three-point shooting.

Inner West Bulls (50) lost to Hills Hornets (89)

The Hills Hornets made a flying start to open the new season with a 32-point first quarter and turned that into the eventual 89-50 road victory against the Inner West Bulls.

Both teams fell short of playing finals in 2025 and will be looking to make up for that in 2026 as they opened up things on Saturday at Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatics Centre.

The Hornets started on fire with a 32-12 first quarter and then with another 28 points to 10 in the third period their lead got out to as much as 42 points on the way to the eventual 39-point victory.

Ella Gale delivered 22 points, 16 rebounds, three steals and two assists in the win for Hills with Jade Kirisome adding 18 points and seven assists.

Lucy Corke also had 14 points and three rebounds with 3/5 three-point shooting with Kennedy Johnson contributing 13 points, four boards, three assists, three steals and two blocks, and Brooke Bjelko six points and 10 rebounds.

Despite the loss, Tayla Levy was outstanding for Inner West with 27 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals with 7/22 shooting from the field, 2/7 from three-point territory and 11/12 at the foul line while playing all 40 minutes.

The rest of her teammates combined for just 23 points with 8/41 shooting, 2/18 from downtown and 5/10 at the charity stripe.

Sutherland Sharks (78) defeated Sydney Comets (60)

Lauren Nicholson was back into her starring role for the Sutherland Sharks to lead them to a season-opening 78-60 home win against the Sydney Comets.

The Sharks missed finals last year despite making a late run ahead of opening up their 2026 campaign hosting the Comets at Sutherland Basketball Stadium on Saturday.

Both teams are coming off identical 8-12 records in 2025 with Sutherland dominant from the start with 26 points to nine in the first quarter.

That lead for the Sharks got out to 25 throughout the contest and it finished with the 18-point victory for the home team with Nicholson outstanding.

She delivered 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on 11/23 field goal shooting along with 3/10 from three-point range and 4/5 at the free-throw line while being +22 in her 35 minutes.

Maddie Norris also had 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals, and Abi Curtin 13 points, four boards and two steals.

Chantel Horvat did all she could to keep the Comets in the contest with 37 points and 13 rebounds with 12/19 shooting from the floor, 3/6 from deep and 10/11 at the foul line.

Alex Kayrouz also had eight points, three rebounds and three assists with Eryn Fisher contributing four points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks having made the move from the NBL1 West where she most recently played with the Perry Lakes Hawks.

Albury-Wodonga Bandits (60) lost to Bankstown Bruins (74)

The Bankstown Bruins made a 16-0 run in the first half to set up their eventual 74-60 road victory against the Albury-Wodonga Bandits.

The Bandits were a top four team last year but have undergone significant change coming into 2026 ahead of hosting the Bruins first up on Saturday at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.

The Bruins also made finals in 2025 and then took charge of the contest with the 16 straight points to open up a 16-point advantage during the second quarter before leading 41-32 by the half-time break.

Bankstown converted that into the eventual 14-point win with Davida Dale putting up 21 points, 111 rebounds, three assists and three steals with 3/5 shooting from deep and 8/8 at the foul line despite going 2/11 inside the arc.

Kiahna Davis-White provided 15 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals, Jane Dunlop 12 points, four boards and two steals, Tahlia Tupaea 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Shalome Dunlop 11 points, three boards, three steals and two assists.

Unique Thompson is back with Albury-Wodonga on the back of her WNBL season with the Sydney Flames finishing with 30 points and 16 rebounds with 8/10 free-throw shooting.

Emily Lyttle is a new face and she produced 22 points and 11 rebounds with Kijana McCowan delivering six points, nine boards and two steals.

SUNDAY

Centre of Excellence (89) defeated Bankstown Bruins (63)

The Centre of Excellence have made the most emphatic start to the season imaginable winning their opening two matches by 96 points with Isabel Smith and Zara Russell again starring in the 89-63 Sunday win over the Bankstown Bruins.

The CoE did have to overcome an early six-point deficit but they were able to work on top to lead by 10 at quarter-time and then 17 at the half with a combined 28 points from Smith and Russell.

They then pulled away further in the last quarter with 27 points to 16 for the 26-point win to make it a 96-point margin across the opening two matches of 2026 to make quite the statement of intent.

That was despite going just 6/22 from three-point territory but they did pull down a monstrous 27 offensive rebounds for 13 second chance points to end up attempting seven extra shots and eight more free throws than Bankstown.

The Centre of Excellence already had enough firepower in that 70-point win on Saturday and then added Lily Mapp on Sunday against the Bruins. She delivered 13 points and nine rebounds on 6/8 shooting from the field in just 11:35.

Isabel Smith delivered another 21 points, eight assists, four rebounds and three assists after her 18 points against the Panthers on Saturday.

Zara Russell was also outstanding again backing up her 25 points, eight assists, six rebounds and six steals with another 21 points, five boards, four steals and two assists.

Jay Sebasio continued her impressive start to 2026 as well with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists while Aspen Crase pulled down nine rebounds and Andie Smith eight.

Bankstown did their best to try and keep pace with the high-powered CoE with Kiahna Davis-White finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals on 7/13 shooting.

Tahlia Tupaea also scored 14 points with two assists for the Bruins with Jane Dunlop contributing 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Shalome Dunlop eight points, six boards and two assists.

Newcastle Falcons (76) defeated Hills Hornets (64)

The Newcastle Falcons opened their account for 2026 with three-time MVP Nicole Munger leading them to the 76-64 home win against the Hills Hornets.

Both teams had started their season on Saturday with the Falcons losing by a point to the Norths Bears while the Hornets had a 39-point win away from home against the Inner West Bulls.

Newcastle made a flying start with 25 points to 12 in the first quarter and remained in control the rest of the way to secure the 12-point victory to score their first win of 2026.

Having won the last three MVP awards in the NBL1 East, Munger has picked right up where she left off with another 30 points, 17 rebounds, six steals and four assists with 11/20 field goal shooting while going 3/6 from downtown and 5/5 at the free-throw line.

Kate Kingham added 15 points, seven assists and four rebounds, and Meg Jefferson 13 points, two boards two assists and two steals.

Jade Kirisome ended up with 15 points and seven assists for the Hornets despite shooting 5/18 with Kennedy Johnson delivering 15 points, four rebounds and two assists, Brooke Bjelko 14 points, nine boards and two assists, and Ella Gale six points, 12 rebounds, five steals and two assists.

Central Coast Crusaders (39) lost to Norths Bears (112)

The Norths Bears won by a point on Saturday and then flexed their muscles on Sunday hammering the Central Coast Crusaders 112-39.

Both teams opened their seasons on Saturday with the Crusaders losing to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders by 78 points ahead of hosting the Bears at Guzman y Gomez Stadium.

Norths beat the Newcastle Falcons by a point on Saturday and then put up 33 points to 11 in the first quarter to set the tone against Central Coast before leading 62-25 at half-time.

It was another 50 points to 14 in the second half for the eventual 73-point win on the back of shooting 51 per cent from the field and 21/42 from three-point territory including getting up 23 extra shots.

Jaz Shelley capped her first weekend in the NBL1 East by delivering 29 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals on 8/12 three-point shooting in the win for the Bears.

Emma Donnelly added 17 points and eight rebounds with 5/7 three-point shooting for Norths with Caitlyn Martin adding 13 points, five assists and three steals, Peggy Schell 13 points and six rebounds, Rebecca Donnelly 10 points, six boards and three assists, and Madeleine D'Almeida seven points and 10 rebounds.

It capped a tough weekend for Central Coast with two losses by a combined 151 points with Kizzah Maltezo providing 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Bronte Moore 13 points and three boards.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (107) defeated Illawarra Hawks (52)

The Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders produced their second emphatic showing of the opening round beating the Illawarra Hawks 107-52 on Sunday.

The Spiders beat the Central Coast Crusaders by 78 points on Saturday before backing up hosting the Hawks on Sunday at The Brickpit with Illawarra fresh off a thrilling win over the Maitland Mustangs.

It was a dominant start from Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai with 36 points to 13 in the first quarter and then the Spiders held Illawarra to just 17 points in the second half including four in the last term on the way to the eventual 55-point win.

That gives the Spiders a combined two wins by 133 points to start the new season with Jessie-May Hall again outstanding with 27 points, eight assists, five steals and four rebounds.

Ruby Perkins also delivered 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while Ay'Anna Bey added 17 points and 11 boards, Laya Hartman 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Lola Gralton nine points and four boards.

It was a tough end to the road double for Illawarra with Asha Phillips finishing with 16 points with Una Jovanovich adding 13 points, two boards and two assists.