East Wrap | Women's Round 10

Featured image: Rob Sheeley/@robshots

Caitie Jones had a spectacular weekend in two Canberra Nationals wins while Shyla Heal had another 34 points as Bankstown Bruins kept winning in NBL1 East and Unique Thompson had 61 points and 26 rebounds over two Albury Wodonga Bandits games.

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SATURDAY

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (83) defeated Albury Wodonga Bandits (70)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles made it five straight wins with the 83-70 home win against the Albury Wodonga Bandits.

The Sea Eagles were back home at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre needing to keep winning to stay in second spot while the Bandits were clinging to eighth position upon arrival.

Manly Warringah were leading by four at quarter-time before putting up 27 points to 14 in the third term on the way to the 47-30 half-time advantage.

The Sea Eagles maintained control the rest of the way to lead by as much as 19 points on the way to the 13-point victory to make it five in-a-row with a 12-1 record.

Alex Delaney delivered 19 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in the win for Manly Warringah with 5/8 three-point shooting while Zoey Miller added 16 points, six assists and five boards.

Jayda Jansen also had 15 points and two rebounds, and Josie Radan 10 points, six boards and four assists.

Albury Wodonga are now 6-7 following back-to-back losses with Unique Thompson producing 23 points, 13 rebounds and three steals on 10/20 field goal shooting.

Kijana McCowan added 12 points and four rebounds with 3/4 three-point shooting, Emily Lytle 11 points, four assists and three boards, and Ella Fotu eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Sutherland Sharks (97) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (98)

Maddy Norris hit three clutch free throws to get the Sutherland Sharks to overtime but the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders secured the 98-97 with massive and-one from Kristina Moore and free-throw at the death from Ruby Perkins.

Both teams came into the match up at Sutherland Basketball Stadium inside the top eight and it was the Spiders clinging to a one-point lead by quarter-time before they added 24 points to 17 in the second term on the way to the 45-37 half-time lead.

Sutherland responded with 25 points to 18 in the third frame to come back from a 15-point deficit to have scores all the way back level with just under two minutes to play thanks a three-point play from Lauren Nicholson.

Lucy Mead then put Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai back up three with a three-pointer only for Norris to be fouled up the other and making all three at the stripe for the Sharks to send the game to overtime.

Then inside the last 20 seconds of overtime, Emily Garland put the Sharks up two with a three-pointer only for Kristina Moore to score for the Spiders while being fouled and making the extra.

That gave Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai the one-point lead before Olivia Douglas went 1/2 at the foul line for Sutherland and Perkins did the same for the Spiders to secure the one-point victory.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai improve to a 9-4 record as a result with Moore delivering 28 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals with 4/6 shooting from beyond the arc.

Perkins also had 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, Ay'Anna Bey 16 points, six boards, two assists and two steals, Laya Hartman 12 points and three rebounds, and Mead 12 points and seven boards on 4/10 three-point shooting.

Sutherland are now 6-5 following the loss with Nicholson having a huge evening made up of 38 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals on 14/25 field goal shooting and going 5/9 from downtown and 5/5 at the foul line.

Garland also had 20 points, four assists and three rebounds, Norris 14 points, three boards, three assists and two blocks, Ella Dent 12 points, six rebounds and four steals, and Abi Curtin nine points, 10 boards and two assists.

Maitland Mustangs (79) defeated Sydney Comets (69)

The Maitland Mustangs kept themselves in the finals hunt with the 79-69 home victory against the Sydney Comets.

The Mustangs and Comets both came into the match up at Mojo Homes Centre outside a playoff spot and on losing runs with Maitland narrowly leading 25-23 by the end of the first quarter.

The Mustangs then put up 23 points to 12 in the second frame to head into the half-time break leading 48-35.

Maitland went on to lead by as much as 16 points in the second half and held on for the eventual 10-point victory to snap a two-game losing slide to improve to a 5-8 record.

Jessalyn Finney top scored in the win for the Mustangs with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two assists with Shakera Reily contributing 15 points, eight assists and seven boards.

Sara Matthews also had 14 points and four rebounds, and Kasey Neubert 13 points, 11 boards and two assists.

Sydney have now lost six in-a-row to be 3-11 on the season with Eryn Fisher top scoring with 15 points and six rebounds with Marley Sialeipata adding 13 points, five boards and three boards,  Alexandria Oliver 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals, Chantel Horvat nine points and eight boards, and Mikayla Pirini eight points and 10 assists.

Bankstown Bruins (85) defeated Newcastle Falcons (72)

Triple MVP Nicole Munger did her best to bring the Newcastle Falcons back into the contest but falling 23 points down early proved too much with Shyla Heal again leading the Bankstown Bruins to the 85-72 win to make it 10 in-a-row.

The season resumed following the King's Birthday long weekend with the Bruins putting their nine-game winning streak on the line hosting the Falcons at Bankstown Basketball Stadium.

Newcastle are still awaiting the arrival of Saffron Shiels with Bankstown trying to stay unbeaten with Heal in the line-up too dating back to last year and the home team made a flying start with a 12-0 run in the opening quarter to lead by 21.

That lead for Bankstown grew to 23 in the second quarter before Munger fired up with 20 points in the term alone for Newcastle to make it an 11-point game by half-time.

The margin remained around that mark through the majority of the second half with the Bruins going on to score the 13-point victory to improve to 11-2 on the season with 10 straight victories on the back of also winning all eight matches that Heal played with them in 2025.

Bankstown's past three wins had come at an average of 45 so they were significantly more tested by Newcastle with Heal finishing with another 34 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals on 11/22 field goal shooting along with 9/9 at the free-throw line.

Tahlia Tupaea also produced 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals, Margot De Freitas 13 points and five boards, Kaila Proctor six points and three steals, and Kira-May Filemu six points, three rebounds and two assists.

Nicole Munger finished with 36 points with 10 rebounds and five assists for the now 8-4 Newcastle on the back of shooting 12/18 from the floor, 6/11 from three-point territory and 6/8 at the foul line.

Mia Heide added 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks, Meg Jefferson 13 points, seven boards and six assists, and Isabelle Burns six points and three rebounds.

Illawarra Hawks (77) lost to Canberra Nationals (83)

Caitie Jones ended up with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists as the Canberra Nationals built a 28-point lead in the first half and then had to retake control on the way to the 83-77 win over the Illawarra Hawks.

Both teams came into the match up at The Snakepit on the outside of the top eight but trying to stay in the finals mix with Canberra making a flying start opening up a 20-point lead in the first quarter with an 11-0 run.

The Nationals were leading 30-12 by quarter-time and then that lead got out to 28 in the second frame and by half-time they were on top 57-34.

Things took a turn in the third quarter with Illawarra putting up 29 points and holding Canberra to just the seven while going on a 22-0 run to turn that 23-point half-time deficit to just one by three quarter-time.

The Hawks got back level early in the fourth quarter but then Canberra responded once more on the way to the eventual six-point victory to improve to a 5-9 record.

Caitie Jones finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in the win for the Nationals on 5/9 three-point shooting.

Allison Day also had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Callie Bourne 17 points, eight boards and six assists, and Zara Funnell 12 points.

Illawarra are now 5-7 following the loss with Darcy Rees top scoring with 25 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks on 9/18 field goal shooting along with going 3/6 from downtown and 4/5 at the foul line.

Una Jovanovich added 16 points and nine assists, Asha Phillips 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Ruby MacDonald 10 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Central Coast Crusaders (53) lost to Centre of Excellence (92)

Lily Mapp had 19 points and 10 rebounds as part of a big win for the Centre of Excellence as they beat the Central Coast Crusaders 92-53 on the road.

The Crusaders were back home at Guzman y Gomez Stadium playing host to a Centre of Excellence team who had won their past four games and it was the CoE opening up a five-point lead by the end of the first quarter.

The Centre of Excellence then took total control in the second frame with a 14-0 scoring run before putting up 34 points to 13 to be leading 53-25 by half-time.

That lead got out to as much as 40 points as well in the second half for the CoE before they secured the 39-point victory to improve to a 13-4 record with the five straight wins.

Lily Mapp finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Centre of Excellence on 9/12 shooting from the floor with Eliza Shanahan contributing 17 points, seven boards and three assists.

Zara Russell also had 17 points, three rebounds and three assists with 5/6 shooting from long-range with Isabel Smith adding eight points and four boards, and Olivia Olechnowicz eight points and two assists on 4/5 field goal shooting.

The Crusaders have now lost their past three to be 2-13 with Jess Stone finishing with 17 points and three steals with Bronte Moore adding 11 points and three steals, and Nikki Worner nine points and seven rebounds.

Penrith Panthers (67) lost to Norths Bears (113)

The Norths Bears continued their dominant season with another thumping 113-67 win over the Penrith Panthers with Talya Brugler and Jaz Shelley combining for 60 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Bears arrived at Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium having won all 13 matches of the season so far with the Panthers having just win and being on a nine-game losing run.

The Bears were already leading 29-11 by quarter-time before adding another 31 points to 24 in the second term to go into half-time in front 60-35.

The lead then continued to grow through the second half for Norths and got out to as much as 40 points in the third quarter and 52 in the fourth before settling on the 46-point winning margin.

The win improves the Bears to a perfect 14-0 record on the season with Talya Brugler delivering 32 points, six rebounds and three assists with 6/8 three-point shooting.

Jaz Shelley had another 28 points, seven assists, six rebounds, four blocks and two steals with 7/9 shooting from beyond the arc while Issy Morgan contributed 14 points, five boards, four steals and three assists.

Caitlyn Martin also had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Emma Donnelly 10 points, five boards and two assists.

The Panthers have now lost 10 in-a-row at 1-11 with Tatiana Beaumont finishing with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots with 5/8 three-point shooting.

Maria Garcia Leon also had 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, Chanel Bastin 12 points, five assists and three boards, Lauren Martin eight points and two steals, and Meleke Jenkins eight points and two rebounds.

SUNDAY

Hills Hornets (78) lost to Albury Wodonga Bandits (104)

The Albury Wodonga Bandits bounced back from their loss the previous night to win big 104-78 against the Hills Hornets to wrap up their road double.

While the Bandits did play on Saturday and lost to the defending champion Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, but the Hornets were making their lone appearance of the weekend and hosted them at Hills Basketball Stadium.

Hills started strongly with 31 points to 25 in the first quarter before the Bandits turned the tide with a 13-0 run in the second frame and went into half-time on top 59-48 as a result.

That lead continued to grow from there for Albury Wodonga and grew to 22 points in the third term, and 26 in the fourth before securing the 26-point victory to improve to a 7-7 record.

Unique Thompson had a monster afternoon for the Bandits with 38 points, 13 rebounds and four steals on 17/28 shooting from the floor and 4/5 at the foul line.

Emily Lytle also put up 30 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals on 5/9 three-point shooting with Last-Tear Poa adding 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple double.

The Hornets are now 5-8 with the loss with Sherrie Calleia producing 22 points, three rebounds and two assists on 8/12 field goal shooting.

Jade Kirisome added 18 points and eight assists, and Piper Anderson 12 points and four rebounds.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (62) lost to Newcastle Falcons (94)

The Newcastle Falcons hit back from their Saturday loss to win big 94-62 on Sunday against the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

Both teams did play on Saturday with the Spiders winning a one-point thriller over the Sutherland Sharks while the Falcons went down to the Bankstown Bruins by 13 points.

It was a fast start from Newcastle with 30 points to 20 in the first quarter before another 21 points to 17 in the second term to go into half-time leading 51-37.

The Falcons continued to build on that with another 21 points to 16 in the third period and 22 to nine in the fourth on the way to the eventual 32-point victory.

The win improves Newcastle to a 9-4 record after splitting their weekend with Kate Kingham delivering 26 points and three rebounds with 6/10 three-point shooting.

Nicole Munger added 22 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals, Claudea Waihape-Andrews 14 points, five boards, three assists and two steals, Mia Heide 14 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Meg Jeffeson 10 points, three boards and two assists.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai are now 9-5 having also split their two games this weekend with Ay-Anna Bey finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds and two assists with Kristina Moore adding 16 points and nine boards.

Laya Hartman added 14 points and four rebounds, and Ruby Perkins 10 points.

Sutherland Sharks (70) lost to Canberra Nationals (81)

Caitie Jones led the way with 16 fourth quarter points and the Canberra Nationals came from behind and beat the Sutherland Sharks 81-70.

Both teams had played on Saturday with the Sharks losing a one-point thriller to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders while the Nationals beat the Illawarra Hawks.

The Sharks remained at home at Sutherland Basketball Stadium and they were leading by a point at quarter-time before it was Canberra who went into half-time on top 40-37.

Sutherland then had 13 points to nine in the third term and they were up by four early in the final quarter but then the Nationals caught fire with Jones shooting them back into the lead with a quick triple before stealing the ball from Aislinn Waller and then scoring again.

Sutherland did respond to be back up three with just over three minutes to play before Jones knocked down another couple of three-pointers with another for Canberra from Jasmyn Boutzos in between.

Jones then hit another to push the Nationals out to a seven-point lead and eventually that was enough to secure the 11-point victory as they improve to a 6-9 record with a double win weekend.

Jones ended up with 16 points in the fourth quarter including four three-pointers on the way to 29 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals for the game with 7/12 shooting from beyond the arc.

Zara Funnell added 13 points and two rebounds, Jasmyn Boutzos 11 points and a steal, Callie Bourne 11 points, six assists and five boards, and Allison Day eight points and 10 rebounds.

Sutherland are 6-6 with the pair of wins in less than 24 hours with Abi Curtin finishing with 23 points and five rebounds while Maddy Norris added 13 points, nine boards and five assists.

Emily Garland also had 11 points, three rebounds and two assists, Ella Dent 10 points, four boards and four assists, and Olivia Douglas five points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (87) defeated Centre of Excellence (61)

The Centre of Excellence are still figuring some things out with a new-look line-up to close out the season and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles proved too strong winning the Grand Final rematch 87-61.

The two teams played off in last year's Grand Final with the Sea Eagles prevailing to complete a 19-game winning streak and they'd already met at the Australian Institute of Sport earlier this season with Manly Warringah also winning by 13 points.

They battled again on Sunday at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre with both teams fresh off playing on Saturday where the Sea Eagles beat the Albury Wodonga Bandits while the CoE had a win on the road over the Central Coast Crusaders.

That set up their clash on Sunday with Manly Warringah wasting no time taking control and they were leading by 22 points at half-time before going on with the job in the second half on the way to the eventual 26-point victory.

The pair of wins this weekend improve the Sea Eagles to 13-1 on the season on the back of shooting 51 per cent from the field to the 34 from the Centre of Excellence while going 13/30 from downtown to 7/23, and forcing the CoE into 16 turnovers.

Sari Mowbray ended up top scoring for Manly Warringah with 17 points with 3/5 three-point shooting with Jayda Jansen adding 15 points, four boards, four assists and two steals while also hitting 3/5 from beyond the arc.

Alex Delaney added 13 points and nine rebounds, Kim Dickinson 12 points and two boards, Bree Delaney 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks and Zoey Miller nine points, five assists and two blocks.

The Centre of Excellence are now 13-5 having split their weekend double on the road with Zara Russell finishing with 15 points and two rebounds on 5/8 shooting.

Isabel Smith added 12 points, five rebounds and two assists, Reece Anticevic eight points and two boards, and Lily Mapp six points, 10 rebounds and two assists.

Maitland Mustangs (111) defeated Inner West Bulls (71)

The Maitland Mustangs delivered a dominant performance to beat the Inner West Bulls 111-71 at home to complete the double win weekend.

The Mustangs remained at Mojo Homes Centre coming off beating the Sydney Comets on Saturday with the Bulls arriving to play their first game since losing to the Hills Hornets back on May 31.

Maitland made the flying start with 32 points to 17 in the first quarter before being up 55-37 by half-time.

It was then another 25 points to 18 in the third quarter and 31 to 16 in the last on the way to the 40-point victory which sees the Mustangs improve to a 6-8 record with the double win home weekend.

Kasey Neubert finished with 22 points, 22 rebounds, seven assists and two blocked shots on 11/16 shooting in the win while Sara Matthews added 22 points, seven assists and five boards.

Shakera Reilly also had 19 points, four assists and three rebounds, Rachel Williams 18 points, four boards and two assists, Jessalyn Finney eight points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Hannah Duncan eight points, six boards and three assists.

Inner West are now 0-13 to remain winless in 2026 with Taylah Levy delivering 38 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Seehia Ridard 18 points and three rebounds, and Lilianna Jacob eight points and nine boards.