East Wrap | Women's Round 11

Featured image: Aaron Camua | @aaron.camua

Shyla Heal had another 32 points for Bankstown Bruins to make it 11 straight NBL1 East wins with Norths Bears going to 15-0 while Kasey Neubert had 18 points and 26 rebounds for Maitland Mustangs, and Callie Bourne 18 points, 25 rebounds and seven assists for Canberra Nationals.

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SATURDAY

Penrith Panthers (53) lost to Maitland Mustangs (81)

The Maitland Mustangs made it three straight wins by hitting the road and coming away with the 81-53 win over the Penrith Panthers.

The Mustangs arrived at Blacktown Leisure Centre having won their last two to be knocking on the door of the top eight as they took on a Panthers team having lost their past 10 games.

Maitland were then leading 15-10 by the end of the first quarter before another 16 points to 12 in the second frame to be leading 31-22 by half-time.

The Mustangs continued to control the contest with another 24 points to nine in the third period and 26 to 22 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 28-point victory.

The win is a third straight for Maitland as they improve to a 7-8 record with Kasey Neubert having a huge performance with 18 points, 26 rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Sara Matthews also had 17 points, five rebounds and two steals, Jessalyn Finney 17 points, nine boards, four assists and three steals, and Shakera Reilly nine points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Penrith have now lost 11 straight to be 1-12 with Chanel Bastin finishing with 12 points, six assists, four steals, three rebounds and two blocks.

Lauren Martin also had six points, four rebounds and two steals, Siennah Bourke five points, Holly Bastin five points, and Tatiana Beaumont five points along with nine rebounds and four assists.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (103) defeated Illawarra Hawks (51)

The defending champion Manly Warringah Sea Eagles produced another dominant performance with five players scoring in double figures and another three with eight points in the 103-51 win over the Illawarra Hawks.

The Sea Eagles were back home at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre having won six straight to remain in second spot with the Hawks clinging to being in playoff contention just one game out of eighth spot.

Manly Warringah flew out to the fast start with a 15-0 run in the first quarter to be leading already 31-18 by quarter-time.

The Sea Eagles had another 21 points to six in the second term to go into half-time well in control leading 52-24 and then continuing to dominate the second half with another 21 to 14 in the third frame, and 30 to 13 in the fourth.

That saw Manly Warringah secure the 52-point win to make seven in-a-row to improve to 14-1 as defending champions with Bree Delaney finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Jayda Jansen also had 16 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals while Alex Delaney contributed 13 points and four boards, Maja Jurlina 12 points and five rebounds, and Sari Mowbray 10 points and four boards.

Illawarra are now 5-8 having lost their past two with Asha Phillips finishing with 11 points and five rebounds with Una Jovanovich contributing 10 points and three assists, and Darcy Rees 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (73) lost to Hills Hornets (100)

The Hills Hornets are attempting to make a run to the playoffs and started that charge with the emphatic 100-73 road victory over the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

The Spiders came into the game at The Brickpit still clinging to a playoff spot despite Jessie-May Hall having now departed for college as they played host to a Hornets team a win out of eighth position.

It was a fast start from Hills with 27 points to 15 in the first quarter before another 25 to 22 in the second frame on the way to leading 52-37 by the half.

The Hornets then wrapped up the eventual 27-point victory with 33 points to 22 in the last quarter to improve to a 6-8 record to keep their season alive.

Kennedy Johnson led the way in the win for Hills with 21 points and eight rebounds including going 4/4 from downtown with Jade Kirisome adding 17 points, six assists and three rebounds.

Sherrie Calleia added 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals, Ella Gale 13 points, 17 boards, four assists, four steals and three blocks, and Brooke Bjelko 11 points and four rebounds.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai are now 9-6 having lost their past two with Ay'Anna Bey finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds and two steals on 7/10 shooting from the field and 10/15 from the foul line.

Kristina Moore added 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists with 12/14 free-throw shooting with Laya Hartman having 13 points and four boards, and Lucy Mead eight points, six rebounds and two steals.

Sutherland Sharks (67) lost to Centre of Excellence (68)

The Centre of Excellence saw their lead vanish early in the fourth quarter but they responded well and held on in their second last game of the season to beat the Sutherland Sharks 68-67 with Isabel Smith having 20 points and five assists.

It was the last road game of the regular season for the CoE when they took on the Sharks at Sutherland Basketball Stadium with both teams trying to break out of losing slides.

It was the Centre of Excellence leading most of the way but then a blistering start to the fourth quarter from Sutherland saw scores level and set up a big finish.

The CoE responded and then managed to hold on for the one-point victory despite some wobbles at the foul line in the dying seconds.

The win improves the Centre of Excellence to a 14-6 record to snap their six-game losing slide with the Sharks now 6-7 on the back of three successive defeats.

It's the second last game of the regular season now for the Centre of Excellence with Isabel Smith top scoring with 20 points, five assists, three steals and two rebounds.

Olivia Olechnowicz also delivered 13 points, four rebounds and two steals, Aspen Crase 12 points and two boards, Jasmine Jones seven points, four rebounds and four assists, and Lily Mapp five points, nine boards, three assists and two blocked shots.

The Sharks battled valiantly without Lauren Nicholson with Maddy Norris delivering another 28 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals while playing all but 1:04 of the game.

Abi Curtin also had 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Emily Garland nine points, three boards and two blocks, and Ella Dent eight points, six rebounds and four assists.

Canberra Nationals (81) defeated Inner West Bulls (55)

Callie Bourne had a dominant performance with 18 points, 25 rebounds and seven assists as the Canberra Nationals closed in on a finals spot with a third straight win beating the Inner West Bulls 81-55.

The Nationals had won their past two games ahead of hosting the winless Bulls at Southern Cross Stadium but it was Inner West with the better of the start leading 18-16 by quarter-time.

Canberra took over in the second frame with 30 points to 18 to be leading 46-36 by half-time but the Bulls stayed within touch with another 15 points to 11 in the third period.

But it was all the Nationals in the final quarter with 24 points to four to end up winning by 26 and make it three wins in-a-row to be 7-9.

Callie Bourne was a dominant force for Canberra with 18 points, 25 rebounds and seven assists with 6/11 shooting from the floor and 5/8 at the foul line.

Allison Day also had 18 points and 13 rebounds, Caitie Jones 13 points, six boards and two assists, and Skye Rees 12 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.

Inner West remain winless at 0-14 with Seehia Ridard delivering 31 points and eight rebounds on 10/34 shooting along with 8/9 at the free-throw line.

Taylah Levy also had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Mizuki Wakamatsu six points and seven boards.

Albury Wodonga Bandits (104) defeated Newcastle Falcons (89)

The Albury Wodonga Bandits retained a top eight position with the 104-89 home win against the Newcastle Falcons with Emily Lytle and Unique Thompson combining for 52 points and 24 rebounds.

The Bandits were back home at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre clinging to seventh position ahead of hosting a Newcastle team just above them in fifth spot but still awaiting the arrival of Safron Shiels.

It was a scintillating start from Albury Wodonga with 36 points to 24 in the first quarter before that lead continued to grow and got out to 22 points in the third quarter, and 26 in the fourth.

The Bandits completed the eventual 15-point victory to improve to an 8-7 record with Emily Lytle delivering 32 points and four rebounds with 10/22 shooting from the field and 8/8 at the foul line.

Unique Thompson also ended up with 20 points, 20 rebounds and two assists with Last-Tear Poa adding 21 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and two steals, and Emma Mahady 15 points with 4/7 three-point shooting.

Newcastle are now 9-5 on the season as a result of the loss with triple MVP Nicole Munger ending up with 29 points, six rebounds and four assists with 7/14 three-point shooting.

Meg Jefferson top scored for the Falcons with 34 points and eight rebounds while Mia Heide added 11 points, 12 boards and four blocked shots, and Kate Kingham 10 points and four assists.

Norths Bears (85) defeated Sydney Comets (69)

The Norths Bears were celebrating Pink Round in honour of Tiana Mangakahia and to raise funds for 'Tough4T' in the fight against breast cancer, and maintained their undefeated season beating the Sydney Comets 85-69.

The Bears put their perfect record on the line at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre hosting a Comets team struggling having lost their past six matches.

It was a flying start on a big occasion for Norths with 33 points to 17 in the first quarter but the Comets made a game of it hitting back with 25 points to 16 in the second term.

The Bears took back over in the second half with 16 points to 12 in the third frame, and 20 to 15 in the last on the way to the 16-point win to improve to 15-0 on the season.

Talya Brugler finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and three assists in the win for Norths with MVP favourite Jaz Shelley having another 18 points, six assists, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Emma Donnelly landed 4/6 from downtown for 16 points and eight rebounds with Issy Morgan adding 11 points, seven boards, seven assists, three steals and two blocked shots, and Caitlyn Martin nine points and four assists.

Sydney have now lost seven straight to be 3-12 with Chantel Horvat producing 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists while Marley Sialeipata contributed 11 points, seven boards, two assists and two steals. Eryn Fisher also had 11 points and four assists, Alexandra Kayrouz 10 points and six rebounds, and Mikayla Pirini eight points, eight assists and seven boards.

SUNDAY

Centre of Excellence (110) defeated Inner West Bulls (76)

The Centre of Excellence wrapped up their regular season with the 110-76 win over the winless Inner West Bulls.

Just hanging in there to be able to put a competitive outfit on the court late in the season, the CoE played their last game on Sunday at the Australian Institute of Sport hosting a Bulls team who might have seen it as a chance to break their duck.

Both teams were coming off playing on Saturday where the Centre of Excellence won a one-point thriller against the Sutherland Sharks while Inner West lost to the Canberra Nationals by 26 points.

The CoE started well to be leading 23-18 by the end of the first quarter before a dominant second frame with 32 points to nine to go into half-time on top 55-27.

The Centre of Excellence retained control through the second half with 25 points to 20 in the third period, and 30 to 29 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 34-point victory.

That means the CoE finish the regular season now with a 15-5 record and will await taking part in the finals with Lily Mapp delivering 22 points, 15 rebounds and four assists on 11/15 field goal shooting.

Eliza Shanahan also had 22 points, seven rebounds and three steals with Isabel Smith providing another 19 points, five boards, two assists and two steals, and Reece Anticevic 18 points and six rebounds.

Aspen Crase also had 12 points and four rebounds, Olivia Olechnowicz 11 points, six boards and four assists, and Jasmine Jones 12 points, six assists, two steals, two blocks and two points.

Inner West remain winless this season at 0-15 while having just seven players available and Ai Matsumoto, Mizuki Wakamatsu and Seehia Ridard all played 40 minutes.

Ridard ended up scoring 47 of the team's 76 points on 16/36 shooting from the field, 7/15 from three-point range and 8/11 at the free-throw line.

Isabella De Jesus also had 15 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals with 4/9 three-point shooting.

Penrith Panthers (70) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (57)

Both teams had a combined 3-25 record coming into their Sunday match up and the Penrith Panthers snapped their 11-game losing run with the 70-57 home win over the Central Coast Crusaders.

The Panthers hadn’t won since beating the Inner West Bulls back on April 11 and came into Sunday's clash at Minto Indoor Sports Centre on an 11-game losing run while the Crusaders arrived having lost their past two and just two wins from 15 games in 2026.

Penrith then had just the seven points in the first quarter but got going from there with 63 points over the last three quarters while holding Central Coast to 11 points in the first quarter, 10 in the second and 14 in the third.

That was enough for the Panthers to end up securing the 13-point victory to improve to a 2-12 record with the Crusaders having lost four straight to be 2-14.

As the Panthers celebrated a first win since April 11, Sofia Hunt delivered 19 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists with 10/11 free-throw shooting.

Tatiana Beaumont also delivered 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists, Meleke Jenkins 14 points, five boards and three assists, Chanel Bastin 13 points and four steals, and Lauren Martin six points, five rebounds and three steals.

The Crusaders couldn’t grab their chance at a third win of the season with Jess Stone top scoring with 11 points and six rebounds with Nikki Worner adding 10 points and five boards, Cushla Alpen 10 points and eight rebounds, and Leila Hefferman nine points, six steals, four rebounds and three assists.

Tristan Black also ended up with nine points and 18 rebounds with eight of those at the offensive end.

Hills Hornets (91) defeated Sutherland Sharks (68)

The Hills Hornets made it a double win weekend to keep themselves right in the finals mix knocking off the Sutherland Sharks 91-68.

Both teams opened the round on Saturday with the Hornets beating the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders while the Sharks lost a one-point thriller to the Centre of Excellence ahead of the clash at Hills Basketball Stadium.

It didn’t take long for the Hornets to take control with 24 points to 16 in the first quarter before another 30 to 10 in the second frame on the way to leading 54-26 by half-time.

Hills retained control from there to lead by as much as 30 points on the way to the eventual 23-point win to improve to a 7-8 record and be closing in on a finals place.

Jade Kirisome ended up with 23 points, six assists and four steals for the Hornets with 5/9 three-point shooting but she had plenty of help as well.

Ella Gale contributed 18 points, 15 rebounds, six steals and two assists, Kennedy Johnson 13 points, eight board, four assists and two steals, Angela Tako 13 points and two rebounds, and Sherrie Calleia 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

The Sharks end up losing both games this weekend without Lauren Nicholson to now be 6-8 with Abi Curtin ending up with 23 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals with a perfect 4/4 three-point shooting display.

Maddy Norris also had 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Ella Dent nine points and five assists, and Courtney West eight points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

Illawarra Hawks (65) lost to Bankstown Bruins (97)

The Bankstown Bruins are still yet to lose over the past two seasons with Shyla Heal in their uniform with the 97-65 road win on Sunday against the Illawarra Hawks.

The Hawks played host to the Bruins in Wollongong trying to break into the top eight themselves up against a Bruins team having won 10 in-a-row since Heal rejoined them in 2026.

It was a tight contest throughout the first half with Bankstown leading by just four points at quarter-time and then it was Illawarra on top 37-34 by half-time.

But then the Bruins took control with 37 points to 15 in the third quarter and another 26 to 13 in the fourth on the way to the 32-point victory.

The win is an 11th in-a-row from Bankstown as they improve to a 12-2 record with Heal producing another standout performance with 32 points, seven assists and five rebounds with 4/10 three-point shooting and going 12/12 at the free-throw line.

Davida Dale added 15 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists, Kiahna Davis-White 11 points and eight boards, and Lily Austin 10 points and four assists.

The Hawks remain outside the top eight now holding a 5-9 record after the double loss weekend with Audra Pasakarnis top scoring with 15 points on 6/11 shooting.

Asha Phillips also had 12 points, three assists and two rebounds, Darcy Rees 11 points and 13 boards, Imogen Thompson seven points and two steals, Ruby MacDonald seven points, three rebounds and three blocks, and Una Jovanovich six points, five boards and four assists.