East Wrap | Women's Round 2

Featured image: Kye Santarossa | @kye.santarossa

Jayda Jansen and Sari Mowbray had a big say in each of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles NBL1 East wins as did Jaz Shelley and Issy Morgan for the Norths Bears while new face Eryn Fisher led Sydney Comets to their opening win of 2026.

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | BEARS BEAT BANDITS TO GO 4-0

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | SHARKS KEEP WINNING MINUS LOZ

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | DEFENDING CHAMPS DOMINATE HORNETS

FRIDAY

Hills Hornets (52) lost to Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (85)

Friday night action saw the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles show how hungry they are for back-to-back championships with the 85-52 road victory against the Hills Hornets.

The Sea Eagles started their title defence beating the Canberra Nationals in the season-opener at home and following the Easter break, had no trouble keeping that momentum going on Friday night against the Hornets at Hills Basketball Stadium.

It was a dominant performance all-round from Manly Warringah as they made it 21 consecutive NBL1 East wins.

Sari Mowbray delivered 19 points, six rebounds and four steals in the win for the Sea Eagles while Zoey Miller produced 16 points, eight assists and four rebounds.

Freya Bijkerk ended up with 13 points and four rebounds with 4/5 field goal shooting and going 4/6 at the stripe with Olivia Johnston adding eight points, five rebounds and two blocks, Bree Delaney seven points and five boards, and Alex Delaney seven points and five rebounds.

Ella Gale ended up top-scoring for the Hornets with 10 points to go with eight rebounds and three steals on 4/7 field goal shooting.

Kennedy Johnson added nine points, five rebounds and four assists, Jade Kirisome nine points, eight assists and two steals, and Lucy Corke eight points and two boards with 2/3 shooting from downtown.

SATURDAY

Central Coast Crusaders (64) lost to Albury Wodonga Bandits (107)

The Albury Wodonga Bandits started their road double this weekend with a commanding 107-64 win over the Central Coast Crusaders.

The Crusaders were back home at Guzman y Gomez Stadium trying to bounce back from their losses in the opening round to the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders and Norths Bears by a combined 151 points.

The Bandits arrived having lost to the Bankstown Bruins first up but they hit back starting with 31 points to 12 in the first quarter.

It was another 26 to 17 in the second period and then 29 to 13 in the third to build a 48-point advantage on the way to the eventual 43-point win.

Emily Lyttle starred in the big win for Albury Wodonga with 26 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals on 10/15 field goal shooting.

Kijana McCowan added 17 points and five steals, Unique Thompson 15 points, 10 rebounds and two steals, and Claudia Hocking 15 points, three boards and two assists.

The Crusaders suffered a third straight heavy loss to open the season with Kizzah Maltezo finishing with 19 points, three rebounds and two steals, Jess Stone 12 points, and Bronte Moore 11 points and four rebounds.

Sutherland Sharks (73) defeated Maitland Mustangs (54)

The Sutherland Sharks dealt with the absence of Lauren Nicholson by sharing the load with Maddy Norris showing the way as they made it consecutive home wins to start season beating the Maitland Mustangs 73-54.

The Sharks opened their season two weeks ago beating the Sydney Comets also at Sutherland Basketball Stadium but that was with Nicholson delivering 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

She wasn’t there on Saturday to take on the Mustangs, but Sutherland still opened up a 14-point lead by quarter-time and despite scoring just seven points in the second period, took over again in the second half for the eventual 19-point victory.

The Sharks did a good job of spreading the load in the absence of Lauren Nicholson with Maddy Norris showing the way with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals while shooting 5/10 from the field, 2/4 from three-point range and 5/6 at the foul line.

Aliza Fabbro also put up 15 points, three rebounds and two assists with Ella Dent contributing 12 points and seven boards, Abi Curtin 10 points and nine rebounds despite 2/15 shooting, and Olivia Douglas eight points, 11 boards and two assists.

Kasey Neubert finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for Maitland with Jessalyn Finney contributing 13 points and six boards with that pair combining to go 10/12 at the free-throw line with the rest of the team only going 1/2.

Norths Bears (113) defeated Bankstown Bruins (61)

Jaz Shelley was one rebound short of a triple-double as the Norths Bears scored the thumping 113-61 home win over the Bankstown Bruins.

The Bears opened the new season with a one-point win over the Newcastle Falcons and a 73-point hammering of the Central Coast Crusaders while the Bruins arrived at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre having split their opening two match ups.

Norths made the flying start on their home floor with 29 points to 13 and another 29 to 19 before continuing on with the job with 22 to 11 in the third frame, and 33 to 18 in the fourth to win by 52 points.

Shelley was brilliant in the win for the Bears with 27 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks on 7/12 three-point shooting.

Rebecca Donnelly also had 20 points, three assists and three steals, Emma Donnelly 19 points and six rebounds on 5/7 three-point shooting, Issy Morgan 16 points and three assists, and Emily Simons 13 points, three rebounds and three assists.

The Bruins are now 0-3 following the loss with Margot De Freitas finishing with 16 points and three rebounds with Kiahna Davis-White adding 14 points and four boards, and Tahlia Tupaea 11 points and four assists.

Inner West Bulls (49) lost to Penrith Panthers (58)

Chanel Bastin scored 18 of her team's 58 points in a low-scoring grind of a 58-49 win for the Penrith Panthers against the Inner West Bulls.

The Bulls were back at home at Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatics Centre trying to bounce back from a first up loss to the Hills Hornets with the Panthers also trying to respond to their season-opening 70-point hammering from the Centre of Excellence.

It was a low-scoring battle the whole way with the Panthers leading by just two points at quarter-time before the Bulls went into half-time on top by three.

It was in the second half that Penrith made their move with 21 points to 12 in the third quarter and building a 12-point fourth term lead and consolidating that for the nine-point win.

Chanel Bastin proved the major difference between the two teams with 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Panthers.

Sofia Hunt also had 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, Chloe Williams 10 points and four boards, and Hannah Griffin seven points and five rebounds.

Taylah Levy finished with 15 points and seven rebounds for Inner West with Ai Matsumoto adding 11 points and three boards, and Mizuki Wakamatsu seven points and four rebounds.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (67) lost to Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (80)

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles overcame 26 points from Ruby Perkins to continue their winning streak with the 80-67 road win over the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

The defending champion Sea Eagles put their winning run on the line at The Brickpit on Saturday coming off the big win on Friday over the Hills Hornets while the Spiders opened their season with two thumping wins of the Central Coast Crusaders and Illawarra Hawks.

It presented as a true test for Manly Warringah and the reigning champs were leading by four at quarter-time before pushing out to the 44-27 advantage by half-time.

The Spiders kept things interesting in the second half but the Sea Eagles still completed the 13-point win to make it 22 in-a-row.

Jayda Jansen top-scored for Manly Warringah with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals on 5/6 three-point shooting with Zoey Miller adding 16 points, eight boards and three assists.

Alex Delaney also had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Bree Delaney seven points, three boards and three assists, and Sari Mowbray seven points, four rebounds and three assists.

It's a first loss of the season for Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai despite 26 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals from Ruby Perkins with 4/10 shooting from deep and 8/10 at the charity stripe.

Ay'Anna Bey added 12 points and nine rebounds, Jessie-May Hall 10 points, five boards and three assists, Lucy Mead eight points and six rebounds, and Laya Hartman eight points and six boards.

Sydney Comets (60) lost to Newcastle Falcons (94)

Meg Jefferson put in a huge performance to make it consecutive wins for the Newcastle Falcons with the 94-60 road win over the Sydney Comets.

The Falcons split their first two match ups at home with a one-point loss to the Norths Bears and a 12-point win over the Hills Hornets as they took on the Comets at Comets Stadium who started their season with a loss to the Sutherland Sharks.

Newcastle made the flying start with 32 points to 15 in the first quarter before another 28 to 13 in the second to lead 60-28 at the half.

Things dried up for the Falcons in the second half with just the 34 points but they still cruised to the 34-point win with Meg Jefferson dominating with 26 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and two steals with 9/15 shooting and going 8/11 at the free-throw line.

Kate Kingham added 17 points and five assists, Nicole Munger 13 points, 18 rebounds, six assists and five steals, and Sophie Brennan 10 points and six boards.

The Comets are now 0-2 to start the season with Alex Kayrouz finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Eryn Fisher 16 points, two boards and two assists, Elle Fletcher nine points, Alexandria Oliver six points and nine rebounds, and Mikayla Pirini five points and 10 assists.

Canberra Nationals (69) defeated Illawarra Hawks (43)

Allison Day, Zara Funnell and Skye Rees combined for 50 points as the Canberra Nationals scored the 69-43 home victory against the Illawarra Hawks.

The Nationals opened their season on the road with a loss to the Sea Eagles and were on their home floor on Saturday at Tuggeranong hosting a Hawks team trying to respond to two road losses to the Maitland Mustangs and Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders.

The two teams only combined for 18 points in the first quarter with Canberra leading 10-8 before the Nationals pulled away over the next three terms on the way to the eventual 26-point win holding Illawarra to just the 43 points on 23 per cent shooting with 21 turnovers.

Allison Day produced 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Nationals with Zara Funnell providing 17 points and five boards, Skye Rees 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks, and Callie Bourne nine points, nine boards, six assists and five steals.

 Imogen Thompson top-scored for Illawarra with 10 points and three rebounds with Una Jovanovich adding nine points and eight boards, and Ruby MacDonald seven points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.

SUNDAY

Norths Bears (91) defeated Albury Wodonga Bandits (82)

Issy Morgan and Jaz Shelley were among the Sunday standouts as the Norths Bears continued their undefeated start to the season overcoming 33 points and 20 rebounds from Unique Thompson to beat the Albury Wodonga Bandits 91-82.

Both teams came into the Sunday match up at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre on the back of big wins on Saturday with the Bears improving to 3-0 beating the Bankstown Bruins by 52 points while the Bandits got on the board in 2026 beating the Central Coast Crusaders by 43.

That set up a fascinating match up on Sunday and there were no shortage of stars across both teams, but the Bears proved too strong the longer the game went.

While the Bears never trailed in the game nor did they ever lead by more than 12 points, they did remain in a degree of control the entire way to secure the eventual nine-point victory on their home floor.

Issy Morgan delivered 21 points and three rebounds in the win for Norths while Jaz Shelley had another standout all-round performance with 19 points, eight boards, five steals and four assists.

Rebecca Donnelly also had 14 points with 4/6 three-point shooting, Emily Simons 14 points, seven boards and three assists, Caitlyn Martin eight points, six assists and four steals, Emma Donnelly seven points, and Peggy Schell eight points, six assists and four steals.

Albury Wodonga are now 1-2 to start the season despite a monstrous performance from Unique Thompson with 33 points, 20 rebounds and two assists on 14/25 shooting from the field and 5/6 at the free-throw line with eight of her boards coming at the offensive end.

Emily Lyttle also had 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists with Kijana McCowan contributing 11 points and four steals with all her points coming in the first half, and Timeeka Coleman nine points and five assists.

Central Coast Crusaders (53) lost to Sydney Comets (62)

Erin Fisher has made the move to the NBL1 East in 2026 and helped to deliver her new team a first up win in 2026 with the 62-53 triumph over the Central Coast Crusaders.

It had been a tough start to the season for both teams with the Crusaders losing their opening three matches by a combined 194 points while the Comets had also lost their first two games by 52.

So one of them was going to enjoy that winning feeling at Guzman y Gomez Stadium and it was a tight battle in the first half with Sydney leading by just four at quarter-time, and three at the half.

The Comets then pulled away in the third frame with 18 points to eight on the way to securing the nine-point victory.

Fisher has previously played 128 games in the NBL1 West before making the move to NSW in 2026 and joining the Comets. She had a big say in their first win with 10 points, 15 rebounds, six steals, two assists and two blocked shots.

Mikayla Pirini ran the team tremendously for 16 points, three rebounds and two assists with Alex Kayrouz adding 11 points, four boards and three assists, Emily Nguyen nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Alexandria Oliver seven points and nine boards.

The tough start to 2026 continues for Central Coast with Kizzah Maltezo ending up with 19 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists.

Leila Heffernan also scored 13 points with 2/3 three-point shooting while Tristan Black and Nikki Worner collected 10 rebounds apiece.

Inner West Bulls (55) lost to Maitland Mustangs (83)

The Maitland Mustangs got on the board for a first win of the 2026 season beating the Inner West Bulls 83-55 on the road on Sunday.

Both teams had played on Saturday with the Bulls losing at home to the Penrith Panthers and the Mustangs going down away to the Sutherland Sharks with both suffering opening round defeats too.

So they were both on the hunt of a first win at Concorn Recreation Centre with Maitland starting the better to lead 22-16 by quarter-time.

It was in the third quarter when the Mustangs made sure of the win with 29 points to eight on the way to the eventual 28-point triumph.

Jessalyn Finney finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals for Maitland with Kasey Neubert adding 18 points, 11 boards, two assists and two steals, Sara Matthews 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Rachel Williams nine points, five boards, three assists and three steals.

The Bulls are now 0-3 to start the season with Taylah Levy finishing with 27 points, six rebounds and two assists with Lilianna Jacob adding 15 points and six boards.