East Wrap | Women's Round 8

Emily Lytle had a combined 48 points in two big Albury Wodonga Bandits NBL1 East wins while Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders also had two big victories while Jaz Shelley lifted Norths Bears to 12-0 and Shyla Heal helped Bankstown Bruins to an eighth straight.

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | MOWBRAY HITS LATE FOR SEA EAGLES TO PREVAIL

>> EAST SPOTLIGHT | SHELLEY STARS AGAIN AS BEARS STAY PERFECT

SATURDAY

Sutherland Sharks (88) defeated Central Coast Crusaders (64)

Lauren Nicholson and Maddy Norris combined for 48 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the bounce back performance for the Sutherland Sharks with the 88-64 home win over the Central Coast Crusaders.

The Sharks were back home at Sutherland Basketball Stadium having lost their past three games including by 24 points to the Albury Wodonga Bandits last week ahead of hosting the Crusaders who arrived with just one win to their name for the season.

Sutherland made the strong start with an early nine-point lead, but Central Coast hit back with a 9-0 run and scores were tight by quarter-time with just the 18-17 lead for the Sharks.

Sutherland were able to take charge in the second frame with 28 points to 16 before going on with the job from there with 19 to 12 in the third, and 23 to 19 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 24-point victory.

The Sharks improve to a 4-4 record with the win with Lauren Nicholson delivering 27 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals on 10/15 field goal shooting.

Maddy Norris also delivered 21 points, 15 rebounds and five assists for Sutherland with Abi Curtin adding 13 points, two boards and two assists, and Olivia Douglas nine points, nine rebounds and four steals.

The Crusaders have now lost four straight to be 1-10 with Jess Stone producing 16 points and five rebounds with Brianna Kelly contributing 16 points on 3/6 three-point shooting, Bronte Moore seven points, three rebounds and three assists, and Nikki Worner seven points, seven boards and five assists.

Newcastle Falcons (76) defeated Illawarra Hawks (64)

Three-time MVP Nicole Munger put in another dominant display to lead the Newcastle Falcons to the 76-64 home victory against the Illawarra Hawks.

The Falcons came into the match up at Newcastle Basketball Stadium trying to back up their win over the Maitland Mustangs with the Hawks arriving on a two-game winning streak too.

Newcastle opened up an early nine-point lead and were still on top 20-14 by quarter-time before the Falcons were still leading 38-33 by half-time.

Illawarra made a run in the third quarter with 24 points to 12 and that saw the Hawks open up their own 10-point lead early in the fourth term.

The gauntlet was thrown down to Newcastle and they responded by scoring 17 straight points to come from 10 down to win by 12 and improve to 8-2 as a result.

Munger finished with 35 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals on 12/22 field goal shooting in the win for Newcastle.

Mia Heide also had 17 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals, Meg Jefferson 10 points, six boards and three assists, and Kate Kingham six points.

Illawarra are now 4-6 following the defeat with Asha Phillips finishing with 19 points and six rebounds with 3/4 shooting from behind the three-point line.

Darcy Rees added 16 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks, Una Jovanovich 14 points, seven boards and seven assists, and Ruby MacDonald eight points, five rebounds and four assists.

Maitland Mustangs (82) defeated Hills Hornets (76)

The Maitland Mustangs came from six points down in the third quarter to end up securing the 82-76 home win over the Hills Hornets with Jessalyn Finney delivering 29 points.

The Mustangs were back home at Mojo Homes Centre trying to get on a winning run hosting a Hornets team just above them but coming off a loss as well.

Maitland started strongly with an early eight-point lead but that advantage was back to three by quarter-time and then the Hornets managed 23 points to 19 in the second term on the way to the 38-37 lead by half-time.

The Hornets were able to turn that into the six-point lead halfway through the third quarter before the Mustangs started turning things around and held a 61-55 edge by three quarter-time.

Maitland then maintained that advantage through the last quarter before securing the six-point win to improve to a 4-6 record.

Finney finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals on 4/8 three-point shooting in the win for the Mustangs.

Shakera Reilly added 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals with 4/7 three-point shooting while Kasey Neubert contributed 16 points, 10 boards and two assists, and Hannah Duncan nine points and five rebounds.

The Hornets are now 4-6 following the loss with Sherrie Calleia top scoring with 17 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Piper Anderson added 13 points and three rebounds, Jade Kirisome 13 points and four assists, and Ella Gale 12 points, 19 rebounds and two steals.

Bankstown Bruins (96) defeated Inner West Bulls (45)

Shyla Heal had another 23 points and five three-pointers and the Bankstown Bruins remain unbeaten with her in the line-up with the 96-45 win over the Inner West Bulls.

The Bruins were back home at Bankstown Basketball Stadium having won seven straight ahead of hosting a Bulls team yet to taste a victory in 2026.

Bankstown produced a dominant start with 22 points to five in the first quarter having gone on a 14-0 scoring streak before it was even more dominant in the second term with 22 points to four.

That saw the Bruins lead 44-9 by half-time and to Inner West's credit they did outscore Bankstown 25 points to 22 in the third term.

But the Bruins pulled away again with 30 points to 11 in the fourth term for the 51-point victory to improve to 9-2 with eight straight wins.

Heal produced another 23 points, eight assists, three steals and two rebounds with 5/9 three-point shooting in the win for Bankstown.

Margot De Freitas also had 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists, Davida Dale 11 points, eight boards, two assists and two blocks, and Kiahna Davis-White 11 points, 13 rebounds and two steals.

Inner West are now 0-10 to start the season with Seehia Ridard providing 15 points, four rebounds and two steals with Taylah Levy adding 13 points, six boards and four assists, and AI Matsumoto eight points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Norths Bears (92) defeated Centre of Excellence (66)

Jaz Shelley delivered another 32 points, 10 assists and six three-pointers and the Norths Bears were too much for the Centre of Excellence to remain undefeated this season with the 92-66 victory.

The Bears were back home at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre facing a real challenge to their undefeated streak by the Centre of Excellence who had won twice last weekend following a loss to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

It was a dominant start to the game from Norths with 25 points to nine in the first quarter holding the CoE to shooting just 4/17 before they also took further control in the second half.

The Bears had 49 points to 29 in the second half on the way to the 26-point victory to improve to a perfect 12-0 record on the season with the Centre of Excellence slipping to 8-3 with the loss.

Shelley continued her dazzling MVP-level form for the Bears as they stayed unbeaten on the back of her 32 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals with 11/22 shooting from the field, 6/12 from behind the arc and 4/4 at the free-throw line.

Caitlyn Martin also had 16 points and four assists with 4/8 three-point shooting, Talya Brugler 14 points and 13 rebounds, Emma Donnelly 11 points, six boards and two assists, and Issy Morgan eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Isabel Smith ended up top scoring for the Centre of Excellence with 22 points and five rebounds with Olivia Olechnowicz contributing 13 points, three boards, three steals and two assists on 3/4 three-point shooting.

Reece Anticevic added 12 points and seven rebounds for the CoE, and Lily Mapp four points to go with 10 rebounds.

Canberra Nationals (83) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (95)

The Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders produced a huge second half to build a 24-point lead on the way to beating the Canberra Nationals 95-83.

The Nationals were back home in Tuggeranong trying to snap a three-game losing slide with the Spiders arriving fresh off beating the Inner West Bulls.

Canberra opened up an early six-point lead before Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai hit back with 10 straight points to be leading 22-19 by the end of the opening period.

The Spiders were clinging to a 45-43 advantage by half-time but then they took further control heading to three quarter-time with a 7-0 run to lead by as much as 13.

That momentum continued into the fourth quarter with Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai ending up leading by 24 points and then it was only a 12-0 run from Canberra that cut the final deficit to 12.

The win improves the Spiders to a 7-3 record with Ruby Perkins delivering 20 points, seven assists, five steals and two rebounds.

Ay'Anna Bey also had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Jessie-May Hall 17 points, seven boards, seven steals and four assists, Lucy Mead 14 points and five rebounds, and Kristina Moore 13 points and six boards.

Canberra are now 2-7 having lost the past four games with Caitie Jones finishing with 22 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists with 3/6 three-point shooting.

Allison Day also had 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists, Zara Funnell 18 points, four boards and two assists, Skye Rees seven points, five assists and four rebounds, and Callie Bourne four points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Sydney Comets (48) lost to Albury Wodonga Bandits (81)

Emily Lytle produced another 23 points, six rebounds and four assists with the Albury Wodonga Bandits proving too strong for the Sydney Comets on the way to the 81-48 victory.

The Bandits started their road double against the Comets at Comets Stadium looking to build a winning run and they started well to be leading 22-18 by quarter-time.

It was another 14 points to 10 in the second quarter for Albury Wodonga to be leading 36-28 by half-time and then the Bandits delivered another 26 points to nine in the third frame, and 19 to 11 in the fourth.

That saw Albury Wodonga win by 33 points to improve to a 5-5 record with Emily Lytle delivering another 23 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Unique Thompson also had 12 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals, Emma Mahady 10 points and four boards, Ella Fotu eight points, four rebounds and three assists, and Timeeka Coleman eight points and five steals.

The Comets are now 3-8 following the loss with Mikayla Pirini finishing with 15 points and six rebounds with Alexandra Kayrouz adding 10 points, six boards and three assists, and Ryn Fisher eight points and two rebounds.

SUNDAY

Centre of Excellence (79) lost to Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (90)

Jessie-May Hall, Ay'Anna Bey and Kristina Moore all had huge performances as the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai scored their best win of the season defeating the Centre of Excellence 90-79.

The Centre of Excellence were looking to hit back from a night before to the Norths Bears when hosting the Spiders at the Australian Institute of Sport with Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai fresh off beating the Canberra Nationals the previous night.

After falling down three early, Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai responded with an 11-0 run to get up eight and then go into quarter-time still on top 26-22.

Again the Spiders pushed out to an eight-point lead in the second term before going into half-time on top 55-49.

They were able to build on that in the second half too going up seven by three quarter-time and then securing the 11-point win to make it a double win weekend and improve to 8-3 as a result.

Jessie-May Hall produced a standout performance for the Spiders with 27 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals on 11/19 field goal shooting.

Ay'Anna Bey also had 24 points and 12 rebounds on 10/13 shooting with Kristina Moore adding 20 points and five rebounds, and Lucy Mead 12 points and six boards.

The Centre of Excellence are now 8-4 following the pair of defeats with Isabel Smith putting up 24 points with 10/11 free-throw shooting.

Zara Russell also had 15 points and three assists, Olivia Olechnowicz 13 points and four rebounds, and Lily Mapp seven points and 13 boards.

Maitland Mustangs (61) lost to Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (71)

Shakera Reilly shot the Maitland Mustangs to the lead in the fourth quarter but Sari Mowbray shook off missing her first 11 three-point attempts to hit two massive shots late to lead the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to the 71-61 win.

The Mustangs were chasing a first ever win against Manly Warringah and were fresh off beating the Hills Hornets the previous night ahead of hosting the reigning champs at Mojo Homes Centre.

It proved to be quite the dramatic match up and just as it looked as though the Sea Eagles had assumed a degree of control leading by nine at three quarter-time, the Mustangs lit it up to start the final period and hit the front midway through with a triple from Reilly.

But the game breaker proved to be Mowbray who missed her first 11 three-point attempts and she showed no fear and pushed the Sea Eagles out to a six-point when she knocked down her first with 43 seconds to go.

She then sealed the deal with another 30 seconds later and converted the four-point play with Manly Warringah to end up winning by 10.

The Sea Eagles improve to the 10-1 record after that big last minute to secure the 10-point win with Alex Delaney finishing with 22 points and 12 rebounds with 4/7 shooting from behind the three-point line.

Bree Delaney also added 18 points, 11 rebounds and four assists with 3/5 long-range shooting while Zoey Miller contributed 11 points, six boards and three assists, Sari Mowbray nine points, five rebounds and four assists, and Josie Radan four points, 11 boards and three assists.

It was a spirited showing from the Mustangs as they threw everything at beating the Sea Eagles for the first ever time in the NBL1 East and while it wasn’t quite to be, they can take plenty from the performance with them finishing the weekend at 4-7.

Sara Matthews had the hot start and finished with 19 points and nine rebounds on 4/7 three-point shooting with Shakera Reilly adding 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists with 3/6 shooting from downtown.

Inner West Bulls (62) lost to Albury Wodonga Bandits (79)

Emily Lytle had another 25 points with seven three-pointers as the Albury Wodonga Bandits made it a perfect weekend on the road with the 79-62 win over the Inner West Bulls.

The Bandits were fresh off beating the Sydney Comets on Saturday ahead of taking on the winless Bulls at Concord Recreation Centre on Sunday.

Albury Wodonga were leading 18-16 by quarter-time before they pushed out to a 13-point lead in the second term and went into half-time on top 37-30.

The Bandits then had another 23 points to 12 in the third term and that lead blew out to 22 in the fourth frame before they secured the 17-point win to make it a perfect weekend to improve them to a 6-5 record.

Lytle once again starred in the win for Albury Wodonga with 25 points, four rebounds and three assists with 7/8 three-point shooting.

Unique Thompson added 13 points and 11 rebounds, Melanie Kirby eight points and seven boards, and Claudia Hocking eight points, six rebounds and three assists.

The Bulls remain winless after 11 games in 2026 and they had just seven players suit up with six of them playing at least 22 minutes and Taylah Levy and Seehia Ridard all 40.

Ridard produced 24 points, seven rebounds and seven steals despite going 0/12 from downtown while Levy ended up with 23 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Central Coast Crusaders (71) defeated Penrith Panthers (59)

The Central Coast Crusaders managed their second win of the season with the 71-59 home win against the Penrith Panthers.

The Crusaders hosted the Panthers at Guzman y Gomez Stadium with both teams desperate for a win and it was Penrith narrowly leading by quarter-time 22-21.

Central Coast worked on top with 19 points to 12 in the second quarter to be leading 40-34 by half-time and but Penrith did hit back in the third with a 9-0 run to briefly recapture the lead.

The Crusaders responded with an 11-0 run that turned into the decider for the game as they went on to win by 12 and improve to 2-10 to snap their four-game slide.

Bronte Moore finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals while Brianna Kelly added 13 points, three boards and two assists, and Nikki Worner 13 points, 21 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Tristan Black also had 11 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Jess Stone 10 points and eight rebounds.

Penrith are now 1-9 having lost eight in-a-row with Hannah Griffin putting up 22 points with Sofia Hunt contributing 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Tatiana Beaumont eight points, nine boards and four assists.