National Finals | Bruins set up Raiders battle

Featured image: Dan Cowley | @imagesby_dan

If anyone can take down the Knox Raiders from around the country in the NBL1, the Bankstown Bruins are going to be the last team to try in 2026 and they will go into the National Finals Championship Game in hot form after beating the Waverley Falcons 89-73.

The Bruins broke through to win the NBL1 East championship last Sunday beating the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles with their back court of Shyla Heal and Tahlia Tupaea leading the way, but being well backed up by two strong, experienced imports and a standout core of young locals.

They were then able to keep their momentum in Adelaide at the National Finals on Friday to beat the NBL1 West's Warwick Senators while the Warwick Senators also had a winning start to their weekend after losing last Saturday night's NBL1 South Grand Final to the Raiders.

Waverley beat the NBL1 North's Mackay Meteorettes on Friday despite missing front court trio Carley Ernst, Sophia Locandro and Maddi Utti as they set up Saturday's clash with Bankstown for a spot in Sunday's Championship Game.

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The Bruins made a fast start to the contest and put up 30 points to 23 in the first quarter but they had opened up a 17-point lead along the way before the Falcons did work back into the contest with a 9-0 run.

The Bruins remained in control in the second term and it was with Shyla Heal playing facilitator to have 10 assists already to half-time with co-captain Kiahna Davis-White scoring 17 points on 7/9 shooting.

Margot De Freitas was also shooting 7/9 for her 15 points and Bankstown went into half-time leading 57-41 while shooting 23/36 as a team from the field and 5/9 from the outside to the 16/41 and 1/10 from Waverley.

The Falcons were battling hard and got up an extra five shot attempts with 10 offensive rebounds to two including Katelyn Shumate having 11 points and Liana Kinkela nine.

It was another 20 points to 12 in favour of Bankstown in the third frame with the lead growing to as much as 27 points with them going 7/9 at the foul line for the quarter while Waverley only managed to shoot 4/16 from the floor.

The Falcons did try to mount a fightback in the last quarter and scored nine straight points in an attempt to get to another Championship Game and avoid it being the last game for Amelia Todhunter, but it wasn’t to be with Bankstown winning by 16.

The Bruins will now face the NBL1 South's Knox Raiders in the Championship Game on Sunday with co-captain Kiahna Davis-White top scoring with 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists on 7/10 shooting both from the field and the foul line.

Margot De Freitas added 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks with Tahlia Tupaea contributing 12 points and two steals, Shalome Dunlop 10 points, two rebounds and two assists, and Davida Dale seven points, nine boards and two steals.

Then there was Shyla Heal who finished with 11 points, 11 assists and five rebounds.

It's the season over for Waverley and also the decorated career of Todhunter came to a close and she finished with 16 points, six assists, five steals and four rebounds.

Katelyn Shumate top scored once more with 20 points and seven rebounds with Liana Kinkela contributing 11 points and seven boards, Georgia Pineau eight points and six rebounds, and Millie McCarthy six points, six boards and two assists.

NBL1 NATIONALS FINALS 2026 | DAY 2

BANKSTOWN BRUINS 89 (Davis-White 22, De Freitas 15, Tupaea 12)

WAVERLEY FALCONS 73 (Shumate 20, Todhunter 16, Kinkela 11)