Basketball NSW was very excited to host the 2023 Coles Express NBL1 East Grand Final at Sydney Uni Sports & Aquatic Centre on Saturday, the 12th of August!
It was a thrilling day packed with high calibre basketball performances by the 2 top men’s and women’s teams, who battled it out bravely for the title of Champions for the 2023 NBL1 East season.
NBL1 East fans were spectacular, managing to pack out Sydney Uni Sports & Aquatic Centre – and even selling the stadium out for the Men’s Grand Final. There were 1,300 spectators overall that joined us for the exciting matches – and they kept the energy high all day!
Congratulations to the Norths Bears Women and Sutherland Sharks Men for taking out the East conference and being crowned the 2023 Coles Express NBL1 East Champions! These two teams now switch their focus to looking ahead for next weekend, where they will compete against the winning teams from the other NBL1 conferences nation-wide, and hopefully secure the title of National Champions!
We’d like to thank and congratulate the Referees that officiated both games on a spectacular job. The Referee Panel for the Women’s Grand Final included Jack Taylor (Crew Chief), Michael Beevers (Umpire 1), Nathan Paff (Umpire 2) and Logan Bilby (Reserve), and for the Men’s Grand Final; James Boyer (Crew Chief), Haylee Cole (Umpire 1), Bradley Mattioli (Umpire 2) and Marko Nikolic (Reserve).
Basketball NSW would also like to acknowledge the Technical Officials for the day, including Statisticians and Score Table Officials. For the Women’s game, it was Sean Mackie (Caller), Robyn Dening (Main), Yomwana Bradford (Back up) and Teresa Ruscoe (Spotter). The Score Table will include Keira Rostirolla (Chair), Jeff Cooper (Scorer), Rachel Benton-Doyle (Assistant Scorer), Sue Baxter (Timer) and Michael Bills (Shot Clock), and reserves in Greg Stevenson, Heidi Wong and Tro Manjikian. For the Men’s game, the Statisticians were Nikita Bradford (Caller), Sarah Plunkett (Main), Jessie Skeen Fisher (Back up) and Aris Adriano (Spotter). The Score Table will include Peter Nicholas (Chair), Maddie Thacker (Scorer), Nick Rosenberg (Assistant Scorer), Peta Haynes (Timer) and Roupen Zarigian (Shot Clock). Reserves are Greg Stevenson, Heidi Wong and Tro Manjikian.
We were lucky enough to have a brilliant panel of commentators for each game, who commentated throughout the 2023 NBL1 East Season! Commentating the Women’s Grand Final were Caleb Fogarty and Jacinta Govind, and for the Men’s Grand Final, Matt McQuade and Davey J (David) Lane. Davey J will also be travelling to Joondalup, representing the East Conference as our resident commentator, for the 2023 Coles Express NBL1 National Finals at Joondalup next weekend – Basketball NSW would like to wish him the best of luck!
Check out a recap of each of the Grand Finals below:
WOMEN’S GRAND FINAL:
It was a battle of the North Shore in the NBL1 East women’s Grand Final for 2023 and it was the Norths Bears who delivered a masterful performance from start to finish to defeat the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 71-56.
Grand Final day at Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatics Centre got underway with the women’s decider between the Sea Eagles and Bears with the two teams led by the last two NBL1 East Coach of the Year winners, Nathan Kirwan and Renae Garlepp.
Both teams put together standout regular seasons as well with Manly Warringah finishing in top spot with a 20-2 record before advancing to the Grand Final with finals victories against the Albury-Wodonga Bandits and the Centre of Excellence.
Norths, meanwhile, finished in third place with an 18-4 record before then beating the Maitland Mustangs by 24 points in the elimination final and the Sydney Comets by 20 in the semi finals.
And while the Sea Eagles did win both match ups with the Bears during the regular season, the last contest was a thriller back on April 14 with Manly Warringah pulling out the 73-70 victory so the stage was set for a tremendous Grand Final battle.
Jolene Anderson was the star of the Grand Final triumph for Norths to continue her stunning recent form with another 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
She had plenty of help too including captain Kate Seebohm delivering 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals while Emily Simons added 15 points, seven boards, three steals and two assists.
Jessica Bygate also ended up with 11 points and five rebounds, Sarah Schicher six points, 11 boards, four blocks and two assists, Carla Pitman five points and five rebounds, and Maddy O’Hehir three points, four rebounds and two blocks.
It was a tough way for the outstanding season of the Sea Eagles to end with captain Kim Hodge doing what she could to lift her team with 21 points and seven rebounds.
Alex Delaney added 16 points and 11 boards, Bree Delaney 11 points and eight rebounds, Felicity Henderson eight points and six boards, and Antonia Henderson 10 rebounds along with three assists.
The first score of the Grand Final was a tough inside bucket to Alex Delaney for Manly Warringah but it took another couple of minutes for another field goal and it was Jess Bygate getting Norths on the board.
It turned out a strong start from the Sea Eagles when Alex Delaney hit a three ball and then Kim Hodge scored inside to put them up 7-4, and then Hodge scored again to make it 9-4.
The Bears soon worked their way on top, though, and hit the lead on a jumper from Kate Seebohm before Emily Simons extended that advantage and Jolene Anderson hit a three ball to put them up 19-13.
The lead was 20-13 by quarter-time and the Bears were able to remain in charge throughout the second quarter with another 21 points to 12 to go into the half-time break leading 41-25.
Like a lot of Grand Finals, the points weren’t exactly flowing but the defensive performance from the Bears to hold the Sea Eagles to 25 points in the half when they have averaged 83.5 points a game this season was significant.
Given the brilliant season they had up to this point winning 22 of 24 matches, Manly Warringah were always going to come out hard to start the second half and that’s exactly what happened.
A triple from Bree Delaney and then four quick points from Hodge had them back within 11 points with Alex Delaney bringing it back to nine, but Norths continued to have the answers and that started with a triple from Carla Pitman.
While Bree Delaney responded with another triple for Manly Warringah, again Pitman scored to keep Norths up double-figures and by three quarter-time the lead was still 59-46.
Maddy O’Hehir pushed that lead for the Bears out to 15 to start the fourth quarter and from there the Sea Eagles would get no closer than 12 with Norths securing the championship in style with the 15-point victory.
The championship is the first in the NBL1 East for the Bears but the third in six years to go with the Waratah League titles they won in both 2018 and 2020.
Watch some of the game highlights below:
MEN’S GRAND FINAL:
The Maitland Mustangs were attempting to avoid back-to-back NBL1 East Grand Final defeats but the Sutherland Sharks weren’t playing along and triumphed 83-80 at Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatics Centre.
On the back of losing last year’s Grand Final in a heartstopper to the Canberra Gunners, Maitland backed up with a seventh place finish at the end of the 2023 regular season in the NBL1 East.
However, the Mustangs went on to beat the Inner West Bulls and then in a Grand Final rematch earned a measure of revenge on Canberra in the semi finals to get back to another decider.
Sutherland ended up in fifth place before then beating the Norths Bears and the Centre of Excellence on the way to the Grand Final setting up a decider where it was the fifth against seventh ranked teams at the end of the regular season.
It was a tight contest throughout most of the evening with the Mustangs up four by quarter-time before scores were all square at the half.
However, the Sharks pulled away in the third quarter and then held out the Mustangs to score the championship triumph and book in a place at next week’s National Finals in Perth.
Lochlan Hutchison ended up being named Grand Final MVP in Sutherland’s triumph finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Marquel Beasley added 16 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots for the Sharks, Adrian Cabrera 16 points, six boards and three steals, and Jordan Mitchell 15 points and three rebounds.
Captain Geoff Gerlach battled hard too for six points, 10 rebounds and two assists while Deng Gak contributed eight points and four boards.
It was a second consecutive heartbreaking Grand Final loss for Maitland with James Hunter top-scoring with 20 points and six rebounds.
MVP Will Cranston-Lown added 19 points, eight assists, three rebounds and two steals for the Mustangs, Billy Parsons 15 points and six boards, Will Mortimore eight points and four rebounds, and Matthew Gray five points, 11 boards and two blocked shots.
Marquel Beasley opened the scoring in the Grand Final with an early offensive rebound and putback for the Sharks but up the other end, the Mustangs scored on back-to-back dunks to James Hunter and Matthew Gray.
Hunter then also grabbed an o-board and put it back to give Maitland the 6-2 start but Sutherland soon responded and were back in front following an and-one play from Adrian Cabrera.
MVP Will Cranston-Lown then landed a three-pointer to return Maitland to the lead but soon after Lochlan Hutchison did the same even though he wasn’t able to complete the four-point play, and it was the Sharks back up one after the opening five minutes.
The lead continued to switch hands the rest of the opening quarter before Cranston-Lown completed a three-point play to give the Mustangs the 22-18 advantage.
It took less than a minute and-a-half of the second quarter for the Sharks to return to the lead first with a layup from Deng Gak, then three-pointer from Aaron Waban and another bucket to Cabrera off a Maitland turnover.
It was then time for Beasley to catch fire for Sutherland going into half-time and he did help his team to lead by as much as five, but by the break the Mustangs had managed to tie scores back up at 37-37.
It was basket for basket to start the second half until Geoff Gerlach grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put Sutherland on top by three. Hutchison backed that up scoring off a steal and the Sharks were up five.
That lead got out to nine on the back of four quick points from Cabrera just before three quarter-time with the Sharks’ lead then out to nine by the end of the period thanks to a four-point play from Hutchison and two more free-throws from the MVP.
Maitland needed to respond to start the fourth quarter to avoid back-to-back Grand Final losses and Josh Clifford did open the scoring for them. Billy Parsons then scored too and so did Will Mortimore and suddenly the margin was just three with eight minutes to play.
The margin was still three when Parsons scored again with 4:45 to go, but the Sharks continued to have all the answers and it started with the next four points from Jordan Mitchell.
The Mustangs still weren’t going to lie down and a tripe from Cranston-Lown had them back within four, and then a Parsons triple had them within three late in the piece.
But Sutherland just wasn’t going to be denied with Hutchison keeping the margin three with a free-throw and then a desperation half-court prayer from Gray for Maitland had hearts in mouth, but it was just too long and the Sharks secured the championship with the three-point win.
Watch some of the game highlights below:
Basketball NSW would like to also acknowledge the tremendous amount of skill and talent in the NBL1 East, and would like to congratulate all award finalists and winners in each category listed below:
MEN’S:
Defensive Player of the Year:
- James Toohey (Canberra Gunners)
- Ben Henshall (Centre of Excellence)
- WINNER: Alexander Higgins-Titsha (Inner West Bulls)
- Ryan Beisty (Newcastle Falcons)
- Michael Golding (Norths Bears)
Youth Player of the Year:
- Dhal Fieg (Canberra Gunners)
- WINNER: Alex Toohey (Centre of Excellence)
- Noah Pagotto (Illawarra Hawks)
- Billy Parsons (Maitland Mustangs)
- Matthew Wacher (Sydney Comets)
Coach of the Year:
- Peter Herak (Canberra Gunners)
- WINNER: Robbie McKinlay (Centre of Excellence)
- Reece Potter (Hills Hornets)
- Daniel Kim (Inner West Bulls)
- Angus Bourke (Norths Bears)
Most Valuable Player:
- Glenn Morison (Canberra Gunners)
- Alex Toohey (Centre of Excellence)
- Blake Morrow (Inner West Bulls)
- WINNER: Will Cranston-Lown (Maitland Mustangs)
- Ryan Beisty (Newcastle Falcons)
All Star Five:
- Glenn Morison (Canberra Gunners)
- Alex Toohey (Centre of Excellence)
- Ryan Beisty (Newcastle Falcons)
- Will Cranston-Lown (Maitland Mustangs)
- Blake Morrow (Inner West Bulls)
WOMEN’S:
Defensive Player of the Year:
- WINNER: Lauren Nicholson (Sutherland Sharks)
- Kate Seebohm (Norths Bears)
- Lizzy Tonks (Canberra Nationals)
- Antonia Henderson (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
- Mykea Gray (Newcastle Falcons)
Youth Player of the Year:
- Ashley Hannan (Albury-Wodonga Bandits)
- Jayda Clark (Centre of Excellence)
- Felicity Henderson (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
- Carla Pitman (Norths Bears)
- WINNER: Jada Crawshaw (Sydney Comets)
Coach of the Year:
- Mark Wawszkowicz (Maitland Mustangs)
- WINNER: Nathan Kirwan (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
- Martin McLean (Newcastle Falcons)
- Renae Garlepp (Norths Bears)
- Jeremy Jones (Sutherland Sharks)
Most Valuable Player:
- Lauren Nicholson (Sutherland Sharks)
- Emily Simons (Norths Bears)
- WINNER: Nicole Munger (Newcastle Falcons)
- Alex Delaney (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
- Mikayla Pivec (Albury-Wodonga Bandits)
All Star Five:
- Isabelle Bourne (Canberra Nationals)
- Nicole Munger (Newcastle Falcons)
- Kimberley Hodge (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
- Lauren Nicholson (Sutherland Sharks)
- Mikayla Pivec (Albury-Wodonga Bandits)
Congratulations to all winners, and Basketball NSW wishes the Norths Bears Women and Sutherland Sharks Men the best of luck for the 2023 Coles Express NBL1 National Finals in Joondalup, WA from the 18th-20th of August! You can follow them live and free on Kayo Freebies.
To view the NBL1 East Grand Finals Online Program, please click HERE.
Access the photo gallery from the NBL1 East Grand Finals on our Facebook page, HERE.