Photo Courtesy of David Hollis Sutherland Sharks 93 def Hornsby Spiders 84 - By Brendon Gleeson The weekends double header was a tough task, and with the Sharks coming off a painful loss against a lower ranked Newcastle side it was imperative to get the wins. Saturdays game saw the Sharks go to Hornsby who are placed steadily in the middle of the ladder. Hornsby jumped out to an early lead as the Sharks tried to get their game going but the momentum soon changed and thanks to some stellar inside play by Blake Henricks and Brendan Clowrie the Sharks took the lead going into the second half by 8. Blake Stroh controlled the point like a pro for the Sharks as the offenses started to pay their dues and despite a strong comeback by Hornsby, the Sharks made all the right moves at the right times to take the game 93-84. Sutherland Sharks 81 def Bankstown Bruins 80 - By Brendon Gleeson Sunday’s game against the Bankstown Bruins was a rematch of last year’s semi finals and historically is always a grind for the Sharks. The Bruins took the lead from some quality outside shooting while the Sharks plugged away. While Sutherland seemed only to be able to work well in spurts it was enough to keep the game close and even take the lead going into the final quarter. However the Bruins weren’t over yet as they powered back to take the lead by 7 with 3 minutes to go. Sutherland then dug down to muster up whatever they had left for the final run home and managed to get within one point with only seconds remaining. With only seconds remaining Blake Henricks got the ball under pressure and managed to move his way to the hoop and make a layup against three defenders to take the lead with only a handful of seconds on the clock. A truly great win for the Sharks with Blake Henricks pulling in a massive 31 point haul. Women Norths “Soul Sports” Bears 77 defeated Newcastle Hunters 61 After losing to the Hills Hornets in round 5 in a game which saw Norths shoot a miserable 20% from the field, the Lady Bears came out in round 6 with a point to prove against the previously undefeated Newcastle Hunters. Newcastle, however, started a little bit better with their offence providing good opportunities for Katie-Rae Ebzery to penetrate Norths defence for some easy scores. Newcastle led at the end of the first 22-18. Norths then decided to lift the level of play in the second with Sophie Kelman leading from the front playing some inspirational defence and hitting some clutch 3’s, taking the lead at the half 38-37. Kelman continued in the 3rd quarter and together with Krolke, Braunberger and Smith, were able to shut down Newcastle’s offence in the second half, limiting Newcastle to 24 second half points. An outstanding win for the Lady Bears!! Top performers for the Bears against Newcastle were Sophie Kelman 14points 10 rebounds 6 steals 5 assists, Petra Krolke 18 points 17 rebounds, Lisa Braunberger 10 points 14 rebounds, 11 points, 11 rebounds. Norths “Soul Sports” Bears 77 defeated by Hornsby Spiders 89 Norths came into this game full of confidence after a good win over Newcastle but minus two starters due to injury. Hornsby started the better of the two teams, with Alicia Poto leading the way early causing some headaches for the Norths coaching staff. After calling a timeout, Norths coach Keith Kelman, resorted to a box and 1 on Poto and it proved dividends with Norths getting back into the game with Alana Mountfield netting 7 points in the run. Norths down 39-32 at half time. In the second half, Norths went with a much bigger lineup with Braunberger at the point and it worked instantly, with Norths running game kicking into gear and the Norths centres Krolke and Smith finding some form. After Braunberger hit back to back threes, the lead was cut back to one point at the end of the third quarter, 57-56. With hopes of an upset on the cards, the lady Bears failed to carry a hand on Hornsby’s shooters and Hornsby punished them with a 15 – 3 run, which included 4 three point shots putting the game out of the reach. Top performers for the Bears against Hornsby were Lisa Braunberger 24 points, Petra Krolke 18 points 10 rebounds, Alana Mountfield 16 points and Tanya Smith 11 points 12 rebounds 5 assists. The Norths “Soul Sports” Bears play the Bankstown Sports Bruins this Anzac day at the Bear Pit. Tip off is at 2pm and entry is free! Men Norths “Soul Sports” Bears 116 defeated Newcastle Hunters 88 The double header weekend was always going to prove to be a tough match up for the Bears with starting forward Sam Rowley at the under 18’s Nationals and backup shooting guard Ben O’Neill attending a hoops camp in the States. Nevertheless, the Bears had some confidence after defeating Hills in the previous round and started this game much like the last one ended with Luke “Big Cactus” Brennan and Ufojan Isbic dominating the undersized Newcastle forwards on the offensive end. Brennan and Isbic also provided great transition opportunities by having an O’Brien type effort on the glass (31 rebounds between the two) and limiting Newcastle main inside player, Al Swystun, to 7 points on 2 of 10 shooting. Linden Smith-Hyde and James MacCann also did a great defensive job on Newcastle veterans Matt McGovern and Matt Cook. The result was a 24 point lead at half time, 57 – 33. The Bears continued the onslaught in the second half with the lead blowing out to 36 points midway through the third quarter before Newcastle staged a spirited mini come back, but it was all too little too late with Norths eventually winning by 28 points. Top performers for the Bears against Newcastle were Luke Brennan 16 points 15 rebounds 3 blocks, Ufojan Isbic 17 points 16 rebounds, Troy van Spanje 19 points, Linden Smith-Hyde 18 points and James MacCann 12 points 12 assists 3 steals. Norths “Soul Sports” Bears 104 defeated Hornsby Spiders 92 This game proved to be a great clash between two teams who had a number of players with personal battles at stake. Former Norths player and Youth League MVP Anthony Separovich hitch hiked his way over to Hornsby to join former Bears head coach Greg Jones and player Pat Darbey-Toomeh. Former Crusader, Tim Hudson (who burned the Bears last year for 42 points) was also in the lineup and still fresh in the minds of the Bears guards. The game started at frenetic pace with Hornsby Guards Jarrad Weeks and Daryl Pepito penetrating at will causing the Bears some defensive problems and leading 14-11 after 5 minutes of play. After some defensive adjustments, Norths steadily found their feet and turned to the languid scoring of Brennan and Isbic who combined for 14 points in the first quarter, leading the team to a 27-23 first quarter lead. The second quarter and third quarter continued in much of the same manner with Norths point guard James MacCann providing great opportunities for Norths big men to score in the low block. Norths lead at three quarter time 81-69. The final quarter showcased great play from both teams, but Norths had the edge defensively, and on the boards, and did not allow the Spiders to come any closer than 7 points. Linden Smith-Hyde made a tough lay up in the lane over Separovich and Troy van Spanje then hit a deep three to make the lead 12 points again. The Bears then grinded it out defensively earning a well earned 2nd win for the weekend and propelling the team into the top 6. Top performers for the Bears against Hornsby were Luke Brennan 26 points 11 rebounds 5 assists, Ufojan Isbic 24 points 10 rebounds, Troy van Spanje 17 points, Linden Smith-Hyde 13 points and James MacCann 18 points 12 assists 6 rebounds 3 steals. The Norths “Soul Sports” Bears play the Bankstown Sports Bruins this Anzac day at the Bear Pit. Tip off is at 4pm and entry is free!