After a disappointing loss to Illawarra Hawks last week, the Bankstown Bruins bounced back, clinching a hard-fought win against Norths Bears at Bankstown Basketball Stadium on Saturday night, winning a thriller by one point, 89-88.
Norths Bears started the game off well, scoring the first score with Lachlan Bofinger slotting a three point shot.
Bruins eventually got their first score of the game with Deonte Williams shooting a two-point driving layup, pushing through the Bears’ defence, which challenged them throughout the game.
In the first quarter, both teams battled it out in a tight tussle. Turnovers by the Bruins forced them to gift the Bears shots, leading the Bears to extend a solid lead over the Bruins. There were many missed opportunities from the Bruins to tighten and shut down the Bears’ healthy lead, but missed shots.
In the second quarter, the Bruins displayed more aggression, stealing the ball off the Bears and challenging them, but turnovers really hurt the Bruins on the end of the court. Bears player Robert Moore extended their lead with a three-pointer. Tederick Wolfe had a dominant quarter, sinking many shots, including from the three-point line.
The aggression kicked off between the two teams in the third quarter with Norths Bears player Lachlan Bofinger performing well in the quarter. The Bruins applied pressure throughout the quarter, challenging the Bears and forcing them to commit turnovers. Wolfe showcased his brilliance, sinking multiple shots and helping his side tighten the Bears’ lead. Bruin Zeke Evans also stepped up displaying his skill, shooting shots.
Bruins started the last quarter well with Jesse Edwards shooting a three-point shot giving them the lead over the Bears who fumbled and lost control of the ball early. This led to a turnover but Ignatius Mitchell leveled the score shooting a two-point layup before Edwards stepped up and sank another three-point shot.
However, the Bears eventually regained the lead late in the last quarter, but the Bruins took it back only minutes later. At the end, the Bruins’ second-half surge proved too good for the Bears leading to them falling just short, losing by one point.
Injured Bruins player Andre Wolford, who is sidelined with an ACL injury, was pleased with the Bruins tight win.
“They really figured each other out. They knew what they had to do coming in; they all bought into the role, and everybody brought so much energy, and they did all the little things. I feel like when we played the Hawks, we didn’t do those little things, and against teams like that and North, if you don’t do those little things to win, they also add up to massive mistakes down the road,” Wolford highlighted.
“And so they learned their lesson from playing a good team like the Hawks, came in, played against the Norths, fixed all those mistakes and was able to get out with a win.”
After winning by one point the next day, the Bruins lost to Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on the road at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre, 92-84.
Despite them losing to the Sea Eagles, they will now be hoping to bounce back with a win when they face Penrith Panthers on July 4 at Bankstown Basketball Stadium.
