After a hard-fought journey to the playoffs, the Central Coast Crusaders women went down to the Manly Sea Eagles in the NBL1 East semi-finals on Sunday, July 28.
The third seed Sea Eagles were the favorites heading into this one having lost only four games in the regular season.
The matchup took place at Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Stadium, giving the Sea Eagles yet another advantage as the match tipped off at 1pm.
The Sea Eagles came out of the gates blazing with all of their starting five nailing shots, pulling away early to win the quarter 22-16.
The backcourt trio of Zoey Miller and the Delaney sisters led the charge in the second quarter as the Crusaders struggled to keep up despite Kristina Moore’s valiant efforts.
The Crusaders’ Darneka Rowe did everything in her power to drop the deficit but the Sea Eagles proved too strong on their home court.
Shooting woes plagued the Crusaders and the game was slipping out of reach heading into the fourth quarter.
The Sea Eagles had everything going for them in this one including an amazing performance off the bench from Brooke Flowers who scored 21 points on an outstanding 83 per cent shooting.
The final score was 103-70 with the Sea Eagles taking the win for the home fans and moving on to the Preliminary Final.
The Crusaders’ valiant effort this season should be celebrated considering their finish on the ladder last season and just how far they’ve come.
Meanwhile, the Waratah Youth League Crusaders hosted the Bankstown Bruins at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium on Saturday, July 27.
Both Crusaders teams took home the win with the Youth Men’s game going down to the wire.
The Youth Women took the win 56-49 on a strong all-round performance from the team with multiple players in double digit points.
The Youth Men had a close one on their hands as Jamal Shoaib hit the game with only a few seconds left on the clock to give the Crusaders a 78-77 win.
Both Youth teams are in prime position for the playoffs as the season comes to a close heading into Round 19.
The Youth Women still sit in first place on the ladder and the Youth Men aren’t far behind tied for third place.
The Waratah Youth League Crusaders host the Inner West Bulls at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium on Saturday, August 3, with the women tipping off at 1pm and the men at 3pm.
Stefan Kataric