The Bankstown Bruins’ 2025 consistent season came to an end on Saturday night after Sutherland Sharks defeated them 84-89 in a tense elimination final at Bankstown Basketball Stadium. The Sharks got off to a solid start with Jason Spurgin winning the jump ball and Luke Jamieson slotting a three-point jump shot.
Jason Cadee opened the scoring for the Bruins with a two-point floating jump shot, and Andre Wolford gave the Bruins a slim lead by shooting a three-pointer, but Kouat Noi levelled the margin by scoring a two-point layup.
The Bruins kept missing shots and fumbling the ball frequently, leading to turnovers. The Sharks, on the other hand, played a cleaner first quarter and were accurate in their shooting, dominating the Bruins on their home court.
A personal foul by Sharks player Adrian Cabrera gifted Cadee a chance to score two free throw shots, giving the Bruins a boost of confidence to start the second quarter.
However, the Sharks extended their lead from a two-point layup by Jason Spurgin. The clumsy play continued for the Bruins as they gifted the Sharks the ball, leading to Cabrera’s steal, but the Sharks missed the shot on the other end by Lochlan Hutchinson.
Costly turnovers by the Bruins continued for the majority of the quarter, giving the Sharks an excellent opportunity to score and extend the lead. Moments later the Sharks also made costly mistakes by turning the ball over, leading to the Bruins slotting a shot in.
But the Bruins couldn’t get the ball through the net with players like Cadee, Jason Galloway and Dominique Keyes missing easy shots. Sutherland took a solid lead into halftime, leaving the Bruins to do plenty of thinking in the main break.
The third quarter began with Spurgin converting a two-point layup, but Galloway also slotted a two-point layup, giving the Bruins still a chance to win. Cadee made another costly error by turning the ball over, allowing Hutchinson to steal.
However, the turnovers kept rolling through with Jamieson turning the ball over, causing Dominique Keyes to steal, but the Bruins’ inconsistent shooting was on full display with Galloway failing to score a two-point step-back jump shot.
Galloway had a strong quarter, scoring two three-pointers, helping the Bruins claw themselves back into the game and reducing the Sharks’ lead.
The Bruins got off to a great start in the last quarter with Andre Wolford slotting a three-point jump shot and Spurgin turning the ball over, gifting Galloway the ball and allowing him to slam a two-point dunk shot, bringing the Bruins within only four points and setting them up for a likely comeback and sending the crowd wild.
A lack of defensive pressure led to Hutchinson scoring on the other end. The Bruins kept missing easy shots, and a turnover by Cadee made things worse as the Sharks extended their lead with Taylor Young stealing and Hutchinson scoring a two-point layup.
A personal foul by Cabrera allowed Cadee to convert two free throw shots, which he nailed in but the Bruins left it too late to have a comeback win.
At the end, the Sharks managed to dominate the Bruins and finish their five-game winning streak, advancing into the qualifying finals of the NBL One East. The Bruins tried their best to overcome the Sharks, but costly mistakes and poor shooting saw them just fall short of a spot in the qualifying finals.
The good news is the Bruins women’s team advanced to the qualifying finals after defeating the Maitland Mustangs 77-73 at Bankstown Basketball Stadium before the men entered the court. They now face the challenge of heading north to Newcastle to face the Newcastle Falcons on August 2 at Newcastle Basketball Stadium in the semi-finals.
