EMERGING talent Carla Pitman was the star of the show as the Norths Bears produced a massive 44-point win over the Sutherland Sharks in the NBL1 East Women’s over the weekend.

Pitman and the Bears have enjoyed a tremendous start to the 2025 season, coming into Sunday’s clash at the North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre with a perfect 5-0 record. Norths has been the form side of the competition, and it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Sharks, especially on the road.

It was a dominant display from the Bears from the opening tip, doubling Sutherland’s score in the first frame to lead by 14 points at quarter time, and the home side only built from there. They won all four quarters in convincing fashion, and cruised home to an emphatic victory to keep their perfect record intact after ANZAC round.

Although there were plenty of players who stepped up for the Bears in the win, it was Pitman who had the biggest impact, continuing her excellent campaign and showing why she is one of the brightest talents currently playing NBL1.

Norths Bears (113) def. Sutherland Sharks (69)

Carla Pitman – 16 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, one steal

Pitman did it all for the Bears in the huge win, stuffing the stat sheet to show just how balanced her impact can be when in form. At just 21 years of age, her best basketball is still ahead of her, and her performance on Sunday was extremely encouraging.

She put the first score on the board with a driving layup on the first possession of the match, showing no fear towards the opposition’s frontcourt defence and getting right to the cup. Pitman then made a nice dish off to a cutting Emma Donnelly for her first assist of the match, showing great vision and timing with ball in hand.

Pitman and Donnelly combined again a couple of minutes later, with the former kicking the ball out to the perimeter for another assist after the latter nailed the triple. Although she was slightly careless at times with a couple of first quarter turnovers, the young gun did generate a fast break score with a steal and assist in transition to ensure the Bears continued to build their lead.

Her work on the glass on both ends of the floor began to play a big role within the context of the match, as she consistently got first hands on the ball and dished out to teammates, finding Madeleine O’Hehir just before the quarter time buzzer to cap off a productive first term.

She continued to generate scores for the Bears in the second term, maintaining a pass-first mentality and getting her teammates into scoring positions with her vision. However, Pitman was able to get involved again as a scorer with another driving layup before being subbed out for the remainder of the quarter, having had a huge impact on the contest already.

She returned to the fray to start the third quarter, and although her minutes were restricted to some foul trouble, the 22-year-old still found a way to impress, particularly with a late reverse layup, showing great touch around the basket and evading the defence with style. It showed just how naturally she can generate plays on the offensive end, and with a great feel for the game already, more experience under her belt should help her get even more dangerous with ball in hand.

She finished the game with an impressive triple double of 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists on 7/13 shooting from the field. Having built week after week throughout the first month of play, it was the kind of statement performance that was always going to come for Pitman, and she has officially put her name on the map as one to watch moving forward.