A FANTASTIC solo effort from Biwali Bayles has ensured the Sydney Comets are well and truly alive in the race for the 2024 National Basketball League (NBL)1 East Men’s championship after helping his side advance to the semi-finals.

After finishing seventh on the ladder, the Comets faced off against the Inner West Bulls at ELS Hall Park on Saturday night. Sydney was considered slight underdogs as the Bulls had claimed one more win throughout the 2024 season, and earned home court advantage as a result.

It was a tightly fought affair, with both sides going on respective scoring runs in the first half as the lead changed hands on several occasions. The third term was largely owned by the Bulls, who put themselves in a strong position with a hefty six-point lead late in the third quarter. However, the Comets were inspired in the final period, storming away with the match to claim an 11-point win.

Bayles was the spark that turned the game around for Sydney, proving unstoppable as he took over the match to breathe some life into his side’s season.

Inner West Bulls (72) def. by Sydney Comets (83)

Biwali Bayles – 36 points, 15 rebounds

Bayles was the match-winning factor for the Comets, posting a massive double-double in a do-or-die clash for Sydney and lifting when the team needed it most.

He was far and away the leading influence on the offensive end, proving reliable at finding the bottom of the net and helping drag his side back in the contest after Inner West broke out to a potentially match-winning lead.

Bayles was fired up from the opening term, looking to attack his opponent off the dribble and using his strength to back down the defender and get as close to the basket as possible. He converted an and-one opportunity and flexed on the opposition after finishing through contact.

The 22-year-old was able to stretch the floor as well, breaking down the defence with his handles and knocking down a stepback triple to get off to the perfect start in the first quarter.

Although it was a quieter second period by his lofty standards, Bayles kept his confidence rolling into the third term, slicing through traffic by putting the ball through his legs and putting up a floater before the the defence had a chance to contest the shot.

His ability to finish through traffic and shift his body to get basket-side of his opponent was a serious weapon for the Comets, and he helped inspire belief in the team with some crucial points late in the third term where the game was threatening to get away from Sydney.

Bayles kept delivering clutch baskets in the defining fourth quarter, always looking to attack off the dribble and produced one of the most impressive makes of the game. Despite losing the handle late in the shot clock after some body contact from the defence, Bayles regathered the ball at the top of the three-point line, burst past the defender and put up a one-handed floater from the elbow while fading away that found the bottom of the net in remarkable fashion.

It was a game-breaking showing on the offensive end from Bayles, who was always going to be a dangerous factor in the finals, and demonstrated that in his first hitout of the postseason.