ROUND 15 of the NBL1 East Men’s saw Norths Bears big man Lewis Holey post a massive double-double and lead his side to a 10-point win over the Albury-Wodonga Bandits over the weekend.

The Bears have enjoyed a strong campaign during the 2023 fixture, coming into Saturday night’s game at North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre with 12 wins and five losses next to their name. On the other hand, the Bandits have found themselves in a fight for a spot in the finals with some inconsistent performances preventing them from getting on a significant winning streak.

Despite the contrast in form between the two teams, it was a thoroughly entertaining affair, with Albury-Wodonga taking it right up to its higher ranked opponents. Norths performed as expected in the first half, taking a nine-point lead into the main break. However, the Bandits came out firing and stole the lead late in the final quarter. The match ended up going to overtime, needing two extra periods before the Bears managed to claim a 107-97 win.

Holey was the star of the show for the winning side, dominating the contest and dragging his side over the line in a hard-fought win.

Norths Bears (107) def. Albury-Wodonga Bandits (97)

Lewis Holey – 24 points, 25 rebounds, one rebound, two steals

Holey was one of the biggest factors in the Bears getting over the line, with his scoring and rebounding playing a crucial role in the team’s 13th win of the season.

The big man delivered 24 points over the course of regulation and extra time, constantly getting himself into scoring positions and hurting the opposition.

Holey nailed 11 shots on 24 attempts from the field, finding the most success inside the arc, although he was not afraid of firing off some jump shots from three-point territory too, given his knack for finding the bottom of the net.

From two-point land, he nailed nine of his 15 shots, with many of these coming in the form of second chance points generated by his rebounding ability.

Holey was a force of nature on the glass, pulling down a monstrous 24 boards over the course of the match, which was huge in getting Norths past the opposition on the scoreboard. Eight of these came on the offensive end, playing a massive role in getting the Bears over the line thanks to some timely putbacks.

Holey was an immense presence in the win for the Bears, getting front position on the glass and playing a hugely important role for the winning side.