LAST weekend saw the maiden round of the National Basketball League (NBL)1 East competition take place, with both the men’s and women’s leagues producing some cracking action. There were nearly 20 games between the two competitions over the course of the weekend, with no shortage of high quality basketball around the courts. Fans were treated to some big performances, both at a team and individual level.

It is time to take a look at some of the strongest performers in a couple of the key statistical categories from an individual standpoint across the men’s and women’s competitions. These are big indicators of who has started the season strong in their respective roles, and while stats don’t show the whole picture, they sure do show a lot.

Points

Men’s

Brennan Rymer (Norths Bears) – 29
Lochlan Hutchison (Sutherland Sharks) – 28
Lucas Walker (Illawarra Hawks)/Branden Jenkins (Albury Wodonga Bandits) – 27

Rymer was the strongest offensive performer with a round-high 29 points, and can hold his head high despite the Bears’ 12-point loss to Canberra over the weekend. He didn’t show any shyness in shooting the ball, and it ended up keeping his side in the contest with six threes to give the Bears some much needed spark. Hutchinson delivered in the clutch with a composed 27-point outing, sinking some crucial free throws to seal Sutherland’s win over the Hawks on Saturday night.

Women’s

Kimberley Hodge (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles) – 29
Chyra Evans (Newcastle Falcons) – 28
Rhiannon Yetsenga (Hills Hornets) – 21

Hodge kicked off her 2022 campaign in style, dropping a massive 29 points as she led the Sea Eagles to a big win against Central Coast. She was clinical inside two-point territory, making 10 of her 16 attempts from inside the arc, and proving a reliable avenue to scoring. Evans was also terrific as she prepares to head overseas, dropping 28 points, while Yetsenga was fantastic in her side’s win, but more on her 21-point performance later.

Rebounds

Men’s

Myles Cherry (Newcastle Falcons) – 18
Johnny Crnogorac (Inner West Bulls)/Alexander Higgins-Titsha (Inner West Bulls) – 14
Nathaniel Musters (Bankstown Bruins) – 12

Cherry controlled the skies in Newcastle’s tough loss to the Mustangs in Round 1. He was far and away his side’s best player, with 22 points to go with his whopping 18 boards, five of which were offensive, giving the Falcons another shot at a basket. Crnogorac and Higgins-Titsha combined for 28 boards in the Bulls’ tense win, with both players crashing the offensive glass to much success, while Musters was also dominant in the air with 12 rebounds of his own.

Women’s

Rhiannon Yetsenga (Hills Hornets) – 20
Elizajane Loader (Central Coast Crusaders)/Courtney West (Sutherland Sharks) – 17
Chyra Evans (Newcastle Falcons)

How good was Yetsenga in the Hornets’ big win over the Bulls on the weekend. She racked up a mammoth double-double of 21 points and 20 rebounds, and was probably the strongest performer of Round 1 across both competitions. 15 of these rebounds came on the offensive end, as she generated plenty of scoring opportunitites for her and her side. Loader and West weren’t too far behind for their respective sides, each pulling down 17 boards and gaining ascendancy when the ball was in the air.

Round 2 of the NBL1 East competition is set to kick off on Saturday afternoon, so expect some more big individual outings.