A HUGELY impactful offensive performance from Emily Simons was the talking point out of the Norths Bears’ 41-point win over the Penrith Panthers in the NBL1 East Women’s over the weekend.

In the penultimate round of the season, the Panthers hosted the Bears at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre on Saturday evening, in a game that held a fair bit of importance for the visitors. Norths sat in third spot coming into the game, but had the Centre of Excellence looking to steal that place, and although Penrith had not produced the most successful season itself with just four wins, the match was vital for the Bears holding onto third position and loomed as a danger game.

However, the Bears were far too classy for the Panthers, exploding out of the gates with a 24-7 opening period. Norths had complete control of the contest on both ends of the court, doing as it pleased and finding open looks with ease. Although the home side managed to improve their output on the scoring front as the game went on, it was not enough to contain the offensive production of a Bears side that will be eager to contend for the title in the coming weeks, cruising home to a 91-50 victory.

Simons delivered a terrific performance with one of the most memorable scoring outings of the season across any NBL1 competition.

Penrith Panthers (50) def. by Norths Bears (91)

Emily Simons – 47 points, nine rebounds, two assists, four steals

Simons was a standout in a dominant performance from the Bears, leading from the front on the offensive end and producing some seriously good numbers.

Remarkably, the 28-year-old delivered over half of her team’s points, finishing with 47 in an explosive scoring display.

Her offensive output was due to a seriously high level of efficiency given how many shots she took, making 17 baskets on 26 attempts and spreading out her shot selection to make life challenging for the defence.

From two-point territory, Simons made 10 of her 12 shots, while she cashed in from behind the arc with seven triples, showcasing her range and punishing the defenders for backing off.

Simons spread her scoring efforts out evenly, registering double-digit points in each of the four quarters, showcasing her consistency as a bucket-getter and ensuring Norths’ offence continued to tick over across each period.

Simons was an immense figure in the Bears’ 16th win of the season, taking control of the team on the offensive end and tormenting the opposition with her ability to find the bottom of the net.