WHAT a way to start the season. The National Basketball League (NBL)1 debuted a new competition over the weekend, with the East competition kicking off its first ever round. It allowed some of the best basketball talent in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory to shine after a number of years without a nationally recognised competition. Round One of the NBL1 East demonstrated the importance of showcasing the talent in the area, with both the men’s and women’s competition delivering some fantastic action across Saturday and Sunday. There were some big team wins and cracking individual performances across the courts, none more so than the efforts of Hills Hornets tall Rhiannon Yetsenga, who stuffed the stat sheet and led her side to their first win of the season with a monsterous doible-double.

Inner West Bulls (35) def. by Hills Hornets (83)

Rhiannon Yetsenga – 21 points, 20 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block

In the most dominant individual performance of Round One, Yetsenga led her side to a big win over the Inner West Bulls at ELS Hall Park on Saturday evening. With the Hornets on top all day. Yetsenga led from the front and proved a tough task for the Bulls defence to handle. She worked extremely hard all game, and was far and away the most influential player on the court. Her 20-20 game was the first of the season from any player in the NBL1 East competition, and has announced herself as one to watch throughout the year.

Yetsenga kicked off the game in style, storming into the paint in the first minute of play and sinking the lay-up for the first score of the contest. It was the catalyst for her side’s early lead, and while she wasn’t always the focal point of the offence, Yetsenga was still involved for much of the first quarter. In a remarkable passage of play, she managed to pull down five offensive boards in the one possession, and while the tall could not convert it into a score, the effort was still fantastic to see. She continued to pull down offensive rebounds and put up shots, determined to get her side in a winning position. After a powerful opening term, she headed to the bench for a well-deserved rest, with the Hornets up by 15 at the first break.

Continuing from her excellent start to the contest, Yetsenga began the second term with plenty of involvement. She displayed excellent defensive work, with a steal and a block in the first couple of minutes, before heading down the other end and adding some more points. The Bulls defenders tried to prevent the ball from getting in Yetsenga’s hands, but to no avail, as she drained shots from inside the paint and mid-range. When half time rolled around, the Hornets had a 29 point lead over their opponents, with Yetsenga vital in gaining such an advantage.

The defence began to pay much more attention to Yetsenga to open the second half, putting a body on her whenever the rebound was up for grabs. There was not much they could do though, as her rebound count continued to grow as the game went on. Yetsenga also kept showing no hesitation in putting up jump shots, with a number finding the bottom of the net. Hills led by a whopping 39 points heading into the last, with Yetsenga’s efforts once again important in getting here.

Yetsenga spent the start of the final period on the bench, with the result firmly secure at the time. After coming into the game, she took advantage of the defence’s overcommitment while guarding her, finding a wide-open teammate behind the arc, with the shot nailed. Yetsenga got involved in the scoring once more with a lay-up, before heading to the bench and finishing a terrific performance, with her side claiming a 48-point triumph.

Along with the game mentioned above, there was still plenty of NBL1 East action taking place around New South Wales and the ACT over the weekend, as the men’s and women’s competitions kicked off.

Across the courts

Women’s

Central Coast Crusaders (63) def. by Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (83)
Newcastle Falcons (69) def. Maitland Mustangs (39)
Illawarra Hawks (49) def. by Sutherland Sharks (72)
Norths Bears (65) def. Canberra Nationals (62)

Men’s

Bankstown Bruins (80) def. by Albury-Wodonga Bandits (92)
Central Coast Crusaders (68) def. by Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (85)
Inner West Bulls (58) def. Hills Hornets (56)
Newcastle Falcons (57) def. by Maitland Mustangs (70)
Illawarra Hawks (85) def. by Sutherland Sharks (87)
Norths Bears (68) def. by Canberra Gunners (80)