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Ajak Nyuon and Mohamed Kone produced statement performances as the Centre of Excellence and Illawarra Hawks tightened their grip on the top end of the 2026 NBL1 East Men ladder in Round 8.

What the Round Told Us

The CoE continues to look like the league’s most disruptive defensive team, while Illawarra’s veteran-led offence is becoming one of the competition’s cleanest halfcourt groups. Behind the top four, Maitland and Central Coast both generated momentum-changing weekends, while Sydney Comets steadied inside the playoff positions with a much-needed home win.

Centre of Excellence 87 def. Norths Bears 61

Ajak Nyuon dominated inside with 25 points and 11 rebounds as the Centre of Excellence dismantled the Norths Bears on the road.

Nyuon shot 8-from-12 from the field and controlled the paint throughout the second half as the CoE improved to 11-1 and extended its winning streak to five straight games.

Jai Faale added 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Alexander Dickeson contributed 17 points, nine rebounds and five steals in another elite two-way performance.

The CoE completely overwhelmed Norths defensively after quarter-time, holding the Bears to just 46 points across the final three quarters while forcing 17 turnovers and limiting Norths to 26.2% shooting overall.

Norths struggled to generate clean offence all night despite Lachlan Bofinger’s 17 points and 10 rebounds. Wani Swaka Lo Buluk added 11 points, but the Bears shot just 6-from-29 from three-point range.

Game Snapshot

• Quarter Scores: Norths 15-16, 18-23, 12-17, 16-31
• Largest Lead: CoE by 26
• Game Flow: The CoE progressively wore Norths down before blowing the game open with a dominant fourth quarter.

By the Numbers

CoE – REB: 51 | STL: 11 | FG: 43.7% | Record: 11-1
Norths – FG: 26.2% | 3PT: 20.7% | TO: 17 | Record: 10-2

Illawarra Hawks 94 def. Newcastle Falcons 69

Mohamed Kone and Todd Blanchfield combined for 51 points as the Illawarra Hawks pulled away from the Newcastle Falcons in the second half.

Kone finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists while knocking down four three-pointers, while Blanchfield added 25 points and 13 rebounds with six made threes.

Illawarra exploded for 32 third-quarter points to break the game open and improved to 9-1 on the season behind another efficient offensive performance.

Matthew Mims orchestrated the offence with 12 points and nine assists as the Hawks buried 13 threes at 41.9% and finished with 24 assists.

Newcastle stayed within striking distance early behind Mandrell Worthy’s 21 points and Elias Cato’s 15, but the Falcons were overwhelmed once Illawarra’s transition game accelerated after halftime.

Game Snapshot

• Quarter Scores: Newcastle 23-23, 21-19, 12-32, 13-20
• Largest Lead: Illawarra by 25
• Game Flow: Illawarra blew the game apart with a dominant third quarter before cruising home.

By the Numbers

Illawarra – 3PT: 13-from-31 | AST: 24 | FT: 85.2% | Record: 9-1
Newcastle – FG: 41.4% | 3PT: 29.2% | REB: 35 | Record: 2-8

Other Results

• Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Spiders 73 def. Canberra Gunners 63 – Hornsby produced one of the upsets of the round.
• Sydney Comets 85 def. Albury-Wodonga Bandits 68 – Sydney strengthened its playoff positioning.
• Inner West Bulls 108 def. Bankstown Bruins 80 – Inner West exploded offensively in a 108-point outing.
• Maitland Mustangs 102 def. Hills Hornets 84 – Maitland stayed inside the top eight behind another high-scoring performance.
• Central Coast Crusaders 104 def. Sutherland Sharks 99 – Central Coast won a high-scoring shootout.
• Maitland Mustangs 85 def. Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 61 – Maitland completed a major weekend sweep.
• Centre of Excellence 70 def. Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Spiders 60 – The CoE backed up with another strong defensive effort.
• Albury-Wodonga Bandits 98 def. Inner West Bulls 80 – Albury snapped its losing streak.
• Central Coast Crusaders 89 def. Penrith Panthers 83 – Central Coast completed a perfect weekend.

Ladder

The CoE remains first at 11-1 ahead of Illawarra at 9-1, while Canberra and Norths round out the top four.

Sydney Comets and Maitland remain locked inside the playoff positions, while the middle of the ladder continues tightening entering Round 9.

Watchlist

• Ajak Nyuon is becoming one of the league’s most dominant interior forces.
• Mohamed Kone’s offensive efficiency continues lifting Illawarra’s ceiling.
• Maitland’s offence is rapidly improving entering the middle of the season.
• Central Coast suddenly has real playoff momentum.

Round Questions

• Is the CoE now the clear championship favourite?
• Can Illawarra’s veteran core match the CoE’s athleticism in a finals series?
• Which middle-tier team secures playoff separation next month?
• How dangerous can Maitland become offensively by finals?