• Myles Cherry went 10-of-10 from the field as Maitland beat Canberra 94-70
• Shyla Heal scored 34 and Jaz Shelley 32 in the women's qualifying finals
• Norths Bears won both qualifying finals to send men's and women's teams through

Myles Cherry did not miss. The Maitland forward went 10-of-10 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line for 22 points and seven rebounds as the Mustangs beat Canberra 94-70 to keep their season alive, the cleanest line of an NBL1 East finals Saturday that ran to eight games across the men's and women's competitions.

Cherry had plenty of company at the top of the box scores. Shyla Heal scored 34 for Bankstown, Jaz Shelley 32 for the Norths Bears, Matur Maker posted 28 points and 14 rebounds for Central Coast, and Nicole Munger finished one assist short of a triple-double for Newcastle.

By the end of the day four clubs had moved straight through, four seasons were over, and the semi-finals were set for the first weekend of August.

NBL1 EAST MEN

Central Coast Crusaders 94-81 Centre of Excellence

Elimination Final 1, BA Centre of Excellence (AIS). Crowd 77.

Matur Maker was the biggest man on the floor and played like it, posting 28 points and 14 rebounds on 11-of-17 shooting as the Central Coast Crusaders ended the Centre of Excellence season. Captain Luke Cassidy played all 40 minutes and handed out 11 assists, and Garric Young added 20 as Central Coast turned a one-point quarter-time margin into a comfortable win with a 23-16 final term. Jai Faale scored 28 and William Hamilton 22 for the young hosts, while Curtis Evic finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. The Crusaders won the assist count 25-10 and the turnover count 10-20.

Maitland Mustangs 94-70 Canberra

Elimination Final 2, Southern Cross Basketball Stadium, Tuggeranong. Crowd 547.

Myles Cherry was perfect. The Maitland forward went 10-of-10 from the field for 22 points and seven rebounds, while Cairns Taipans guard Reyne Smith poured in 24 on 6-of-12 from beyond the arc, as the Mustangs pulled away from Canberra in Tuggeranong. William Cranston-Lown added 17 points and eight assists and captain Billy Parsons contributed 12 and four steals from the bench. Maitland shot 52.2 per cent from the field and 67.5 per cent inside the arc, and closed the game on a 25-8 fourth quarter. Cameron Pender's 16 points and 10 rebounds led Canberra, whose season ends in front of 547.

Norths Bears 93-79 Sutherland Sharks

Qualifying Final 1, North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre. Crowd 600.

Matthew Wacher and Bailey Hanson made 10 three-pointers between them and the Norths Bears never trailed, the captain finishing with 17 points on 5-of-8 from range and Hanson matching him with 17 off the bench. Lachlan Bofinger posted 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Hunter Goodrick scored 12 on 5-of-7, and Fabijan Krslovic filled the sheet with nine points, nine rebounds and five assists. Norths shot 17-of-43 from three and recorded 26 assists to move straight through. Tyler Robertson scored 18 for Sutherland, Bailey Macarthur 17 on 7-of-9, and Jason Spurgin 16 with 10 rebounds. Attendance was 600.

Illawarra 86-65 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Qualifying Final 2, The Snakepit Stadium. Crowd 945.

Mason Peatling did everything at The Snakepit, finishing with 24 points on 10-of-17, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals as Illawarra controlled all four quarters against Manly Warringah. Mohamed Kone scored 21 with five three-pointers, Matthew Mims added 18 on 6-of-9, and captain Todd Blanchfield had 10 points and eight rebounds. Illawarra committed only five turnovers to Manly's 17 and made 15 threes on the way to a 945-strong crowd's approval. Quinn Slazinski and Jamie Munro scored 16 each for the Sea Eagles, who drop into a semi-final rather than exiting, and Emmanuel Tshimanga added 10 points and nine rebounds.

NBL1 EAST WOMEN

Albury-Wodonga Bandits 73-61 Hornsby Ku-ring-gai

Elimination Final 1, Lauren Jackson Sports Centre. Crowd 461.

Unique Thompson controlled the glass with 15 rebounds, six of them offensive, and added 14 points as Albury-Wodonga ended Hornsby Ku-ring-gai's season at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre. Emily Lytle ran the game with 14 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals, and Kijana McCowan top-scored with 15. The Bandits generated 12 steals and forced 17 turnovers, and a 26-18 second quarter gave them a lead they never surrendered. Kristina Moore scored 21 for Hornsby, going 9-of-10 from the foul line, with Lucy Mead and captain Ay'Anna Bey adding 13 apiece. Hornsby shot 8-of-32 from three.

Newcastle Falcons 69-61 Hills

Elimination Final 2, Newcastle Basketball Stadium. Crowd 285.

Nicole Munger finished one assist short of a triple-double, the Newcastle captain producing 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists on 10-of-17 shooting to send the Falcons into a semi-final. Meg Jefferson was just as busy underneath with 17 points and 18 rebounds, five of them offensive, and Kate Kingham scored 16 with four three-pointers. Newcastle broke the game open with a 26-16 third quarter after the sides were level through the first half. Piper Anderson and Jade Kirisome scored 16 each for Hills and Ella Gale grabbed 13 rebounds, but the visitors managed only 6-of-26 from beyond the arc.

Norths Bears 95-54 Centre of Excellence

Qualifying Final 1, North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre.

Jaz Shelley was unstoppable from range, hitting six three-pointers on the way to 32 points with seven assists, six rebounds and four steals as the Norths Bears overwhelmed the Centre of Excellence. Talya Brugler added 19 points, nine rebounds and six steals, captain Isabelle Morgan scored 16 and Emma Donnelly 11 from the bench. Norths made 17 of their 36 attempts from three, recorded 25 assists and forced 22 turnovers, breaking the game with a 28-7 third quarter. Eliza Shanahan scored 11 and Sapphires captain Isabel Smith 10 for the hosts, who were held to 2-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Bankstown 91-82 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Qualifying Final 2, Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre. Crowd 125.

Shyla Heal and Tahlia Tupaea scored 63 of Bankstown's 91 points between them, Heal finishing with 34 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and Tupaea adding 29, both playing all 40 minutes. Margot De Freitas chipped in 14 and Shalome Dunlop 10 from the bench as Bankstown made 13 three-pointers at 43.3 per cent and closed the game with a 25-18 final quarter. Kimberley Dickinson had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Manly Warringah, Zoey Miller scored 19, captain Alex Delaney 18 on 4-of-7 from three and Jayda Jansen 16, but the Sea Eagles could not match Bankstown's backcourt.

Where it leaves the finals

Through to the preliminary round: Norths Bears (men and women), Illawarra (men), Bankstown (women).

Season over: Centre of Excellence (men), Canberra (men), Hornsby Ku-ring-gai (women), Hills (women).

Semi-finals, qualifying final losers hosting elimination final winners:

• Sat 1 Aug, 4:00pm AEST (women): Centre of Excellence v Albury-Wodonga Bandits, BA Centre of Excellence (AIS)
• Sat 1 Aug, 6:30pm AEST (men): Sutherland Sharks v Maitland Mustangs, Sutherland Basketball Stadium
• Sun 2 Aug, 1:00pm AEST (women): Manly Warringah Sea Eagles v Newcastle Falcons, Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre
• Sun 2 Aug, 3:00pm AEST (men): Manly Warringah Sea Eagles v Central Coast Crusaders, Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre