Pool D
	Match# 1051
Macarthur Heat	67	[35]	d	Glebe Magic	49	[27]
(M McCoy 14,B Ryan 11,S Lewis 11)				(L Dok 21,S Gyimah 10,O Heyward 8)
	Venue: GPCYC
	Match# 1052
Hawkesbury Jets	113	[61]	d	Maitland Mustangs	74	[33]
(B Hawkesley 22,B Wells 20,S Wagener 17)				(R Compton 18,J Kemp 14,T Huggins 12)
Attendance: 75	Venue: HIS

Jets Tame the Mustangs

The Hawkesbury Jets have maintained their unbeaten run in the 2009 NSW State League Basketball competition, defeating the visiting Maitland Mustangs 113-74 on Saturday night at the Hawkesbury Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) South Windsor.

Whilst the Jets were overwhelming favourites to win the clash, the visitors put up a spirited effort in the first term to raise hopes of an evenly-matched contest.

The Jets however played the "perfect quarter" in the second term, racing through that period without recording a team foul and knocking down thirty-five points as they literally grabbed control of the game.

The action would become even more spirited during the night, with two Unsportsmanlike Fouls and five Technical Fouls an indication of the simmering tension between the two teams. "We played composed basketball - under the circumstances" said Jets head coach Barry Sutherland. "I felt we always had the ascendancy but we lost Rhys (Daley) with an ankle injury in the first half and then Graham (Godwin) so it's a credit to the boys how well we stuck to our plans under some unexpected pressure".

"We played the perfect quarter (second) and it was exciting to watch, especially as the coach".

The Jets are away to the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday April 18, in what will undoubtedly be their toughest game this season. Coach Sutherland knows his team has been enjoying an armchair ride but that will all change in coming weeks, as they front up to two of their biggest rivals for this year's crown in the Hawks and the Macarthur Heat.

Sunday April 19 will see the Jets host the Scorchers in the second game of the 2009 PhotoExcellence Cup and a win by the Jets would see them retain the trophy, which is played for on an annual basis between the teams from the Nepean Valley.

Hawkesbury Jets 113 (Ben Hawkesley 22 points, Bruce Wells 20, Scott Wagener 17, Robert Crane 16, Chris Elias 11) def Maitland Mustangs 74 Action photos from the NBL, WNBL, WABL, SL, WNWBL and NWBL can be viewed at www.photoexcellence.com.au

	Match# 1053
Illawarra Hawks	83	[38]	d	Hornsby Spiders	77	[37]
(B Bonham 43,C Jackson 10,R Epe 7)				(J Price 17,A Strong 16,S Das 14)
Attendance: 30	Venue: B'PIT
	Match# 1504
Springwood Scorchers	69	[39]	d	Norths Bears	66	[42]
(A Qumivutia 25,R Abboud 12,B Austin 10)				(D Fletcher 26,M Copper 10,B Turner 9)
Attendance: 48	Venue: BHSSC

Scorchers Escape a Mauling

The Springwood Scorchers State League men's team has survived a scare against the lower-ranked Northern Suburbs Bears on Saturday night at the Blaxland High School Basketball Stadium, holding on grimly for a 69-66 win in round five of the 2009 NSW State League Basketball competition.

The Bears were not expected to overly trouble the Scorchers but surprisingly made most of the running in the game, winning three of the four quarters yet still not winning on the night.

Scorchers head coach Vince Browning can be thankful for his team's strong defensive efforts in the pivotal third quarter, when the home team held the visitors to a miserly nine points.

The Scorchers held a six-point lead at the end of the third term and can be thankful both teams struggled to worry the scorers in the fourth quarter as the Scorchers held on grimly for a 3-point win.

The Scorchers face a very tough round when the competition resumes on April 18.

They travel to the Dartford Road Indoor Sports Centre (DRISC), Thornleigh on Saturday night to meet the Hornsby Spiders, then head across the valley to the Hawkesbury Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) South Windsor on Sunday afternoon, to face the unbeaten Hawkesbury Jets.

Sunday's game (Apr 19) will be a must-see for all basketball fans in the Nepean Valley, with the Jets able to lock up the 2009 PhotoExcellence Cup if they can defeat the Scorchers for the second time this season.

It was all one-way traffic in the first encounter between these two teams and whilst Scorchers fans will be hoping for a miracle result, the Jets look too big, too fast and too experienced and should win comfortably.

The Bears also have a tough return to duties on the weekend of April 18-19, hosting the Macarthur Heat at the Northern Suburbs Indoor Sports Centre (NSISC) at 4pm on Saturday, then heading across to the DRISC on Sunday to play the Spiders at 12 noon.

Springwood Scorchers 69 (Adrian Qumivutia 25 points, Rimond Abboud 12, Brett Austin 10) def Northern Suburbs Bears 66 (David Fletcher 26 points, Mike Copper 10).