Brodie Schwarzer in action against Illawarra. Photo courtesy of jbcollective.media
THE Penrith Basketball Association’s two senior teams both suffered double-header losses in a busy Round 7 of the 2026 Mitsubishi NBL1 East competition, falling to the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday night at Minto, then falling to the Centre of Excellence on Sunday afternoon at Hawkesbury.
The Panthers women were only slightly behind the Illawarra Hawks, leading by one point in the first quarter but falling behind by 12 points at half time.
The visitors maintained that margin through the second half, winning 79-67. Hannah Griffin led the Panthers with 22 points, followed by Sofia Hunt with 20 and Maria Garcia Leon with 8 points and 11 boards.
The Penrith men got away to a slow start in the second game of the night, trailing 29-18 at the first break. They were unable to bridge that margin over the remainder of the game, ultimately falling 94-84.
Simun Krpez led the Panthers with 15 points / 13 boards, ahead of Jett Hickson (14 points, 13 boards), Angus Ollie (16 points), Ben Kearins (15), and Jesse Weinstein (14).
Sunday’s action began with the men’s game and the Panthers led 23-20 at the first break, then trailed 44-39 at half time. The margin continued to grow in favour of the visitors as they prevailed 91-72.
Brodie Schwarzer led the Panthers with 28 points, ahead of Simun Krpez 12.
Penrith’s leading point-scorer Griffin was absent on Sunday and the women’s game never rose to any great heights, with the Panthers unable to fire offensively in the first three quarters. Penrith almost doubled its score in a last-quarter surge, but the Centre of Excellence was never troubled, winning 72-36.
Sofia Hunt led the Panthers with 13 points, ahead of Maria Garcia Leon with 7 points and 13 boards.
Both Penrith teams are on the road this weekend, travelling to the Central Coast on Sunday to play the Central Coast Crusaders. All four teams are in the bottom half of their respective competition ladders so both games should be closely contested.
