Zoe Jackson and Jonah Pares (below) in action on Saturday night.  Photos courtesy of Tanya Hawkins Photography.

THE Penrith Panthers were on the road to Albury-Wodonga on Saturday, taking on the Bandits at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre in Round 14 of the 2025 Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 East basketball competition.

Caitie Jones scored 46 points to lead the Albury women’s team to a big 104-63 win, in the opening game of the night, before the Albury men narrowly edged out the Panthers 86-82.

Albury’s Riley Lupfer set a new NBL1 women’s scoring record the previous Saturday and team-mate Caitie Jones was suitably impressed, knocking down 46 points this week to guide the Bandits to the huge win against the Panthers.

The Panthers did well to trail 24-20 at the first break but the home team skipped clear in the second quarter to lead 57-35 at half time.

The lead blossomed out to 26 points in the third quarter, as the Bandits maintained their momentum to steam-roll the Panthers for a 41-point win.

Penrith have now lost seven straight matches to slip to a 5-14 record, with just one match to go next Saturday at home to the Norths Bears.

Jordan Vasquez had 18 points / 14 boards, ahead of Mia Heide 12 points / 16 boards.

The battle to avoid the wooden spoon in the men’s division turned into a thriller, with the Bandits eventually prevailing 86-82, thanks primarily to 27 points from Matthew Gray.

The Bandits were looking to snap a five-game losing slide, as they hosted a Panthers team which had also lost its previous eight games. The two teams combined for 52 points in the first quarter, with Albury-Wodonga leading 28-24 by quarter-time and 54-45 at half time.

The lead for the Bandits got out to 12 points in the third quarter before the Panthers responded, scoring 14 straight points either side of three quarter-time to grab the lead.

From there, the lead continued to change hands throughout the term, with Penrith hitting the front for the last time thanks to a Jonah Pares jumper with just two minutes to
play.

The Panthers wouldn’t score again, with the game’s last five points coming from Albury-Wodonga, allowing them to grab a crucial 4-point win and consign the Panthers to the wooden spoon.

Penrith remains in last spot, with a 3-16 record, having lost nine straight, with just one game remaining against the Norths Bears on Saturday.

Zeke Evans had 17 points, Ben Kearins 17, Adam Lulka 14 and Jonah Pares 10 points / 10 boards.

The two Penrith teams host the Norths Bears on Saturday in the final round of the regular season (women 5.30pm, men 7.30pm).