THE Penrith Panthers have lost both games against the visiting Illawarra Hawks on Sunday afternoon at the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre (PVRSC), Cambridge Park, in Round 15 of the 2023 Coles Express NBL1 East competition, with the women falling 70-58 and the men falling 94-68.

There was little to split the two women’s teams throughout their clash, with the Hawks leading 19-16, 36-31 and 53-46 at the first two breaks in play, then edging further ahead in the final quarter for a 12-point win. Three-point shooting was a crucial factor in the win, with the Hawks hitting 11/27 (40.74%) and the Panthers 6/21 (28.57%).

Emilia Garcia-Leon led the Hawks with 15 points, 10 boards, Rebecca Abel had 16 points and Teagan Edwards 12 points, 8 boards. Meg Jefferson led the Panthers with 19 points, ahead of Tiana Petterson with 10 points, 8 boards and Chloe Williams 10 points.

The Illawarra Men hit the front early, leading 24-10 at the first break, 51-27 at half time and 76-49 at the final break in play. Penrith had a morale-boosting 19-18 advantage in the final term but the Hawks ran out easy 26-point winners.

William Hickey led the Hawks with 24 points, 13 boards, ahead of Harry Morris 20 points and Frederick Webb 11. Preston Matia and Caleb Fetui-Fa’amoe led the Panthers with 14 points apiece, ahead of Jaedyn Fetui-Fa’amoe 12.

Both Penrith teams face an extremely tough double-header round this weekend, hosting the Newcastle Falcons on Saturday afternoon (women 3pm, men 5pm) and the Maitland Mustangs on Sunday afternoon (women 1pm, men 3pm).

The Newcastle women are in 2nd position and Maitland are in 7th, whilst in the men’s division, Newcastle is in 8th and Maitland in 5th – with all four teams looking likely playoff contenders, whereas both Penrith teams are each languishing in 14th place in their respective divisions.