The Maitland Mustangs men have put the competition on notice they aim to go one better in 2024 with two huge wins against the Newcastle Falcons and Inner West Bulls to open the NBL 1 East season.
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The Mustang smashed arch rivals Newcastle 109-72 in front of a sold out crowd on Saturday night and then backed it up on Sunday with a 101-79 steam rolling of the Bulls.
Will Cranston-Lown picked up from his NBL1 East MVP season with 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals on Saturday night and topped the scoring again on Sunday with 23 and added another five rebounds, three assists and five steals.
Five Maitland players scored 10 points or more on Saturday, and pleasingly for coach Luke Boyle there was another even spread of strong performances on Sunday.
Matt Gray shot 20 points, Jay Cole 16 in 15 minutes off the bench, and Billy Parson narrowly missed out on a double-double performance with 12 points and eight rebounds.
US import Christian Little had a solid game with nine points, four rebounds and two steals.
The Mustangs dominated defensively in the first half to go to the break with a 45-31 point lead. They increased their scoring tempo in the second outgunning the Bulls 56 to 48 to run out 101 to 79 winners.
On Saturday, Maitland dominated the Falcons in the first quarter winning it 29-7, before the Falcons narrowed the gap by five points in an even middle section of the game.
But the Mustangs were in no mood for mercy and finished with an emphatic 33-13 final term to run out 109-72 victory.
Cranston-Lown was the star, but there was plenty of support with James Hunter scoring 15, Parsons and Daniel Millburn 12 each and Gray 10.
The Mustangs will be delighted with the effort of their bench with Will Mortimore leading the rebound count with seven and Jack Edwards collecting three steals.
The Mustangs host the Gunners at Maitland Federation Centre on Saturday, April 13. and are away the week after to Sutherland.
The Mustangs women were also big winners against the Bulls, winning 81-49 after a 76-63 loss to the Falcons on Saturday.
Michael Hartshorn
Since starting in 1985 at the then Melbourne Herald, journalism has taken me around Australia from Victoria, to the Northern Territory, Cairns in Queensland and now Port Stephens. After all those years there is still something special about informing and connecting with readers.
Since starting in 1985 at the then Melbourne Herald, journalism has taken me around Australia from Victoria, to the Northern Territory, Cairns in Queensland and now Port Stephens. After all those years there is still something special about informing and connecting with readers.
