Norths Bears vs Central Coast Crusaders

The Bears came out flying, opening with a 10-0 run that set the tone for the evening. By quarter-time they led 23-13, with Matur Maker already having seven points for the visitors but unable to keep his side within touching distance.

The second quarter was where Norths truly seized control. They poured in 31 points on red-hot shooting — 10/17 from the field, 4/7 from three-point range and a perfect 7/7 at the free-throw line. Lachie Bofinger (13 first-half points), Hunter Goodrick (12) and Fabijan Krslovic (11) all found their rhythm as the Bears shot 50 per cent to the Crusaders' 38. The 31-21 period stretched the lead to 20 at halftime.

The gap ballooned to 26 points in the third quarter, and Norths carried a 19-point advantage into the final period. The Crusaders made one last push with an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was too steep to overcome. Norths closed out the 14-point win to book their spot in the decider against the Sutherland Sharks.

The game swung decisively in the first six minutes. Norths' 10-0 start forced the Crusaders onto the back foot immediately, and the Bears never let them recover. Central Coast had arrived full of confidence after eliminating the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in a heart-stopper the previous Sunday, but they never led once against Norths.

Norths dominated the offensive glass (16 rebounds to seven) and shot 12/31 from beyond the arc, double the Crusaders' six makes from 16 attempts — a contrast that proved unbridgeable.

Lachie Bofinger (Norths Bears) — 23 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks. The do-everything forward was a force at both ends, combining perimeter defence with efficient scoring. Player of the match.

Fabijan Krslovic (Norths Bears) — 23 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two blocks, 5/9 from three. A double-double anchored by elite outside shooting that stretched the Crusaders defence beyond breaking point.

Hunter Goodrick (Norths Bears) — 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists. The big man controlled the paint on both ends, with his 13 boards fuelling Norths' second-chance points advantage.

Matur Maker (Central Coast Crusaders) — 18 points, six rebounds, three blocks, two steals. The star import battled gamely in what proved his final game of a breakout season for the Crusaders.

Luke Cassidy (Central Coast Crusaders) — 16 points, 12 assists. A double-double for the Crusaders' floor general, who kept his team competitive with creative playmaking.

The box-score gap tells a simple story: Norths shot 50 per cent from the floor to the Crusaders' 38, and their 16 offensive rebounds generated a stream of second-chance points that prevented any Crusaders run from gaining real traction. The three-point shooting disparity — 12 makes on 31 attempts for the Bears, just six on 16 for Central Coast — reflected the space Norths created through their interior dominance. When the Bears sent help at Maker and Cassidy in the paint, the kick-out to open shooters like Krslovic (5/9) was lethal.

The 94-80 scoreline was Norths' eighth consecutive win over the Crusaders in eight all-time meetings, a head-to-head record spanning back to 2022 that now stands at 8-0.

The Norths Bears advance to face the Sutherland Sharks in the NBL1 East men's Grand Final on 15 August 2026. It will be the club's first men's decider appearance since 2018. After finishing second in the regular-season standings behind Illawarra, the Bears have now won both their finals matches — eliminating the Sharks in the qualifying final before dispatching the Crusaders.

For the Central Coast Crusaders, their first-ever NBL1 East finals campaign ends at the preliminary final stage. After beating the Centre of Excellence and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in consecutive knockout games, they showed fight but ran into a Norths side playing at its peak on home floor. The Crusaders, who finished fifth in the regular season, will carry valuable post-season experience into 2027.

A performance built on a ferocious start and sustained by superior shooting and rebounding. The Bears did not merely beat the Crusaders — they imposed their game from the opening tip and never wavered. The Grand Final date with Sutherland, the third-placed side that toppled top-seeded Illawarra, promises to be their toughest test yet. For the Crusaders, a debut finals run to within one win of the title match is genuine progress, but the gap to the conference's elite remains significant.