Brandon Bates made his Sutherland return last Saturday in the 2021 Waratah League.
However, his presence was not enough to lift the Sharks to the win column, bowing to the Penrith Panthers, 82-93, Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre in New South Wales, Australia.
The 6-foot-9 Bates, who still has one year of eligibility left with La Salle, had seven points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of gametime.
The 24-year-old Fil-Aussie missed the first two games of the season, which were a 1-1 split. The Sharks had an 84-67 win over Sydney last April 10; then a 63-84 defeat against the Canberra Gunners last April 17.
This time around, though, Bates and the Sharks put up a fight against the Panthers.
Down 68-52 heading into the final frame, Bates rallied his side, cutting the lead down to just nine with 4:47 left.
Christian Maran caught fire in the endgame, though. He scored six straight points to put the Sharks away for good.
Maran had 23 points for the Panthers, while Benjamin Kearins led the way with 24 points and 12 boards. Lachlan Charlton added 21 markers.
Aaron Borich scores his season-high with 28 points for the Sharks followed by Brendan Winstanley’s 14 markers.
Bates already played in the league last year, averaging solid numbers of 7.9 points and 7.9 rebounds.
The Watarah League is set to be absorbed by NBL1 next year, and will be the eastern conference of the semi-pro league.
Up next for Bates and the Sharks are the Inner West Bulls on Saturday.
