news

AN undermanned Lakeside Lightning scored two impressive Round 7 victories in the Men’s SBL while the Geraldton Buccaneers and Goldfields Giants split their double-header, and the Joondalup Wolves bounced back to return to the top of the table.

The Round 7 contests in the Men’s SBL began way back on ANZAC Day with two fixtures that have become annual events. That saw the Warwick Senators defeat the Perry Lakes Hawks 91-84 and the Kalamunda Eastern Suns prevail 88-86 over the Willetton Tigers.

There were then three more matches on Friday night with the Perth Redbacks beating the Mandurah Magic 89-88, the Joondalup Wolves downing the 116-100 and the Lakeside Lightning defeating the Rockingham Flames 96-94.

There were another four matches on Saturday afternoon starting with the Giants and Buccaneers beginning their double-headers against one another. It came down to the wire too with Goldfields winning 86-85 at Niels Hansen Basketball Centre.

The Perry Lakes Hawks also defeated the East Perth Eagles 117-87 with the Rockingham Flames beating the Cockburn Cougars 94-70 and the Lakeside Lightning downing the South West Slammers 91-79.

The round then concluded on Sunday with the Willetton Tigers beating the Mandurah Magic 103-84 and then the Geraldton Buccaneers bouncing back on home soil beating the Goldfields Giants 86-59.

ROUND 7 SPOTLIGHT | GIANTS HOLD OFF BUCCS IN KALGOORLIE THRILLER
RELIEF FOR NENER AS COUGARS START TO CLICK
CREEK CONFIDENT GIANTS ON THE RIGHT TRACK
ROUND 7 MEN’S SBL PREVIEW

Following seven rounds of the 2019 Men’s SBL season, it’s the Joondalup Wolves on top of the table at 7-2 just ahead of the Geraldton Buccaneers and Lakeside Lightning who both hold 6-2 records.

The Warwick Senators are fourth at 5-2 ahead of the Rockingham Flames (6-3), Perry Lakes Hawks (6-3), Goldfields Giants (5-4) and Kalamunda Eastern Suns (5-5).

The Willetton Tigers (4-6) are just outside the top eight ahead of the East Perth Eagles (4-6), Cockburn Cougars (3-5), Perth Redbacks (3-6), Mandurah Magic (2-7) and South West Slammers (0-9).

ANZAC DAY

ID ATHLETIC PERRY LAKES HAWKS 84 lost to BETHANIE WARWICK SENATORS 91

Perry Lakes and Warwick both took hot form into their now traditional ANZAC Day clash at Bendat Basketball Centre and it was the Senators who impressively came from behind to win by seven points.

The Hawks lost their opening two games of the season before winning their next five heading into the ANZAC Day clash with a Senators team also on an impressive winning run setting the stage for a tremendous contest to commemorate the occasion.

The Senators started impressively enough leading 28-22 at quarter-time and then despite losing Clint Steindl to a back complaint, the Hawks took over in the second term to head into half-time with a 49-45 advantage.

But Warwick responded to control the second half firstly with 24 points to 19 in the third term, and then another 22 to 16 in the fourth to claim the 91-84 victory.

It was the number of contributors that was key for the Senators with Justin King leading the way with 23 points, five rebounds and four assists including shooting 4/7 from three-point range.

Caleb Davis added 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists while he also went 4/8 from downtown.

Cody Ellis contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds and two steals for Warwick while Rob Anshila finished with 14 points, six boards and three assists, Ash Litterick 12 points and seven rebounds, and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk eight points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

Ryan Smith stepped up again in Clint Steindl’s absence with 19 points and nine rebounds while going 4/11 from three-point range.

Ben Purser added 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Perry Lakes with Mitch Clarke contributing 16 points and four assists, Brian Carlwell 12 points, four boards and three assists.

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 88 defeated WILLETTON TIGERS 86

The other traditional ANZAC Day fixture took place at Ray Owen Sports Centre on Thursday and it produced a cracking contest with the Kalamunda Eastern Suns beating the Willetton Tigers by two points.

The Suns came into the game following an Easter Thursday win over East Perth while Willetton had lost its past three so there was plenty of intrigue surrounding the contest.

Kalamunda started well on its home court to lead 28-21 at quarter-time but Willetton closed the gap in the second period to be just a point behind at half-time.

The Eastern Suns managed to lead 73-69 at three quarter-time but it was a game destined to go down to the wire.

Kalamunda still led by four with a Josh Braun jumper with three minutes to go but four quick Scott Elder points saw Willetton draw back level.

Corey Easley put the Eastern Suns back on top and then Louis Timms made it a four-point lead again before a Stephen Black timeout. Jackson Hussey missed out of that and then Elder couldn’t convert after getting the offensive board.

Timms hit a free-throw up the other end but the Tigers stayed within three points thanks to Michael Garbellini. Then after two more Timms foul shots, Damien Scott nailed a triple to keep Willetton within two.

Braun missed two free-throws that could have iced the game but it didn’t prove costly with Hussey missing his potential tying shot that would have forced overtime.

Josh Braun continued his stunning first season in the SBL that has to have him high up in MVP calculations. He had another 33 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for the Eastern Suns on shooting 10/18 from the field, 5/10 from three and 8/12 from the foul line.

Louis Timms was also a strong contributor with 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots while Corey Easley produced 12 points, 11 boards and three assists, and Ryan Blanchett 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

Jackson Hussey top-scored for Willetton with 18 points and four assists with Mo Barrow adding 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Scott Elder 14 points and eight boards.

Damien Scott also produced 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists with Connor MIncherton finishing with 10 points and Michael Garbellini nine to go with five rebounds and three assists.

FRIDAY

MANDURAH MAGIC 88 lost to TEXTURE WA PERTH REDBACKS 89

It was another thriller to open Friday night’s action in the Men’s SBL with the Perth Redbacks returning to the winner’s list beating the Mandurah Magic by a point.

The two teams did battle on Friday night at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre with the Magic attempting to win consecutive games following an Easter Thursday win over the Slammers while the Redbacks came into the contest losing their last couple to the Buccaneers and Senators.

It was a tight game all evening as well with the Redbacks winning by two points at quarter-time and then stretching it to a 53-45 advantage at the major break.

The Magic were able to close the gap with 27 points to 21 in the third period and then Mandurah worked on top to be leading 83-80 with just over four minutes to go in the game with a Shaun Stewart layup.

But the Redbacks regained the advantage firstly with a basket to Zac Gattorna and then free-throws to Majier Garang. Travis Durnin hit back with a triple to put the Magic up two again with Jayden Coburn got the Redbacks back level when he got to the basket.

Jake Cannell gave Mandurah a two-point lead again but Coburn once more responded for Perth. In the end the game was decided with a Gattorna getting fouled and making a free-throw to give the Redbacks the 89-88 win.

Jourdan DeMuynck was in to play his first game for the Redbacks of the season and he produced 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists including nailing 4/9 from three-point range.

Marshall Nelson again top-scored for the Redbacks with 24 points and 10 rebounds with Jayden Coburn contributing 16 points and five rebounds, Zac Gattorna 11 points, 10 boards and four assists, Joel Wagner nine points and seven assists, and Majier Garang nine points and 10 rebounds.

Shaun Stewart did all he could to lead the Magic to their third win of the season finishing with 35 points, seven assists, four steals and three rebounds on shooting 13/24 from the field and 6/9 from three-point territory.

Travis Durnin added 21 points and six rebounds for Mandurah while Marvin Smith contributed 11 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, and Jake Cannell eight points, three boards and three assists.

CHAMBERS FRANKLYN JOONDALUP CITY WOLVES 116 defeated CMTG EAST PERTH EAGLES 100

The Joondalup Wolves bounced back well from their second loss of the season to beat the East Perth Eagles by 16 points at Joondalup Arena on Friday night.

The Wolfpack lost for just the second time of the season on Easter Thursday at the hands of the Rockingham Flames while the Eagles came into the Friday contest having lost three of their past four matches.

The Eagles were able to start reasonably well and even led 22-19 at quarter-time, but the Wolfpack then took over in the second quarter with 38 points to 24 to lead 57-46 at the long break.

Then after the Eagles kept in touch during the third quarter, the Wolfpack took control with 39 points to 30 in the fourth period to win 116-100 and improve to 7-2 on the season.

It was a tremendous shooting performance from Joondalup who went 35/71 from the field at 499 per cent and 19/34 from three-point range at an outstanding 55 per cent. They also went 27/32 at the foul line. That shooting helped them overcome conceding 26 turnovers.

Earnest Ross put in another tremendous display for the Wolves with 30 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals including hitting 7/13 from beyond the arc.

Ridell Camidge added 24 points, six rebounds and two assists while Trian Iliadis contributed 22 points, three assists and two steals, Kevin Davis 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Rob Huntington nine points, four boards and two assists.

Cameron Williams is growing into the season nicely for the Eagles as point guard with 28 points, four steals and three rebounds while shooting 11/21 from the field.

Aiden Murphy also had 12 points, four rebounds and four steals for East Perth, Dennis Tawhiti 12 points and 12 boards, Jordan Wellsteed 11 points, three rebounds and two assists, Andrej Donlagic 11 points, Ngang Lual 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 96 defeated SINCLAIR MCDONALD’S ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 94

The Lakeside Lightning and Rockingham Flames are two teams who have been impressive to start the season so it was a fascinating game on Friday night and it didn’t disappoint with the Lightning ending up winning by two points.

The Lightning came out strongly with 33 points to 24 in the first quarter and the home team still led 53-45 at half-time.

But the Flames hit back to be just three points down at three quarter-time and then with three minutes remaining, Chudier Pal gave Rockingham a two-point advantage.

Lakeside, though, regained a one-point lead with a triple from Jake Whately before Rowan Mackenzie extended the advantage to three. Rockingham drew back level thanks to a Greg Hire free-throw and Luke Travers layup which turned into a three-point play.

But Lakeside was back up two when Liam Hislop knocked one down from long-range. But the frantic finish continued with a Rockingham three from Caleb White to see them lead 94-93 with under a minute left.

The three-point barrage continued with Nick Palleschi hitting for Lakeside to put the home side up 96-94 which is where the score stayed with two Flames turnovers late denying them a chance to either level scores or go ahead.

The Lightning remained without Jarrad Prue, Michael Vigor and Jack Isenbarger, but got 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists from emerging star Rowan Mackenzie.

Kyle Armour has been terrific for the Lightning this season and that continued with 20 points, 11 assists and seven steals with Jobi Wall contributing 17 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals, Jake Whately nine points and four boards, and Nick Palleschi eight points, five rebounds and five assists.

Caleb White produced 25 points, four rebounds and four assists for Rockingham while hitting an astounding 8/11 from three-point range.

Greg Hire finished with 17 points, 15 rebounds and six assists for the Flames while Chudier Pal had 13 points and eight rebounds, Josh Ritchart 12 points, three boards and three assists, Luke Travers 12 points and six assists, and Justin Beard nine points, five rebounds and three assists.

SATURDAY

NORTHERN STAR RESOURCES GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 86 defeated QUADRIO EARTHMOVING GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 86

Fresh off having Easter off and starting their double-header weekend, the Goldfields Giants and Geraldton Buccaneers produced a cracking contest in Kalgoorlie on Saturday with the Giants holding on for a one-point win.

Both regional clubs had the break off over Easter and returned to action at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium on Saturday in their first go around for a double-header that will continue back in Geraldton on Sunday afternoon.

The two regional powers have had quite the rivalry over time in the SBL and another chapter was written into that on Saturday night in front of a vocal Kalgoorlie crowd with over 700 people in attendance.

Goldfields looked capable of producing an emphatic victory when up 16 midway through the third quarter. But Geraldton was able to turn the tide by turning the pressure up defensively forcing the Giants to become turnover prone while they also began to get rolling offensively.

Eventually the game came down to the final possession with Goldfields leading by one after Patrick Burke got to the line and made a free-throw with 16 seconds left.

The Buccs grabbed the defensive rebound and played the game out without a timeout. The ball ended up in the hands of Colter Lasher who got a good look with a mid-range jumper, but it didn’t quite fall and Goldfields held on for the 86-85 victory.

Patrick Burke ended up top-scoring for the Giants with 19 points, 14 rebounds and three assists but he had plenty of strong support.

Brandon Holloway came up huge with 16 points and seven assists with Jay Bowie adding 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Mayo Malek 10 points and 12 boards, and Jerome Reid eight points.

David Humphries hit some big shots too on his way to 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Colter Lasher might have gone 0/5 from three but was near unstoppable when going to the rack for the Buccaneers, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Willie Conner added 16 points, three rebounds and three assists for the Buccs while Aaron Ralph contributed 16 points and five boards, Marcus Alipate 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Liam Hunt 12 points and nine boards.

SINCLAIR MCDONALD’S ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 94 defeated PRESTIGE HONDA MELVILLE COCKBURN COUGARS 70

The Rockingham Flames were able to bounce back from their Friday night loss to Lakeside ending the winning run of the Cockburn Cougars with a 24-point victory on Saturday.

The Flames went down in a tight affair on the road to Lakeside on Friday as they returned to Mike Barnett Sports Complex on Saturday to host a Cougars team full of confidence having won their past three games, and having had nine days since beating Lakeside on Easter Thursday.

Rockingham made its statement early in the contest racing to a 13-point lead by quarter-time. They went on to lead 44-29 at half-time and continued to control the contest through the second half ending up winning 94-70.

The win improves the Flames to a 6-3 record on the season while the Cougars are 3-5.

The Flames had a standout shooting night ending up going 32/58 from the field at 55 per cent along with 12/28 at 42 per cent downtown. They also went 18/26 at the foul line despite 23 turnovers. Rockingham also dominated the glass with 46 rebounds to 25.

Josh Ritchart came off the bench for Rockingham and it worked a treat with him top-scoring with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists on 7/12 shooting from the field and a perfect 9/9 from the charity stripe.

Justin Beard also came off the bench for 17 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Flames with Greg Hire contributing 14 points, nine boards and five assists, and Chudier Pal nine points and six rebounds.

Gavin Field battled hard for Cockburn finishing with 23 points, four steals and three assists on shooting 8/16 from the field, 4/8 from three-point territory and 3/3 from the foul line. But unlike the previous three wins, he didn’t receive enough help.

CMTG EAST PERTH EAGLES 87 lost to ID ATHLETIC PERRY LAKES HAWKS 117

The Perry Lakes Hawks responded immediately to their winning run ending on Thursday with a 30-point thumping of the East Perth Eagles on Saturday night.

Perry Lakes had won five straight matches prior to the loss to the Warwick Senators on ANZAC Day but hit back well on Saturday night against the Eagles at Herb Graham Recreation Centre.

It was an up and down opening quarter with 67 points between the teams with Perry Lakes leading 35-32 at quarter-time.

It was the opposite story in the second quarter with just 31 points between them but the Hawks still had the better of things to lead 53-45 at half-time.

It was then a monstrous third quarter from the Hawks with 36 points to 14 to open the match-winning lead before going on to win 117-87.

The win improves Perry Lakes to a 6-3 record on the season while East Perth is now 4-6 having lost three straight.

Clint Steindl didn’t suit up for the Hawks following his back complaint from ANZAC Day, but it mattered little with Ben Purser top-scoring with 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Kyle Sovine had his best game of the season with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Ryan Smith added 15 points and six assists, Dan Thomas 11 points, Brian Carlwell 11 points and 10 rebounds, Jordan Hickert eight points and three boards, and Bailey Cole-Heath eight points and six rebounds.

Cameron Williams capped off his strong form for East Perth with another 28 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Drew Williamson also produced 22 points for the Eagles while Dennis Tawhiti contributed 15 points and five boards, and Jordan Wellsteed 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

PRINT SYNC SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 79 lost to LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 91

The South West Slammers were playing their first game since Easter Thursday and welcomed back Brian Voelkel, but it wasn’t quite enough for their first win of 2019 with the Lakeside Lightning prevailing by 12 points.

The Slammers had lost their opening eight games of the season coming into Saturday night’s clash at Eaton Recreation Centre but the Lightning were full of confidence coming off the win on Friday night over Rockingham.

The Slammers were able to stick with the Lightning for the first half with Lakeside only leading by two points at quarter-time before scores were all tied up at 44-apiece at half-time.

But the Lightning restricted the Slammers to just nine points in the third quarter while scoring 18 themselves. Lakeside added another 29 points to 26 in the last quarter to secure the 91-79 victory.

The win improves Lakeside to a 6-2 record on the season while the Slammers remain winless under new coach John Triscari following nine games.

Kyle Armour continued his tremendous form for the Lightning with another 21 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Jobi Wall added 16 points and six rebounds for Lakeside, Rowan Mackenzie 14 points, three steals and two boards, Nick Palleschi 13 points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds, and Liam Hislop nine points and six rebounds.

Brody England top-scored for the Slammers with 22 points and 10 rebounds with Michael Lay producing 19 points, 10 boards and seven assists, and Tyler Livingston 14 points, three rebounds and two assists.

SUNDAY

WILLETTON TIGERS 103 defeated MANDURAH MAGIC 84

The Willetton Tigers and Mandurah Magic were both desperate for a win on Sunday at Willetton Basketball with the Tigers managing to get what they were after to the tune of 19 points.

Willetton had lost its past four matches coming into the contest including losing to the Kalamunda Eastern Suns on ANZAC Day while the Magic had also lost at home to the Perth Redbacks on Friday night.

The Magic started the game well on the road too to lead by one at quarter-time and then extend that advantage to 44-40 by half-time.

But the Tigers responded with 26 points to 18 in the third period and then turned it on in the fourth with 37 points to 22 to come away with the 103-84 win.

The victory improves Willetton to a 4-6 record on the season while Mandurah slips to 2-7 with the two losses this weekend.

Damien Scott had an afternoon out for the Tigers finishing with 30 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals on the back of shooting 12/23 from the field and 4/7 from three-point territory.

Mo Barrow also had his best game for Willetton of the season with 27 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals while shooting 10/17 from the floor and a perfect 6/6 from the foul line.

Jackson Hussey also had 14 points and eight rebounds, Michael Garbellini 11 points and six assists, and Scott Elder eight points and seven rebounds.

Shaun Stewart backed up his tremendous performance on Friday with another big outing for the Magic made up of 34 points, eight assists and three rebounds on 14/25 shooting and 3/8 from three-point range.

Marvin Smith also produced 17 points and 12 rebounds for Mandurah, Travis Durnin 16 points and eight boards, and Akau Deng eight points and four rebounds.

QUADRIO EARTHMOVING GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 86 defeated NORTHERN STAR RESOURCES GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 59

Backing up from their one-point thriller in Kalgoorlie on Saturday night, the Geraldton Buccaneers and Goldfields Giants met again in Geraldton on Sunday afternoon with the Buccs proving too strong winning by 27 points.

The two regional powers did battle in Kalgoorlie on Saturday night with the Giants winning a thriller by a solitary point.

The Buccs immediately got back on their plane to sleep in their own beds on Saturday night ahead of hosting the Giants on Sunday afternoon at Active West Stadium with Goldfields flying to Geraldton on Sunday morning coming off the high of their home win on Saturday night.

But Geraldton was determined to bounce back from just its second loss of the season and were on top from start to finish on their home floor.

The Buccaneers led by eight points at quarter-time over the Giants, by 14 at half-time and then still 14 at three quarter-time before holding Goldfields to just eight points in the last quarter with 21 points of their own to win 86-59.

The win improved Geraldton to a 6-2 record on the season while Goldfields slipped to 5-4.

The Buccs scored the win with only seven minutes and no points from import point guard Wille Conner as well.

Colter Lasher top-scored with 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while Brendan Dinardo stepped up with Conner sidelined for 15 points, eight boards and two assists.

Marcus Alipate also produced 13 points for the Buccaneers with Brayden Inger adding 12 points and five rebounds, Aaron Ralph 10 points and five boards, and Liam Hunt nine points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Mayo Malek had 18 points and six rebounds for the Giants with Patrick Burke finishing with another 18 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Jay Bowie added 10 points and four assists while David Humphries contributed seven points and six boards. Brandon Holloway had four points, four rebounds and five assists.