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IT is the ID Athletic Women’s Round in the SBL and with three games each on Friday and Saturday night there’s plenty to look forward to including a Perry Lakes battle with Rockingham, and the Joondalup Wolves hosting the Mandurah Magic.

The SBL will be celebrating Women’s Round across the weekend with all players and officials involved wearing pink socks to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

As for the action on the court, it begins with three matches on Friday night with the Perry Lakes Hawks playing the Rockingham Flames, the Willetton Tigers facing the Perth Redbacks, and the Cockburn Cougars taking on the Joondalup Wolves.

Then on Saturday night, South West Slammers co-captain Courtney Bayliss will celebrate her 200th SBL game as her team hosts the Warwick Senators with the Schweigen East Perth Eagles also playing the Lakeside Lightning, and the Joondalup Wolves hosting the Mandurah Magic.

NICOLLE DICONZA QUITE THE REFEREE ROLE MODEL
LAND FOCUSED ON ULTIMATE SUCCESS AT LADY WOLFPACK
ROUND 8 WOMEN’S SBL RECAP

Friday night in the Women’s SBL gets underway at Bendat Basketball Centre with the Lady Hawks hosting the Flames.

Perry Lakes has now won its last two games over East Perth and Kalamunda to improve to a 4-5 record as they prepare to take on a Rockingham team that is 5-3 but coming off a loss to Willetton.

The teams already met earlier this season with Rockingham winning 85-72 on its home floor but it’s a much-improved Perry Lakes team they will come up against on Friday night.

Also on Friday in the Women’s SBL, the on-fire Tigers take on the improving Redbacks at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

The Tigers are the hottest team in the league having won five straight and looking imposing with the additions of imports Laina Snyder and Wendi Bibbins.

They come into Friday’s game with an 8-3 record up against a Redbacks team that did lose their opening six games but have now won their past three. They will have Lauren Mansfield along with import Morgan Pullins as they attempt to end the Tigers winning run.

It will also be the first game that former Tigers assistant coach Craig Allen coaches against Simon Parker and Willetton since taking over at the Redbacks this season.

Friday night will finish off at Wally Hagan Stadium with the Cougars hosting the Lady Wolfpack.

It’s a big task ahead for Cockburn who have now lost its past five matches since starting the season winning its first two.

They come up against a Joondalup team who dominated the second half last Saturday night to beat the Warwick Senators to improve to wins in succession and an 8-1 record on the season.

It will be the Cougars first game since losing by 19 points to Rockingham back on April 27 and they will be hoping to come out strong to be capable of causing the upset following the break.

It will be the Cougars first game since losing by 19 points to Rockingham back on April 27 and they will be hoping to come out strong to be capable of causing the upset following the break.

Then on Saturday, the Women’s SBL action begins at Eaton Recreation with the Slammers hosting the Senators with both teams looking to get back to the winner’s list.

The Slammers come into the game having lost their past three games to be 4-5 while the Senators lost twice last weekend to the Flames and Wolves but still hold a strong 5-3 record.

That raises the stakes for both teams who have started the season before a recent run of losses.

The Slammers will also be celebrating the 200th game of co-captain Courtney Bayliss and she is fully aware of the importance of the game.

“The Senators have come along this year as a pretty dominant team especially with Barr in the line-up and now that Roscoe has come back,” Bayliss said.

“They are very solid and stacked, but this is a statement game for us. If we can come out strong and stay strong the whole four quarters, I feel like it’s anyone’s game to win.

“If we can win this one, we really will be putting our names in the mix to show that nobody can take it easy against the Slammers this year. This is a game that anyone could win or lose, but hopefully we go well.”

The job looks to be ahead of East Perth when it hosts Lakeside at Herb Graham Recreation Centre.

The Eagles have been struggling for fit players in recent weeks which hasn’t result their competitiveness with especially heavy losses to Kalamunda, Perry Lakes, Joondalup and Perth.

The task of then taking it up to the defending champion Lightning who sit on an 8-1 looks to be a daunting one for the Eagles.

Lakeside will be without coach Craig Mansfield and captain Courtney Byrnes due to their wedding while Ali Schwagmeyer has departed and her replacement import is yet to arrive, but it’s still a deep and strong Lightning team the Eagles have to try and compete with.

The last game of the round will then see the Lady Wolfpack host the Magic with tip-off at 8pm at HBF Arena.

It looms as another tantalising match up between two teams who rightfully would feel they are contending teams this season.

The Wolves will be coming off their clash on the road to Cockburn on Friday while it’s a fresh Mandurah team looking to bounce back from losses to the Redbacks and Tigers to improve to a .500 record.

WOMEN’S SBL FIXTURES – WEEK 9
FRIDAY
Scarboro Toyota Perry Lakes Hawks v Class 1 Orthodontics Rockingham Flames – Bendat Basketball Centre 6.30pm
Willetton Tigers v Texture WA Perth Redbacks – Willetton Basketball Stadium 6.30pm
Round 1 Fitness Cockburn Cougars v Chambers Franklyn Joondalup City Wolves – Wally Hagan Stadium 6.30pm

SATURDAY
Print Sync South West Slammers v Bethanie Warwick Senators – Eaton Recreation Centre 6.00pm
Schweigen East Perth Eagles v Lakeside Lightning – Herb Graham Recreation Centre 6.00pm
Chambers Franklyn Joondalup City Wolves v Cachet Homes Mandurah Magic – HBF Arena 8.00pm