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ASIDE from a devastating injury to the SBL’s reigning Grand Final MVP Liam Hunt, it was an exciting Round 2 in the West Coast Classic with the Goldfields Giants impressing at home while the Lakeside Lightning, Rockingham Flames, Warwick Senators and Joondalup Wolves kept on winning.

It was hard for the weekend to not be overshadowed by last year’s Grand Final MVP and Geraldton Buccaneers superstar Liam Hunt injuring his knee on Saturday night.

It is going to leave him requiring surgery to repair the ruptured ligaments when the swelling goes down and leave him with a significant rehab ahead, but the basketball WA community is a tight-knit one and we’ll all pull behind such a popular figure from a legendary family.

In response to that, his teammate Aaron Ralph put up 27 first half points on Sunday but it wasn’t quite enough in the absence of both Liam and Jesse Hunt for the Buccs against the still undefeated Joondalup Wolves in the Grand Final rematch.

There was so much to like right across the weekend, though, with veterans, imports and young stars all stepping up to shine which is what is making the West Coast Classic so exciting.

As for the veterans, we saw Jackson Hussey deliver two big performances for Rockingham, Gavin Field fight hard for Cockburn, and Ben Purser keep on delivering for Perry Lakes just to name a few.

Those not yet veterans and not quite young anymore either played well too including Lochlan Cummings for Joondalup and Shaquille Maharaj for East Perth.

We still have a handful of veterans in town too and Caleb White for the Redbacks, Justin King for the Senators and Lee Roberts for the Wolfpack were the standouts across the weekend.

Then there is the young talent including Tom Atkinson and Josh Hunt standing out for the Mandurah Magic, Rowan Mackenzie coming up huge for Lakeside, and Giants pair Mayo Malek and Majier Garang combining for 57 points and 18 rebounds.

But perhaps the most exciting thing of all is the continued emergence of 15-year-old Senators guard Ethan Elliott who shone again on Saturday night.

Round 2 in the West Coast Classic began on Friday night with the Lakeside Lightning defeating the Perry Lakes Hawks 100-78 while the Willetton Tigers downed the Mandurah Magic 80-72, the Perth Redbacks prevailed 112-76 over the Cockburn Cougars and the Rockingham Flames beat the South West Slammers 76-65.

Then on Saturday, the Warwick Senators beat the South West Slammers 130-58, the Mandurah Magic defeated the East Perth Eagles 94-90, the Joondalup Wolves downed the Cockburn Cougars 92-88 and the Rockingham Flames won 84-70 against the Geraldton Buccaneers.

The Goldfields Giants also defeated the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 87-76 with the Perry Lakes Hawks defeating the Perth Redbacks 93-65.

Sunday’s standalone game was a Grand Final rematch and despite Aaron Ralph’s best efforts, the Joondalup Wolves won 88-58 against the Geraldton Buccaneers.

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WEST COAST CLASSIC 2020 – MEN’S ROUND 2
FRIDAY
LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 100 defeated PERRY LAKES HAWKS 78

The Lakeside Lightning continued their supremely impressive opening to the West Coast Classic with a 22-point win over the Perry Lakes Hawks at Lakeside Recreation Centre on Friday night.

The Lightning recorded a road win in the opening round against Willetton and then won at home to Geraldton despite playing without Jarrad Prue, Jack Isenbarger and the injured Kyle Armour for the West Coast Classic.

But they aren’t short on experience in the form of Jay Bowie or Michael Vigor, and have plenty of emerging talent too including Corey Shervill, Rowan Mackenzie, Josh Davey, Kayden Malseed and Andrew Ferguson so there’s no surprise that coach Dave Daniels has them up and firing.

Perry Lakes also won twice on the opening weekend to set up a clash of undefeated teams on Friday night, but it was Lakeside who proved too strong on their home floor.

It wasn’t until the fourth quarter when the Lightning really blew the game open, though, after a relatively close and competitive first three quarters.

Perry Lakes led by a point at quarter-time before Lakeside turned it around to be up 52-48 at the half. The Lightning stretched their advantage to eight points by three quarter-time, and then delivered 27 points to 13 in the fourth to come away with the 100-78 victory.

The Lakeside big men duo of Michael Vigor (five points, 14 rebounds, six assists, two steals) and Andrew Ferguson (eight points, 15 boards, three assists, two steals) proved tough to counter as they combined for 13 points, 29 rebounds, nine assists and four steals playing together for the first time.

Rowan Mackenzie led the way offensively for the Lightning putting up 28 points including hitting 3/4 from deep while Corey Shervill is another Lakeside talent coming back from college to produce 17 points, three assists and two steals including going 5/10 from three-point land.

Kayden Malseed added 14 points and five assists for Lakeside, Nick Palleschi 14 points and three steals, and Josh Davey 10 points and eight rebounds.

Perry Lakes might be small with no Shawn Redhage, Brian Carlwell or another import big, but they continue to fight hard and will always be competitive with captain Ben Purser in the line-up. He had 19 points, four assists, three steals and three rebounds.

East Perth recruit Matthew Leary also had 19 points, six rebounds and four assists with Mitch Clarke contributing 12 points and four steals, Austin Kisselev 10 points and three rebounds, and Cooper Hamilton nine points and five boards.

WILLETTON TIGERS 80 defeated MANDURAH MAGIC 72

The Willetton Tigers scored their first victory on their impressive new Showcourt prevailing in a tight one against the Mandurah Magic on Friday night.

The Tigers led most of the way last Friday night at the redeveloped Willetton Basketball Stadium before losing to the Lakeside Lightning. But they picked up some momentum the next night on the road to Kalamunda and brought that back home with them on Friday night.

The Magic had lost their opening two games of the West Coast Classic to the Slammers and Redbacks, but they weren’t in the mood to hand anything to the Tigers on Friday.

In fact, the Magic came out playing some inspired basketball in the opening quarter hitting the game’s first eight points before Andrew Black got Willetton on the board.

But three-pointers from Riley Parker and Josh Hunt extended Mandurah’s lead again to double-figures and by quarter-time they remained on top 27-12.

Willetton steadied things in the second quarter but Mandurah still went into half-time leading 46-37.

However, it was all the Tigers from there as they assumed the lead with 26 points to 14 in the third stanza before going on with the job in the fourth to claim the 80-72 victory.

Damien Scott top-scored for Willetton with 15 points, six rebounds and two assists on an efficient 7/11 shooting from the floor.

Connor Mincherton continued his terrific start to the West Coast Classic with 14 points and three steals while hitting 3/6 from three-point land.

Lewis Thomas also put up 13 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocked shots with Lachlan Evans contributing 12 points and Andrew Black seven to go with nine assists, three steals and two rebounds.

Tom Atkinson continued the remarkable start to his West Coast Classic for Mandurah with another 18 points and 17 rebounds with Josh Hunt also impressive with 17 points and four assists.

Chad Simpson added 10 points for the Magic as well with Aaron Kearing scoring seven points and Riley Parker six.

PERTH REDBACKS 112 defeated COCKBURN COUGARS 76

This Perth Redbacks squad for the West Coast Classic is built to put on a show and they offered a glimpse into their capabilities up against a tremendously young and inexperienced Cockburn Cougars at Belmont Oasis on Friday night.

The Redbacks had an up and down opening weekend in the West Coast Classic losing on Friday to the Joondalup Wolves before beating the Mandurah Magic 24 hours later while the Cougars lost first up to the Rockingham Flames.

Both teams saw stars not suiting up at Belmont Oasis as well with the Redbacks without Zac Gattorna who is fresh off spending the last NBL season training with the Adelaide 36ers while the Cougars were without boom recruit and Perth Wildcats championship winner Luke Travers.

To say that the Redbacks had more manpower to cover for the loss would be a great understatement.

With the SBL’s all-time assists leader Joel Wagner running the ship and Tevin Jackson and Caleb White out on the wings with all the athleticism in the world, and then the scoring ability of Marshall Nelson, it was quite a show they were able to put on especially in the first half.

The Redbacks piled on 42 points in the opening quarter topped off with a Nelson three on the buzzer two metres beyond the arc.

The Redbacks would end up dominating the rest of the game and ended up leading by as much as 47 points before eventually winning 112-76.

But it would be fair to say it’s a Perth team that is putting out virtually an SBL team while Cockburn is very much a development group under new coach Andrew Cooper.

The Redbacks went on to shoot 41/79 from the field at 51 per cent and 12/29 from deep at 41 per cent.

Last year’s Flames import Caleb White ended up with 28 points, seven rebounds and three assists on remarkably efficient shooting of 10/14 from the floor and 4/5 from deep while playing only 26 minutes.

Marshall Nelson also put up 28 points, six rebounds and six assists for Perth on 9/16 shooting with 3/6 from three-point territory.

Tevin Jackson showed his all-round game with 14 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two assists including a couple of massive slams, including a thunderous putback dunk.

Joel Wagner might not have scored but had six assists including a wonderful alley-oop pass to Caleb White who finished in style while Neema Kazemi put up 14 points and six boards.

Dennis Tawhiti stood tall for 10 points inside for Perth too with Michael Riley scoring eight points.

There will be tough nights for development teams like the Cougars against the stronger outfits this season, but you can clearly see what they are working towards with the big picture in mind.

Gavin Field still top-scored for Cockburn with 20 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists on shooting 4/6 from three-point range.

Kye Chamberlain added 10 points and four rebounds for the Cougars, Jacob Polglase nine points and five boards, Jaarod Holmes eight points, three rebounds and three steals, Zac Watkinson six points and five boards, and Kane Waters six points.

SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 65 lost to ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 76

The youthful South West Slammers under Mark Worthington fought hard on their home floor on Friday night but ultimately the Rockingham Flames had just enough experience and quality to escape with an 11-point win.

The Slammers were back at home for the second straight Friday night game at Eaton Recreation Centre to open the West Coast Classic, and took a degree of confidence into it too having beaten the Mandurah Magic seven days earlier.

Rockingham was always going to provide tougher opposition but that didn’t deter South West from fighting hard right throughout the night.

The Slammers were able to stick with the Flames especially through the first three quarters with Rockingham only managing to lead by three points at quarter-time, by two at half-time and then three at three quarter-time.

But the Flames caught fire in the fourth quarter starting with an individual 7-0 run from dynamic point guard Jackson Hussey before Seth Matthews drained a triple to make the margin a game-high 14 points before Rockingham went on to win 76-65.

Jackson Hussey has made a blistering start to the West Coast Classic at his new club and put up 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals while Travis Durnin was up against his original side and delivered 15 points and 11 rebounds including hitting 3/6 from the land of plenty.

Brendan Redhead added 11 points for Rockingham, Ryan Godfrey 11 points and four assists, and Justin Beard seven points and three rebounds.

Leigh Rickwood-Pitt top-scored for the Slammers with 18 points and nine rebounds while Mitch Keller battled manfully for 12 points and 14 boards.

Jack Flynn added eight points, Brody England seven and Devan Craig six.

SATURDAY
WARWICK SENATORS 130 defeated SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 58

The South West Slammers didn’t have much left in the tank at Warwick Stadium on Saturday night and a fresh, deep and experienced Warwick Senators put them to the sword to end up winning by 72 points.

The Slammers fought bravely on Friday to push the Rockingham Flames all the way in Eaton, but the Senators were fresh and waiting for them on Saturday on their home floor for their only appearance of the weekend in the West Coast Classic.

Coming off a 48-point thumping of the Goldfields Giants the previous Saturday and despite losing point guard Corban Wroe to a hamstring strain, the Senators put on another show for their home fans against the Slammers.

Cody Ellis opened the game with a three and he hit a second to give the Senators a 12-0 opening to the contest after just two and-a-half minutes.

It was more of the same from there the rest of the way with the Senators putting up 32 points to 10 in the opening quarter. It was another 29 points to 16 in the second, 33 to 12 in the third and 36 to 20 in the fourth.

Warwick would lead by as much as 76 points in the fourth quarter before settling on the 130-58 victory to improve to 2-1 in the West Coast Classic while the Slammers are now 1-3 under Mark Worthington.

Justin King has started the season on fire for the Senators especially with his three-point shooting. He went 4/6 again after going 4/4 a week earlier on his way to 28 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

But it was 15-year-old excitement machine Ethan Elliott that again set Warwick Stadium alight. Having only made his debut a week earlier, he turned it on this Saturday with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals from 7/10 shooting from the floor and 3/6 from deep.

Ash Litterick came back into the line-up for Warwick to produce 14 points and eight rebounds with Cody Ellis adding 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds, Jarrod Hodge 12 points, six boards and three assists, and Alier Riak 11 points and nine rebounds.

Mitch Keller again battled tremendously hard against the odds for the Slammers for 12 points and four rebounds with Devan Craig finishing with nine points, Brody England seven and Luke Deighton six to go with seven rebounds.

MANDURAH MAGIC 94 defeated EAST PERTH EAGLES 90

The game of the round could very well have ended up taking place at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre on Saturday night with Mandurah and East Perth playing out an overtime thriller.

It’s the first game of the West Coast Classic to go to overtime after the Magic and Eagles couldn’t be split at the end of the regulation 40 minutes.

Mandurah was looking to bounce back from losing to Willetton the previous night while the Eagles were playing their only game of the weekend after beating Kalamunda first up in Round 1 before losing narrowly to Geraldton on Sunday.

No more than 10 points separated the two teams the entire evening with East Perth up by four points at quarter-time before Mandurah turned it around to lead 43-40 by the half.

It was a one-point ball game by three quarter-time and then in the fourth quarter, the Magic were up five early before the Eagles levelled scores with a triple to Nic Filpo and bucket from Mitch Benger.

Four quick points from Cousteau Kyle and a three-point play from Aaron Kearing had Mandurah back up seven, and that lead was still six after Tom Atkinson scored with 4:30 remaining.

But Shaquille Maharaj wouldn’t be denied and scored five quick points to make it a one-point game and it ended up being former Senator Logan Thwaites that put East Perth on top with under two minutes left.

Chuatwech Reath nailed a three to extend the lead to four but the Magic weren’t done and baskets from Atkinson and Kearing saw the game into the extra period.

A Josh Hunt triple gave Mandurah the early edge in overtime but when Maharaj hit a pair of free-throws with under 24 seconds left, it was just a two-point game still.

Atkinson made his two free-throws for the Magic and when Hunt made one of his two, that was enough for the Magic to hold on for the 94-90 victory.

Tom Atkinson was again brilliant for Mandurah with another 25 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Josh Hunt continues to be his running mate and had another 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Aaron Kearing is an ever-improving big too and put up 19 points and eight rebounds for Mandurah while Riley Parker contributed 11 points, seven assists and five steals, and Jake Cannell five points, three rebounds and three assists.

Shaquille Maharaj put in another huge performance for East Perth with 36 points to go with six rebounds and five assists on shooting 11/20 from the floor, 5/12 from three-point land and 9/10 at the charity stripe.

Logan Thwaites also had 16 points and five rebounds for the Eagles, Chuatwech Reath nine points and nine rebounds, and Nic Filpo seven points and five boards.

COCKBURN COUGARS 88 lost to JOONDALUP WOLVES 92

The challenge was ahead of the Cockburn Cougars to attempt to get their first win of the West Coast Classic and while they didn’t quite prevail, they should be proud of their brave fight against the Joondalup Wolves.

It was a battle of the winless Cougars and unbeaten Wolfpack at Wally Hagan Stadium on Saturday night but you wouldn’t know it by watching the contest unfold.

Cockburn had lost the previous evening to the Perth Redbacks by 36 points as well with the Wolves coming off a Round 1 win over that same Redbacks team to the tune of 18 points.

But with Luke Travers back in the line-up after not suiting up on Friday night, the Cougars started well as he opened the contest with a three-point play.

The Wolves did score the next 12 straight points with the signs ominous but this Cougars team was up for the fight and by quarter-time managed a 23-19 lead ending the period on a 9-2 run.

Zac Watkinson hit from deep to put Cockburn up seven to open the second quarter and that advantage grew to 12 when Jake Harris also hit from long-range.

Only some big buckets just before half-time for Joondalup from Lee Roberts and Lochlan Cummings kept Cockburn’s lead at the break to six.

The Wolfpack did work their way on top in the third quarter putting up 30 points to 16 and while the Cougars never gave up the ghost, the Wolves had enough to hold onto that edge through the fourth period to remain undefeated with the 92-88 victory.

Lee Roberts delivered 24 points and 12 rebounds in the win for Joondalup while Lochlan Cummings added 25 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Trian Iliadis also had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Wolves on 4/7 shooting from three-point range with Hamish Warden adding 10 points and six boards.

Jaarod Holmes did a power of work for the Cougars to finish with 25 points and four rebounds with Gavin Field putting up another 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Luke Travers had 14 points, 12 rebounds and six assists with Seva Chan contributing nine points, five boards, five assists and three steals, and Jake Harris eight points.

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 84 defeated GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 70

The game started out as a tremendous contest at Mike Barnett Sports Complex but unfortunately was marred by the devastating injury to Liam Hunt as the Rockingham Flames ran over the Geraldton Buccaneers.

Both teams came into the West Coast Classic deserving to be considered two of the possible contenders with the line-ups they still were able to put together despite the loss of their imports from the groups they had for the SBL.

And it was a high-quality first half with the Flames making the break first in the opening period to lead 30-21 by quarter-time. But the Buccs fired back with 29 points to 14 in the second and that saw a narrow half-time edge of 44-40 for Rockingham on their home floor.

A Brayden Inger three early in the second half did put the Buccaneers up six but it wouldn’t last. Eventually a triple from Flames captain Ryan Godfrey gave his team a lead that they turned into a 71-62 edge by three quarter-time.

Rockingham turned that into an 84-70 lead and ultimate victory with the game then taking a backseat to the horror knee injury to Buccs big man and reigning SBL Grand Final MVP Liam Hunt.

While it was hard to celebrate given the circumstances, the Flames deserved to be happy with their performance which included another 30 points and five steals from Jackson Hussey up against one of his former clubs.

Travis Durnin added 16 points, 12 rebounds and three assists too for Rockingham with Ryan Godfrey contributing 12 points and nine assists, Callum Beard nine points and six rebounds, Brendan Redhead six points and Luke Roberts six.

With no Jesse Hunt nor Mat Wundenberg for the Buccs with both back in Geraldton, extra responsibility fell on Liam Hunt and he produced 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists before the injury.

Brayden Inger also had 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Buccaneers with Xavier Garnett-Shaw contributing 14 points and 12 rebounds, Geordie Murray nine points and Carter Cook seven to go with two assists.

GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 87 defeated KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 76

This was always going to be a development West Coast Classic for the Goldfields Giants but what they learned on Saturday night is that Mayo Malek and Majier Garang could have a team built around them for years to come.

Malek had an impressive first season with the Giants in 2019 putting up 14.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in a team that reached the playoffs so to have him return initially for the 2020 SBL season, and then stay for the West Coast Classic was significant.

To then be able to lure Garang from the Perth Redbacks to make the move to Kalgoorlie meant that even by losing their imports for the West Coast Classic and being remarkably young, the big men department could be the Goldfields’ great strengths.

The pair showed encouraging signs of what they could do in two road losses in Round 1 against the Senators and Hawks, but then on Saturday night on their home floor, they were just simply unstoppable in the eventual 11-point win over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.

The Suns would have been hopeful of opening their own West Coast Classic account on the trip to Kalgoorlie, but it wasn’t to be and without doubt the difference between the teams was Malek and Garang.

The pair ended up combining for 57 points, 18 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocked shots in the 87-76 victory while shooting 21/30 from the floor, 5/10 from three-point land and 10/10 from the foul line.

It was quite the remarkable performance from the duo with Malek finishing himself with 31 points and four rebounds including 4/6 from three-point range. Garang ended up with 26 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Their performances took the pressure off the remarkably young Giants backcourt with Damon Ballantyne finishing with eight points, six rebounds and four assists.

They had good support from swingmen Fletcher Klasztorny (nine points, six rebounds, six assists, five steals) and Jerome Reid (four points, two rebounds) as well.

The Eastern Suns fought hard the whole way searching for their first West Coast Classic win, but just had no hope of matching the size and athleticism of Geraldton’s ‘Twin Towers’.

Cooper Lowe fought valiantly for 17 points and four rebounds and Ryan Blanchett had 16 points, 11 boards and four assists.

Logan Viskovich did top-score with 20 points to go with eight rebounds while Carl Aylett added nine points and six assists, and Brendan Dinardo six points and five assists.

PERRY LAKES HAWKS 93 defeated PERTH REDBACKS 65

Nowhere was the unpredictable nature of the West Coast Classic more evident than at Bendat Basketball Centre on Saturday night.

The Perry Lakes Hawks were coming off a 22-point defeat at Lakeside on Friday night while the Perth Redbacks had defeated the Cockburn Cougars at home by 36 points, but that form line counted for nothing 24 hours later.

In the end, the Hawks dominated virtually from start to finish to end up with a commanding 93-65 victory against the Redbacks.

The Redbacks found some scintillating form on Friday at home to the Cougars, but things were much different on Saturday again without Zac Gattorna while Joel Wagner also didn’t play and Marshall Nelson ended up only playing 14 minutes for two points due to foul trouble.

The Redbacks were able to keep pace with the Hawks in the opening half for the most part to limit the damage to a Perry Lakes 51-42 lead. But the Hawks ran away with it in the second half piling on 42 points to 25 to end up winning by 28.

Once more the insatiable Ben Purser was outstanding for Perry Lakes with 19 points and eight rebounds on 8/10 shooting from the field.

Mitch Clarke stepped up for 18 points, three rebounds and three assists with Austin Kisselev contributing 12 points and six boards, Rob Cassir 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals, and Ryan Smith 10 points, four boards and four assists.

Caleb White again top-scored for the Redbacks with 15 points on 7/9 shooting and playing just 23 minutes.

Bang Majok finished with eight points and five rebounds, Neema Kazemi eight points and six boards, Michael Riley six points and four rebounds, Dennis Tawhiti six points and three boards, and Lachlan Bertram six points.

Tevin Jackson added five points and four rebounds, Ethan Vlahov four points, three boards and two steals, David Swaby two points and three rebounds, Kyden Edman two points and two boards, and Ronan Coppin one points, two steals and two assists.

SUNDAY
JOONDALUP WOLVES 88 defeated GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 58

It was the SBL Grand Final rematch from last year, but the Geraldton Buccaneers were rightfully still shaken from losing Liam Hunt the previous night and the Joondalup Wolves shook them off in the second half at HBF Arena to remain undefeated in the West Coast Classic.

The Wolfpack improved to a 3-0 record to start the West Coast Classic on the back of Sunday’s 88-58 victory against the Buccaneers at HBF Arena, but up until half-time it was a tremendously brave fight put up by the remarkably shorthanded Buccs led by Aaron Ralph.

It’s unfortunate that West Coast Classic performances won’t count on SBL careers as Ralph chases down the No. 1 spot in the league for three-point shots because he produced a phenomenal first half on Sunday with the Buccs missing Liam and Jesse Hunt.

Jesse was still back in Geraldton for the weekend after feeling unwell before the team departed, but it was then the loss of reigning Grand Final MVP Liam on Saturday night in Rockingham that left the Buccs shocked.

After leading his team last Sunday to a win over East Perth and having signed to play in Germany after the West Coast Classic, the big man was on top of the world until going down against the Flames with a horrific knee injury.

It has turned out to be a dislocated knee and on top of that ruptures to both the anterior and medial cruciate ligaments, meaning it will be a long road back for the popular figure with the world at his feet.

However, the Buccaneers shook that off on Sunday despite virtually playing without any guards with SBL experience or any genuine bigs. It was largely a team of three and four men, but not to be deterred they still managed to lead the Wolves 38-31 with just over five minutes left in the first half.

Ralph had been simply on fire, showing why he has been such a standout over 399 games in the SBL for Geraldton. He hit three triples in a minute to take the Buccs from two points down to seven up, and went into half-time with a stunning 27 points.

However, Reece Maxwell and Trian Iliadis combined to give Joondalup a 16-2 run to close the opening half and lead 50-40 at the main break.

With the Buccs so undermanned, the Wolves ran away with the game in the second half with 38 points to 18 to win 88-58.

The Wolfpack did play without former Wildcats guard and Perry Lakes 2018 championship winner Lochlan Cummings, but had plenty of depth to cover with 2017 Grand Final MVP Lee Roberts producing 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Seb Salinas added 14 points on 4/9 shooting from deep with Trian Iliadis also scoring 14 points on 4/8 from long-range to go with seven assists and six rebounds. Rob Huntington added 14 points and four rebounds while Reece Maxwell finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Matthew Teale also contributed eight points and six rebounds while Daniel Vlahov finished with six points.

Aaron Ralph finished with 30 points and eight rebounds for the Buccaneers including going 7/16 from three-point territory.

Brayden Inger contributed eight points and two assists, Xavier Garnett-Shaw six points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, and James Paringatai six points and three boards.