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Top five NBL1 West women's teams the Lakeside Lightning, Rockingham Flames, Perry Lakes Hawks and Warwick Senators won on Friday while Devondrick Walker's return and showings of Todd Withers and Jacob Wiley were men's highlights.
The four women's Friday night results saw the Lakeside Lightning beat the East Perth Eagles 80-74 while the Rockingham Flames beat the Mandurah Magic 74-52, Perry Lakes Hawks downed the Joondalup 80-79 and the Warwick Senators defeated the Perth Redbacks 77-74.
Then in the men's matches, the Eagles defeated the Lightning 93-80, the Flames downed the Magic 84-82, the Wolves defeated the Hawks 92-77 and the Senators won 104-74 against the Redbacks.
RECAP NBL1 WEST | ROUND 12 SUNDAY
VERSATILE BALLANTYNE WANTS TO BRING FLAG TO GOLDFIELDS
BUCCS SKIPPER TO REACH 450 AS LEGACY CONTINUES TO GROW
WOMEN
East Perth Eagles (74) lost to Lakeside Lightning (80)
Marnelle Garraud put in another standout performance to help lead the Lakeside Lightning to the crucial 80-74 road victory over the East Perth Eagles.
The Eagles came into the match up on the back of winning their past three matches to put them back in the playoff hunt as they hosted the Lightning at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre.
While East Perth was trying to break into the top eight, Lakeside needed a win to stay in touch for a top four position despite still being without dynamic captain Caitie Jones.
The Lightning started strongly to be leading by as much as 12 points in the opening period before going into quarter-time on top 23-16.
Lakeside were back out to a 12-point lead in the second quarter as well but East Perth hit back with an 8-0 scoring run to cut the Lightning advantage to 48-38 at half-time.
The Eagles were eventually able to go on a 10-0 scoring run as well in the second half which saw the home team grab the momentum, and the lead, when the returning Sam Lubcke hit the go ahead bucket early in the final term.
However, Lakeside responded with a three-pointer to Marnelle Garraud and the Lightning never looked back from there to end up winning by six points and to improve to a 9-5 record to stay in touch of a top four spot as a result.
Ultimately the difference between the two teams was Marnelle Garraud who delivered 31 points, 10 rebounds and two assists for Lakeside with 6/13 three-point shooting.
Teige Morrell also finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, Jade Gowland 12 points, seven boards and three steals, and Tia Ucich 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.
East Perth remained outside the top eight with the defeat that sees them slip to a 5-10 record on the season with Laci Hawthorne playing against her former team for the first time and having 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Mary Baskerville added 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks, Bri Bailey 12 points and three assists, Tessa Morrison 11 points, five steals and three assists, and Sam Lubcke nine points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Eagles don't play again until hosting the Eastern Suns next Friday with the Lightning also playing next Friday away to the Mandurah Magic.
EAST PERTH EAGLES 74 (Hawthorne 17, Baskerville 13, Bailey 12)
LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 80 (Garraud 31, Morrell 14, Gowland 12, Ucich 12)
Rockingham Flames (74) defeated Mandurah Magic (52)
The league-leading Rockingham Flames got back to winning at home on Friday night with the 74-52 victory against local rivals the Mandurah Magic.
After winning its first 13 games straight, Rockingham came into Friday's game at Mike Barnett Sports Complex having lost their past two games to the Lightning and Redbacks ahead of hosting the Magic who were trying to break into the top eight and snap their own losing run.
Rockingham did welcome back Robbi Ryan but were still missing two-time MVP Alex Sharp and tenacious guard Sophie Doran, and by quarter-time the Flames were already leading 20-13.
The home team then took complete control of the contest in the second quarter with 29 points to nine including scoring 13 consecutive points to lead by as much as 27 points, and to be up 49-22 at the main interval.
That lead ballooned to as much as 31 points as well in the second half before Rockingham recorded the eventual 22-point victory at home to retain top position with a 14-2 record.
Emma Gandini continued her standout return season to the NBL1 West with 24 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals on shooting 7/10 from three-point range for the Flames.
Georgia Pineau also had 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Jess Jakens 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Nes'eya Parker-Williams eight points, 20 boards, six assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
Mandurah remains outside the top eight with a third straight loss to now be 5-11 with Sam Roscoe top-scoring with 14 points and five rebounds.
Emma Klasztorny added 10 points and three rebounds, Christina Boag seven points and nine boards, and Tiana Wilson-Palmer seven points and two rebounds.
The Flames now head north to take on the Joondalup Wolves on Saturday with the Magic at home next Friday up against the Lakeside Lightning.
ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 74 (Gandini 24, Pineau 14, Jakens 10)
MANDURAH MAGIC 52 (Roscoe 14, Klasztorny 10, Boag 7, Wilson-Palmer 7)
Perry Lakes Hawks (80) defeated Joondalup Wolves (79)
A huge three-point play from Mia Satie in the dying stages was enough to secure the 80-79 thrilling home win for the Perry Lakes Hawks against the Joondalup Wolves.
It always loomed as a fascinating and potentially season-defining match up for both teams at Bendat Basketball Centre with Perry Lakes looking to keep its momentum going and Joondalup attempting to snap a six-game losing run.
The Hawks came into the contest in fourth spot and having won three in-a-row while the Wolves welcomed WNBL star Emma Clarke for the first time this season and it just happened to be against her former team.
The Wolfpack also got Jorjah Smith back from injury as they looked to steady themselves inside the top eight, and they started strongly to lead 27-18 by quarter-time.
That advantage for Joondalup was out to 12 points in the second quarter but Perry Lakes hit back with a 9-0 run and by half-time it was the Wolves just clinging to a 45-44 lead.
It was the turn of Perry Lakes to get out to a seven-point lead in the third quarter but it had all the hallmarks of a game destined to go down to the wire.
Midway through the fourth quarter it was a three-pointer from Sarah Toeaina and then a jumper from the returning Emma Clarke that brought the Wolves back level with the Hawks.
Eventually it was Toeaina who also scored to put Joondalup in front with three minutes to play but Perry Lakes responded courtesy of point guard Millie McCarthy.
The Wolfpack weren’t done, though, and four straight points to Sirena Tuitele had them back in front with just under a minute to play, but they wouldn’t manage to score again.
Perry Lakes was down by two but it was a tough finish going to the basket from Mia Satie that tied scores up, and when she converted that into a three-point play it was enough to secure the eventual win for the Hawks.
As a result of the win, Perry Lakes consolidates a spot in the top four with a fourth straight win at 11-4 with Grace Stone coming up big with 26 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Ash Isenbarger put up another 15 points and nine rebounds to go with Sam Ashby finishing with 11 points, four boards, three assists and three steals, Mia Satie 11 points and five rebounds, and Millie McCarthy nine points, eight assists and four steals.
Joondalup's hold on a top eight spot is now hanging by a thread with the seven straight losses at 6-9 with Sarah Toeaina producing 21 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Darien Huff also had 20 points, five rebounds and three assists, the returning Emma Clarke 16 points and two boards, and Sirena Tuitele nine points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Hawks are back in action on Saturday against the Willetton Tigers with the Wolfpack back home to play the Rockingham Flames.
PERRY LAKES HAWKS 80 (Stone 26, Isenbarger 15, Ashby 11, Satie 11)
JOONDALUP WOLVES 79 (Toeaina 21, Huff 20, Clarke 16)
Perth Redbacks (74) lost to Warwick Senators (77)
With both teams in hot form but missing a superstar each it set the stage for a fascinating contest and it didn’t disappoint with the Warwick Senators ending up beating the Perth Redbacks 77-74.
The Senators arrived at Belmont Oasis on a four-game winning streak and hot on the heels of the first placed Rockingham Flames while the Redbacks had won five of their past six ahead of being back on their home floor.
While both teams came into the game in impressive form, they lost Anneli Maley and Marena Whittle respectively with the pair, and couple, with the Australian 3x3 team ahead of the Paris Olympic Games.
That only added intrigue to the Friday match up and it remained a tightly contested battle the whole way with nothing more than six points separating them at any stage.
It was the Redbacks leading by a point at quarter-time with that lead extended to three at half-time, but the Senators scored 24 points to 16 in the third quarter.
Warwick would end up leading by as much as six points in the second half, but it was Raya Thompson who sparked the comeback for the Redbacks firstly completing a three-point play, and then making another three free throws.
That put the Redbacks back in front with 5:45 to play before Stacey Barr shook off a rough shooting night to hit a massive three to regain the lead for the Senators.
The scoring would dry up from there and with two minutes to play, scores were again level at 72-72 before Brooke Malone and Nat Burton traded buckets over the next minute.
Eventually it was Barr who hit the go ahead jumper again for Warwick but there was still time for the Redbacks to either draw level or take the lead on the final possession after Barr was called for an offensive foul.
Mikayla Pirini did get a good look for Perth, but it wouldn’t go and Isabelle Miotti did grab the defensive rebound for Warwick, but that's when the drama started.
She was fouled immediately by Pirini but she also bounced the ball out of bounds. So the officials had two jobs to figure out – if the foul happened before the ball went out of play and if there was time on the clock left too.
Eventually after a delay, the decision was there was a second left and Miotti was fouled before the ball went out of play. She made the first foul shot, missed the second and time expired for Warwick to win by three.
The result means the Senators have won five straight to improve to a 13-2 record with Karly Murphy having a huge performance made up of 22 points, 23 rebounds, two assists and two steals on 10/14 shooting.
Two-time MVP Stacey Barr might have only shot 9/29 with 4/18 from three-point land, but still finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks.
Chloe Forster also had nine points and four assists before fouling out while Nat Burton put up 16 points and seven rebounds in her first game back in the starting five.
The Redbacks are now 9-8 on the season and continue to struggle without Anneli Maley in the line-up while also missing Shenae Hartree.
Brooke Malone top-scored with 18 points and 12 rebounds with Raya Thompson stepping up for 17 points, three steals and two assists while Natalie Chou finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and two blocked shots.
The Senators back up to play host to the South West Slammers on Saturday while the Redbacks are next in action at home to the Joondalup Wolves next Saturday.
PERTH REDBACKS 74 (Malone 18, Thompson 17, Chou 11)
WARWICK SENATORS 77 (Barr 25, Murphy 22, Burton 16)
MEN
East Perth Eagles (93) defeated Lakeside Lightning (80)
The big line-up of the East Perth Eagles was instrumental in the 93-80 win over the Lakeside Lightning, but it was point guard Taylor Young who had the biggest say in the eventual win.
The Eagles were back home at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre and on a three-game winning streak to be knocking on the door of a top four spot ahead of hosting a Lightning team just clinging to their playoff hopes.
East Perth was again without Sunday Dech and will need to now become accustomed to that as he leaves ahead of the Paris Olympics with South Sudan, but it meant the Eagles once again went big.
It was a starting five with plenty of size with Sebit Reath, Lukas Millner, Lee Roberts and David Okwera out there with point guard Taylor Young, and they helped the Eagles to a fast start to be up still 24-18 by quarter-time.
East Perth would lead the rest of the way and by seven points at half-time, nine at three quarter-time and by as much as 13 by the final buzzer, but the Eagles certainly didn’t have it all their own way.
Lakeside had got back within three points with just three minutes to play following an and-one from Mike Adewunmi, but David Okwera responded with a bucket for the Eagles which was the start of a run of 10 straight points to close the game for the home team.
East Perth would end up winning by 13 points as a result to improve to 11-6 on the season with four straight wins with Taylor Young brilliant finishing with 24 points and six assists on 9/10 field goal shooting.
David Okwera also had 21 points and six rebounds, Lee Roberts 15 points and five boards, Sebit Reath 13 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, Sharif Watson nine points and eight boards, and Lukas Milner six points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
It's a significant blow to the playoff hopes of the Lightning who are now 5-10 with Marshawn Blackmon finishing with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Mike Adewunmi contributed 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals while Josh Davey had 12 points and eight boards, and Max Richards 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Eagles don't play again until hosting the Eastern Suns next Friday with the Lightning also playing next Friday away to the Mandurah Magic.
EAST PERTH EAGLES 93 (Young 24, Okwera 21, Roberts 15)
LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 80 (Blackmon 25, Adewunmi 15, Davey 12)
Rockingham Flames (84) defeated Mandurah Magic (82)
To be an MVP you have to impact your team winning. Well there was no more glaring example of that than seeing Devondrick Walker's second half impact as the Rockingham Flames stormed back to beat the Mandurah Magic 84-82.
Walker had been sidelined for the Flames with injury for the past eight matches and they had only managed to win three of those to have slipped to seventh position in the standings.
They faced another significant test on Friday night at home at Mike Barnett Sports Complex against the fourth placed Magic with their own MVP fancy Joel Murray in dynamic form.
While two-time MVP Walker suited up for Rockingham, he didn’t hit the floor in the first half and Mandurah was well on top leading by 11 points in the first quarter, 17 in the second and still being up 17 early in the third period.
But that's where the game underwent a gigantic shift when Walker stepped on the floor midway through the third quarter to make his first appearance with the Flames since May 4.
When he came onto the court the Magic were still in control at 64-50, but over the next five minutes he would score 11 points himself and help the Flames close the deficit to seven points by three quarter-time.
Rockingham then hauled in that deficit through the fourth quarter and eventually it was a Walker three-pointer with two minutes to play that levelled scores up.
It was then Gorjok Gak who had been a monster on the boards all night who scored inside for Rockingham to give them the eventual two-point victory to get their season back on track at 10-7.
Devondrick Walker ended up playing just over 13 minutes in the second half for 14 points while Gorjok Gak put up 16 points, 17 rebounds, four blocks and three assists.
Jeremy Combs added 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots, Ryan Godfrey 14 points and four assists, and Travis Durnin 13 points and six boards.
It's a tough loss from a winning position for Mandurah to see the Magic slip out of the top four at 10-7 with MVP fancy Joel Murray putting up another 25 points, six assists and five rebounds on 10/16 shooting.
Michael Durr fought valiantly for 21 points and 21 rebounds on 10/13 shooting with Julian Pesava contributing 18 points and three boards, Lachlan Bertram nine points and three assists, and Jermaine Malie nine points and four rebounds.
The Flames now head north to take on the Joondalup Wolves on Saturday with the Magic at home next Friday up against the Lakeside Lightning.
ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 84 (Gak 16, Combs 16, Godfrey 14, Walker 14)
MANDURAH MAGIC 82 (Murray 25, Durr 21, Pesava 18)
Perry Lakes Hawks (77) lost to Joondalup Wolves (92)
The Joondalup Wolves maintained a top four spot and touch with the top two teams by proving too strong for the Perry Lakes Hawks 92-77 at Bendat Basketball Centre.
The Hawks had slipped outside of the top eight coming into the match up having lost their previous three matches while the Wolves had won their past three and also welcomed in new import Jacob Wiley.
The Wolfpack also welcomed back point guard Ethan Elliott to take on the Hawks and the visitors already had opened up a 16-point lead to be in control during the first quarter.
That lead for Joondalup grew to 22 points by the second quarter and it was only a 12-0 run from Perry Lakes that brought the home team back in the contest.
That cut the lead at half-time for the Wolves to 48-36 but they took control again throughout the second half to be leading by as much as 20 points in the final stanza on the way to recording the 15-point win.
It's a fourth straight victory for the Wolfpack who are now 12-4 on the season in third spot with Jacob Wiley starring in just his third game since arriving and putting up 24 points and four rebounds on 11/15 shooting from the floor.
CJ Turnage added 17 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, Jonathan Wade 17 points and five rebounds, Ethan Elliott 15 points and six assists, Christian Jurlina 13 points and three assists, and Caleb Davis six points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Perry Lakes remains outside the top eight at 7-10 with four consecutive defeats with Matt Leary hitting 5/11 from three-point territory for 17 points and four rebounds.
Dequan Abrom added 13 points and six rebounds for the Hawks, Jaylen Key 13 points and three boards, Luke Phillips 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Keegan Phillips nine points, five boards and five assists.
The Hawks are back in action on Saturday against the Willetton Tigers with the Wolfpack back home to play the Rockingham Flames.
PERRY LAKES HAWKS 77 (Leary 17, L Phillips 13, Key 13, Abrom 13)
JOONDALUP WOLVES 92 (Wiley 24, Turnage 17, Wade 17)
Perth Redbacks (74) lost to Warwick Senators (104)
The combination of Michael Harris and Todd Withers was too much for the Perth Redbacks as the Warwick Senators snapped a losing run with the 104-74 victory.
Both teams came into the Friday night match up on losing runs with the Senators clinging to eighth position while the Redbacks were just holding on to an outside hope of being in playoff contention.
Warwick arrived at Belmont Oasis having lost its past four matches and still without championship winning captain Cody Ellis while the signing of NBL1 and NBL champion Zac Gattorna hasn’t eventuated.
They were up against a Redbacks team having lost seven straight and it didn’t take long for Warwick to take control and as the night unfolded, Perth had few answers for the dynamic NBL experienced duo for the Senators of Withers and Harris.
Warwick managed to open up a 27-20 lead by quarter-time before taking complete control in the second term with 35 points to 17 to end up leading by as much as 27 points.
That saw the Senators on top 62-37 at the half-time interval and it was cruise control from there in the second half as the visitors went on to score the 30-point victory.
The win improves Warwick to an 8-9 record on the season to remain in eighth position with former Adelaide 36ers NBL import Todd Withers dominant again with 39 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals on 10/16 three-point shooting.
Perth Wildcats guard Michael Harris also had 23 points, 16 rebounds, nine assists and three steals with Tyler Shand contributing 11 points, seven boards and four assists, George Pearl 11 points and five assists, and Brody England nine points and two rebounds.
The Redbacks are now all but out of the playoff hunt having lost eight straight at 4-14 despite Joe Cook-Green finishing with 21 points and three rebounds.
Miles Gibson also had 12 points and eight rebounds, Tevin Jackson nine points and three boards, and Maris Colton seven points, nine rebounds and two assists.
The Senators back up to play host to the South West Slammers on Saturday while the Redbacks are next in action at home to the Joondalup Wolves next Saturday.
PERTH REDBACKS 74 (Cook-Green 21, Gibson 12, T Jackson 9)
WARWICK SENATORS 104 (Withers 39, Harris 23, Shand 11, Pearl 11)
