Featured image: Travis Anderson | @andmediaphoto
The Joondalup Wolves women sent a late season NBL1 West message while their men suffered a shock loss to Lakeside, Justin Beard hit nine threes for the Rockingham Flames and the Geraldton Buccaneers overcame 41 points from Joel Murray on Saturday night.
RECAP NBL1 WEST | ROUND 16 FRIDAY
FATE COMES TOGETHER AS WILLIAMS REACHES 150 GAMES
LIFELONG FAMILY BOND A SOURCE OF PRIDE FOR FILPO
DENNIS SHOOTING FOR ULTIMATE SUCCESS AT PERRY LAKES
REDBACKS STAR CHOU WANTS TO KEEP CALLING PERTH HOME
WOMEN
Lakeside Lightning (76) lost to Joondalup Wolves (97)
Things have come together for the Joondalup Wolves just in time as they showed what a threat they could still be if they make the top eight with the 97-76 road win over the Lakeside Lightning.
The Wolfpack started the season on fire winning their first five matches, but that's when the personnel issues took hold and they would end up losing 11 of the next 12 matches.
That saw them fall from the top eight and coming into Saturday night's game with the Lightning at Lakeside Recreation Centre they were still in ninth spot, but showed encouraging signs last week beating Willetton.
That win came without Darien Huff too, but she was back on Saturday and joined Emma Clarke, Jorjah Smith and Julia Chandler fresh off their significant layoffs, and it was a totally different looking Joondalup team.
The Lightning also came into the game at home struggling having lost four of their last six, and having to fight hard to overcome the South West Slammers on Friday.
However, Lakeside are locked into the playoffs while Joondalup are trying to get back into that top eight, and it was the Wolfpack who started the better with 25 points to 15 in the first quarter.
Joondalup's lead grew to 14 points in the second quarter before they went into half-time on top 45-35 with that lead then ballooning further with the Wolves putting up 34 points to 20 in the third frame.
The Wolfpack led by as much as 25 points before securing the 21-point victory to improve to 8-11 on the season to stay a finals chance.
Sarah Toeaina ended up with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists in the win for Joondalup with Julia Chandler providing 18 points and five boards, and Geraldynn Leaupepe 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Darien Huff also had 16 points and five rebounds with Emma Clarke contributing 14 points, six assists and five boards, and Sirena Tuitele eight points, five assists and four rebounds.
Lakeside continues to struggle late in the season to now slip to a 10-9 record despite Teige Morrell producing 26 points and 14 rebounds on 11/17 shooting against the team she started her NBL1 West career with.
Caitie Jones also had 26 points, four rebounds and four assists on shooting 6/13 from downtown with Tia Ucich adding 10 points, five assists and four boards, and Marnelle Garraud seven points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Lightning now finish their season on the road to the Warwick Senators on Friday while the Wolves are at home to the Eastern Suns.
LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 76 (Morrell 26, Jones 26, Ucich 10)
JOONDALUP WOLVES 97 (Chandler 18, Toeaina 18, Huff 16)
Perth Redbacks (67) lost to Perry Lakes Hawks (85)
The Perry Lakes Hawks locked away a top four finish with the 85-67 away win against the injury ravaged Perth Redbacks.
It was a battle between fourth and fifth at Belmont Oasis in the penultimate round of the season with both teams coming into the contest on two-game winning runs, but it was a Redbacks team missing a host of key players.
The Redbacks always knew Anneli Maley would likely be unavailable from this point due to Olympics commitments, but injuries now to Natalie Chou, Shenae Hartree and Raya Thompson have thrown a real spanner into the works despite having locked in a playoff berth under coach Tim Rendulic.
That was always going to make it a tough ask against the fourth placed Perry Lakes and by quarter-time the Hawks had already got out to a five-point advantage.
The Hawks took control further in the second quarter opening up a 19-point lead to go into half-time on top 42-26 and then building on that further to be out to a 26-point advantage in the second half before winning by 18.
The win consolidates fourth spot for the Hawks with a 14-5 record heading into the last round with Grace Stone putting up another 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Alira Fotu added 13 points, three steals and two rebounds, Ash Isenbarger 10 points, 12 boards, five assists and two steals, and Eryn Fisher a season-best 10 points and four rebounds.
The Redbacks are now 11-9 following the defeat to end their regular season with Brooke Malone stepping up for 16 points, six rebounds and two assists with 3/6 three-point shooting.
Mikayla Pirini added 12 points, eight assists and six rebounds, Grace Tavelli 12 points and two boards, Ariane Creighton nine points and two rebounds, and Georgia Denehey nine points and three assists.
The Redbacks have now finished their regular season while the Hawks are on the road to the Cockburn Cougars on Friday night.
PERTH REDBACKS 67 (Malone 16, Pirini 12, Tavelli 12)
PERRY LAKES HAWKS 85 (Stone 15, Fotu 13, Dennis 10, Isenbarger 10, Fisher 10)
Goldfields Giants (61) lost to Warwick Senators (109)
The Goldfields Giants played their last ever game on the current showcourt at home but with Marena Whittle back for the Warwick Senators, the visitors claimed the 109-61 victory.
It was the last home game of the season for the Giants and with the new venue to be ready for the start of next season, it was the last time at the current showcourt at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium in Kalgoorlie.
Warwick arrived on a mission, though, to bounce back from last week's loss to the Willetton Tigers and they got back soon-to-be Olympian Marena Whittle for the contest as well before she heads to Paris.
The Giants had won just three games for the season and the Senators loom as a genuine championship threat, and Warwick put up 25 points to 16 in the first quarter.
The Senators had gone on an 18-0 scoring run in that first period to work on top and from there, they opened up a 26-point lead in the second term and went on with the job from there.
The lead for Warwick grew to as much as 45 points in the third frame on the back of another 20-0 scoring streak with the advantage then 57 in the last term before the Senators scored the eventual 48-point triumph.
The win improves the Senators to a 16-3 record to remain in second spot with Marena Whittle enjoying her return before heading to the Olympics to play on the 3x3 Gangurrus team with 27 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals on 5/11 three-point shooting.
Chloe Forster added 23 points, six rebounds and four assists with Karly Murphy contributing 21 points and 18 rebounds, Izzy Miotti 10 points and three boards, and Nat Burton six points, eight rebounds and five assists.
The Giants have now lost seven straight matches with a 3-16 record with Lauren Fech top-scoring with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Kate Sidebottom added 13 points and four boards, Alex Clinch Hoycard 12 points and four rebounds, and Jhazmin Joson five points, eight boards and five assists.
The Giants end their season away to the East Perth Eagles next Saturday while the Senators play host to the Lakeside Lightning on Friday.
GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 61 (Fech 14, K Sidebottom 13, Clinch Hoycard 12)
WARWICK SENATORS 109 (Whittle 27, Forster 23, Murphy 21)
Rockingham Flames (122) defeated East Perth Eagles (55)
The Rockingham Flames locked away the regular season championship with the emphatic 122-55 home win on Saturday night against the East Perth Eagles.
It was the last home game of the regular season for Rockingham at Mike Barnett Sports Complex and they arrived with the chance to secure top spot with the victory against an Eagles team having a tough time of it.
East Perth did win three games in-a-row going back a few weeks, but since then had suffered four tough losses including on Friday night at home to the Willetton Tigers to fall out of playoff race.
Backing up less than 24 hours for the Eagles against a fresh and hungry Flames team was always going to be a challenge and that's exactly how it panned out with Rockingham piling on 37 points to 16 in the first quarter.
The Flames continued to dominate from there with 32 points to 18 in the second term, 28 to 10 in the third and 25 to 11 in the fourth to end up leading by as much as 68 points on the way to the eventual 67-point victory.
The win improves Rockingham to a 17-2 record to be guaranteed of finishing in first place on the back of shooting 54.8 per cent from the floor and making 11/23 from three-point land while pulling down 62 rebounds to 32 and forcing the Eagles into 22 turnovers.
Emma Gandini put in another standout performance at both ends of the floor for the Flames made up of 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals while hitting 6/9 from three-point range.
Georgia Pineau also had 19 points, four rebounds and two steals, Robbi Ryan 18 points, six boards and five assists, Alex Sharp 15 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals, Nes'eya Parker-Williams 15 points, 12 boards and six assists, and Jess Jakens 14 points and three rebounds.
East Perth also managed to only shoot 26 per cent from the floor while going 4/32 from beyond the arc as they slip to a 5-14 record with five straight defeats.
Mary Baskerville finished with 18 points and seven rebounds on 7/11 shooting for the Eagles with Laci Hawthorne contributing 10 points and six boards, Alyssa Bowen seven points, and Tessa Morrison seven points, six assists and three steals.
The Flames will now finish their season away to the South West Slammers on Friday with the Eagles playing host to the Goldfields Giants on Saturday.
ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 122 (Gandini 22, Pineau 19, Ryan 18)
EAST PERTH EAGLES 55 (Baskerville 18, Hawthorne 10, Bowen 7, Morrison 7)
MEN
Geraldton Buccaneers (115) defeated Mandurah Magic (100)
Joel Murray did the best he could to give the Mandurah Magic a sniff with 41 points but the defending champion Geraldton Buccaneers had too many weapons for the eventual 115-100 home win.
The only two games that the Buccs have lost this season have come on their home floor at Active West Stadium including last week against the Rockingham Flames.
They weren’t about to lose on successive weekends on their home floor on Saturday night but it was a Mandurah team knocking on the door of the top four as well upon arriving in Geraldton.
Both teams came into the match up coming off last up losses but came out ready to put on a show combining for 65 points in the first quarter with the Buccaneers leading 34-31 by the end of one.
With Joel Murray on fire, Mandurah stayed in touch and even spent time in the lead in the second period and the Magic went into the half-time break leading 60-59 in a high scoring affair.
It was the Buccs more equipped to keep that going in the second half especially with Mandurah losing Julian Pesava to injury before half-time.
The Buccaneers would open up a 14-point lead in the third quarter and then 21 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 15-point victory.
The Buccs were already guaranteed top spot coming into the last two rounds but they still improved to the 19-2 record with the win and they had a host of standout performers including 2019 Grand Final MVP Liam Hunt producing 23 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.
Joshua Keyes also delivered 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists on 10/13 shooting with last year's Grand Final MVP Johny Narkle providing 23 points, two boards and two assists.
Nik DeSantis added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Josh Braun 11 points, two boards and two assists, and captain Aaron Ralph 10 points, four rebounds and two steals.
The Magic are now 12-9 with that fourth spot still up for grabs heading into the last weekend with MVP fancy Joel Murray delivering another 41 points, nine assists and three steals on 13/22 shooting from the field and 13/15 from the foul line.
Michael Durr added 19 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, Lachlan Bertram 11 points and three boards, and Jarrod Molnar 10 points and two rebounds.
The Buccs now finish their season next Saturday away to the Perth Redbacks while the Magic are at home to the Willetton Tigers.
GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 115 (Keyes 25, Hunt 23, Narkle 23)
MANDURAH MAGIC 100 (Murray 41, Durr 19, Bertram 11)
Lakeside Lightning (94) defeated Joondalup Wolves (90)
The Lakeside Lightning made it consecutive victories for the first time this season with the upset 94-90 home victory against the second placed Joondalup Wolves.
The Lightning started their weekend with the narrow road win over the South West Slammers as they attempted to back that up against the second placed Wolfpack who just needed to keep winning to stay where they are.
However, right from the outset it was a Lightning team on a mission to enjoy their last home game of the season and they opened up an eight-point first quarter lead, and were still up 23-18 after one.
Joondalup is too talented to not fire back and did in the second term to then go into the half-time break leading 45-44.
Then after the Wolves were out to a three-point lead early in the second half, it was all the Lightning as they played some of their better basketball of a frustrating season to end up leading by as much as 15 points.
The Wolfpack did hit 10 straight points to keep things interesting late, but Lakeside held firm for the four-point win to make it back-to-back victories for the first time in 2024 at 6-14.
Marshawn Blackmon delivered 26 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals in the win for Lakeside with Mike Adewunmi adding 17 points, seven boards and four assists, Dom Jackson 17 points and three rebounds, and Max Richards 14 points and 11 boards.
The Wolves now must win next week to stay in second spot after slipping to 15-6 despite Jonathan Wade keeping his hot form rolling with another 29 points and three assists on 6/10 three-point shooting.
CJ Turnage provided 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists with Jacob Wiley contributing 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks, Ethan Elliott 13 points, six boards, four assists and three steals, and Caleb Davis eight points, five assists and four rebounds.
The Lightning now finish their season on the road to the Warwick Senators on Friday while the Wolves are at home to the Eastern Suns.
LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 94 (Blackmon 26, Adewunmi 17, Jackson 17)
JOONDALUP WOLVES 90 (Wade 29, Turnage 18, Wiley 14)
Perth Redbacks (92) lost to Perry Lakes Hawks (102)
Luke Phillips had a night out with 31 points and the Perry Lakes Hawks snapped a seven-game losing streak with the 102-92 road win over the Perth Redbacks.
Both teams came into the Saturday night match up at Belmont Oasis out of the playoff hunt but the Redbacks were fresh off a win against the Lakeside Lightning that snapped a nine-game losing streak.
That left Perry Lakes on the biggest losing run in the league having lost its past seven matches to slip from playoff contention, but it was the Redbacks leading 29-28 after a high scoring opening period.
Perry Lakes did then work on top in the second term with 25 points to 18 with a 10-0 scoring run to open up a double-figure lead, but by half-time the advantage for the Hawks was just 53-47.
The Redbacks then managed to work their way back in front briefly in the third quarter, but once the Hawks got back on top it was for good and they were able to complete the 10-point victory.
The victory snaps the seven-game losing streak for the Hawks as they improve to an 8-13 record with Luke Phillips having a standout night with 31 points and 13 rebounds while knocking down eight three-pointers.
Dequan Abrom also had 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists with Joel Vaiangina providing 12 points and seven boards, AJ Nobensi nine points and seven assists, and Keegan Phillips nine points, six rebounds and five assists.
The Redbacks remain in last place with a 5-16 record despite another 26 points and five assists from Joe Cook-Green who shot 5/9 from three-point territory.
Miles Gibson added 20 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots with Clancy Bird contributing 16 points and four boards, and Maris Colton 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots.
The Redbacks now finish their season at home to the Geraldton Buccaneers next Saturday while the Hawks are on the road to the Cockburn Cougars on Friday night.
PERTH REDBACKS 92 (Cook-Green 26, Gibson 20, Bird 16)
PERRY LAKES HAWKS 102 (L Phillips 31, Abrom 20, Vaiangina 12)
Goldfields Giants (91) defeated Warwick Senators (70)
The Goldfields Giants celebrated their last ever regular season home game on the current showcourt with the 91-70 victory over the Warwick Senators to strengthen their claims on a top four finish.
With the redevelopment well underway for the new showcourt to be ready for 2024 in Kalgoorlie, Saturday night was the last ever regular season game on the current court at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium.
What the Giants did by winning was all but guarantee they will be back for a home final on the same floor now in a couple of weeks as well.
It loomed as a crucial match up for both teams with the Giants winning eight of the past 10 games coming into Saturday night while the Senators had won four straight so both teams had some impressive momentum.
However, the Senators arrived minus Perth Wildcats guards Michael Harris and the absence of his 27.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game was something they just couldn’t cover.
Having said that, Warwick did start well enough to be leading 19-18 by quarter-time, but then in the second quarter Goldfields put up 28 points to 19 to go into half-time leading 46-38.
It was then in the last quarter where the Giants blew the game open for good with a 12-0 scoring streak to open up a 24-point lead and toe end up winning by 21 points.
The victory improves Goldfields to a 13-8 record to shoot up to fourth position and now they will stay there if they beat East Perth in Perth next Saturday.
Randy Bell finished with 26 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win for the Giants with fellow import De'Sean Parsons adding 21 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.
Kon Anguik added 16 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists with Jerome Reid contributing 14 points, four rebounds and two steals on making 3/6 from behind the three-point arc.
The Senators slip to an 11-10 record on the season to be locked into a playoffs spot but slipping back to eighth position heading into the last round.
Todd Withers top-scored for Warwick with 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots with George Pearl providing 16 points, seven boards and four assists, Brody England 11 points, and Cody Ellis eight points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Giants end their season away to the East Perth Eagles next Saturday while the Senators play host to the Lakeside Lightning on Friday.
GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 91 (Bell 26, Parsons 21, Anguik 16)
WARWICK SENATORS 70 (Withers 19, Pearl 16, England 11)
Rockingham Flames (112) defeated East Perth Eagles (86)
The Rockingham Flames continued their late season reemergence with the commanding 112-86 victory against an East Perth Eagles team struggling to grab a top four opportunity.
Coming into the penultimate round of the season and the Flames were in eighth spot but looming large now with Devondrick Walker back in the line-up as they played host to an Eagles team at Mike Barnett Sports Complex having hit a rough patch.
East Perth arrived in Rockingham fresh off losing to Willetton at home the previous night and then being without Sebit Reath to face the Flames with Sunday Dech already out of the line-up while with South Sudan's national team getting ready for the Paris Olympic Games.
Rockingham was coming off a win in Geraldton last week to lock in their playoff position with the Flames hosting the Eagles having not lost to East Perth since their championship season of 2014.
Rockingham raced out to an early 12-point lead but East Perth did respond well with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to just a point by quarter-time.
However, the Flames blew the game open with 17 straight points in the second frame to open up a 20-point lead, and they would never look back.
The Rockingham lead was as much as 27 points in the fourth quarter before the champions from 2022 scored the 26-point victory to make it back-to-back victories over teams above them to improve to 12-9.
Justin Beard had a night out in his 225th game for Rockingham by knocking down nine three-pointers on his way to 27 points.
Jeremy Combs also finished with 24 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals with Gorjok Gak adding 23 points, 14 boards and three assists, and Devondrick Walker 15 points and five assists.
It's a second tough loss of the weekend for an Eagles team who is guaranteed of a return to the playoffs for the first time in a decade but slipping from the top four hunt at 12-9.
Taylor Young again did all he could to keep East Perth in the contest with 26 points and eight assists while Lee Roberts added 17 points and six boards, David Okwera 12 points, 11 rebounds and three steals, and Sharif Watson 11 points, four boards and three assists.
The Flames will now finish their season away to the South West Slammers on Friday with the Eagles playing host to the Goldfields Giants on Saturday.
ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 112 (Beard 27, Combs 24, Gak 23)
EAST PERTH EAGLES 86 (Young 26, Roberts 17, Okwera 12)
