Feature images via: Erin Tuckey / Tiarna McGillivray
The Cockburn Cougars, Warwick Senators and Lakeside Lightning women all had thumping Friday night NBL1 West wins while Mike Adewunmi put up 40 points, and Michael Harris and Cody Ellis combined for 67 points and 17 threes.
The three Friday night women's matches in the NBL1 West saw the Cockburn Cougars defeat the South West Slammers 132-47, the Warwick Senators beat the Perry Lakes Hawks 84-56, and the Lakeside Lightning down the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 121-77.
Then in the men's contests, the Cougars beat the Slammers 93-81, the Senators defeated the Hawks 107-83, and the Lightning downed the Eastern Suns 97-93.
ARMOUR'S JOURNEY OF PERSISTENCE, RESILIENCE TO 300
RECAP NBL1 WEST | ANZAC ROUND SUNDAY
WOMEN
Cockburn Cougars (132) defeated South West Slammers (47)
The defending champion Cockburn Cougars flexed their considerable muscle ahead of a Saturday Grand Final rematch by beating the South West Slammers 132-47 at home on Friday night.
The Cougars were back home at Wally Hagan Stadium looking to bounce back from last Saturday's first loss of the season on the road to the undefeated Rockingham Flames.
That was the first defeat for the Cougars since July 8 last year so they were back home looking to hit back and build into Saturday's Grand Final rematch on the road to the Willetton Tigers.
Cockburn raced out to an 11-2 lead and then after being 17-6, the home team scored the last 19 points of the first quarter to already be well in control of the winless Slammers, leading 36-6 by quarter-time.
It was then a monster 43-point second quarter from the Cougars as the first half lead blew out to as much as 55 points and they were on top 80-27 by half-time.
It was an ugly scoreline at the break and the Cougars went on with the job from there. They finished off another 19-0 run in the third quarter and the lead got out to 75 points, and then it was 85 by the final buzzer.
The victory improves the Cougars to a 5-1 record in their championship defence and they still have Alex Ciabattoni and Maria Blazejewski to come into the team that won on Friday night.
Seven Cockburn players scored in double-digits with Jewel Williams top-scoring with 21 points, three assists and two steals with 5/5 three-point shooting.
Jessie Edwards added 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks with Steph Gorman contributing 18 points, six steals, five assists and three rebounds, and Regan Turnour-McCarty 16 points, two boards and two steals.
Daniel Raber put up 15 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals in her second game with the Cougars while Harriet Ford put up 13 points and seven boards, and Kinley Paterson 13 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists.
It was another tough night for the Slammers who have now lost 39 straight matches and 80 in the past 81, but Cougars championship winner Zaya Black fought hard against her old team. She had 16 points, seven rebounds four steals.
Yasmeen Smith added eight points, two rebounds and two steals, and Addison Edwards eight points and five boards.
The Cougars back up on Saturday in a Grand Final rematch away to the Willetton Tigers while the Slammers head home to host the Perry Lakes Hawks.
COCKBURN COUGARS 132 (Williams 21, Edwards 20, Gorman 18)
SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 47 (Black 16, Smith 8, Edwards 8)
Perry Lakes Hawks (56) lost to Warwick Senators (84)
Chloe Forster continued her career-best form and the Warwick Senators continued to fire even before Marena Whittle arrives with the 84-56 win over the Perry Lakes Hawks.
The Senators came into the contest at Bendat Basketball Centre having won six of seven matches so far in 2024, but the Hawks also came into the contest at 5-2 and having won the past four.
So the stage was set for a fascinating battle but the Senators worked on top late in the first quarter and never looked back.
Warwick opened up a 25-17 lead by the end of the first quarter and then that lead grew to 20 during the second term before they went into the half-time break on top 47-30.
There would be no fightback from Perry Lakes in the second half with the Senators lead getting out to 29 points before they went on to win by 28 and improve to 7-1 on the season with Marena Whittle still to arrive as the final piece to the puzzle.
On the back of her first season as a full roster player at the Perth Lynx in the WNBL, Chloe Forster continues to go from strength to strength for the Senators with another 26 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals.
Karly Murphy added 17 points and 12 rebounds, young gun Kyana Weir 11 points and two boards, Stacey Barr eight points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals, Alaska Rhebok seven points, and Nat Burton six points, eight boards and four assists.
The Hawks are now 5-3 following the loss with Mia Satie finishing with 12 points, three blocks and two rebounds with Elizabeth Hutton contributing 11 points and four boards, and Ellie Newman eight points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Hawks back up to head south to play the South West Slammers on Saturday evening while the Senators are next in action next Friday night away to the Joondalup Wolves.
PERRY LAKES HAWKS 56 (Satie 12, Hutton 11, Newman 8)
WARWICK SENATORS 84 (Forster 26, Murphy 17, Weir 11)
Lakeside Lightning (121) defeated Kalamunda Eastern Suns (77)
The Lakeside Lightning welcomed back Caitie Jones and she put up 26 points as her team unleashed their full firepower for the 121-77 home win over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.
Lakeside were attempting to bounce back from last week's loss to the Perry Lakes Hawks and welcomed Jones back into the team for the first time in 2024 to add to what was already an impressive line-up.
They played host to an Eastern Suns team looking to snap a four-game losing slide, but it wasn’t to be their night with Lakeside putting on a blistering first quarter.
The Lightning raced to a 35-14 lead already by quarter-time at Lakeside Recreation Centre before the lead grew to 23 points in the second term, and they went into the half-time break leading 58-35.
Another 12-0 run in the third quarter saw that lead for Lakeside grow to 41 points with it getting out to 48 in the final period before the Lightning ended up winning by 44 to improve to 4-2 on the season.
The Lightning put up 121 points as a team on the back of shooting 51 per cent from the field and knocking down 16/41 from three-point territory.
Caitie Jones was playing her first game of the season and delivered 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists with Teige Morrell continuing her impressive form with 26 points, 12 boards and three assists.
Marnelle Garraud produced another 18 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals with Jade Gowland contributing 15 points and seven boards, Makayla Palmieri 10 points, five rebounds and three assists, and Molly Wilson 10 points.
Captain Tia Ucich is settling in nicely on her return to Lakeside this year too and dished out 12 assists in the 167th game of her career.
It proved a tough night especially defensively for the Eastern Suns who are now 1-6 on the season despite another 19 points and eight rebounds from Tiahna Sears.
Ella Fotu added 17 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant 13 points, 10 boards, five assists and two blocked shots.
It's the lone game of the weekend for both teams with Lakeside to next face the Willetton Tigers next Saturday while the Eastern Suns play the Perry Lakes Hawks next Friday.
LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 121 (Jones 26, Morrell 26, Garraud 18)
KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 77 (Sears 19, Fotu 17, McGhee-Pleasant 13)
MEN
Cockburn Cougars (93) defeated South West Slammers (81)
The Cockburn Cougars didn’t have it all their own way but did enough to score the important 93-81 home win over Buay Tuach and the South West Slammers.
The Cougars were back home to Wally Hagan Stadium where they are undefeated so far in 2024 while also winless on the road looking for revenge for a Round 2 loss to the Slammers at Eaton Recreation Centre.
Cockburn was looking to bounce back from losses to Mandurah and Rockingham the past two weeks while South West was hunting a second win of the season, and second over the Cougars.
It was late in the first quarter when the Cougars started to pull away and scored seven consecutive points to go into the quarter-time break leading 26-16.
It felt a closer game than the scoreboard was suggesting particularly with Tuach such a threat for the Slammers, but when Nathan Pond also gave Cockburn an inside presence to go with what Rhys Vague and Josh Hunt were offering, the Cougars remained on top.
Cockburn's lead would get out to as much as 13 points in the second term and the home team were still on top 50-39 by the half-time interval.
The lead for the Cougars got out to a game high 23 points in the third period but the Slammers weren't going away and scored 12 consecutive points either side of three quarter-time.
On several occasions the Slammers were able to get back within seven points in the fourth quarter, but each time they did the Cougars would respond and go on to win by 12 to improve to 3-3 on the season.
Josh Hunt continued the best form of his 96-game career so far this season for Cockburn with another 21 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Rhys Vague also delivered 16 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals, Gavin Field 15 points, 12 boards, five assists, three blocks and two steals, Nathan Pond 10 points and two rebounds, and Hunter Clarke nine points, seven boards, five assists and three steals.
William Yarran was also a spark for the Cougars with eight points in eight minutes while Kyle Armour had three points, five rebounds and four assists in the 299th game of his career.
The Slammers have now lost six straight to be 1-7 with the loss despite another 24 points, 11 rebounds, five steals, two assists and two blocks from Buay Tuach.
Jack Flynn added 14 points on 6/8 shooting with Devan Craig contributing 10 points, and Mathiang Muo eight points and two steals as he prepares to represent South Sudan at the Paris Olympic Games.
The Cougars back up on Saturday away to the Willetton Tigers while the Slammers head home to host the Perry Lakes Hawks.
COCKBURN COUGARS 93 (Hunt 21, Vague 16, Field 15)
SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 81 (Tuach 24, Flynn 14, Craig 10)
Perry Lakes Hawks (83) lost to Warwick Senators (107)
Michael Harris and Cody Ellis combined for 17 three-pointers and 67 points as the Warwick Senators landed 22 triples in the 107-83 road win over the Perry Lakes Hawks.
The Senators arrived at Bendat Basketball Centre having returned to the winner's list last week with the 46-point demolition of the Perth Redbacks as they took on a Hawks team looking to back up their win against the Lakeside Lightning.
The game also pitted new Cougars coach Andrew Cooper up against his former right hand man Damian Barr for the first time to set up a fascinating Friday night match up.
It was a high scoring opening from both teams as they combined for 57 points in the opening quarter with Warwick going into quarter-time leading 31-26.
It remained a tight contest the rest of the first half too with 25 points each in the second period with the Senators holding the 56-51 advantage at half-time.
Warwick caught fire in the second half, though, to blow the game open and with another 30 points in the third quarter they pushed their lead out to 20 points.
That got out 24 in the fourth and the Senators went on to win by 24 to improve to 5-3 on the season on back of shooting 22/43 as a team from three-point range, and 57 per cent overall from the floor.
Perth Wildcats NBL guard Michael Harris put in a blistering performance for Warwick with 42 points, six rebounds and three assists on 10/15 three-point shooting.
Former captain Cody Ellis delivered his best performance of the season too hitting 7/10 from deep for 25 points with George Pearl contributing 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Todd Withers 11 points, 11 boards, five assists and two blocked shots.
Dequan Abrom finished with 21 points on 3/6 three-point shooting for Perry Lakes while Jaylen Key produced 21 points and seven rebounds, Cooper Hamilton 12 points and three boards, and Keegan Phillips 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Hawks back up to head south to play the South West Slammers on Saturday evening while the Senators are at home to the unbeaten defending champion Geraldton Buccaneers.
PERRY LAKES HAWKS 83 (Key 21, Abrom 21, Hamilton 12, K Phillips 12)
WARWICK SENATORS 107 (Harris 42, Ellis 25, Pearl 16)
Lakeside Lightning (97) defeated Kalamunda Eastern Suns (93)
An NBL1 best performance from Mike Adewunmi for 40 points helped the Lakeside Lightning finish strongly to beat the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 97-93.
Both teams came into the contest at Lakeside Recreation Centre needing the win to improve on their respective 1-5 records heightening the stakes of the match up to open Round 6.
While the Lightning did open up a nine-point lead in the first quarter, the margin was back to just four by quarter-time and the Eastern Suns were able to open up their own seven-point advantage in the second period.
Kalamunda piled on 35 points in the second stanza and as a result the visitors went into half-time leading 54-49.
The momentum shifts continued with Lakeside going on an 11-0 run in the third quarter and that saw them open up an eight-point edge, and the home team was still up 73-69 at three quarter-time.
A three-pointer early in the fourth quarter from Bryan Michaels kept the Eastern Suns within three but they would never get closer than that despite it still being a tense finish between the two teams needing a win.
The biggest shot of the game was a triple from Michael Garbellini to push Lakeside out to a six-point edge with just over 30 seconds to go.
The Suns answered with a nice pull up mid-ranger jumper from Reece Maxwell for his only points of the night to keep the margin four, but time would end up beating the visitors as the Lightning held on to win by four.
Mike Adewunmi produced his best performance of the season with the Lightning made up of 40 points, seven assists and six rebounds on 14/18 shooting from the field, 4/7 from downtown and 8/9 at the foul line.
Max Richards added 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Marshawn Blackmon 14 points, six boards and five assists, and Michael Garbellini eight points.
The Suns are now 1-6 following the loss despite Bryan Michaels producing 31 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Marek Nelson also had 23 points, eight rebounds, five steals and three assists, and Jack Exeter 16 points, five boards and two assists.
It's the lone game of the weekend for Lakeside who face the Willetton Tigers next Saturday while the Eastern Suns are at home to the Geraldton Buccaneers on Sunday.
LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 97 (Adewunmi 40, Blackmon 14, Richards 14)
KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 93 (Michaels 31, Nelson 23, Exeter 16)
