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Emma Gandini came up with the stunning game winning play returning to Willetton with Rockingham Flames in the NBL1 West while the Goldfields Giants men overcame the Lakeside Lightning in a double overtime classic.
Saturday night's women's results saw the Perth Redbacks defeat the Mandurah Magic 90-72, the Warwick Senators beat the Joondalup Wolves 88-67, the Rockingham Flames down the Willetton Tigers 83-80, the Lakeside Lightning prevail 98-68 against the Goldfields Giants, and the Eastern Suns beat the South West Slammers 94-67.
Then in the men's contests, the Geraldton Buccaneers beat the Cockburn Cougars 100-86 while the Wolves defeated the Senators 108-101, the Tigers downed the Flames 115-80, the Giants beat the Lightning, the Slammers downed the Eastern Suns 84-72, and the Magic beat the Redbacks 109-98.
NBL1 WEST MID-SEASON SNAPSHOT – MEN
NBL1 WEST MID-SEASON SNAPSHOT – WOMEN
RECAP NBL1 WEST | ROUND 9 FRIDAY
WOMEN
Mandurah Magic (72) lost to Perth Redbacks (90)
Things are starting to come together nicely for the Perth Redbacks as they scored the third straight victory with the 90-72 road win over the Mandurah Magic.
With Anneli Maley and Natalie Chou now settling into the Redbacks line-up they are beginning to build some momentum but the Magic are starting to get some key players in too.
Having added Donica Cosby and Christina Boag last week, they added in another former championship winner, Sam Roscoe, for the Saturday night match up with the Redbacks at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.
Despite that, it was the Redbacks who made the flying start with 33 points to 17 in the first quarter and they remained on top the rest of the evening including leading 54-37 at the half-time break.
The lead for the Redbacks grew to 26 points as well in the second half before they went on to score the 18-point victory to make it three straight wins and to improve to a 7-6 record.
Brooke Malone continues her impressive emergence this season with another 25 points and seven rebounds for Perth with Natalie Chou contributing 23 points, six boards and four steals, Anneli Maley 19 points and 16 boards, and Mikayla Pirini eight points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Magic have now lost six of their past eight games to be 4-8 on the season with Sam Roscoe making an immediate impact with 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
Donica Cosby also had 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals, Emma Klasztorny 11 points and 12 boards, and Christina Boag 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Redbacks will now be on the road to the East Perth Eagles on Friday night with the Magic at home to the South West Slammers next Saturday.
MANDURAH MAGIC 72 (Roscoe 16, Cosby 14, Klasztorny 11)
PERTH REDBACKS 90 (Malone 25, Chou 23, Maley 19)
Warwick Senators (88) defeated Joondalup Wolves (67)
The Warwick Senators handed the Joondalup Wolves a second loss in two weeks with a commanding performance on the way to the 88-67 home victory.
The Senators beat the Wolves by 14 points on the road two weeks ago and then the two teams did it all again at Warwick Stadium on Saturday with second spot in the NBL1 West going on the line.
Warwick has added Marena Whittle into the line-up in the meantime and while missing experienced centre Nat Burton, the Senators started strongly to lead 24-17 by the end of one.
Warwick would remain in control of the contest the rest of the evening including heading into half-time with the 46-38 lead.
The advantage for the Senators continued to grow throughout the second half with the lead growing to 18 points in the third quarter, and 26 in the fourth before they settled on the 21-point victory.
With the win, Warwick improves to a 10-2 record on the season with Karly Murphy stepping up once more for another 21 points, nine rebounds and six steals on 8/14 shooting.
Chloe Forster added 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals, Marena Whittle 15 points, 13 boards, four assists and three steals, and Stacey Barr 14 points, five assists and four rebounds.
The Wolves now slip to a 6-4 record on the season with back-to-back losses this weekend after also losing at home to the East Perth Eagles on Friday night.
Sarah Toeaina top-scored for the Wolfpack with 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds with Darien Huff contributing 14 points, six boards and two assists, and Sirena Tuitele 11 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.
The Senators will now host the Eastern Suns this Friday night with the Wolfpack having the bye before a rematch from Friday night on Friday June 7 away to the East Perth Eagles.
WARWICK SENATORS 88 (Murphy 21, Forster 18, Whittle 15)
JOONDALUP WOLVES 67 (Toeaina 20, Huff 14, Tuitele 11)
Willetton Tigers (80) lost to Rockingham Flames (83)
Emma Gandini marked her first game as a visitor to Willetton Basketball Stadium with a spectacular game winning offensive rebound and three-point play to keep the Rockingham Flames undefeated with the 83-80 victory.
Gandini played the first 201 games of her NBL1 West career including winning two championships at Willetton before then playing in the NBL1 North in 2023 and returning to the league but with Rockingham.
Saturday night marked her first game back on her old home floor playing for the Flames and it would turn out to be quite the eventful evening.
Rockingham put its perfect record on the line up against a Willetton team who has played in the past three Grand Finals but the Flames were on top for the majority of the evening.
Rockingham led by three points at quarter-time before being up 41-34 by half-time and then extending that lead to 11 in the third period, and still being up four with 30 seconds to play after a Shani Amos bucket.
Claire Jacobs then scored to bring Willetton back within two and then it was the steal from Tigers captain Desiree Kelley to find Jillian Archer for the finish that tied scores up, and ultimately sent the game to overtime.
Then in the extra period, scores were all locked at 80-80 with Rockingham in possession coming out of a timeout. Amos had to jack up a rushed three, but Gandini roared in to grab the offensive rebound.
She got the ball back up to the rim and it went in, she was fouled and on her old home floor she proved to be the hero in the 83-80 win for Rockingham to improve them to 12-0 on the season.
Robbi Ryan was playing her second game with the Flames and delivered 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists with Georgia Pineau adding 20 points, 13 boards and four assists.
Emma Gandini also ended up with 13 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists with another former Tiger Jess Jakens delivering 12 points and eight boards, and Shani Amos eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Willetton slips to 5-6 on the season despite going so close to handing Rockingham a first defeat with Jillian Archer finishing with 25 points and 16 rebounds, Claire Jacobs 23 points and seven assists, and Melisa Brcaninovic 18 points and seven boards.
The Tigers now take on the Cockburn Cougars at Wally Hagan Stadium in a Grand Final rematch on Friday night while Rockingham heads to Kalgoorlie to face the Goldfields Giants on Saturday.
WILLETTON TIGERS 80 (Archer 25, C Jacobs 23, Brcaninovic 18)
ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 83 (Ryan 27, Pineau 20, Gandini 13)
Goldfields Giants (68) lost to Lakeside Lightning (98)
The Lakeside Lightning hit the road and with Caitie Jones putting up 28 points, they scored the 98-68 victory against the Goldfields Giants.
The Giants were back home at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium looking for a third win of the season up against a Lightning team in good form despite a narrow loss the previous week to the Rockingham Flames.
After Goldfields started well to lead by four points early, Lakeside took control of the contest to go into quarter-time leading 27-20.
The lead then continued to grow the rest of the evening for the Lightning with their advantage getting out to 15 points in the second frame, 26 points in the third and 35 in the fourth.
Lakeside would end up winning by 30 points to improve to a 6-3 record on the season with Caitie Jones standing out on her way to 28 points and nine rebounds with 4/7 shooting from three-point territory.
Marnelle Garraud added 24 points and seven assists with 5/11 three-point shooting as well for the Lightning with Teige Morrell contributing 14 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, Tia Ucich 11 points, four boards and four assists, and Emma Burke 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Goldfields is now 2-8 for the season following the defeat with Anne Zipser producing 22 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
Jhazmin Joson also had 12 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two steals, Lauren Fech 10 points and five boards, Chloe Zorzi seven points and four rebounds, and Ash Sidebottom five points, four assists and three boards.
The Lightning will now host the Perry Lakes Hawks this coming Friday night with the Giants to host the Rockingham Flames on Saturday night.
GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 68 (Zipser 22, Joson 12, Fech 10)
LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 98 (Jones 28, Garraud 24, Morrell 14)
Kalamunda Eastern Suns (94) defeated South West Slammers (67)
The Kalamunda Eastern Suns scored their second win of the season and snapped a nine-game losing run with the 94-67 home victory against the South West Slammers.
Both teams came into the contest at Ray Owen Sports Centre looking for a drought breaking victory and the Eastern Suns started well on their home floor getting out to an early 12-point advantage.
Kalamunda would end up leading 30-19 by quarter-time and then would go on with the job from there to go into the half-time break leading 54-39.
The lead continued to grow for the Eastern Suns from there with it getting out to as much as 31 points throughout the second half before they scored the 27-point victory.
It's a second win of the season for the Suns and a first since beating the East Perth Eagles back on April 5 as they improve to a 2-10 record on the season.
Olivia Berry produced her best performance since joining the Eastern Suns for 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals on 10/17 shooting from the floor.
Tiahna Sears added 23 points, five boards and four steals, Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals, and Ella Fotu 11 points, seven boards, six steals and four assists.
The Slammers have now lost all 11 games this season and 43 overall in-a-row and going back further, 84 of the past 85 matches they have taken part in.
Nyidier Riak top-scored for the Slammers with 11 points and five rebounds with Addison Edwards contributing nine points, four boards and two blocked shots, Zaya Black nine points, three assists and three steals, and Courtney Bayliss nine points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Eastern Suns will take on the Warwick Senators on Friday night with the Slammers on the road to the Mandurah Magic on Saturday.
KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 94 (Berry 24, Sears 23, McGhee-Pleasant 12)
SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 67 (Riak 11, Bayliss 9, Edwards 9, Black 9)
MEN
Cockburn Cougars (86) lost to Geraldton Buccaneers (100)
It was a night for big performances from emerging players but in the end the defending champion Geraldton Buccaneers overpowered the wounded Cockburn Cougars at Wally Hagan Stadium.
The Cougars were backing up from a Friday night loss by 18 points to the Perry Lakes Hawks while still without key players Kyle Armour, Josh Hunt and Hunter Clarke.
The Buccs arrived to begin their road double weekend also still without Grand Final MVP Johny Narkle and former league MVP Josh Braun, but looking to maintain their hold on top position in the NBL1 West.
For most of the night it was a fascinating contest as well with both teams prepared to push to pace and play at a high tempo.
That meant they combined for 57 points in the first quarter with Cockburn leading 29-28 by quarter-time.
It was another 51 points between them in the second term and at half-time it was Geraldton with the narrow 55-53 advantage.
The lead continued to seesaw in remarkable fashion for the entire first three quarters with no more than seven points ever separating the two teams, but eventually the dam wall broke and it went in favour of the Buccaneers.
Geraldton went on a 14-0 scoring run in the last quarter to break the game apart and to go on to win by 14 points in the finish to improve to a 9-1 record on the season as defending champions.
It was a career-best night for the Buccaneers for Robert Griechen who delivered 23 points, six rebounds and three assists as he played 34 and-a-half minutes on 9/17 shooting from the field.
Nik DeSantis continued his standout form as point guard with 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists with Liam Hunt contributing 14 points, six boards, five assists and three steals, Aaron Ralph 10 points and four rebounds, and Josh Keyes 10 points, five boards, three assists and three steals.
The Cougars have now lost seven straight to be 3-10 on the season but it wasn’t a night without positives including a career-best performance from Jordan Lee who had 16 points on 4/7 three-point shooting.
Rhys Vague ended up top-scoring with 17 points to go with eight rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists with Gavin Field contributing 14 points, four boards and three assists, Demetris Morant 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks, and Seva Chan 12 points and five assists.
Geraldton will complete its road double on Sunday afternoon against the in-form East Perth Eagles while the Cougars will host the Willetton Tigers on Friday night.
COCKBURN COUGARS 86 (Vague 17, Lee 16, Field 14)
GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 100 (DeSantis 24, Griechen 23, Hunt 14)
Warwick Senators (101) lost to Joondalup Wolves (108)
The Joondalup Wolves completed the double over the Warwick Senators this season with CJ Turnage and Jonathan Wade combining for 64 points in the 108-101 win at Warwick Stadium.
The first Battle of Joondalup for the season took place two weeks ago with the Wolves winning at home by 15 points.
They locked horns again on Saturday night at Warwick Stadium and the Wolves started well with Caleb Davis and Ethan Elliott both returning to their old home floor for the first time representing Joondalup.
The Wolfpack were leading 30-24 by quarter-time and they would remain in front the rest of the evening including going into half-time on top 55-48.
It was another 34 points to 26 in the third period from Joondalup that saw the lead blow out to 21 points early in the fourth, and they would go on to secure the seven-point victory.
The win improves the Wolves to an 8-2 record on the season as they bounce back from a loss at home to the East Perth Eagles on Friday.
CJ Turnage produced a huge performance in the win for the Wolfpack with 36 points, nine rebounds and three assists on 13/21 shooting from the floor, 4/9 from downtown and 6/9 from the charity stripe.
Jonathan Wade also came up big for 28 points, five rebounds and two assists with 5/7 three-point shooting while Christian Jurlina added 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Former Senators Caleb Davis (16 points, three assists with 4/6 three-point shooting) and Ethan Elliott (10 points, seven boards, six assists) also enjoyed their homecoming.
The Senators are now 7-6 but there was encouraging signs with two-time NBL1 West and NBL championship winning forward Zac Gattorna suiting up to play for the first time this season after a back injury even though he didn’t hit the floor.
Michael Harris scored another 34 points for Warwick to go with 13 rebounds and eight assists on shooting 14/26 from the field and 4/13 from three-point range.
Todd Withers also had 27 points, six rebounds and four assists, Cody Ellis 19 points and five rebounds, and Tyler Shand eight points, seven boards, five assists and two blocked shots.
The Senators will now host the Eastern Suns this Friday night with the Wolfpack head to Geraldton to play the Buccaneers next Saturday night.
WARWICK SENATORS 101 (Harris 34, Withers 27, Ellis 19)
JOONDALUP WOLVES 108 (Turnage 36, Wade 28, Davis 16)
Willetton Tigers (115) defeated Rockingham Flames (80)
The Willetton Tigers remain hot on the heels of the league-leading Geraldton Buccaneers with the 115-80 thumping of the Rockingham Flames at home.
Willetton came into the contest at Willetton Basketball Stadium looking to make a statement and with the Flames missing Gorjok Gak and Devondrick Walker, they couldn’t go with the Tigers when they turned it up a gear.
Rockingham did stick with Willetton during a high-scoring first half with the Tigers narrowly leading 32-29 by quarter-time and then 54-52 at the half.
That was a tempo that Willetton could keep going at but Rockingham couldn’t quite match them throughout the second half.
That saw the Tigers outscore the Flames 33 points to 14 in the third quarter and 28 to 14 in the fourth to end up leading by as much as 35 points which was the final margin.
The win sees Willetton improve to a 10-2 record on the season with Michael Dupree finishing with 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Marshall Nelson enjoyed the night against his former team with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as well with Michael Vigor contributing 14 points, seven boards and three assists, Roosevelt Williams 14 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Deng Gak 10 points and 10 boards.
Rockingham is now 7-5 having lost three straight with Travis Durnin stepping up for 21 points and five rebounds while Quintin Dove contributed 20 points and five boards, Ryan Godfrey 10 points and three assists, and Jono Janssen eight points and nine rebounds.
The Tigers now take on the Cockburn Cougars at Wally Hagan Stadium on Friday night while Rockingham heads to Kalgoorlie to face the Goldfields Giants on Saturday.
WILLETTON TIGERS 115 (Dupree 19, Nelson 16, Vigor 14, Williams 14)
ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 80 (Durnin 21, Dove 20, Godfrey 10)
Goldfields Giants (115) defeated Lakeside Lightning (109)
The Goldfields Giants prevailed in a remarkable double overtime classic against the Lakeside Lightning ending up eventually scoring the dramatic 115-109 victory.
Goldfields and Lakeside did play out a thriller in the season-opener with the Giants winning by three points on the road ahead of hosting the Lightning this Saturday night at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium.
Both teams needed the win too to stay right on the heels of the teams in playoff positions currently and the end result was the most remarkable of double overtime basketball.
The Giants made a fast start to lead by 11 points in the first quarter and 13 in the second including scoring 35 points in the opening period, but the Lightning did well to stay in touch.
A 12-0 scoring run from Lakeside either side of half-time had the visitors right back in the contest and the stage was set for a thrilling finish.
After Lakeside went up three, it was a De'Sean Parsons three-point play that had Goldfields back level in the final minute before a pretty off balance jumper from Randy Bell gave the Giants the lead at 95-93 with 0.2 seconds left on the clock.
All Lakeside could do was throw the lob and hope for a tip-in at the rim. That's exactly what they got with a stunning pass that was on point from Mike Adewunmi to find Marshawn Blackmon who leaped over Parsons to put the ball in.
That sent the game to the first overtime where again it was a dramatic finish. Lakeside were up three before Giants captain Jerome Reid, in his 201st game, continued his hot shooting for the night to hit from downtown and bring his team back level.
The Lightning had time for the winner but Parsons emphatically blocked Adewunmi's attempt to take the ball inside and it was time for another overtime period.
It was another triple from Reid with just over two minutes to go that had the Giants back up three and this time they were able to close the deal with some stops and then a bucket to Damon Ballantyne to secure the 115-109 victory after 50 minutes.
Randy Bell finished with 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the win for Goldfields with De'Sean Parsons adding 23 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds and three steals.
Captain Jerome Reid hit 6/7 from three-point range on his way to 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists with Damon Ballantyne contributing 19 points, four boards, three assists and two steals, and Mayo Malek 18 points and 11 rebounds.
It will be a tough loss for the Lightning to stomach with Marshawn Blackmon delivering 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists while fellow import Mike Adewunmi 24 points, five boards and two assists.
Josh Davey also ended up with 16 points and 15 rebounds, Tim Hollick 14 points and six boards, and Max Richards 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Lightning will now host the Perry Lakes Hawks this coming Friday night with the Giants to host the Rockingham Flames on Saturday night.
GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 115 (Bell 32, Parsons 23, Ballantyne 19)
LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 109 (Blackmon 28, Adewunmi 24, Davey 16)
Kalamunda Eastern Suns (72) lost to South West Slammers (84)
The South West Slammers made sure every team in the league has now won at least three games this season with the 84-72 road victory over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.
The Suns were back home at Ray Owen Sports Centre on the back of winning their past two matches and the chance did present to make it a three-game winning streak against the bottom placed Slammers.
Kalamunda was still without Bryan Michaels and his 23.3 points a game with the Slammers arriving up the hill and starting well to be leading 21-17 by quarter-time.
That lead for South West was out to 38-32 by half-time with the visitors then continuing to build on that advantage with another 28 points to 24 in the third period, and 18 to 16 in the fourth.
That saw the lead grow to as much as 16 points before the Slammers ended up securing the 12-point victory with South West improving to 3-9 on the season.
Buay Tuach led the charge once more in the win for the Slammers finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals on 8/13 shooting from the floor.
Alex Holcombe also stepped up for 16 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots with Manyiel Wugol contributing 14 points, four boards and two assists, Mayuol Makuac nine points, and Deven Craig eight points, four assists, three steals and two rebounds.
The Eastern Suns are now 3-10 following the defeat with Marek Nelson top-scoring with 22 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Raphell Thomas-Edwards added 13 points and four rebounds, Rob Huntington 12 points and five boards, and Brendan Dinardo 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Eastern Suns will take on the Warwick Senators on Friday night with the Slammers on the road to the Mandurah Magic on Saturday.
KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 72 (Nelson 22, Thomas-Edwards 13, Huntington 12)
SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 84 (Tuach 20, Holcombe 16, Wugol 14)
