Eagles Rd 5 Preview | Home v Senators

Image credit: Mark Filpo (@codexdesignstudio)

The East Perth Eagles women are looking to stay undefeated at home on Peter Campbell Basketball Arena on Friday night in Round 5 of the NBL1 West while the men attempt to curtail Elijah Pepper and give the Warwick Senators a first defeat.

It's shaping as an exciting eight quarters of basketball on Friday night at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre with the Eagles playing host to the Senators.

First up is the women's clash at 6:30pm with East Perth attempting to improve to a perfect 5-0 record before the men take on the undefeated Senators from 8:30pm with the challenge to try and limit the influence of Perth Wildcats guard Pepper who is putting up 49.8 points a game so far in 2025.

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WOMEN

It has been an exciting start to the NBL1 West season for the Eagles and now they attempt to remaining perfect but face another significant test up against the Warwick Senators on Friday night.

There's been plenty to like with what East Perth have done over the first four games with the wins against the Rockingham Flames, Mandurah Magic, Kalamunda Eastern Suns and Joondalup Wolves to be just one of two remaining undefeated teams in the women's competition.

That goes on the line on Friday night up against a Senators team who has also started their season well with a 3-1 record with a lone loss to the defending champion Flames but looking good in wins over the Lakeside Lightning, Joondalup Wolves and Perth Redbacks.

The stage is set for a tantalising contest and there are tremendous match ups all over the floor including in the back court where Abby Cubillo and Tessa Morrison from the Eagles come up against Warwick's dynamic duo of Chloe Forster and Stacey Barr.

Quality Eagles wings Madison Torresin and Awatea Leach will also have fascinating match ups with the likes of Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard and Isabelle Miotti from the Senators.

Then there is the battle down low between two ultra experienced and high quality centres with Sasha Goodlett attempting to continue her strong start to her first NBL1 season up against former Australian Opals Olympian and WNBL star Nat Burton.

Goodlett is delivering 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Eagles while Burton is also producing 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists so far for Warwick in 2025.

The Eagles star is fully aware of what she's coming up against with Burton and is looking forward to their first ever career battle.

"Of course I have watched film on Nat Burton. She’s very poised and overall a great player who has had a tremendous career thus far," Goodlett said.

"She’s played at the Olympics so i have the greatest respect for her and her game. It will be the first time we have matched up against each other so I am looking forward to a great match up."

Goodlett has enjoyed being part of the four wins to start the season with the Eagles so far, but is under no illusions that the Senators might very well provide them with their biggest test so far on Friday night.

"It is going to be a test for both programs. We both have great starts to the season," Goodlett said.

"Both have equally experienced players who know the game of basketball. Every game has been a battle, so I am looking forward to this game."

MEN

There might be no bigger challenge in the NBL1 in the country right now than what the Eagles men face on Friday night but coach Carl Filpo sees it as a chance to make a statement against the Warwick Senators.

Warwick have been in blistering form so far this season winning its opening four matches against the Lakeside Lightning, Rockingham Flames, Joondalup Wolves and Perth Redbacks to be just one of two undefeated teams left in the NBL1 West.

The Eagles come into the game with a 1-3 record but they have been playing better basketball than that suggests including a heartbreaking loss at home to the Joondalup Wolves last Saturday where they did appear to have it just about in the bag with a couple of seconds left in regulation.

That leaves East Perth looking for a statement win back home on Peter Campbell Basketball Arena on Friday night and there's no bigger challenge than the Senators.

While Perth Wildcats guard Elijah Pepper has been attracting all the attention for his remarkable form of averaging 49.8 points over the opening four games including three 50-point outbursts, it's anything but a one man Senators team.

As a team, Warwick is averaging 118 points a game over those four wins while shooting at 52 per cent as a team and getting up 48 three-point attempts while shooting at a supremely impressive clip of 44 per cent.

That means that they are going to take some stopping from the Eagles but coach Filpo is looking forward to the challenge and is confident with what his team is capable of.

"We talk about it as being an opportunity and we see it as a winnable game at home for us," Filpo said.

"We'll have to play well obviously and doing our best on Elijah will obviously be important, but they've also got Mitch Clarke coming in for the first time and that gives us something extra to worry about.

"We've got a plan in place and we know they're going to be tough, they're undefeated for a reason, but we feel good about the game and our chances."

Filpo does want his Eagles team to play at a fast pace this season as well and they have been averaging 94 points themselves, but stopping teams has been the concern and they are giving up 101.3 points over the first month.

While the Eagles are mindful of the other threats Warwick have including Todd Withers, George Pearl, Cooper Creek and Mitch Clarke who will be on board for the first time, there's no doubt a lot of the focus is on trying to make life difficult for Pepper.

Considering he is averaging 49.8 points, 6.5 assists and 6.3 rebounds while shooting at 54 per cent from the field, 45 per cent from deep and 89 per cent at the foul line, it is a daunting task.

However, even without captain Taylor Young, Filpo will look to both Matthew Lang and Nick Filpo especially to do what they can to hound Pepper, but it's going to take a team effort.

"Obviously there's a big focus on Elijah and there's different ways to play it, and how to play it," Filpo said.

"We've been watching tape of their previous games and looking at the good stuff when teams have played him well, and the mistakes they've made as well. So we'll try to avoid those mistakes and try to execute both what we're seeing and how we think we need to guard him. But it's not just him.

"We're a pretty fast team but they are averaging six or seven more shot attempts than we are and it is because they're running the floor, moving quick and if Elijah passes the ball, it comes straight back to him and before you blink he's shooting it.

"We just have to cut out those silly things and try to avoid fouling him because getting to the line is another strength of his. We just need to contest and come up with it, don't give up second chance points and deal with him off screens and the different actions they run that we've been working on this week to get ready."