Eagles Recap | Rd 5 Women/Men

Image credit: Mark Filpo (@codexdesignstudio)

Despite a first loss of the NBL1 West season there was a lot to like for the East Perth Eagles women in a one-point defeat to the Warwick Senators while the men found the going tough against the unbeaten league-leaders.

The Eagles were back home at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre on Friday night and first up was the women's contest that went right to the death but ultimately the Warwick Senators prevailed 87-86.

Next up at Peter Campbell Basketball Arena was the men's match up where the undefeated Senators kept their record intact with the 118-82 win despite the best efforts of Lee Roberts for East Perth in his 150th appearance in the league.

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WOMEN

The Eagles women put their undefeated record on the line at home on Friday night against a powerful Warwick Senators team coming off a top four finish in 2024.

It always shaped as a fascinating contest with terrific match ups all over the floor including between point guards Abby Cubillo and Chloe Forster, centres Sasha Goodlett and Nat Burton, and wings Madison Torresin and Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard.

It sure lived up to the hype as well and even though the Senators ended up securing the 87-86 victory, there was a lot to be encouraged about for the Eagles at Peter Campbell Basketball Arena against a high quality opponent.

Two of the form teams to start the NBL1 West played out a thriller and it was only fitting that it came down to the very last possession with the Warwick Senators holding out the East Perth Eagles to win 87-86.

While both teams do have personnel still to come in with Emma Clarke still working back from a knee injury to play with East Perth and the Senators waiting for both Emma Gandini and Kiara Waite to be available, there was plenty of high quality out there to set up a tremendous contest.

The Senators were looking for a third straight win and made a fast start to open up an early 10-point lead, but the Eagles hit back and were leading 29-28 by quarter-time after shooting 11/17 for the opening 10 minutes while Warwick went at 9/18.

Things dried up for both teams in the second quarter with the Eagles scoring 19 points and the Senators 14 which meant that the home team went into the half-time break leading 48-42 with their winning streak on track to stay intact.

Warwick came out hot from half-time and would end up making four three-pointers for the third quarter and to score nine straight points on the way to outscoring the Eagles 25-16 to be leading 67-64 by three quarter-time.

It had been a fascinating guard match up all evening between Abby Cubillo and Chloe Forster, and Forster scored with six minutes to go to put the Senators in front by six before Cubillo responded.

She scored the next five points for the Eagles to bring it back to a one-point game before Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard landed a big three for Warwick.

East Perth were soon able to level scores once more which is where they stayed after Forster and Eagles centre Sasha Goodlett traded free throws.

Forster then made a three-point play with just over a minute to go to put Warwick up four, but then things got interesting when she got her fifth foul up the other end when she sent Cubillo back to the foul line.

Cubillo hit both to keep it a two-point game with Stacey Barr having already earlier fouled out for the Senators before young guard Kyana Weir stepped up to be calm with the ball in hands in the dying stages.

She also made a free-throw to put the margin at three before Cubillo scored at the rim for the Eagles, and then Warwick hung on for the one-point win with a three at the buzzer from Madison Torresin didn’t bank in, and nor did the put back attempt from Goodlett.

The Eagles have now tasted a loss for the first time in 2025 to be 4-1 as well with Cubillo outstanding finishing with 25 points, four rebounds and four assists on 7/14 shooting from the field and 9/10 at the foul line.

Awatea Leach added 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Madison Torresin 15 points, six boards and three steals, and Sasha Goodlett 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Captain Tessa Morrison also finished with seven points, two rebounds and two assists, vice-captain Taylor Roberts six points, three boards and two steals, and Akim Lual two points and four rebounds.

MEN

It was always going to be a significant challenge against an unbeaten team with the hottest player in the country on Friday night for the Eagles and the Warwick Senators did leave Morley Sport and Recreation Centre with the 118-82 victory.

The Eagles came into the game following an overtime loss to the Joondalup Wolves which came after their first win of the 2025 season the previous week against the Eastern Suns, but the Senators were always going to pose another significant test.

Elijah Pepper had been averaging 49.8 points a game so far this season and while he only had 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, the Senators had too much firepower with the Eagles also dearly missing captain Taylor Young through a hamstring injury.

It was a scorching opening from the Senators and the most ominous sign that a lot of the scoring they were doing wasn’t coming from Pepper.

Warwick piled on 37 points in the first 10 minutes while making 9/16 from three-point land but only two of those three-point makes and 10 points were courtesy of Pepper.

The Senators already led by as much as 17 points in the first quarter before another 27 points to 19 in the second term to lead by as much as 28 points to be well in control already leading 64-42 by half-time.

They were more than on track to match their 118-point average per game and already were shooting 12/26 from downtown and 23/44 overall for the opening half.

East Perth just couldn’t match the firepower or do much to stop the Senators now with the two ball handlers and playmakers with Clarke's connection with Pepper immediately obvious even after just one training session together leading into Friday's game.

There was no let up in the third quarter from Warwick either as they piled on another 35 points to open up a lead by 36 points, which got out to 38 in the fourth.

The Eagles are now 1-4 to start the season after a tough night where they couldn’t stop the Senators and nor could they find an offensive rhythm shooting just 41 per cent for the night and 23 per cent from downtown.

Lee Roberts was playing his 150th game in the league that dates all the way back to the Senators in 2011, before a stint at the Eastern Suns in 2012 and then ending up being Grand Final MVP for the Perth Redbacks in 2017, and now in a fifth season at the Eagles.

He finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and two assists in 9/15 shooting with Chier Maker adding 13 points and four boards, Max Rice 11 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Ioannis Dimakopoulos 11 points, six boards and two assists.

Matthew Lang ended up with nine points and two assists, Nick Filpo six points, six assists and five rebounds, and Kai Kabugua two points and five rebounds with debutant Lieb Yat putting up six points and three boards on 3/5 shooting.