Eagles Recap | Round 11 Women/Men

Image credit: Mark Filpo (@codexdesignstudio)

It was a pair of thrillers for the East Perth Eagles at the Willetton Basketball Stadium including the women's clash going to overtime but it wasn’t quite to be in both contests.

With the Eagles women trying to consolidate a top four position and them attempting to break into the top eight, it was a crucial away evening on Saturday against Willetton.

In the end both East Perth teams put in strong showings but just came up short with the Tigers women winning 92-84 in overtime and then their men prevailed 83-82.

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WOMEN

The Eagles women went ever so close to pulling off a terrific comeback win on Saturday night at Willetton Basketball Stadium but it wasn’t quite to be with the game going to overtime and Willetton prevailing on the back of a huge triple-double from Zitina Aokuso.

It always shaped as a potentially season-defining match up at Willetton Basketball Stadium with the Eagles coming into the weekend still sitting fourth despite a loss last week to Warwick while Willetton were fifth fresh off beating the Goldfields Giants in Kalgoorlie.

It was an impressive start from East Perth away from home with the Eagles going 3/6 from downtown in the first quarter on the way to the 20-11 lead by quarter-time.

Even though Willetton outscored them 20 points to 16 in the second term, East Perth were still on top 36-31 by the half-time interval.

It was in the third quarter when Willetton worked on top with 28 points to 18 including dropping 6/10 from three-point range to turn that five-point half-time deficit into a five-point lead of their own by three quarter-time.

What was to follow was a crazy fourth quarter and that included Emma Clarke picking up three fouls in the last period to foul out with just under a minute remaining in her second game with the Eagles for the season.

Willetton had got back out to a five-point lead seconds earlier with a three-point play from Eva Langton before Sasha Goodlett brought East Perth back within three.

Langton then hit two free throws to put the Tigers back up three before Madi Torresin scored on the offensive rebound to make it a three-point game once more.

The Eagles then forced the turnover and Goodlett scored down low to make the margin one in favour of Willetton as coach Simon Parker called the timeout.

That's where the drama really started in the dying seconds of regulation. East Perth got a stop up one end before Torresin found herself in the open floor with the chance at the go ahead layup.

She couldn’t get it to fall but Awatea Leach did grab the offensive rebound and was fouled. She missed the first but made the second to tie scores up, but Willetton had one last possession after a timeout.

Willetton captain Desiree Kelley then couldn’t score on her drive to the basket but Ella Averill did grab the o-board and was fouled on her attempted put back.

She had the chance to win the game for the Tigers but missed both at the stripe and the game went to overtime with fourth position on the line.

Kelley came out and hit two threes for Willetton to open overtime and the Tigers remained in front the rest of the way to secure the eight-point win.

The Eagles are now on a 7-4 record having lost consecutive matches for the first time in 2025 with point guard Abby Cubillo putting up 21 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks having played for Indigenous All Stars in Melbourne on Wednesday night.

Sasha Goodlett ended up with 19 points, 13 rebounds and two steals while Madi Torresin contributed 17 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals, Awatea Leach 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Emma Clarke 10 points and seven boards before fouling out.

Captain Tessa Morrison finished with three points, three rebounds and three steals as well.

MEN

The Eagles men did plenty right to put themselves in a winning position against Willetton on Saturday night before losing a thriller by a point but still remain just one game out of a playoff position.

East Perth arrived at Willetton Basketball Stadium fresh off wins over the Giants and Senators to keep their playoff aspirations alive.

It would prove to be a game of some wild fluctuations with the Tigers opening up a 10-point lead in the first quarter but that was back to just two by quarter-time.

After scoring the last eight points of the first quarter and then the first three of the second term, East Perth briefly hit the front but Willetton soon worked on top and would score 31 points for the second frame.

That came on the back of pushing the pace and attacking the paint and they shot 12/20 for the quarter to go into the half-time break on top 52-38.

The Eagles showed strong fighting qualities to deliver a standout third term with 29 points to 15 on the back of shooting 10/22 from the floor and getting to the foul line for nine free-throw attempts to three.

That saw the scores all level going into the fourth quarter and East Perth were brimming with confidence when Max Rice hit a three early into it to put his team up three.

Tom Gerovich responded soon after with at three ball of his own for Willetton and ultimately getting some key stops, and big buckets in the last five minutes to Roosevelt Williams Jr, Tyreese Davis and Gerovich kept them in front.

East Perth did make a three on the buzzer thanks to Nick Filpo, but all that did was make it a one-point final margin with Willetton holding on for the win to make five in-a-row.

The Eagles remain outside the top eight with the loss at 5-7 with Lee Roberts top-scoring with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

Nick Filpo ended up with 15 points on 3/6 three-point shooting, Max Rice 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, Ioannis Dimakopoulos 10 points, three boards and two assists, and Chier Maker eight points, five rebounds and two steals.

Jonah Antonio added five points, seven rebounds and four assists, Matthew Lang five points, Sharif Watson five points and nine rebounds, and Lieb Yat two points and a block.