Eagles Wrap – Women/Men Round 3

Having an Australian Opal make her debut for the Perth Redbacks and then missing a chance to close out the men's clash made it a tough Saturday for the East Perth Eagles, but there was still a lot to be positive about.

While neither result went the way of the Eagles on Saturday evening at Belmont Oasis against the Perth Redbacks who were able to claim their first two wins of the NBL1 West season, there was plenty for East Perth to come away feeling positive about.

The women were always up against it with the Redbacks unveiling Perth Lynx WNBL captain and Opals star Anneli Maley, and it proved the case as they defeated the Eagles 92-74 to open the evening.

The East Perth men then looked to have the game won before a dramatic finish which ended up seeing the Redbacks prevail 94-93.

WOMEN

Laci Hawthorne and Mary Baskerville combined for 42 points, 19 rebounds and five assists but it wasn’t quite enough against Anneli Maley and the Perth Redbacks at Belmont Oasis on Saturday.

Both the Redbacks and Eagles had lost their opening three matches of the NBL1 West season heading into the match up, but in the end the major difference was Maley arriving back in town to suit up for the Redbacks for the first time.

Fresh off captaining the Perth Lynx to the WNBL Grand Final this past season and then winning gold for the Australian 3x3 team at the Asia Cup, Maley showed no sign of jetlag fresh off the plane to make her debut for the Redbacks on her new home floor.

With both teams desperate for a first win of the season the stakes were high but it just turned out a night to forget for the Eagles who had a tough time taking care of the ball.

East Perth would finish with 26 turnovers for the game with the majority coming in the first half which helped the Redbacks build up a 10-point lead in the first quarter which grew to 26 in the second.

The Redbacks led 57-36 by half-time with the lead growing to as much as 37 points in the third quarter before the home team scored the 18-point victory to open their account for 2024 under new coach Tim Rendulic.

It was a rough night for the Eagles despite Laci Hawthorne finishing with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists, Mary Baskerville 21 points and 15 boards, and Tessa Morrison 13 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals.

Bri Bailey was playing her first game against her former team and had eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals with Sarah Allen also up against her old side and having seven points, four assists and three steals.

MEN

The East Perth Eagles were up four late in the piece and then still had a chance to snatch it on the buzzer, but it wasn’t to be at Belmont Oasis on Saturday with the Perth Redbacks grabbing the 94-93 in dramatic style.

The Redbacks needed the win too having lost their opening three matches of the season including going down the previous night on the road to the Willetton Tigers by 20 points.

Perth were hosting an East Perth team with just the one win from three games coming into the contest, but with no shortage of talent headed up by 156-game experienced NBL guard Sunday Dech along with former Redbacks pair Jerami Grace and David Okwera.

So the stage was set for another dramatic match up between the two teams and it more than delivered.

East Perth shot out of the blocks going on an 11-0 scoring run in the first quarter to lead by as much as 12, and to still be leading 26-17 by the end of one.

The Eagles lead got out to as much as 15 points in the second period but then the Redbacks managed a fightback scoring 11 straight points of their own to go into half-time leading 48-47.

It remained a seesaw battle throughout the second half with the lead continuing to switch hands, but a Taylor Young three with two minutes to play gave East Perth a handy four-point advantage.

The Eagles were still up four when Dech hit a pair of free-throws even if the DJ decided louder music was required rather than switching it off.

The Redbacks weren't done yet and big Ioannis Dimakopoulos harked back to his preliminary final winning three last year with Joondalup by knocking one down from deep to make it a one-point game again.

That's where things turned especially dramatic. The Redbacks attempted to foul Dech in the back court, but when no whistle was blown, the ball deflected right into the path of Joe Cook-Green for the Redbacks under the basket.

He was fouled and made both with 0.4 seconds left on the clock to give Perth the one-point lead.

There was time for a miracle for the Eagles out of a timeout with the side ball. The lob pass from Young towards Okwera was perfect too.

There was only time for a tip but it was on track to work until Sebit Reath collided with Okwera, time expired and Perth won its first game of the season by a point in a remarkable finish.

It will be a tough loss for East Perth to stomach with Sunday Dech putting up 26 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals with 4/6 shooting from three-point range.

Taylor Young added 20 points and six assists, Sharif Watson 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, David Okwera 13 points and 11 boards, and Sebit Reath 13 points and six rebounds.

Nic Filpo also finished with three points, two assists, a rebound and a steal for the Eagles.