Eagles Wrap – Women Round 2

The East Perth Eagles went ever so close to a first win of 2024 on Friday with Laci Hawthorne huge against the Eastern Suns before the official opening of the Peter Campbell Basketball Arena on Saturday night.

On the back of losing in the opening round on Easter Thursday to the Warwick Senators, the Eagles had a double-header in Round 2 of the NBL1 West season.

First up was a road trip on Friday night against the Eastern Suns and the Eagles went ever so close to pulling off a terrific comeback but Kalamunda held out for the 104-101 victory.

Second up for the weekend was the home opener for the season back at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre with the unveiling of the Peter Campbell Basketball Arena, but it was the Senators who scored a second win over the Eagles in nine days, prevailing 94-79.

FRIDAY

Round 2 got underway for the East Perth Eagles women on the road to the Kalamunda Eastern Suns and it proved quite the exciting and high-scoring contest with both teams combing for 205 points.

Both teams were coming off losses last Thursday night with the Suns losing to the Perry Lakes Hawks by 79 points while the Eagles went down to the Warwick Senators by 15 as they locked horns to open Round 2 at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

It was Kalamunda who were in control of the contest most of the evening on their home floor. The Eastern Suns were leading 30-26 by quarter-time before stretching that advantage to 15 during the second quarter.

That lead was as much as 17 in the fourth period with three minutes to go, but the Eagles weren’t about to go down without throwing everything at a miracle fightback.

East Perth was able to score the next six points including a triple from Tessa Morrison and then when Laci Hawthorne scored on a turnaround jumper with 1:40 on the clock, the Eagles had produced a 12-1 run and cut the deficit to six.

The Eagles had all the momentum by that stage and Hawthorne scored again with just over a minute to play to make it a five-point ball game after Bri Bailey drew the charge on Jaymee Firkins up the other end.

Olivia Berry then missed a pair of free-throws to keep East Perth in the contest but three-point attempts from Taylor Roberts and Morrison wouldn’t fall, but still the game had another turn.

Morrison hit a triple and then Roberts scored inside the arc to make it a one-point ball game and in the end Tiahna Sears hit two clutch free-throws for Kalamunda.

That only left East Perth the chance with a prayer at the buzzer that wouldn’t fall and the Eastern Suns held on to win a dramatic contest by three points.

Laci Hawthorne produced a huge performance for East Perth with 36 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals on 15/23 shooting from the field.

Mary Baskerville also had 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals, Taylor Roberts 13 points and four steals, Tessa Morrison 11 points and seven assists, Mary Goulding 10 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists, and Sarah Allen 10 points and seven assists.

SATURDAY

The East Perth Eagles unveiled their redeveloped home at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre on Saturday but the Warwick Senators weren’t in a charitable mood going on to win 94-79.

East Perth has called Mirrabooka's Herb Graham Recreation Centre home for the past five years, but Morley Sport and Recreation Centre has undergone a revamp in the process and the Eagles returned for a first home game there on Saturday against the Senators.

They were playing on the newly named Peter Campbell Basketball Arena with the two teams already playing for the second time of 2024 in the space of nine days.

After Warwick started well on Saturday, East Perth went on a 7-0 scoring run to lead by six late in the first quarter.

East Perth was still clinging to a 46-44 advantage at the half and were up by six again during the third period, but Warwick were working its way on top and then dominated the final quarter.

The Senators put up 27 points to 13 in the fourth period to claim the 15-point win to improve to 3-0 on the season and send the Eagles to 0-3.

Laci Hawthorne top-scored once more for the Eagles with 19 points and 11 rebounds with Bri Bailey hitting 3/5 from three-point range on the way to 15 points.

Sarah Allen also had 14 points and six assists with Mary Goulding contributing 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Tessa Morrison 10 points, four assists and three rebounds.