NBL1 West Recap | Men's Saturday Round 9

It was a night for dramatic comeback victories on Saturday in Round 9 of the NBL1 West Men's competition with the Geraldton Buccaneers and Joondalup Wolves overcoming significant deficits for memorable victories.

The comeback wins for the Buccs over the Warwick Senators and Wolves over the Cockburn Cougars were just two of the Round 9 Saturday night match ups with victories also for the Mandurah Magic, Perth Redbacks, Rockingham Flames and Kalamunda Eastern Suns.

Following the break for the WA Day long weekend, the NBL1 West season resumed with the start of Round 9 on Friday night with the Perry Lakes Hawks defeating the Joondalup Wolves 96-90 and the Willetton Tigers beating the South West Slammers 94-77.

That led into the Saturday evening action with Warwick Stadium playing host to the top two teams coming into Round 9 with the Warwick Senators at home to the undefeated Geraldton Buccaneers.

Despite the absence of Kyle Zunic, Bryan Michaels, Corban Wroe and coach Luke Brennan for the Senators, they appeared on track for a lot of the night to hand the Buccs their first defeat of 2022.

At one stage they led by as much as 17 points in the second half, but Geraldton refused to accept defeat and completed the impressive fightback to win 95-88 to improve to 10-0 on the season while the Senators fall a game further back at 7-3.

The Mandurah Magic then snapped their two-game losing streak by beating a Willetton Tigers minus Oliver Hayes-Brown due to duties at the Perth Wildcats MVP Ball 95-88 at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

Jay Bowie was tremendous against one of his former clubs with 27 points and seven rebounds for Mandurah while Damien Scott put up 37 points for the Tigers.

It's been a dramatic couple of weeks for the Perth Redbacks with the departure of West Australian basketball icon CJ Jackson as coach, but they pulled together for a trip to Kalgoorlie on Saturday night to beat the Goldfields Giants 86-81.

Louis Timms came up huge for the Redbacks with 27 points and 10 rebounds with Tevin Jackson adding 21 points and Zac Gattorna 20. Gairges Daow finished with 22 points for Goldfields.

Despite Greg Hire remaining absence for the Rockingham Flames, his team continued their good form with a 98-75 victory against the East Perth Eagles at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.

Devondrick Walker produced another 26 points on seven three-pointers but his teammate Marshall Nelson grabbed the highlights with a nasty first quarter dunk. Nic Filpo top-scored for East Perth with 16 points.

The last game of the night saw the Kalamunda Eastern Suns score their second win of the season and snap a three-game losing run with an impressive display to beat the Lakeside Lightning 86-68 at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

Albert Almanza was tremendous with 25 points and eight rebounds to lead the charge for the Eastern Suns while Brendan Dinardo knocked down five three-pointers. Dom Jackson tried his best to lift the Lightning with 22 points and six rebounds.

The round will now wrap up on Sunday at 12pm with the Cockburn Cougars hosting the Geraldton Buccaneers before at 2pm it's the Mandurah Magic playing the Perry Lakes Hawks at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.

NBL1 WEST – 2022 MEN'S SEASON
ROUND 9 – SATURDAY NIGHT

WARWICK SENATORS 88 lost to GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 95

The top two teams of the NBL1 West competition locked horns at Warwick Stadium on Saturday night and produced quite the entertaining affair.

The Senators were on their home floor sitting in second position but were without Corban Wroe and Bryan Michaels again while both Kyle Zunic and coach Luke Brennan were on Perth Wildcats duties at the MVP Ball.

However, it didn’t stop Warwick throwing the gauntlet right down to the undefeated Buccaneers after a tight opening quarter which saw Geraldton leading 26-24 by the end of one.

The Senators then got rolling during the second quarter and led by as much as 14 points and were in control going into the half-time break leading 58-46.

Warwick were leading by as much as 17 points early in the third quarter and if Geraldton wanted to remain undefeated they would need to dig deep, and they did exactly that.

From the moment Caleb Davis hit a three to put Warwick up 65-48, Geraldton scored the game's next 15 points to grab the momentum. Malik Meunier then drained a three ball to give the Buccs the lead after a stunning turnaround, but Cody Ellis responded with a three of his own.

Scores were then tied at 72-72 heading into the fourth quarter and the longer the game went, the more the Senators stars tired with the big minutes they were asked to play in the absence of Michaels, Wroe and Zunic.

The quality of the Buccaneers was beginning to shine through and a breakaway dunk from Fletcher Klasztorny did put them up by seven with just under four minutes remaining.

Warwick weren’t going to lie down, though, and triples to Davis and Cody Ellis, who also turned his into a four-point play, meant scores were again level with 1:30 remaining.

However, Geraldton finished the better starting with a Mathiang Muo jumper before they closed the deal at the foul line for the 95-88 victory. They outscored the Senators 47 points to 23 from the moment they were down 17 in the third quarter.

The win means the Buccaneers remain a perfect 10-0 record on the season ahead of taking on the Cockburn Cougars on Sunday while the Senators are now 7-3.

MVP fancy Shaun Stewart put in another impressive all-round performance for the Buccs with 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals while Malik Meunier continued to impress with 19 points, seven assists, six boards and two steals.

Cameron Coleman added 18 points and 12 rebounds, Mathiang Muo 13 points and eight boards, and Ryan Blanchett nine points.

The Senators had little choice but to stick with their starting five for much of the night with championship winning coach Stephen Charlton in charge in the absence of Brennan.

Caleb Davis finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks while knocking down 6/10 from three-point territory with Cody Ellis adding 17 points, four boards and three assists.

Ash Litterick played his best game of the season with 20 points and five rebounds with Jay Thwaites finishing with seven points and five assists, and George Pearl seven points, five assists and three rebounds.

 

JOONDALUP WOLVES 87 defeated COCKBURN COUGARS 86

The Joondalup Wolves pulled off a remarkable comeback to snatch a one-point win at home to the Cockburn Cougars on Saturday night.

The Cougars arrived at HBF Arena for the Saturday night Round 9 clash ready to consolidate their spot inside the top eight having ended their four-game losing streak two weeks ago with a 44-point thumping of the Perth Redbacks.

They brought that momentum with them to Joondalup with 28 points to 21 in the opening quarter. Cockburn led by as much as 12 points during the first half and were still on top 52-45 by half-time.

Another six straight points during the third quarter saw Cockburn lead by 17 points and with the score 78-61 following an impressive Paschal Chukwu offensive rebound and put back, the onus was on the Wolfpack to respond on their home floor.

A couple of threes to start the fourth quarter from Maris Colton began to spark the Wolves before scores from CJ Turnage and Julian Pesava brought it back to a single-figure margin.

A third triple of the period from Colton then brought Joondalup closer and then Cockburn championship winner Pesava put a dagger into his former team with another three ball to make it a three-point ball game.

Another bucket from Pesava made it a one-point game with just under three minutes to go before an impressive driving layup and finish from Jonathan Wade put the Wolfpack on top with just over a minute on the clock.

In the end, it was a put back from Pesava against his old team that was the dagger blow with the Wolfpack winning 87-86 having outscored the Cougars 25 points to eight in the fourth term.

Julian Pesava enjoyed his night against his original club with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Wolfpack with CJ Turnage adding 21 points and six boards.

Joel Vaiangina added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Wolfpack, Maris Colton 13 points and five boards, Jordan Wellsteed eight points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals, and Jonathan Wade eight points, 11 boards and three steals.

Gavin Field did all he could to lead the Cougars to what would have been their sixth win of the season with 27 points and 11 rebounds.

Fellow championship winning veteran Seva Chan added 15 points and four steals, Carter Skaggs 12 points and eight rebounds, Josh Hunt 11 points and two boards, and Paschal Chukwu seven points and 11 rebounds.

 

WILLETTON TIGERS 88 lost to MANDURAH MAGIC 95

Michael Vigor and Damien Scott did all they could to try and give the Willetton Tigers a second win in Round 9 inside 24 hours, but the Mandurah Magic proved too strong on Saturday night.

Willetton was coming off a hard earned Friday night road win over the South West Slammers ahead of hosting the Magic at Willetton Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.

The Tigers were without young big man Oliver Hayes-Brown who was on call at the Perth Wildcats MVP Ball, but still with Vigor and Scott leading the charge, they started impressively against a talented Mandurah team featuring a couple of veterans back against their old team.

Willetton went into quarter-time leading 25-23 and then pulled away to a double-figure advantage during the second term putting up 28 points to 19 to go into the half-time break leading 53-42.

However, the Magic worked their way on top during the third quarter going on a 10-0 run at one stage to turn that 11-point deficit at the half into an eight-point lead, and to be on top 73-67 heading into three quarter-time.

Mandurah was able to close the deal in the fourth term as well for the 95-88 victory to improve to a 6-4 record on the season after what has been a rocky start including a coaching change with Jamie O'Loughlin taking over from Aaron Trahair.

The Tigers slip to 5-6 now on the season having split their Round 9 double-header.

One of the former Tigers in the Mandurah line-up, Jay Bowie, starred in the comeback win for the Magic. 

He has also played with the Goldfields Giants and Lakeside Lightning, and is now in his first season with Mandurah and put up 27 points and seven rebounds on shooting 9/12 from the floor and 3/4 from downtown. 

Another ex-Willetton star Kyle Armour also delivered 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Magic with Dequan Abrom adding 14 points, Ray Turner 12 points and four rebounds, Riley Parker 11 points, and Christian Jurlina nine points and five rebounds.

Damien Scott did all he could to try and lift Willetton to the win with a season-best 37 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals on 15/28 shooting in the 295th game of his career.

Michael Vigor was celebrating his 250th appearance too in Willetton's first home game since he reached the milestone and he did what he could step up without Oliver Hayes-Brown with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists.

 

GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 81 lost to PERTH REDBACKS 86

The Perth Redbacks shock off a dramatic couple of weeks to come away with an impressive five-point win from Kalgoorlie on Saturday night against the Goldfields Giants.

Following a dismal 44-point loss two weeks ago to the Cockburn Cougars, the Redbacks parted company with coach CJ Jackson despite the West Australian basketball legend still having the team on a 5-5 record after reaching the semi finals in 2021.

Former player Mark Edman has stepped into the caretaking coaching role at the Redbacks but it was still a daunting trip for him to make his debut against the Giants on Saturday night at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium.

Perth started well in Kalgoorlie to lead 23-19 by quarter-time and then held a narrow 44-40 edge at the half-time break.

The Redbacks were able to go on an 8-0 streak during the third quarter to lead by as much as 13 points, but the Giants fired back and were only down five by three quarter-time.

The Redbacks maintained that hold for most of the fourth quarter until Jesse Ghee nailed a triple for Goldfields to make it a three-point game with just over three minutes to go.

However, Joel Wagner answered for the Redbacks with a put back off an offensive rebound but then a huge dunk in transition from Hussayn Ford kept the Giants close.

But another bucket from Wagner and then free-throws from Louis Timms and Ben Smith sealed the 86-81 morale boosting road win for the Redbacks.

Last season's MVP runner-up Louis Timms put up 27 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two assists for Perth on 11/18 shooting with Tevin Jackson contributing 21 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals.

Zac Gattorna added 20 points, four steals, three rebounds and two blocks as well for the Redbacks fresh off his NBL season at the Adelaide 36ers while club games record holder and league assists leader Joel Wagner had six points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Gairges Daow ended up top-scoring for Goldfields with 22 points and four rebounds while hitting 7/11 from the field and 3/5 from three-point territory.

Jesse Ghee added 13 points, five assists and four rebounds for the Giants, Jerome Reid 17 points, and Hussayn Ford 10 points, 14 boards, five assists and two steals.

 

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 98 defeated EAST PERTH EAGLES 75

The Rockingham Flames proved too strong at home for the East Perth Eagles to win by 23 points on Saturday night.

The Flames were back home at Mike Barnett Sports Complex to host the Eagles with Greg Hire missing his second consecutive match, but Rockingham still proved too strong.

The tone was set early with a spectacular breakaway dunk from Marshall Nelson in the first quarter for the Flames to bring the healthy Rockingham crowd to life.

Rockingham ended up scoring 17 straight points during the first quarter on the way to a 25-16 lead at quarter-time and East Perth never seriously threatened from there.

The Flames went on another streak of scoring 14 straight points in the second period to lead by as much as 16 and to lead 53-34 at half-time.

The lead ballooned to 34 points in the third quarter after another 11-0 run for Rockingham on their home floor.

To East Perth's credit they did keep fighting and even scored 16 consecutive points in the fourth quarter but that only limited the final deficit with Rockingham running out 98-75 winners.

The victory improves the Flames to an 8-2 record on the season to move into second spot after nine rounds while the Eagles are now 1-9 and desperate for the arrival of former Grand Final MVP Lee Roberts.

Devondrick Walker continued his push for an NBL contract and to be NBL1 West MVP with another 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win for Rockingham on the back of shooting 9/13 from the field and 7/10 from three-point territory.

Marshall Nelson also finished with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, Harry Bowater 12 points, four boards, four steals and three assists, and Tom Jervis 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Travis Durnin also delivered 12 points and six rebounds for the Flames, and Brendan Redhead 10 points and four assists.

Nic Filpo top-scored for East Perth with 16 points on 4/9 shooting from downtown with Justin King finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds, Mateo Campbell nine points and five boards, and Jarrad Anastasio eight points.

 

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 86 defeated LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 68

When the Kalamunda Eastern Suns win this NBL1 West season, they do it big and they scored their second win on Saturday night beating the Lakeside Lightning by 18 points.

The Eastern Suns had won just the one game so far this season coming into the match up and that was a 23-point hammering of the East Perth Eagles, and they did something similar on Saturday night.

Kalamunda hosted Lakeside at Ray Owen Sports Centre with both teams trying to build some momentum with just the three wins between them coming into Round 9.

It was a hot start from the Suns who came out on a mission having lost their last three games prior to last weekend's general bye. They scored 11 straight points during the first quarter and led 30-15 by quarter-time.

That lead got out to as much as 17 in the second quarter with Kalamunda still on top 43-29 by half-time.

While the Lightning did have some brief flurries during the second half, they never really got close enough to threaten and the Eastern Suns still led by 14 at three quarter-time, and then ended up winning 86-68.

The win improves the Eastern Suns to a 2-9 record on the season while the Lightning are now 2-8.

There was a lot to like in the performance from Kalamunda with Albert Almanza leading the charge with 25 points, eight rebounds and two steals.

Brendan Dinardo was on fire from three-point land knocking down 5/6 from beyond the arc on his way to 15 points while Rob Huntington added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

Jacob Formosa also had nine points and three rebounds, Xavier Shaw eight points and seven boards, and Cooper Lowe seven points.

It was a rough night from the outset for Lakeside but Dom Jackson did his best to spark them in the second half finishing the night with 22 points and six rebounds on 10/16 shooting.

He was the only player to score in double-digits, though, with Ben Lee adding nine points, Justin Bennett nine points, and Donnie Vaughn eight points and nine rebounds.