NBL1 West Recap | Saturday Round 6

The Cockburn Cougars are the last remaining unbeaten women's NBL1 West team after beating the Joondalup Wolves with Joe Cook-Green brilliant with 43 points for the Kalamunda Eastern Suns and Bryton Hobbs inspiring the Perth Redbacks in Kalgoorlie.

The Saturday night NBL1 West women's matches saw the Warwick Senators beat the South West Slammers 113-67 with the Willetton Tigers beating the East Perth Eagles 100-60, the Goldfields Giants defeating the Perth Redbacks 69-59, the Cockburn Cougars downing the Joondalup Wolves 84-79, and the Lakeside Lightning defeating the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 105-74.

In the men's matches, the Senators beat the Slammers 91-70 with the Tigers downing the Eagles 100-91, the Redbacks prevailed 95-83 against the Giants, the Wolfpack downed the Cougars 106-101, the Eastern Suns beat the Lighting and the Geraldton Buccaneers defeated the Mandurah Magic 128-98.

WOMEN

New Senators import makes impact on debut

The Warwick Senators welcomed their new import and Karly Murphy starred in a comfortable 113-67 home win against the South West Slammers.

The Senators had been building their form as the defending NBL1 West and National Champions with consecutive wins ahead of the addition of Murphy for Saturday's clash with the Slammers at Warwick Stadium.

The Slammers were also strengthened with the arrival of two-time championship winning guard Paris Duffield to resume her 153-game career at the club she started with before stints at Willetton, Lakeside and Rockingham while being a Flames championship teammate of coach Alex Ciabattoni.

Ciabattoni was also ready for a more significant on court role too and the additions of that pair to the Slammers back court did make them more competitive, but still not quite up to matching the Senators.

Warwick built on its lead right throughout the contest before winning by 46 points to improve to 3-2 on the season with South West now 0-6 and on an 18-game losing run while having now lost 49 of their last 50 matches.

Karly Murphy was impressive on debut for the Senators with 22 points and six rebounds on 8/11 shooting with Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard continuing her career-best form with 20 points, 10 boards, three assists and three steals.

Nat Burton added 14 points, five assists and three rebounds, Alyssa Duncan 14 points, five boards and three steals, and Nicole Jorre de St Jorre 11 points and nine assists.

Paris Duffield made a huge impression in her first appearance back for the Slammers with 31 points, six rebounds and three steals on 6/12 three-point shooting.

Grace Adams added 11 points and three rebounds, Kate Williams eight points, three assists and three steals, and playing-coach Alex Ciabattoni four points, three assists, two rebounds and two blocks in over 19 minutes.

New Tigers import make statement in win over Eagles

Two teams who suffered tough losses on Friday night backed up on Saturday with the Willetton Tigers proving too strong for the East Perth Eagles winning 100-60.

Willetton's four-game winning streak ended in Joondalup on Friday night but the two Tigers losses this season came against the top two teams so they were determined to hit back on Saturday at Willetton Basketball Stadium. 

East Perth went down to the Perry Lakes Hawks on Friday for a third consecutive loss and Willetton put them to the sword early on Saturday with 23 points to 10 in the opening term.

The Tigers dominated the second half with 52 points to 28 to end up winning by 40 to improve to 6-2 on the season with the Eagles struggling at 2-6.

New Tigers import Melisa Brcaninovic was outstanding with 28 points on 11/20 shooting from the floor and 5/8 from downtown with 2021 MVP and Grand Final MVP Alex Sharp putting up 22 points, 15 boards and six assists.

Desiree Kelley added 16 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals, Jess Jakens 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Grace Foster 14 points, four assists and two boards.

It was a tough night for Craig Allen and his Eagles against his old team he built his coaching resume with. Tessa Morrison finished with 14 points and three rebounds, Madison Torresin 11 points, nine boards three assists and three steals, and Sylwia Bujniak 14 points and five rebounds.

Young Giants shine in home win over Redbacks

The Goldfields Giants returned to Kalgoorlie and recorded their second win of the season beating the Perth Redbacks 69-59.

The Redbacks had scored their own first win of the season last Saturday night beating the Mandurah Magic who had been previously undefeated, but they weren’t able to back it up in Kalgoorlie on Saturday night.

Goldfields was still without key players Olivia Berry and Amanda Wayment who combine to average 22.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists this season, but they were able to string together a strong performance against a Redbacks team who would have been hoping to make it back-to-back wins.

The Giants started the game well with 24 points to 17 in the opening period and then dominated in the second term with 22 to 11 to go into half-time with a 46-28 advantage.

Goldfields went on to score the 10-point win from there to improve to 2-5 on the season with the Redbacks slipping to 1-6.

Regan Turnour-McCarty went precariously close to recording a triple-double for the Giants with 16 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists on 4/10 three-point shooting.

Aimee Borchet added 12 points and 14 rebounds, emerging star Kiriana Hawaikirangi 11 points, five boards and three assists, Rachel Kehoe 10 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, and Lawrin Tipene nine points and four boards.

Mikayla Pirini top-scored for the Redbacks with 12 points with Ashli Payne adding 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals, and Brooke Malone nine points, four boards and two steals.

Regan Turnour-McCarty from the Giants logo! ?

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Cougars beat Wolves in battle of undefeated teams

The Cockburn Cougars are the last remaining undefeated NBL1 West women's team after beating the Joondalup Wolves 84-79 at Wally Hagan Stadium.

The Wolves set up the battle of unbeaten teams by defeating the Willetton Tigers on Friday night to open Round 6 which saw them arrive at Wally Hagan Stadium at 8-0 to take on the 4-0 Cougars on Saturday.

The stage was set for a tantalising match up and while the Wolfpack was without Nes'eya Parker-Williams, it's a Cougars team still awaiting the arrival of Patty Brossmann before they are at full strength in 2023.

Cockburn put together a dominant first half on their home floor with 26 points to 20 in the opening period and another 26 to 16 in the second term to head into the main break on top 52-36.

The Cougars lead grew to 18 points early in the third quarter too but then the Wolves got on a roll and dominated the term with 33 points to 14 to overcome that 18-point deficit and grab the lead.

By three quarter-time, the Wolves were leading 69-66 but it was all set up for a grandstand finish with both teams putting their undefeated records on the line.

The Cougars worked their way back out to a five-point advantage and by the time Perth Lynx WNBL star Robbi Ryan fouled out for Joondalup with five minutes to play, Cockburn maintained that edge to end up winning by five.

That leaves the Cougars the last undefeated team in the competition at 5-0 while the Wolves' winning run ended at eight after starting 2022 with 16 consecutive wins too.

Steph Gorman produced a brilliant performance for Cockburn with 28 points, 10 rebounds and two assists with Sarah Mortensen contributing 20 points and 12 boards even if the pair combined to shoot 4/17 from three.

Jewel Williams added 19 points and five assists, and Jessie Edwards eight points and 14 rebounds.

Teige Morrell delivered another 21 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals for Joondalup, Robbi Ryan 20 points and seven boards, Emma Klasztorny 15 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists, and Tia Ucich 11 points, four assists and three boards. 

Lakeside turn it on with win over Kalamunda

The Lakeside Lightning produced their best performance of the NBL1 West season to score a thumping 105-74 win against the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.

Lakeside had lost its past two matches and won just twice so far this season coming into the clash at Lakeside Recreation Centre against the Eastern Suns.

After a tight first quarter, the Lightning produced their best basketball of the season over the next three periods with 27 points to 17 in the second term, 26 to 18 in the third, and 28 to 17 in the fourth to claim the emphatic 31-point win.

It was the most comprehensive performance of the season from the Lightning as they improve to 3-6 with the Eastern Suns now 3-3 with back-to-back losses.

Captain Caitie Jones led the charge for Lakeside with 25 points, eight assists and four rebounds while draining 5/11 from three-point land.

Kylee Smith added 25 points, six rebounds and six assists, Laci Hawthorne 21 points, nine boards, three blocks and two steals, Jade Gowland 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, and Emma Burke eight points, five boards, three assists, two steals and a block.

Makailah Dyer did what she could to keep Kalamunda in the contest with 25 points and five rebounds with Eryn Fisher putting up nine points and six boards, Ella Thornton-Elliott eight points, and Mackenzie Taylor eight points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.

MEN

Hunt stars as Buccs keep Magic winless

The Geraldton Buccaneers began their weekend double on the road with a 128-98 victory against the winless Mandurah Magic on Saturday night.

It was a challenging weekend for the Magic who took on the unbeaten Rockingham Flames on Friday before losing by 21 points before then taking on the other Grand Final team from last year at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre on Saturday.

The Buccs arrived minus star guard Shaun Stewart but having won their past three matches since losses to the Redbacks and Wolves, and they got better the longer the game went against the Magic.

Geraldton was leading by four points at quarter-time before stretching the lead to nine at half-time, 22 at three quarter-time on the back of 41 points in the third period, and then winning by 30 in the finish.

The result improves the Buccs to a 5-2 record on the season while the Magic are still chasing that first win of the season at 0-6.

Liam Hunt produced his best performance of the season for the Buccaneers with 25 points, 12 rebounds and two steals on 11/14 shooting in just 22 minutes.

Malik Meunier added 22 points, six assists and three rebounds, Johny Narkle 21 points, six boards, three assists and two steals, and Aaron Ralph 15 points and six rebounds on 4/5 three-point shooting as he chases down that all-time mark.

Dequan Abrom delivered 28 points, four assists and three rebounds for Mandurah while Isaac Abergut contributed 17 points, seven boards and three assists, Byron Pearson 16 points, and Ray Turner 13 points and nine rebounds.

Point guard-less Senators still too much for Slammers

Even without a genuine point guard the Warwick Senators were able to make it consecutive wins with a 91-70 home win against the South West Slammers.

The Senators were playing their first game of a double-header this weekend but without their two primary ball handlers Ethan Elliott and Uche Dibiamaka it was going to be a challenge.

With Jay Thwaites and George Pearl into the starting line-up, they shared a lot of the ball handing duties with captain Cody Ellis, and they were able to do it well enough to get the job done against the Slammers.

The Senators pulled away in the second quarter with 21 points to 10 to go into half-time leading 45-32 before stretching that lead to as much as 24 in the second half before ending up winning by 21.

The victory improves Warwick to 4-2 on the season ahead of a clash with the Kalamunda Eastern Suns on Sunday while the Slammers are now 1-6 with four straight defeats.

Caleb Davis top-scored for the Senators with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists on hitting 4/7 from three-point territory.

Hussayn Ford added 17 points, four steals and two rebounds, George Pearl 13 points and eight assists, Tyler Shand 10 points and eight boards, and Cody Ellis eight points, four rebounds and four assists.

Buay Tuach delivered 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Slammers with Ben Stevens adding 18 points, 12 boards, four steals and two assists, and Xavier Cotton 10 points, four rebounds and two steals.

Tigers hit back at home to keep Eagles winless

The Willetton Tigers hit back from a nail-biting loss the previous night to the Joondalup Wolves to beat the East Perth Eagles at home 100-91 on Saturday.

Both teams played on Friday with Willetton losing to the Wolves at Joondalup with the Eagles remaining winless with a tough loss on their home floor to the Perry Lakes Hawks.

The Eagles started well with 28 points to 25 in the first quarter but the Tigers began to work their way on top in the second period to lead 52-49 at the half-time break.

Willetton did enough for the eventual nine-point win to improve to a 6-2 record with those losses against Rockingham and Joondalup. East Perth slips to 0-8 despite having a supremely talented roster even with Jerami Grace currently sidelined.

Darnell Hoskins Jr starred again for the Tigers with 26 points and five assists on 5/13 three-point shooting with South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL signing Gorjok Gak putting up another 25 points and 11 rebounds on 11/21 shooting.

Damien Scott put up 20 points, four rebounds and four assists and came up with some significant defensive plays down the stretch using his 313 games of experience.

Andrew Black was celebrating his 250th game that he reached the night before on his home floor and delivered 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds with Michael Vigor contributing six points, six rebounds and four assists, and Mark Worthington seven points, three boards and three assists.

Sebit Reath finished with 24 points and 17 rebounds for East Perth with Lee Roberts contributing 23 points, 10 boards and four assists, Justin King 15 points and three rebounds, and Taylor Young 13 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals.

Mark Worthington and Gorjok Gak combine to beat the half-time buzzer ?

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Hobbs stars as Redbacks string wins together

The Perth Redbacks have won consecutive games for the first time this season and did it in style beating the Goldfields Giants 95-83 in Kalgoorlie.

It's been quite the rollercoaster ride so far this season for the Redbacks under new coach Charles Nix with them trading wins for losses along the way, but their best basketball has shown they can take it up to any team in the competition.

The Redbacks took that confidence with them to Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium on Saturday night and a 34-point second quarter set the tone for the eventual 12-point victory.

The win means the Redbacks have won back-to-back games for the first time this season to improve them to a 5-3 record while the Giants slip to 2-5 having lost three in-a-row.

Bryton Hobbs delivered a spectacular performance once again in the win for the Redbacks finishing with 35 points, five steals and two assists on 13/18 shooting from the floor, 2/4 from downtown and 7/9 from the free-throw line.

Jacob Formosa added 15 points, five rebounds and three steals for Perth, Tevin Jackson 14 points and four assists, Kyden Edman eight points, Louis Timms nine points and nine rebounds, and Maris Colton five points, five boards and two blocks.

Lafonzo Smith top-scored for Goldfields with 18 points and eight rebounds on 7/11 shooting with Michael Dupree contributing 16 points and five boards, Majier Garang III 11 points, three rebounds and two blocks, Kon Anguik 10 points and six boards, and Mayo Malek 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Wolves dig deep to hold out Alexander-inspired Cougars

The Cockburn Cougars threw everything at making it back-to-back wins with Courtney Alexander II producing his best performance, but it wasn’t quite enough at home to the Joondalup Wolves.

Cockburn broke through for its first win of the season a week earlier against the Lakeside Lightning ahead of hosting a Wolfpack team fresh off beating Willetton in Joondalup on Friday to give them four consecutive wins.

The added challenge for the Cougars was attempting to beat the Wolves for the first time since 2017 and snapping a nine-game losing streak, but it was never going to be easy.

The Cougars did start impressively, though, with 27 points to 25 in the first quarter and another 34 to 31 in the second to lead 61-56 at half-time.

Cockburn's lead did grow to 11 points in the third quarter but Joondalup worked back into the contest even with the Cougars still up six at three quarter-time.

The Cougars were still up four three minutes into the fourth period after a dunk from Alexander, but the Wolves soon hit the front on a three-point bomb from Mathiang Muo.

A three-point play from Quintin Dove soon extended the Wolves lead but the Cougars weren’t going away a triple from six-time club MVP Gavin Field put them back up one with two minutes to play.

Dove hit another dunk to restore the lead for the Wolves but he then got a tech foul and fouled out as a result with just under two minutes on the clock.

However, his teammates stepped up and a dagger three from Bryan Michaels with just over a minute to play proved the dagger blow.

Cockburn's last chance might well have been when Luke Phillips fumbled the ball while going up for a wide open dunk with the margin three. 

From there the Wolves were able to secure the 106-101 win to make it five straight to improve to 7-3 while the Cougars slip to 1-6.

CJ Turnage finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals for Joondalup on 11/14 shooting with Quintin Dove putting up 26 points, and Bryan Michaels 20 points, six boards, two assists and two steals.

Courtney Alexander II produced his best game of the season for the Cougars with 33 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals on 14/18 shooting.

Gavin Field added 19 points, four rebounds and four assists, Taj Benning 15 points, four assists and three boards, and Kieran Berry 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Cook-Green lifts Eastern Suns to win over Lightning 

Joe Cook-Green delivered a spectacular 43-point performance to inspire the Kalamunda Eastern Suns to the 93-88 victory against the Lakeside Lightning.

Both teams came into the contest desperate for a win with both having lost their past two matches ahead of the Saturday night clash at Lakeside Recreation Centre.

It proved to be quite the entertaining contest as well with the Eastern Suns leading 32-28 by quarter-time. The Lightning closed the deficit to two by half-time and then by three quarter-time scores were all square.

Ultimately it Cook-Green who was the difference and his huge three with 2:45 to play put Kalamunda back on top by three. 

Offensive rebounds and finishes next up from both Akau Deng and Dyson Lowe then wrapped up the win for the Eastern Suns who improved to 4-3 on the season under new coach Aaron Trahair. The Lightning have now lost three in-a-row with a 3-6 record.

Joe Cook-Green was an unstoppable force for Kalamunda finishing with 43 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 13/31 shooting from the floor, 4/10 from beyond the arc and 13/14 at the free-throw line.

Albert Almanza added 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, Dyson Lowe 11 points and three steals, and Akau Deng six points, five rebounds and three assists.

Josh Davey had his best performance of the season for Lakeside on the back of his NBL23 campaign at the Cairns Taipans. He finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

Hayden Brown added 21 points and three rebounds, Daniel Green 14 points and 11 boards, Dom Jackson 12 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Kyle Armour seven points and 11 assists.

Hayden Brown came through with the ?????-?????????? SLAM ?

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