NBL1 West Recap | Thursday Round 1

Sami Whitcomb and Kate Malpass were once rivals but now are married and became Willetton Tigers teammates in a memorable NBL1 West Easter Thursday victory, and that was only one of the 12 games in a huge Round 2 of the season.

The women's action for Easter Thursday not only saw Willetton beat the Lakeside Lightning 100-72, but the Mandurah Magic defeated the South West Slammers 89-39, the Joondalup Wolves beat the East Perth Eagles 83-62, the Cockburn Cougars downed the Rockingham Flames 88-68, the Kalamunda Eastern Suns won 82-65 over the Perth Redbacks, and the Perry Lakes Hawks beat the Warwick Senators 62-55.

Then in the men's contests, the Slammers beat the Magic 81-73, Wolves defeated the Eagles 103-79, the Flames held out the Cougars 108-101, the Tigers downed the Lightning 104-91, the Eastern Suns prevailed 83-76 over the Redbacks, and the Hawks beat the Senators 102-97.

WOMEN

Magic spoil Ciabattoni's coaching debut for Slammers

It was a rough introduction to the NBL1 West season for Alex Ciabattoni's South West Slammers with the Mandurah Magic heading to Eaton and scoring the 89-39 victory.

The Slammers had the opening round bye so were playing their first game of the season under new coach Ciabattoni at Eaton Recreation Centre, but the Magic weren’t in a charitable mood romping to a 50-point win against a South West team having won one game the last three seasons.

Mandurah worked on top quickly with 24 points to seven in the first quarter and another 31 to six in the second saw the Magic lead 55-13 at half-time before winning by 50.

Sarah Toeaina was terrific for Mandurah with 21 points and 10 rebounds on 8/12 shooting with Carly Boag contributing 14 points, nine boards and three steals, and new import Kat Tudor 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals after she played last season with Cockburn.

Kate Williams had 10 points and two rebounds for the Slammers with Sierraleone Simpson also scoring 10 points.

Lady Wolfpack shake off slow start to beat Eagles

The Joondalup Wolves are starting off the 2023 season similar to how they started 2022 after a 21-point home win against the East Perth Eagles on Thursday night.

The Wolfpack won their first 16 games of 2022 before ultimately bowing out in the preliminary final and they are again looking impressive early even after scoring just six points in the first quarter against East Perth at HBF Arena Joondalup.

The Wolves turned that around with 32 points in the second term and from there ended up beating the Eagles by 21.

Teige Morrell was a dominant presence for Joondalup with 33 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals while Nes'eya Parker-Williams had 15 points, 11 boards and three blocks fresh off being part of the WNBL championship at the Townsville Fire.

Robbi Ryan added 11 points and four assists, Chelsea Belcher 10 points and two steals, and Tia Ucich 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Madison Torresin top-scored for East Perth with 20 points and eight rebounds with Tessa Morrison contributing 15 points and seven boards, and Sarah Allen 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Cougars continue hot start and send Flames to 0-3

The Cockburn Cougars continued their impressive start to the NBL1 West season beating the Rockingham Flames 88-68 at Wally Hagan Stadium on Easter Thursday.

Rockingham was chasing its first win of the season still after opening round losses to Willetton and Joondalup, and the Flames started well on the road leading 20-17 by quarter-time.

But the Cougars got rolling in the second quarter with 26 points to 14 which ultimately set up the 20-point victory backing up a 42-point Round 1 win against the Tigers.

Cockburn won big despite only shooting 10/36 from three-point range too but point guard Jewel Williams was again terrific with 25 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Steph Gorman added 18 points and four steals with Danish import Sarah Mortensen contributing 14 points and 12 boards, and Perth Lynx WNBL centre Jessie Edwards 13 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Tayah Burrows battled hard for Rockingham with 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists after her impressive season with the Lynx while Opal Mader contributed 14 points, and Teyla Evans 11 points and seven rebounds.

Tayah Burrows unleashed this shot... ON THE HALF-TIME BUZZER ?

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Whitcomb, Malpass play together for first time in Willetton win

The Willetton Tigers set a new slice of history on Thursday night with married couple Sami Whitcomb and Kate Malpass combining for 35 points in their 100-72 victory at home to the Lakeside Lightning.

Before heading to the Seattle Storm for the upcoming WNBA season, Perth Lynx WNBL captain and Australian Opals bronze medal winning superstar Whitcomb has signed to spend some time this NBL1 West season with Willetton.

Her wife and herself a five-time championship winner with Willetton, Malpass, has come out of retirement for the occasion too and it was a night to celebrate against Lakeside at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

Whitcomb was playing her first game in the league since a four-match stint also at Willetton back in 2018 having previously led the Rockingham Flames to two championships and winning three league MVP awards.

She starred playing almost 36 minutes of game time for 31 points, seven rebounds, seven steals and five assists on 11/17 shooting from the field and 3/5 from three-point range.

Meanwhile, Malpass played the 234th game of her Willetton career and the first since 2017. But she is a five-time championship winner and 2016 Grand Final MVP, and in more than nine minutes on Thursday she had four points and a rebound.

Alex Sharp added 26 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Tigers.

Caitie Jones finished with 23 points and six rebounds for Lakeside, and Laci Hawthorne 18 points and 10 boards.

Opals star Sami Whitcomb had a dominant night, dropping 31 points, 7 steals, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in Willetton's win ?

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Dyer and Eastern Suns get a win over Redbacks

The Kalamunda Eastern Suns backed up their win over the Warwick Senators with Makailah Dyer getting a win over her former Perth Redbacks team on Thursday night.

It was the first home game of the season for the Eastern Suns at Ray Owen Sports Centre on the back of knocking off the defending champions last week, and they backed it up impressively to beat the Redbacks by 17 points having outscored them 45-24 in the second half.

There was added spice to the game too with Dyer playing against the Redbacks team where things didn’t end on the best of terms last year. Dyer earned bragging rights with 26 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in the win.

Natalie Chou added 22 points and seven assists, and Mackenzie Taylor 10 points and six boards.

Ashli Payne top-scored for the Redbacks with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists with Shanae Hartree contributing 18 points, 11 boards, five steals and four assists.

Hawks hand reigning champs second loss to open 2023

The Warwick Senators have now lost consecutive games to start their championship defence with the Perry Lakes Hawks winning 62-55 at Bendat Basketball Centre.

It was an incredible performance from the Senators to win the last 18 games of the 2022 NBL1 West season to breakthrough for the championship before also being National Champions nine days later.

However, this season hasn’t got off to as fruitful a beginning and admittedly that has a lot to do with not being at full strength, but still they have former Opal Nat Burton along with Perth Lynx pair Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard and Chloe Forster, and 441-game veteran Nicole Jorre de St Jorre.

But the Hawks making it consecutive wins after a first up loss to East Perth with the seven-point victory.

Emma Clarke had another strong showing for the Hawks with 18 points and eight rebounds with Ash Isenbarger contributing 15 points and five boards, and Millie McCarthy 14 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Forster top-scored for Warwick with 19 points and eight rebounds with Burton adding 15 points and 11 boards, and Clinch Hoycard 12 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals.

 

MEN

Slammers hit back to win at home over Magic

The South West Slammers showed they could be a team on the improve in 2023 with an 81-73 win at home to the Mandurah Magic.

It was a rough opening to the season with a 61-point road loss to Geraldton, but the Slammers bounced back well at home on Thursday to beat the Magic by eight points.

The Slammers still won despite going 5/28 from three-point land with Buay Tuach the star with 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Former captain and 159-game veteran Clive Weeden made his return too with 12 points and nine rebounds with Okummu Dech contributing 12 points, three assists and three steals, Cory Richardson 10 points, and Pharell Keats 10 points.

Dequan Abrom top-scored for Mandurah with 28 points with Byron Pearson adding 21 points and seven rebounds. 

 

Wolves too strong at home for Eagles

The Joondalup Wolves got on the board for 2023 with a commanding 103-79 home win against the East Perth Eagles.

The Wolfpack played host to the Eagles at HBF Arena Joondalup and were able to bounce back from a first up loss to the Rockingham Flames last Saturday night. The home team were in control virtually from the outset to end up winning by 24 points.

CJ Turnage had a strong night for the Wolves to ultimately be the major difference between the teams with 31 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks on 14/23 shooting from the floor.

Quintin Dove added 20 points and four boards on an efficient 6/8 shooting along with going 8/11 at the foul line. Import level locals Bryan Michaels (17 points, seven rebounds, three assists) and Mathiang Muo (15 points, seven rebounds) also had strong showings.

Sebit Reath did what he could for the Eagles with 27 points and 15 rebounds with Justin King contributing 16 points and five boards, and Taylor Young 12 points and four assists. It was a rough night for Jerami Grace with just three points on 1/8 shooting.

Flames get it done later over improved Cougars

The Cockburn Cougars were challenged by their coach to lift their effort and intensity, and to their credit they did, but it wasn’t quite enough at home to the Rockingham Flames.

The Cougars put in a horror showing last Saturday night at home to the Willetton Tigers to lose by 42 points in an effort that coach Andrew Cooper didn’t mince words about afterwards questioning the team's lack of effort and intensity.

They then couldn’t have faced a bigger test next up against the defending NBL1 West and National Champion Flames at Wally Hagan Stadium on Easter Thursday, and to the Cougars credit, they did put in a decidedly better performance.

They put up 30 points in the opening quarter and stuck with the Flames throughout the evening, but Rockingham showed its quality with 35 points in the fourth quarter to secure the 108-101 victory.

Reigning MVP Devondrick Walker had another 26 points in the win for the Flames while Marshall Nelson added 17 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, Jeremy Combs 23 points, nine assists and eight boards, and Tom Jervis 15 points and seven rebounds.

Cougars captain Gavin Field did what he could to lift his team with 25 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals on 7/13 shooting from three-point range. That was after he took just three shots against Willetton.

New import Courtney Alexander II was better too with 20 points and five rebounds with Josh Hunt contributing 15 points and three boards, and Taj Benning 13 points and seven assists. 

Taj Benning and Courtney Alexander are raising the roof for Cockburn ?

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Worthington steps up in Gak's absence for Willetton

Mark Worthington wound back the clock in the absence of Gorjok Gak for the Willetton Tigers in a 104-91 victory against the Lakeside Lightning.

The Tigers were without NBL Free Agent Gak to host the Lightning at Willetton Basketball Stadium on Thursday, but they still made it consecutive wins with a 38-point second quarter setting up the eventual 13-point triumph.

Worthington is playing in the SBL/NBL1 West for the first time since 2008 this season as he comes out of retirement after a 335-game NBL career which ended back in 2017, and the 39-year-old dual Olympian showed he has plenty still left in the tank.

He finished with 24 points and four assists in 25 minutes against Lakeside while new import Darnell Hoskins Jr contributed 26 points and two assists on 7/15 three-point shooting.

Damien Scott showed what a consistent scorer he continues to be 307 games into his career with another 26 points with 5/9 shooting from deep with 263-game veteran Michael Vigor contributing six points, 15 rebounds and six assists. 

Hayden Brown top-scored for the Lightning with 21 points while Dom Jackson contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds, Ben Lee 15 points, three boards and three steals, and Josh Davey 14 points and five rebounds.

Lakeside's Hayden Brown with a petrifying ??? ?

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Cook-Green stars as Trahair gets first win with Kalamunda

The Kalamunda Eastern Suns started on fire and then held out the Perth Redbacks for an 83-76 home win on Easter Thursday.

The Suns were home at Ray Owen Sports Centre and started strongly with 28 points to 18 in the first quarter. They were able to then hold out the Redbacks to win by seven and give coach Aaron Trahair his first win in charge as coach.

Kiwi Joe Cook-Green sealed the win with a late breakaway dunk for the Eastern Suns and finished the night with 25 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. He shot 9/16 from the field, 2/3 from beyond the arc and 5/6 from the foul line.

Albert Almanza added 22 points with 6/12 three-point shooting for Kalamunda, Akau Deng 12 points and eight rebounds, and 491-game captain Seb Salinas two points, four rebounds and seven assists.

It was a tough loss for the Redbacks who now take on the Geraldton Buccaneers in Karratha on Saturday night. Bryton Hobbs finished with 21 points while Brian Voelkel had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, Joel Vaiangina 17 points and seven boards, and Tevin Jackson 12 points and three assists. 

Joe Cook-Green makes it a near-???? ????? for the Suns! ?

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Hawks stay unbeaten with high-quality win over Senators

The game of the night took place at Bendat Basketball Centre with the Warwick Senators delivering a stirring fightback, but the Perry Lakes Hawks striking back for a third straight win to open the new season.

Coming off opening round wins against East Perth and Lakeside, Perry Lakes kept the momentum going in the first half at Bendat Basketball Centre beginning with a 39-point first quarter.

Warwick's cause wasn't helped with captain Cody Ellis and import Hussayn Ford dealing with foul trouble in the first half and Perry Lakes went into the break leading 66-51.

However, with point guard Ethan Elliott and All-First Team member Caleb Davis leading the charge, the Senators caught fire in the third quarter and put up 31 points to take the lead, albeit briefly.

Perry Lakes responded and the stage was set for a grandstand finish, and it didn’t disappoint.

With the Hawks leading by four with 27 seconds to go, George Pearl found Ellis who drained a cool three-pointer right in front of the Perry Lakes bench to make it a one-point ball game.

Returning Perry Lakes championship winning point guard Mitch Clarke then hit two free-throws to keep his team up three, but the Senators had one last possession. 

The ball got to Davis, but he caught himself with his foot on the line attempting a shot, and a brilliant defensive play from Hawks games record holder Ben Purser forced the turnover, and Perry Lakes went on to win by five to improve to 3-0.

Having previously been named to the All-First Team twice at Lakeside, Daniel Alexander is having a significant early impact with Perry Lakes and he finished with 24 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Clarke added 17 points, eight boards, five assists and three steals, Purser 12 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals, and Rob Cassir 11 points and three assists.

Davis ended up with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists for Warwick, Elliott 22 points and four boards, Ford 11 points, and Pearl nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Ben Purser has got the defenders eating out of the palm of his hand ??

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