NBL1 West Recap | Thursday Women's Round 2

The Joondalup Wolves, Warwick Senators and Mandurah Magic all won their second games of the NBL1 West Women's season in the traditional Easter Thursday round with wins also for the Perry Lakes Hawks, Willetton Tigers and Rockingham Flames.

The tradition continues in the competition of having all games for the Easter Weekend played on the Thursday night and the six women's matches for Round 2 of the 2022 season produced some fascinating action.

Only the Goldfields Giants didn’t take part in the action with one team forced to sit out from the 13 teams in the competition for 2022.

All six games were in the same 6.30pm time slot on Thursday night and by the end of the evening, the Wolves, Magic and Senators remained unbeaten, the South West Slammers and East Perth Eagles still winless, and the rest in between somewhere.

The Rockingham Flames got on top of the South West Slammers early on at Mike Barnett Sports Complex on their way to an eventual 108-44 victory on their home floor.

Patty Brossmann finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Flames with Keely Hatch adding 21 points, Ariana Hetherington 10, Paris Duffield 10 and Taylor Ortlepp 10. Abbey Hall had 18 points for the Slammers.

The tight game of the night was at Willetton Basketball Stadium with the defending champion Willetton Tigers overrunning the Cockburn Cougars with 31 points to 16 in the fourth quarter for the eventual 84-80 victory.

The Tigers welcomed back their Perth Lynx WNBL stars Emma Gandini (21 points, nine rebounds) and Alex Sharp (20 points, 18 rebounds) to help them notch their first win of 2022. Kat Tudor had 18 points for Cockburn.

The Warwick Senators won their second game of the season with a 73-65 victory against the Perth Redbacks at Belmont Oasis. Nat Burton was huge on debut for the Senators with 31 points and 11 rebounds while Shenae Hartree had 21 points and 10 boards for the Redbacks.

The Mandurah Magic turned up their defence in the fourth quarter to hold the Lakeside Lightning to just seven points on the way to an eventual 75-66 win at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.

Carly Boag put up 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic while Sara Dickey had 19 points and nine boards for the Lightning.

Last year's Grand Finalists the Joondalup Wolves also scored a thumping 87-59 victory against the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

Teige Morrell had a huge night in her second game for the Wolfpack with 37 points, 16 rebounds and four assists while Georgia Denehey had 20 points for the Eastern Suns against her former team.

The Perry Lakes Hawks also scored a commanding 89-60 victory against the East Perth Eagles at Herb Graham Recreation Centre. Emma Clarke was another to return from the Lynx and star for Perry Lakes with 31 points and 15 rebounds.

Mia Satie also had 23 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals with Maria Blazejewski putting up 22 points and 14 boards for the Eagles.

NBL1 WEST – 2022 WOMEN'S SEASON
ROUND 2 – THURSDAY NIGHT

EAST PERTH EAGLES 60 lost to PERRY LAKES HAWKS 89

The Perry Lakes Hawks welcomed back a pair from Perth Lynx WNBL duties and produced an emphatic Easter Thursday performance on the road for their first win of the NBL1 West season.

It's the beginning of a new era at the Hawks in 2022 with championship winning coach Craig Mansfield taking over the helm and they opened up with a narrow loss at home to the Warwick Senators last Friday night.

The Eagles also have a new coach Megan Thompson in 2022 and a host of new faces, and they too suffered a narrow loss to Cockburn last Friday night so it shaped as a fascinating contest at Herb Graham Recreation Centre.

With Emma Clarke and Mia Satie into the Perry Lakes line-up for the first time this season fresh off being part of the Lynx's WNBL Grand Final run, they looked a different outfit and had opened up a seven-point advantage by quarter-time.

The Hawks again held the Eagles to jus the 13 points in the second quarter while putting up 20 themselves to head into the half-time break leading 39-25.

Perry Lakes went on with the job in the second half as well and their offensive found its groove at the same time as they put up 50 points while holding East Perth to just 35 on the way to the impressive 89-60 victory.

There were plenty of rebounds to go away with the Eagles shooting at just 27 per cent from the field and the Hawks 40 per cent, and East Perth did well in that area with 58 boards to 53, including 19 at the offensive end to 16 from the Hawks.

But that difference in Perry Lakes shooting 33/82 opposed to 20/75 is where the game was one even though the Hawks made just 4/24 from beyond the arc and the Eagles 5/25.

Emma Clarke has joined Perry Lakes this season after playing at Lakeside in 2021, and the Lynx forward showed what a difference-maker she will be on debut at her new club with 31 points, 15 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Mia Satie spent the WNBL season a development player with the Lynx and started her NBL1 West season impressively with 23 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Annika Renkema added 13 points for the Hawks, Millie McCarthy nine points and Zoe Shanahan five to go with three rebounds.

Maria Blazejeski was impressive for East Perth with 22 points, 14 rebounds and four assists despite her seven turnovers. Jorjah Smith also had 15 points, six rebounds and four assists at her third club, and Mackenzie Taylor put up seven points and 10 rebounds.

 

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 59 lost to JOONDALUP WOLVES 87

The Kalamunda Eastern Suns and Joondalup Wolves were two impressive Round 1 winners setting the stage for a tantalising match up at Ray Owen Sports Centre on Easter Thursday.

The Eastern Suns started life under new coach Tim Rendulic with a Round 1 win against the Perth Redbacks while the Wolfpack also has a new coach in 2022, Marcus Wong, and they knocked off the defending champion Willetton Tigers in the opening round.

With former Wolves players Georgia Denehey and Eleanor Hartill also in the Suns line-up, the game took on some extra intrigue but it was Joondalup who proved too strong.

Kalamunda started the game well on their home floor, though, holding the Wolves to just the eight points in the opening quarter to lead 15-8 by quarter-time.

The Wolfpack picked things up in the second period in impressive fashion putting up 30 points and going into the half-time interval leading 38-32.

The Wolves were able to keep that momentum going with 24 more points to 11 in the third period, and 25 to 16 in the fourth on the way to the 87-59 victory away from home.

It was a dominant rebounding performance from Joondalup as they pulled down 57 boards to 40 from the Eastern Suns including 19 at the offensive end to 14. The Wolves also dished out 25 assists on their 38 field goals with the Suns finishing with just the eight assists.

Joondalup also shot the ball well going 47.5 per cent from the floor while Kalamunda managed just the 28.2 per cent.

Teige Morrell might be just two games into her Wolfpack career, but she was a dominant presence on Thursday night with 37 points, 16 rebounds and four assists while shooting 16/24 from the field.

Nes'eya Williams added 16 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists for the Wolves while Chelsea Belcher contributed 13 points, Kiara Phillips eight points and three assists, and Laniesha Paddon five points, three boards and three blocked shots.

Georgia Denehey did what she could to try and inspire the Eastern Suns against her former team with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists while hitting 4/5 from three-point territory.

Marissa Pangalos finished with 17 points and six rebounds as well for Kalamunda with Alexis Bland contributing 10 points and Aisha Forrest five.

 

MANDURAH MAGIC 75 defeated LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 66

The Mandurah Magic had to come from behind at home on Thursday night to continue their winning start to the NBL1 West season against the Lakeside Lightning.

Mandurah was coming off an impressive first up win this season away to the Rockingham Flames while the Lightning had a narrow loss in Kalgoorlie last Saturday night at the hands of the Goldfields Giants.

Both teams came out ready to play at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre on Thursday night combining for 53 points in the opening quarter with the Magic heading into the quarter-time huddle leading 28-25.

The scoring might have dried up a little the rest of the night, but it remained a tight contest the rest of the way with Lakeside managing to assume the lead in the second period to go into the half-time break with a 41-40 advantage.

Lakeside narrowly extend their lead during the third quarter and by three quarter-time held a 59-56 edge with the game right up for grabs.

The Magic were able to turn things up a notch with the game on the line and put up 19 points in the final term while holding the Lightning to claim the 75-66 victory.

There wasn’t a whole lot between the two teams with similar shooting numbers but the Magic did dominate the boards led by Carly Boag. They pulled down 50 rebounds to 34 from Lakeside including 22 at the offensive end opposed to 22.

Mandurah also dominated at the foul line getting there 31 times opposed to just 11 from Lakeside.

Carly Boag was a dominant presence for the Magic finished the night with 26 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and three assists.

Casey Mihovilovich was playing game 511 to now be just one behind games record holder Sue Williams and she had another eight points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Magic with Alex Wittinger 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Sarah Allen 10 points, four boards and two assists.

Sara Dickey produced an impressive performance for Lakeside finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds with Opal Mader adding 16 points. Jade Gowland also had seven points, three rebounds and two assists.

 

PERTH REDBACKS 65 lost to WARWICK SENATORS 73

The Perth Redbacks and Warwick Senators were both coming off last up wins ahead of Thursday night's clash at Belmont Oasis, but it was the Senators who proved too strong to remain undefeated this NBL1 West season.

The Redbacks lost their opening game of the season last Friday night away to the Eastern Suns but they bounced back to beat the South West Slammers on Sunday while the Senators opened the new season with a come from behind win over the Perry Lakes Hawks.

That set the stage for Friday night's contest at Belmont Oasis and with the Senators welcoming Nat Burton into the line-up for the first time, and also welcoming back Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard, they worked their way on top of the Redbacks early.

The Senators led 21-14 by quarter-time and then maintained that advantage to go into half-time on top 41-34.

It was a tight affair throughout the second half but ultimately that early lead the Senators opened up proved the difference in the game and they went on to record the 73-65 victory to improve to 2-0 on the new season.

The Senators might have only shot 3/19 from beyond the arc but the did go 43 per cent from the field as opposed to 36 per cent from the Redbacks while the presence of Burton and Clinch Hoycard helped them finish with 10 extra rebounds including five more at the offensive end.

Nat Burton has made the move from Perry Lakes to Warwick this NBL1 West season and fresh off being assistant coach at the Perth Lynx this WNBL season, she started life with the Senators dominating with 31 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and three assists on 15/19 shooting.

Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard is fresh off the season with the Lynx too and had 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists while Stacey Barr put up 16 points, seven boards, five assists and two steals.

She might now be a 418-game veteran, but Nicole Jorre de St Jorre is showing no signs of slowing down either with another eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The Redbacks slipped to 1-2 on the season with the loss but emerging forward Shenae Hartree was impressive with 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks along with hitting 2/3 from beyond the arc.

Makailah Dyer might have only shot 5/19 for the night, but still had 14 points and four rebounds with Kayonna Lee contributing 11 points and seven boards, and Rebecca Motroni nine points.

 

WILLETTON TIGERS 84 defeated COCKBURN COUGARS 80

The defending champion Willetton Tigers have their first win on the board but they have to come from behind at home to the Cockburn Cougars on Thursday night.

The Tigers raised their championship banner from 2021 last Saturday night at Willetton Basketball Stadium but ended up losing to the Joondalup Wolves, but that was without key pair Alex Sharp and Emma Gandini.

Both were pivotal in championship triumph last year with Sharp named both the league and Grand Final MVP while Gandini was named the NBL1 West Best Defensive Player.

They then went on to be key players in the Perth Lynx's WNBL Grand Final push this season and returned to Willetton strongly on Thursday night, but it was still the Cougars who started the better.

Cockburn were coming off a first up win against the East Perth Eagles and they started well away to the Tigers on Thursday to end up leading 26-15 by quarter-time.

However, Willetton soon warmed to the task with a strong second quarter with 24 points to 14 to cut the Cockburn half-time advantage to 40-39.

The Cougars were able to pick the momentum back up coming out of the half-time break with 24 points to 14 in the third period to head into three quarter-time leading 64-53.

It was all the Tigers in the fourth quarter, though, and they were mighty impressive putting up 31 points to 16 to claim the 84-80 victory.

It was a remarkable dominance from Willetton on the boards as they collected 62 rebounds to 41 for the game including 26 at the offensive end opposed to just nine from the Cougars.

That helped them take an incredible 41 extra field goals for the game and despite only shooting 31 per cent opposed to Cockburn's 40 per cent, it was Willetton that recorded their first win of 2022.

Emma Gandini celebrated her return for Willetton with 21 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists while reigning MVP Alex Sharp had 20 points, 18 boards, two assists and two steals.

Desiree Kelley added 12 points and four steals for the Tigers, Tayla Hepburn 12 points, Sam Lubcke 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Hayley Winter eight points, six boards and six assists.

New Cougars import guard Kat Tudor had another strong showing made up of 18 points including hitting 3/6 from three-point territory.

Kristy Whitfield added 16 points for Cockburn, Tia Morgan 10 points and two assists, Jewel Williams eight points and seven assists, Jessie Edwards eight points and 16 rebounds, and Haylee De Sousa seven points and five boards.

 

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 108 defeated SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 44

The Rockingham Flames might have lost their opening game of the NBL1 West season but they bounce back emphatically at home to the South West Slammers on Easter Thursday.

Rockingham started the season with a loss also at home to the Mandurah Magic last Saturday while it was a tough opening weekend for the Slammers with a loss to the Perth Redbacks by 37 points on Sunday at Belmont Oasis.

So the Flames and Slammers were searching for their first wins of the season on Thursday night at Mike Barnett Sports Complex but the was set right from the outset by Rockingham.

The Flames scored the first 14 points of the game on their way to leading 31-8 by quarter-time. It was another 26 points to 10 in the second quarter and Rockingham was on top 57-18 by half-time.

It was more of the same in the third quarter with the Flames outscoring the Slammers 29 points to eight to be up 86-26 by three quarter-time.

To the Slammers' credit, they put up more of a fight in the fourth quarter but still Rockingham cruised to the emphatic 108-44 victory.

Rockingham shot 50 per cent from the field for the game opposed to 33 while collecting 12 more offensive rebounds on their way to attempting 42 more field goals after also forcing the Slammers into 34 turnovers.

New Flames import Patty Brossmann finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals while Keely Hatch contributed 21 points and four boards, Ariana Hetherington 10 points, seven boards, five assists and four steals, Paris Duffield 10 points and four steals, and Taylor Ortlepp 10 points.

Abbey Hall was without doubt the great shining light for the Slammers finishing with 18 of her team's 44 points to go with seven rebounds and two steals.