Recap NBL1 West | Round 12 Saturday

Featured images: Travis Anderson @andmediaphoto

Daniel Raber had a triple-double and Alex Ciabattoni fired for Cockburn Cougars in the NBL1 West on Saturday night while Joel Murray and Todd Withers were both spectacular in a thrilling Mandurah Magic win over Warwick Senators.

Saturday's women's results saw the Warwick Senators beat the Mandurah Magic 89-74, the East Perth Eagles defeated the South West Slammers 89-48, the Cockburn Cougars downed the Lakeside Lightning 106-70, the Willetton Tigers won 105-64 against the Goldfields Giants, the Eastern Suns beat the Joondalup Wolves 106-101.

Then in the men's matches, the Geraldton Buccaneers beat the Rockingham Flames 116-94 while the Tigers beat the Giants 90-87, the Wolves defeated the Suns 93-68, the Lightning downed the Cougars 100-74, the Eagles beat the Slammers 95-89, and the Magic defeated the Senators 107-103.

VERSATILE BALLANTYNE WANTS TO BRING FLAG TO GOLDFIELDS

RECAP NBL1 WEST | ROUND 12 FRIDAY

BUCCS SKIPPER TO REACH 450 AS LEGACY CONTINUES TO GROW

WOMEN

Mandurah Magic (74) lost to Warwick Senators (89)

The Warwick Senators kept on winning to maintain a top two position in the NBL1 West with the 89-74 road victory against the Mandurah Magic.

The Senators arrived at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre looking for a fourth straight win and to further close in on the league-leading Rockingham Flames who have now lost their past two games.

Mandurah was also attempting to break back into the top eight so there was plenty on the line for both teams and it was Warwick who got the better of the start with 22 points to 18 in the first quarter.

The Senators then pulled away further in the second quarter with another 32 points to 16 on the way to the commanding 54-34 lead at the half-time break.

The lead for Warwick blew out to as much as 28 points in the third quarter and then 32 early in the fourth. Mandurah did fight the game out well and held the Senators to just nine points in the final period, but Warwick still went on to secure the 15-point win.

The Senators improve to a 12-2 record on the season as a result with four wins in-a-row with Chloe Forster putting up another 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals on 9/14 shooting from the field.

Marena Whittle added 19 points and 12 rebounds, Stacey Barr 16 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals, Karly Murphy 13 points and 10 boards, and Kyana Weir 10 points, three assists and two rebounds.

The Magic remain outside the top eight at 5-10 with the defeat with Donica Cosby top-scoring with 20 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals with 3/5 three-point shooting.

Casey Mihovilovich continues to deliver 568 games into her remarkable career with another 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals with Sam Roscoe adding 13 points, five boards and five assists, and Emma Klasztorny 11 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

The Magic are on the road to the Rockingham Flames on Friday night while the Senators are also away to the Perth Redbacks.

MANDURAH MAGIC 74 (Cosby 20, Mihovilovich 17, Roscoe 13)

WARWICK SENATORS 89 (Forster 22, Whittle 19, Barr 16)

South West Slammers (48) lost to East Perth Eagles (89)

The East Perth Eagles kept their momentum going making it three straight wins with the 89-48 road victory against the South West Slammers.

The Slammers were back home at Eaton Recreation Centre looking to end their 45-game losing streak up against the last team they did beat back in 2022.

East Perth arrived fresh off two impressive wins last weekend against the Joondalup Wolves and Mandurah Magic. With the Eagles without Kiwi Mary Goulding, they brought in Sam Lubcke as another big body up front alongside Laci Hawthorne and Mary Baskerville.

The Slammers did well to keep things close for a lot of the first half with East Perth only leading by five points at quarter-time, but they did extend that advantage to 41-27 by the half-time break.

The Eagles then dominated further in the third quarter holding the Slammers to just five points and scoring 24 themselves which saw the lead grow to 33 points.

That blew out to 43 points in the final term too and East Perth went on to score the 41-point win to make it three in-a-row on the season to remain in the playoff hunt with a 5-9 record.

Laci Hawthorne top-scored for the Eagles with 19 points and 11 rebounds with Sam Lubcke coming into the team and delivering 13 points, 10 boards and five assists in just over 19 minutes.

Bri Bailey also had 10 points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists, Tessa Morrison nine points, eight assists, five steals and four boards, Mary Baskerville eight points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Sarah Allen seven points and six boards in her 100th NBL1 West game.

The Slammers are now 0-14 on the season and having lost 46 straight dating back to that last victory against the Eagles at Mirrabooka back on May 21, 2022.

The Slammers are already without the two imports they started the season with, Yasmeen Smith and Chervelle Cox, and then lost Courtney Bayliss in the second quarter to injury after the 221-game veteran had six points, three rebounds and three assists.

Nyidier Riak ended up top-scoring for South West with 15 points, four rebounds and two blocks with Zaya Black adding 12 points, four boards and four assists, and Charlotte Mills four points, five rebounds and two assists.

The Slammers will be on the road next Saturday night to the Warwick Senators while the Eagles are at home to the Lakeside Lightning on Friday.

SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 48 (Riak 15, Black 12, Bayliss 6)

EAST PERTH EAGLES 89 (Hawthorne 19, Lubcke 13, Bailey 10)

Cockburn Cougars (106) defeated Lakeside Lightning (70)

The defending champion Cockburn Cougars flexed their muscles once more with Daniel Raber having a triple-double and Alex Ciabattoni scoring 28 points in a 106-70 win against the Lakeside Lightning.

The Cougars were back home at Wally Hagan Stadium with their championship defence continuing to build momentum as they hosted a Lightning team knocking on the door of the top four on the back of impressive wins against the Perth Redbacks and Rockingham Flames.

For the first time all season, the Cougars had all their big guns available with 202-game centre Jessie Edwards back to join Daniel Raber and Maria Blazejewski up front for the first time.

Lakeside was also missing their own star Caitie Jones and the Cougars had already opened up by a nine-point lead by the end of the first quarter.

The lead for Cockburn blew out to 17 points in the second frame and the reigning champs were on top 54-38 by half-time.

The Cougars continued to dominate throughout the second half with that lead getting out to 28 points in the third period, and 36 in the fourth which would end up being the final margin.

The win is a fifth straight for Cockburn as they improve to 13-3 on the season with Alex Ciabattoni starring with 28 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals on 12/14 shooting from the field and 4/6 from three-point territory.

Daniel Raber also had a triple-double made up of 17 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists with Maria Blazejewski delivering 22 points on 7/9 shooting from the floor, 2/2 from downtown and 6/8 at the foul line.

Steph Gorman also had 12 points, three assists and three rebounds, Jessie Edwards nine points and six rebounds, and Jewel Williams nine points, five assists, three boards and two steals.

The Lightning slips to an 8-5 record with the defeat with Teige Morrell producing another 25 points, 10 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists.

Marnelle Garraud added 17 points and four rebounds, Tia Ucich 10 points, six assists and three rebounds, and Jade Gowland seven points and two boards.

The Cougars now don't play again until hosting the Cockburn Cougars on Saturday June 29 with Lakeside on the road to the East Perth Eagles next Friday.

The Cougars are on the road to Kalgoorlie to play the Goldfields Giants next Saturday

COCKBURN COUGARS 106 (Ciabattoni 28, Blazejewski 22, Raber 17)

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 70 (Morrell 25, Garraud 17, Ucich 10)

Goldfields Giants (64) lost to Willetton Tigers (105)

The Willetton Tigers maintained their hold on a top eight position with the 105-64 road victory over the Goldfields Giants in Kalgoorlie on Saturday evening.

The Tigers arrived at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium looking to snap a three-game losing run up against a Giants team also trying to end a two-game losing streak and hunting a fourth win of the 2024 season.

It was only a narrow four-point lead by quarter-time for Willetton but the Tigers were able to begin to assert their control in the second period with 26 points to 18 to go into the half-time interval leading 50-38.

Willetton then dominated in the third quarter especially with 30 points to nine to end up leading by as much as 43 points by the final term on the way to the eventual 41-point victory.

The win improves the Tigers to a 6-7 record on the season to remain in a playoff position with Jillian Archer delivering 21 points, nine rebounds and three assists on 9/11 shooting from the floor.

Melisa Brcaninovic also produced 18 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals with Claire Jacobs putting up 18 points and six rebounds on 4/13 three-point shooting.

Amy Jacobs also had 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals, Kiara Waite 13 points and four boards, Kaylee Smiler eight points, seven assists and four rebounds, and Desiree Kelley eight points, five assists, three boards and two steals.

Goldfields has now lost three in-a-row to sit on a 3-12 record with Lauren Fech finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals, Anne Zipser 13 points, 12 boards and three assists, and Chloe Zorzi 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

The Giants don't play again until hitting the road against the Warwick Senators on Saturday June 29 with Willetton back home next Saturday to the Perry Lakes Hawks.

GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 64 (Fech 13, Zipser 13, Zorzi 13)

WILLETTON TIGERS 105 (Archer 21, C Jacobs 18, Brcaninovic 18)

Kalamunda Eastern Suns (106) defeated Joondalup Wolves (101)

Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant dominated with 39 points and 15 rebounds in a high-scoring spectacle as the Kalamunda Eastern Suns beat the Joondalup Wolves 106-101.

The shorthanded Wolves suffered a fifth consecutive loss the previous night at home to the Perry Lakes Hawks as they took on an Eastern Suns team at Ray Owen Sports Centre looking to make it consecutive wins.

The two teams would put on quite the show over the next 40 minutes with the Eastern Suns having the better of the opening to go into quarter-time leading 24-13.

The scoring picked up the rest of the evening with Kalamunda's lead getting out to as much as 16 points in the second term before the home team went into half-time leading 52-39.

The Suns would then lead by as much as 20 points in the third quarter and they would put up another 32 points in the term to be still on top 84-64 by three quarter-time.

The job was ahead of the Wolfpack to try to still make a game of it especially with the likes of Emma Clarke, Jorjah Smith and Julia Chandler missing.

However, the Wolves gave it a good crack and would score 10 straight points and put up 37 points in total in the final period to get back as close as five down the stretch, but the Suns did enough to hold on for the five-point win.

The Eastern Suns improve to 4-11 with back-to-back wins on the back of a massive 38/43 at the free-throw line with Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant going 16/17 on her own as part of her 39 points, 15 rebounds and two assists on 11/16 shooting from the floor.

Olivia Berry also had 31 points, eight assists, three rebounds and three steals while Ella Fotu contributed 17 points, five boards, four assists and two steals, and Tiahna Sears eight points and 11 rebounds.

Joondalup has now lost six in-a-row to slip to a 6-8 record on the season with Geraldynn Leaupepe doing all she could with 32 points, nine rebounds two assists and two steals.

Sarah Toeaina also had 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds for the Wolfpack.

The Eastern Suns don’t play again until hosting the East Perth Eagles on Friday June 28 with the Wolves away to the Perry Lakes Hawks this coming Friday.

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 106 (McGhee-Pleasant 39, Berry 31, Fotu 17)

JOONDALUP WOLVES 101 (Leaupepe 32, Toeaina 17)

MEN

Rockingham Flames (94) lost to Geraldton Buccaneers (116)

The two Grand Final MVP winners from the Geraldton Buccaneers, Liam Hunt and Johny Narkle, came up huge as the reigning champions beat the Rockingham Flames 116-94 to begin their road double.

It was a match up between the two teams that contested a memorable 2022 Grand Final in the NBL1 West with Rockingham at home at Mike Barnett Sports Complex attempting to back up the win the previous night on the road to the Perth Redbacks.

That saw the Flames welcome back last year's import forward Jeremy Combs while the Buccs arrived welcoming back Johny Narkle after a 10-game injury absence for them to have their full squad available for the first time in 2024.

Geraldton was looking to retain top spot but it was Rockingham leading by as much as six points in the first quarter and to still be on top 25-24 by quarter-time.

Geraldton was able to turn things around in the second period with 28 points to 22 to end up leading 52-47 by the half-time interval.

The Buccaneers pulled away further with another 33 points to 26 in the third quarter to end up leading by as much as 14 points. They would blow things out further in the last stanza with another 31 points to 21 to score the 22-point victory.

The win is a seventh straight on the season for the Buccs to improve the reigning champions to a 14-1 record with Johny Narkle marking his return after missing the previous 10 games with the 2023 Grand Final MVP delivering 17 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two blocks.

The Grand Final MVP from 2019 Liam Hunt also starred for Geraldton with 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists on 9/15 shooting from the field with recent arrival Junior Garbrah contributing 13 points, two boards and two steals.

Captain Aaron Ralph also had 13 points and two rebounds in the 449th game of his career with Joshua Keyes adding 11 points, five boards, three assists and two steals, and Josh Braun 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Rockingham splits its weekend to now sit on a 9-7 record with Gorjok Gak producing another 29 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 12/16 from the floor.

Ryan Godfrey also put up 17 points and seven assists with Travis Durnin contributing 16 points and four rebounds, Jeremy Combs 15 points and five boards, and Justin Beard nine points, three rebounds and three assists.

The Buccaneers back up at Bendat Basketball Centre for their first game there since winning last year's championship by taking on the Perry Lakes Hawks in the 450th game of captain Aaron Ralph.

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 94 (Gak 29, Godfrey 17, Durnin 16)

GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 116 (Hunt 24, Narkle 17, Garbrah 13, Ralph 13)

Mandurah Magic (107) defeated Warwick Senators (103)

Joel Murray and Todd Withers put on spectacular shows for their respective teams as Murray's Mandurah Magic were able to hold out the Warwick Senators for the 107-103 victory.

Not only did Murray and Withers end up having remarkable nights for their respective teams at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, but they were back in after both missed their last up outings in losses for their sides.

It was a high scoring opening to the contest with 60 points in the first quarter with Mandurah leading 31-29 by quarter-time.

The Magic then completed a 14-0 scoring run in the second frame to open up a lead as much as 17 points before turning into the half-time break leading 59-42.

Mandurah did maintain a double-figure lead for much of the second half but Warwick kept on coming and it was Withers refusing to give the game away.

With just over two minutes to go it was a nine-point lead still for Mandurah, but then Withers hit a big three to cut it back to six before the Senators forced the turnover and Withers knocked down his ninth three-pointer of the night in a remarkable performance.

He even turned that into a four-point play and it was just a two-point ball game all of a sudden but the Magic got a steadying bucket to Julian Pesava.

George Pearl responded with a put back bucket but then the Senators forced another turnover and it was Pearl hitting the three ball and all of sudden in under a minute Warwick turned that nine-point deficit into a one-point lead.

The Senators had all the momentum on the back of that with a minute to play but the twists continued with Lachlan Bertram putting the Magic back in front with a three ball.

That would prove the biggest shot of the game too and eventually Bertram hit two free-throws to secure the four-point win and the Magic held on improve to a 10-6 record on the season to stay in the top four.

Joel Murray was back in the line-up for Mandurah and only further enhanced his claims on the MVP award with 47 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals on 19/25 shooting from the floor, 5/8 from three-point land and 4/5 from the free-throw line.

Julian Pesava also added 21 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists with Lachlan Bertram contributing 13 points, five steals and four boards, and Michael Durr 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Senators have now lost four straight with a 7-9 record with Todd Withers producing a spectacular performance hitting 9/13 from three-point land on his way to 40 points, five rebounds and three steals.

Michael Harris added 23 points, five rebounds and five assists, and George Pearl 23 points, eight boards and seven assists while Tyler Shand produced four points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.

The Magic are on the road to the Rockingham Flames on Friday night while the Senators are also away to the Perth Redbacks.

MANDURAH MAGIC 107 (Murray 47, Pesava 21, Bertram 13)

WARWICK SENATORS 103 (Withers 40, Harris 23, Pearl 23)

Cockburn Cougars (74) lost to Lakeside Lightning (100)

The Lakeside Lightning inflicted some more pain on the shorthanded Cockburn Cougars keeping their flagging playoff hopes alive with the 100-74 win despite 37 points from Rhys Vague.

The Cougars were back home at Wally Hagan Stadium but up against it on a 10-game losing streak and being without Seva Chan, Demetris Morant, Hunter Clarke, Nathan Pond and Will Yarran.

The Lightning welcomed back captain Josh Davey as well and needed to win to remain any hope of playing finals in 2024 but it was the Cougars who got the better of the start with 25 points to 22 in the first quarter.

Lakeside were able to turn things around in the second frame with 30 points to 16 to go into half-time leading 52-41.

The Lightning went on with the job from there outscoring the Cougars 48 points to 33 in the second half to lead by as much as 26 points and to win by 26 in the finish.

The win improves Lakeside to a 5-9 record on the season with Marshawn Blackmon top-scoring with 25 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Mike Adewunmi added 19 points and six assists, Josh Davey 18 points, 14 rebounds and two steals, Max Richards 13 points, 10 boards and four assists, and Ben Lee 11 points on 3/5 three-point shooting.

Cockburn has now lost 11 straight to be 3-14 on the season with Rhys Vague doing all he could to keep the Cougars competitive with 37 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks on 15/26 shooting from the field and 6/6 at the free-throw line.

Gavin Field added 15 points and three rebounds, and Josh Hunt 14 points and three assists.

The Cougars are on the road to Kalgoorlie to play the Goldfields Giants next Saturday with Lakeside on the road to the East Perth Eagles next Friday.

COCKBURN COUGARS 74 (Vague 37, Field 15, Hunt 14)

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 100 (Blackmon 25, Adewunmi 19, Davey 18)

South West Slammers (89) lost to East Perth Eagles (95)

It was a night of wild fluctuations but in the end the East Perth Eagles found the more composure in overtime to secure the 95-89 victory against the South West Slammers.

The Slammers were back home at Eaton Recreation Centre attempting to snap a three-game losing streak while the Eagles arrived looking to keep their momentum going after wins last weekend against the Joondalup Wolves and Mandurah Magic.

The Eagles were on top for a lot of the evening with a three-point lead at quarter-time before another 21 points to 19 in the second quarter to go into half-time on top 48-43.

East Perth also had 26 points 17 in the third period with the lead growing to as much as 14 points, and the Eagles did lead by as much as nine in the final term.

However, the Slammers wouldn’t go away and all of a sudden with 3:30 to play, Xavier Cotton hit a three ball and the home team had grabbed the lead and had all the momentum.

Cotton then hit another one after a messy two minutes from both teams and it was the Slammers now leading by six points and it was the Eagles who had to dig deep.

East Perth were able to force a turnover leading to a three ball from Elijah Pawson. Then after a missed three from Buay Tuach up the other end, it was Pawson who drained another from downtown to tie scores back up.

South West had a shot clock violation giving the Eagles a chance to snatch it but David Okwera's contested jumper wouldn’t go and the game went to overtime.

In the extra period, East Perth got things started with two big finishes from Lukas Milner to set the tone and then buckets later in the five minutes from Okwera and Sharif Watson kept the Eagles on top, and they were able to secure the six-point win.

The win is a third straight for East Perth who improve to a 10-6 record as a result despite the absence of Sunday Dech with Taylor Young playing more than 40 minutes and finishing with 18 points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists.

Lukas Milner showed exciting signs in his third game of the season with 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks too with David Okwera adding 16 points and 13 boards, Lee Roberts 13 points and eight rebounds, and Sebit Reath 10 points and seven boards.

Buay Tuach produced another 27 points, eight rebounds and three steals on 11/22 shooting from the floor for the Slammers.

Manyiel Wugol added 16 points, three rebounds and three steals, Xavier Cotton 14 points and four boards, and Alex Holcombe 10 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.

The Slammers will be on the road next Saturday night to the Warwick Senators while the Eagles are at home to the Lakeside Lightning on Friday.

SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 89 (Tuach 27, Wugol 16, Cotton 14)

EAST PERTH EAGLES 95 (Young 18, Milner 17, Okwera 16)

Goldfields Giants (87) lost to Willetton Tigers (90)

Damien Scott led the charge and the Willetton Tigers consolidated second position holding on for the 90-87 victory on the road to the Goldfields Giants.

It was two teams in hot form locking horns at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium with the Giants knocking on the door of a top four spot after winning five straight while the Tigers had won four straight to be clear in second spot, and hot on the heels of Geraldton.

Willetton might have been away from home, but the Tigers got off to a flying start with 28 points to 16 in the first quarter.

The Tigers were up by as much as 14 points in the second quarter but the Giants fired back by scoring 13 straight points and that saw the score at half-time 47-42 in favour of Willetton.

Willetton worked on top again throughout the second half to lead by as much as 17 points in the fourth quarter but Goldfields weren’t going down without a fight and went ever so close to a successful comeback.

With just over 30 seconds to go when Damon Ballantyne scored, suddenly the Giants were all the way back within three points and they had all the momentum.

Then Damien Scott had his shot blocked spectacularly at the rim by Mayo Malek to give the Giants a chance to force overtime but Randy Bell's shot wouldn’t fall and the Tigers held on to win by three points.

The Tigers improve to a 13-2 record with a five-game winning streak as a result with 340-game veteran Damien Scott delivering 25 points and three rebounds on 8/13 shooting from the floor, 3/7 from downtown and 6/9 from the foul line.

Tom Gerovich also stepped up for 14 points and 11 rebounds with Marshall Nelson putting up 13 points, nine boards and four assists, Michael Dupree 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and 297-game big man Michael Vigor seven points, nine rebounds, 10 assists and two blocked shots.

Goldfields' winning run ends with the loss at the buzzer and the Giants are now 9-7 on the season with Randy Bell putting up 27 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and two steals.

De'Sean Parsons produced another 25 points, eight rebounds, seven steals and two assists with Damon Ballantyne contributing 10 points and two boards, Mayo Malek nine points and 12 rebounds, and Kon Anguik nine points, three boards and two assists.

The Giants host the Cockburn Cougars next Saturday night with Willetton back home next Saturday to the Perry Lakes Hawks.

GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 87 (Bell 27, Parsons 25, Ballantyne 10)

WILLETTON TIGERS 90 (Scott 25, Gerovich 14, Nelson 13)

Kalamunda Eastern Suns (68) lost to Joondalup Wolves (93)

The Joondalup Wolves made it back-to-back wins for the weekend to consolidate their top four position with the 93-68 road victory over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.

The Wolves welcomed new import Jacob Wiley on Friday night in a win at home to the Perry Lakes Hawks before backing up against the Eastern Suns at Ray Owen Sports Centre on Saturday.

The Suns had won their last couple coming into the contest as well despite the continued absence of second leading scorer Bryan Michaels who missed the chance to play against his former team.

The Wolfpack didn’t waste much time working on top of the contest with 26 points to 15 in the opening quarter before another 25 to 13 in the second.

That saw Joondalup go into half-time leading 51-28 and the Wolves consolidated that advantage throughout the second half to lead by as much as 30 points and to win by 25.

With the two wins this weekend, the Wolfpack are now 11-4 on the season to be on a three-game winning streak with MVP candidate CJ Turnage delivering another 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists on an efficient 9/12 shooting.

Jacob Wiley was playing his second game in 24 hours at his new club and put up 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists while Christian Jurlina added 17 points, four assists and three rebounds, Jonathan Wade 14 points and two boards, and Gabe Chadinha 11 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Kalamunda slips to a 5-11 record with the seventh loss from nine games on its home floor now for the season.

It was a tough night for the Eastern Suns at home with Marek Nelson finishing with 17 points and five rebounds, Raphell Thomas-Edwards 14 points and 11 boards, and the league's games record holder Seb Salinas nine points and three rebounds against the club he was championship captain with.

The Eastern Suns now head to Geraldton to face the league-leading Buccaneers next Saturday with the Wolves away to the Perry Lakes Hawks this coming Friday.

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 68 (Nelson 17, Thomas-Edwards 14, Salinas 9)

JOONDALUP WOLVES 93 (Turnage 20, Wiley 18, Jurlina 17)