West Recap | Round 13 Friday

Image credit: Tiarna | @tiarnarosephoto

Last year's women's grand finalists Cockburn Cougars and Rockingham Flames had emphatic NBL1 West wins while Joondalup Wolves men signalled their intentions, and Perry Lakes Hawks women and East Perth Eagles men had thumping Friday victories.

WEEDEN GIVING SLAMMERS HIS ALL ONE LAST TIME

WEST RECAP | ROUND 12 SATURDAY

WOMEN

East Perth Eagles (58) lost to Perry Lakes Hawks (104)

The Perry Lakes Hawks sent a message of just how lethal they are now with a full roster together with the 104-58 thumping of the East Perth Eagles to consolidate their playoff position.

It was fifth against sixth at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre with East Perth attempting to stay in touch with the top four by bouncing back from a loss to the Cockburn Cougars while the Hawks were fresh off two wins by a combined 66 points against the Joondalup Wolves.

East Perth was also without Sydney Flames WNBL star Emma Clarke as she continues to juggle her return from a knee injury but the Hawks were at full power and looking to produce a statement performance.

The Hawks did race out to an early 11-point lead after going on a 12-0 scoring run but the Eagles answered with eight straight points themselves and by quarter-time the scores were all level at 23-23.

It was then leading into half-time when Perry Lakes began to take control to end up putting up 31 points in the second term to end up leading 54-41 by the half-time break on the back of shooting 22/43 from the floor opposed to East Perth's 14/35.

Perry Lakes then started the second half on fire to complete the 16-0 scoring run and then eventually in the third quarter the Hawks would lead by 32 points.

East Perth then managed only four points on 1/14 shooting in the entire fourth quarter after coach Tim Symons did clear his bench with an eye to bouncing back in a crucial clash with Lakeside on Saturday.

The Hawks put up another 27 points in that last quarter while knocking down 5/7 from downtown to end up scoring the 46-point victory to improve to a 7-6 record with three straight wins by a combined 112 points.

Alex Fowler delivered 23 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals for Perry Lakes on 8/12 field goal shooting with Amy Jacobs also providing 24 points, six boards, six steals and three assists with 6/12 shooting from behind the three-point line.

Jayda Clark also had 14 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, Megan McKay 14 points, seven boards, two steals and two blocks, Maddy Dennis seven points and seven rebounds, and Grace Stone four points, eight assists, six boards, three blocks and two steals.

The Eagles slip to an 8-6 record to remain fifth but only just having lost four of their past five matches with Sasha Goodlett finishing with 25 points, 12 rebounds and two assists on 8/15 field goal shooting.

Abby Cubillo added 12 points, five rebounds and two assists, Awatea Leach 10 points, four assists and two boards, and Madi Torresin nine points and three assists.

EAST PERTH EAGLES 58 (Goodlett 25, Cubillo 12, Leach 10)

PERRY LAKES HAWKS 104 (Jacobs 24, Fowler 23, McKay 14, Clark 14)

Joondalup Wolves (65) lost to Rockingham Flames (88)

Alex Ciabattoni, Alex Sharp and Jess Jakens were the three best performers in last year's NBL1 West grand final and they all combined to lead the Rockingham Flames to the 88-65 road win over the Joondalup Wolves.

Should the Cockburn Cougars have won that grand final last year, it's hard to imagine anyone but Ciabattoni would have been MVP while in the end it was Sharp who got that award after Rockingham's win while Jakens was the Flames' leading scorer.

They were all on deck in the starting five for Rockingham at Arena Joondalup on Friday night even with the Flames still without Marena Whittle and Georgia Pineau, and they produced a strongly showing against a Wolfpack team coming off a pair of heavy losses to the Perry Lakes Hawks.

Joondalup did make a strong start with a 10-0 run in the first quarter and to lead by as much as nine points, and to still be leading 21-16 by quarter-time.

However, Rockingham were able to turn things around in the second frame with 32 points to 21 including shooting 12/20 from the field and 4/7 from downtown.

That saw the Flames turn that five-point deficit into the 48-42 lead by the half-time interval.

Rockingham did see that lead get out to 15 points in the third quarter and the defending champions then provided 21 points to seven in the last term on the way to the eventual 23-point victory.

The victory is crucial in the context of the season for the Flames as well improving them to a 7-6 record to stay solid in the top eight ahead of a salivating match up with the second placed Warwick Senators on Saturday night.

Alex Ciabattoni top-scored for Rockingham with 24 points, five assists and four rebounds with 11/22 field goal shooting while Alex Sharp delivered 19 points, 11 boards, five assists and three steals.

Jess Jakens also put up 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, Sydney Erikstrup nine points, five boards, three assists and two blocks, and Shani Amos three points and eight assists in what could very well be her last game against her past club she was captain of and won a championship with.

Joondalup have now lost their past three games by a combined 89 points to be 3-11 on the season with Maddie Sutton finishing with 14 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.

Kurstyn Harden added 11 points and four rebounds, Jorjah Smith 109 points, four assists and two boards, Lesila Finau eight points, five assists, four rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots, and Stefanie Berberabe six points, four assists and four steals.

JOONDALUP WOLVES 65 (Sutton 14, Harden 11, Smith 10)

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 88 (Ciabbatoni 24, Sharp 19, Jakens 14)

Cockburn Cougars (111) defeated Lakeside Lightning (32)

The Cockburn Cougars flexed their muscles to another level on Friday night at home destroying the Lakeside Lightning with the 111-32 hammering.

The Cougars were back home at Wally Hagan Stadium fresh off beating the fifth placed East Perth there by 35 points last Saturday as they played host to a Lakeside team trying to stay in touch with the top eight and avoid a fourth consecutive defeat.

It was a Lakeside team featuring the reigning MVP, the 2021 grand final MVP, two import guards and then another with WNBL experience, but they quite simply were no match for what the Cougars produced on their home floor.

Cockburn wasted no time taking control of the match up by scoring 15 straight points in the first quarter to be leading 27-7 already by quarter-time.

It was then another 31 points to 11 in the second quarter which saw the home team head into the locker room for half-time leading 58-18.

By half-time, the Cougars were shooting 20/37 from the field with 12/20 from three while the Lightning were going 8/37 overall and 2/15 from downtown.

Cockburn produced another 26 points to 10 in the third quarter to lead by 56, and then 27 to four in the fourth to end up going on an 18-0 run and opening up an 81-point lead before settling on the final 79-point winning margin.

The Cougars ended up shooting 55 per cent from the field with 18/32 from three-point range and 13/20 at the foul line opposed to 21 per cent from the Lightning who also went 2/25 from downtown and only 4/6 at the charity stripe.

Cockburn also forced Lakeside into 33 turnovers from which they scored 19 points as they improved to a perfect 15-0 record on the season on the back of playing in the previous two grand finals.

Sarah Mortensen top-scored for the Cougars with 26 points, eight rebounds, six steals and four assists with 4/6 three-point shooting while Ruby Porter contributed 26 points, five boards, four steals and two assists with 5/6 shooting from downtown.

Jewel Williams finished with 17 points, four assists and three rebounds, Daniel Raber 12 points, 10 boards and eight assists, and Steph Gorman 10 points, six assists, five steals, three rebounds and two blocked shots.

The Lightning are now 5-9 having lost four straight and while Teige Morrell put up 16 points and 11 rebounds, the reigning MVP received precious little help.

The rest of the Lakeside team only scored a total of 16 points with 7/50 shooting with the struggles of imports Kennedi Williams (five points, 2/11) and Oceane Kounkou (zero points, 0/12) especially problematic ahead of them hosting the fifth placed East Perth Eagles on Saturday.

COCKBURN COUGARS 111 (Mortensen 26, Porter 24, Williams 17)

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 32 (Morrell 16, Williams 5, Hall 4, Lubcke 4)

MEN

East Perth Eagles (101) defeated Perry Lakes Hawks (77)

The East Perth Eagles produced a second straight dominant showing at home on Friday night with the 101-77 victory against the Perry Lakes Hawks.

It always loomed as a crucial game at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre for both teams as they attempted to try and break into the top eight with both coming into the match up with 6-8 records.

The Eagles did beat the Perth Redbacks also on their home floor by 28 points last Friday night but then couldn’t back it up with a 15-point loss while conceding 122 points on Saturday to the Cockburn Cougars.

Perry Lakes, meanwhile, were coming off losing their past three matches and did need a bounce back win to avoid falling further from top eight contention.

It was Perry Lakes who got the better of the start racing out to an early 10-point lead thanks to a 9-0 scoring run, but the Eagles soon hit back with 12 straight points themselves including three-pointers to Max Rice and Nick Filpo.

That saw the Eagles lead 28-22 having early being down 10 and they went on with the job in the second term even while only shooting 1/6 from three-point range.

East Perth still outscored Perry Lakes 25 points to 21 in the second term to go into half-time leading 53-43 having got up nine extra shot attempts.

It was another 27 points to 17 in the third frame from the Eagles thanks to going 5/9 from three-point range to open up a 26-point advantage.

That lead got out to 28 points in the last quarter too for East Perth before securing the 24-point win thanks to shooting 55 per cent from the field with 11/27 from downtown opposed to the 40 per cent from the Hawks who went 10/28 from deep.

The win improves the Eagles to a 7-8 record to close in on a top eight spot and they did it without back court pair Jonah Antonio and Matthew Lang.

East Perth will now be hoping the second half of the double-header doesn’t follow suit from last week too when they hit the road to play the Lakeside Lightning on Saturday.

Chier Maker top-scored for the Eagles with 21 points, four assists and three rebounds on 9/13 field goal shooting along with 3/6 from behind the three-point arc.

Lee Roberts also had 20 points, four rebounds and three assists on 10/12 shooting while Max Rice contributed 20 points, nine boards and five assists, Nick Filpo 14 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Sharif Watson 13 points, seven boards and two assists.

The Hawks have now lost four in-a-row to be 6-9 after their only appearance of the weekend with Matt Leary finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Luke Phillips added 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, Jaden Stanley-Williams 11 points and five boards, and Seva Chan 10 points and six assists in the 299th game of his career between Cockburn, Lakeside and now Perry Lakes.

Nick Floyd was the shining light on a tough night for the Hawks, though, with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals on 6/10 field goal shooting.

EAST PERTH EAGLES 101 (Maker 21, Roberts 20, Rice 20)

PERRY LAKES HAWKS 77 (Floyd 16, Leary 13, L Phillips 13)

Joondalup Wolves (105) defeated Rockingham Flames (92)

The Joondalup Wolves proved they are still a force to be reckoned with this NBL1 West season despite the loss of Ethan Elliott to college by knocking off the league-leading Rockingham Flames 105-92.

Coming into the match up on Friday night at Arena Joondalup and the Wolfpack were still figuring things out since starting point guard Elliott went out of their line-up and ahead of him departing to attend Northern Kentucky University.

They had still managed to win both games without him against the Perry Lakes Hawks, but taking on the league-leading Flames who arrived on an 11-game winning streak was going to be a whole different story.

It was an impressive start from Joondalup as they went on a 14-0 run in the first quarter to open up a 12-point lead before still being on top of the Flames 33-25 by quarter-time thanks to shooting 14/23 from the field.

It was then a spectacular second quarter from both teams but Joondalup managed to maintain their advantage and a three-pointer from Adili Kuerban on half-time ensured the home team were still leading 60-55 by the break.

The Wolfpack were then still holding a double-figure lead for a lot of the third quarter but then Rockingham produced a big finish to the term including a buzzer-beating three ball from Tevin Jackson to make it just a two-point ball game going into the fourth.

Isaac White then brought Rockingham level when he scored to open that last quarter too, but it was a night where Joondalup would continue to have all the answers including back-to-back three balls from Kuerban in response to that bucket from White.

Ben Geel, Joey Baker and CJ Turnage also knocked down three-pointers to restore Joondalup to control in the contest and Rockingham managed just the 12 fourth quarter points as the Wolves held them to a lowest score of the season.

Joondalup confirmed the 13-point victory to improve to an 11-5 record with CJ Turnage delivering 29 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, five steals and two blocked shots on 13/22 field goal shooting.

Joey Baker also knocked down 4/9 from behind the arc for 29 points and five rebounds with Caleb Davis contributing 20 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Adili Kuerban 11 points and three boards on 3/6 shooting from long-range.

Rockingham's 11-game winning streak comes to an end with them now 13-2 on the season and backing up in a battle over top spot at home to the Warwick Senators on Saturday night.

Isaac White still produced another 36 points and three assists for the Flames on 4/7 three-point shooting to go with 10/10 at the foul line.

Emmett Naar added 17 points and nine assists, Laquinton Ross 11 points and six rebounds, Tevin Jackson 10 points, six boards and two assists, and Jervon Pressley nine points and eight rebounds.

JOONDALUP WOLVES 105 (Turnage 29, Baker 29, Davis 20)

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 92 (White 36, Naar 17, Ross 11)

Cockburn Cougars (106) defeated Lakeside Lightning (91)

Cockburn Cougars imports Kortland Martin and Terrandus Smith combined for 70 points and 10 three-pointers to lead them to consecutive wins for the first time in 2025 with the 106-91 win over the Lakeside Lightning.

Cockburn were coming off the ultimate mixed weekend where they became the first team to lose to the South West Slammers this season last Friday night before putting up 122 points to beat the finals contending East Perth Eagles the next night.

Lakeside had been playing better of late including wins against Mandurah and then the first meeting with Cockburn, and then a strong showing against the third ranked Willetton Tigers last Friday night.

Then with both teams out of playoff contention having combined for 6-23 records so far in 2025, it was going to be an intriguing contest just in terms of which team would find a way to show something encouraging.

It was a hot start from the Cougars with imports Kortland Martin and Terrandus Smith on fire, and they were already leading 31-18 by the end of the first quarter.

Cockburn turned that into a 16-point lead in the second term and that got out to as much as 19 in the second half before they secured the eventual 15-poiunt victory.

It's consecutive wins for the first time this season for the Cougars as they improve to a 3-13 record with Kortland Martin producing 40 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals with 7/10 three-point shooting.

Fellow import Terrandus Smith provided 30 points, five rebounds and five assists with 3/5 long-range shooting while big man Nathan Pond contributed 18 points and 15 rebounds on 7/9 field goal shooting.

Lakeside are now 4-11 ahead of hosting the East Perth Eagles on Saturday night with Corey Shervill top-scoring with 27 points and five rebounds with 4/11 shooting from beyond the arc.

Isaiah Lewis added 25 points and five assists, Liam Patterson 10 points, five assists and four rebounds, and AJ Wilson 10 points, seven boards and three blocked shots.

COCKBURN COUGARS 106 (Martin 40, Smith 30, Pond 18)

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 91 (Shervill 27, Lewis 25, Patterson 10, Wilson 10)