West Recap | Round 18 Friday

Image credit: @hyperfocusimages | Michael Bailey

Cockburn Cougars became the first NBL1 West women's team in 25 years to complete an undefeated regular season while second and eighth position in the men will now be determined on Saturday with East Perth Eagles hosting Geraldton Buccaneers.

WINNING DESIRE BEHIND CHERRY'S INFECTIOUS ENERGY

MANDURAH ALWAYS COMES FIRST FOR RETIRING HALLEEN

WEST RECAP | ROUND 17 SATURDAY

WOMEN

Cockburn Cougars (118) defeated Warwick Senators (73)

The Cockburn Cougars have completed the perfect regular season with another emphatic performance beating the second placed Warwick Senators 118-73 to improve to 20-0.

What was at stake for the Cougars was to become the first women's team in 25 years to go through an SBL/NBL1 West season undefeated as they played host to the wounded and shorthanded Senators at Wally Hagan Stadium.

The Senators had done well to stay in second place coming into the contest but the continued absence of Chloe Forster, Robbi Ryan and Kiara Waite meant that taking it up to the rampant Cougars was going to be quite the challenge.

If that wasn’t bad enough, there was also no Kyana Weir and Emma Gandini for the Cougars so after having the deepest rotation of guards in the league with Forster, Ryan, Weir, Gandini and Stacey Barr – only two-time MVP Barr was playing on Friday night.

Cockburn weren’t interested in any mercy and started off with 30 points to 18 in the first quarter to set the tone for the rest of evening even though Warwick did well to limit the damage in the second quarter.

The Cougars went into the half-time break leading 54-40 before the home team delivered 35 points to 15 in the third period to blow the game apart with 13/18 field goal shooting to 6/19 from the Senators.

That saw Cockburn's lead blow out to 38 points when they went on a 17-0 scoring run in that third quarter before the advantage got to 51 in fourth, and ended up at 45 by the final buzzer.

The victory sees Cockburn finish the regular season with a 20-0 record to join the Perry Lakes Hawks team of 2000 and the Willetton Tigers of 1999 who went through women's SBL seasons undefeated previously.

The Cougars will now play the Rockingham Flames in a qualifying final next weekend in a fascinating grand final rematch from 2024.

MVP fancy Sarah Mortensen finished with another 22 points, nine rebounds, six steals and four assists in the win for Cockburn with fellow import Daniel Raber delivering 18 points, 11 boards, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.

Ruby Porter also had 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, Jewel Williams 17 points, four steals, three assists and three boards, Steph Gorman 15 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Jessie Edwards 13 points, five boards, five assists, four blocks and two steals.

Warwick remain in second position despite the the heavy loss to finish with a 15-5 record ahead of hosting the Perth Redbacks in a qualifying final next weekend.

Stacey Barr finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and three assists for the Senators despite shooting 5/24 from the field.

Izzy Miotti was back on her old home floor and had 14 points and two rebounds with Keira Reilly contributing 11 points and four boards, Samara Grinceri 11 points and three assists, and Nat Burton eight points and seven rebounds.

COCKBURN COUGARS 118 (Mortensen 22, Porter 20, Raber 18)

WARWICK SENATORS 73 (Barr 15, Miotti 14, Reilly 11, Samara Grinceri 11)

Joondalup Wolves (70) defeated East Perth Eagles (67)

The East Perth Eagles missed a chance to finish the regular season higher than eighth spot with the Joondalup Wolves continuing their strong form to close the season with the 70-67 home victory.

Coming into the contest at Arena Joondalup and it was East Perth guaranteed of playing finals and Joondalup couldn't quite make it, but it was the Wolves in better recent form than the Eagles.

Despite last week's heartbreaking loss at the buzzer to Stacey Barr and the Warwick Senators, the Wolves came into their last game of 2025 having won four of the last five while East Perth arrived having lost three of the previous four.

The Eagles had the chance to still finish sixth or seventh with a win and depending on other results this round, and they did start well enough to lead 19-15 by quarter-time even while shooting 2/11 from downtown.

East Perth's shooting struggles continued in the second term with another 1/8 from deep and 4/18 overall with Joondalup outscoring them 17 to 11 as a result to go into the half-time break leading 32-30.

It was another 20 points to 18 from Joondalup in the third term as they hit 4/10 from deep with East Perth managing just 1/7, but the Eagles did draw back level to start the fourth term with scores to Sasha Goodlett and Madi Torresin.

The Wolfpack responded with an 8-2 record to be back out to a six-point lead which grew to seven with a Jhazmin Joson three ball, and from there they held out East Perth down the stretch for the eventual three-point win.

The win means the Wolves finish the season winning five of their last six games despite an 8-12 record overall with Joson finishing with 19 points and three assists with 5/11 three-point shooting.

Kurstyn Harden added 15 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three steals, Jorjah Smith 10 points, four boards, three assists and two steals, Stefanie Berberabe nine points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals, and Lesila Finau nine points, six steals, five boards and four assists.

The Eagles will now enter the finals from eighth position with a 10-10 record with their cause not helped by shooting 5/33 from three-point territory to go with 21 turnovers for the night.

Madi Torresin had her best scoring performance since May 17 by finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and two steals.

Sasha Goodlett also had 19 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, Awatea Leach 11 points, five boards, five assists and two steals, and Abby Cubillo four points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals.

JOONDALUP WOLVES 70 (Joson 19, Harden 15, Smith 10)

EAST PERTH EAGLES 67 (Torresin 24, Goodlett 19, Leach 11)

South West Slammers (76) defeated Willetton Tigers (65)

The South West Slammers have finished the season just how they started it by winning on their home floor with the 76-65 victory against the finals bound Willetton Tigers.

The Slammers broke their 52-game losing streak back in the season-opener against the Eastern Suns and while they had only one more win since then before Friday night, it had been a vastly improved campaign under new coach Mark Edman.

South West arrived at Eaton Recreation Centre with the chance to end the season on a high note on their home floor just as they started it.

The Tigers arrived guaranteed of playing finals but were missing key pair Zitina Aokuso and Desiree Kelley, and their absence proved too much to be able to cover.

Willetton did need to win to stay in fifth spot and guarantee a home final next weekend with the Tigers opening up an early 10-point lead, but the Slammers responded with a 12-0 run to lead 16-14 at quarter-time.

The Slammers then kept that momentum going and opened up a 13-point lead in the second period and went into the half-time break on top still 43-35.

They would never really be threatened too much throughout the second half opening up a 17-point lead and going on to score the 11-point victory to make it three wins on the season to take plenty of positives out of 2025.

Mykea Gray top-scored once more for the Slammers with 19 points, six steals, three assists and two rebounds with fellow import Cayla King producing 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals with 4/12 three-point shooting.

Sarah Cannell capped her inspiring return season with 13 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks with Courtney Bayliss contributing 12 points and three boards with 4/8 three-point shooting, and captain Zaya Black eight points, four assists and two rebounds.

Willetton will still play finals having finished the regular season with an 11-9 record but they will end up in seventh place should the Perry Lakes Hawks beat the Goldfields Giants on Saturday.

Sharn Hayward top-scored for the Tigers with 19 points and two assists with 5/13 shooting from downtown with Eva Langton adding 12 points, six assists and four rebounds, Ella Averill 10 points, eight boards and three assists, and Ajulu Thatha seven points, 17 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 76 (Gray 19, King 14, Cannell 13)

WILLETTON TIGERS 65 (Hayward 19, Langton 12, Averill 10)

Mandurah Magic (116) defeated Kalamunda Eastern Suns (72)

It was an emotional night of celebration to close the regular season at home for the Mandurah Magic and they produced a dominant showing to back that up beating the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 116-72.

The big win will mean that it won't be the last home game of 2025 for the Magic at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, but they didn’t know that going in and it was a big night as a result.

The 400-game milestone of retiring former captain Rachel Halleen was celebrated in front of the Mandurah faithful along with honouring the retirement of Bree Mullenax (nee Klasztorny) after her 265-game career as one of the league's all-time great warriors.

The Magic also had the chance to book in a home elimination final next week with a win too depending on other results so had plenty to play for against a Suns team just try to finish on a high and avoid the wooden spoon.

With the emotions running high in the building, Mandurah fed off that for a flying start with 34 points to 18 in the first quarter with 6/9 three-point shooting to open up an 18-point lead.

That advantage got out to 21 points in the second term but Kalamunda did end up outscoring Mandurah for the quarter even with the Magic still on top 60-46 by half-time.

It was then a complete dominant from the Magic throughout the second half with 29 points to nine in the third quarter, and 27 to 17 in the fourth to end up leading by 44 points and scoring the win by that margin.

The win sees Mandurah finish the regular season with an 11-9 record to be in fifth position now and they will remain there unless Perry Lakes beat Goldfields by 50-plus points on Saturday.

Claire Jacobs capped off her standout first regular season with the Magic with 28 points, four steals and three rebounds while Emma Klasztorny produced her best performance of the season on the night her older sister's retirement was celebrated with 25 points, seven rebound and three steals.

McKenna Dale also had 14 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds, Tina Stephens 12 points, seven boards, five steals and three assists, Grace Berg 10 points, six rebounds and two assists, and the legendary games record holder Casey Mihovilovich five points, six assists and five boards.

The season for the Eastern Suns finishes with a 3-17 record with Karly Murphy finishing with another 26 points, 11 rebounds and two assists.

Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant added 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Roxy Dagostino 14 points with 4/5 three-point shooting and Jemma Gartrell six points and two assists.

MANDURAH MAGIC 116 (Jacobs 28, Klasztorny 25, Dale 14)

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 72 (Murphy 26, McGhee-Pleasant 15, Dagostino 14)

Rockingham Flames (86) defeated Lakeside Lightning (48)

The defending champion Rockingham Flames will enter the playoffs on a seven-game winning streak setting up a fascinating match up with the Cockburn Cougars after beating the Lakeside Lightning 86-48.

The Flames took a while to get going in their title defence in 2025 with their first half of the season including a change in coach with two-time championship winner Ryan Petrik taking back over, and their big names becoming more available the longer the season went.

As a result, they had risen to fourth position and won five straight games ahead of hosting the out of contention Lightning at Mike Barnett Sports Complex on Friday night in the last game for both teams of the regular season.

The two teams also met last Friday night with the Flames winning by 20 points to guarantee themselves a fourth place finish no matter the result in the return encounter.

Lakeside were looking to end their season on a high and had a 10-0 run in the first quarter to end up leading 20-17 by quarter-time.

Rockingham took over in the second term with 19 points to seven on the back of shooting 8-16 from the field to the 2/19 from the Lightning for the Flames to lead 36-27 by half-time as a result.

Rockingham then continued to take control throughout the second half with another 21 points to 14 in the third quarter, and 29 to seven in the fourth to end up scoring the 38-point win.

The result means the Flames enter the finals with plenty of momentum having won six straight for a 13-7 record and clear in fourth spot to set up a grand final rematch in the qualifying final with the undefeated Cockburn Cougars.

Sydney Erikstrup finished with 23 points, five rebounds and two steals for the Flames with 4/11 three-point shooting while Marena Whittle contributed 18 points, 11 boards, seven assists and six steals.

Paris Duffield landed 3/5 from downtown for 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals while Jess Jakens contributed nine points, five boards, four assists, three steals and two blocks, and Alex Ciabattoni eight points, five assists, five steals and three rebounds.

Lakeside's season finishes with a 6-14 record and having lost their last four matches with reigning MVP Teige Morrell finishing her time at the Lighting ahead of joining the UC Capitals in the WNBL with 21 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.

Sam Lubcke added eight points and 13 rebounds, Molly Wilson six points, four boards, two assists and two steals, and Oceane Kounkou five points, four rebounds and three assists despite 1/12 shooting.

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 86 (Erikstrup 23, Whittle 18, Duffield 11)

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 48 (Morrell 21, Lubcke 8, Wilson 8)

MEN

Cockburn Cougars (80) lost to Warwick Senators (115)

The Warwick Senators won big with Elijah Pepper strengthening his MVP hopes with another 41 points but the 115-80 win over the Cockburn Cougars won't be enough for them to stay second unless Geraldton lose on Saturday.

The Senators have occupied a top two spot virtually all season long including coming into the last round, but no matter what they did on Friday night at Wally Hagan Stadium, their hopes of staying second lied elsewhere.

What Warwick need is for Geraldton to lose one of their two games in the last round which didn’t happen on Friday night against the Perth Redbacks with the Buccs now to take on the East Perth Eagles on Saturday.

Despite that, the Senators still put on an impressive showing against a Cougars team that has been finishing the season playing some impressive basketball.

Warwick had opened up a 32-23 led already by quarter-time thanks to knocking down 6/10 from behind the three-point arc before adding another 27 points to 18 in the second term.

That saw the Senators go into half-time leading 59-41 with 10/22 three-point shooting to the 4/14 from the Cougars.

It was then another 36 points to 16 in the third period in favour of Warwick 14 another 14/20 shooting from the field as the lead got out to as much as 38 points.

The more the Senators won by the more chance they had of lifting their percentage above that of Geraldton, but in the end even with a 35-point win, with the Buccs winning by 20 at the same time, Warwick couldn’t quite close that gap.

The Senators will still finish the regular season with an 18-4 record and will play the Buccs next week in a qualifying final it just now is to be determined if it's in Geraldton or at Warwick Stadium.

Elijah Pepper did his MVP hopes no harm with the 41 points, eight rebounds and eight assists with 16/23 shooting from the field and 5/10 from three-point range.

Todd Withers added 24 points and three rebounds on an efficient 9/12 shooting from the floor and 4/7 from downtown.

Cody Ellis added 10 points and two steals with Mitch Clarke contributing six points, nine assists, two rebounds and two assists, and Tyler Shand pulled down 12 boards including six at the offensive end.

The Cougars finish the season with a 6-16 record having won five of the last eight matches with Kortland Martin providing 25 points and four assists with 5/12 three-point shooting.

Nathan Pond added nine points, five rebounds and two assists, Terrandus Smith eight points, four boards, three assists and three steals, and Josh Hunt eight points, two rebounds and two assists.

COCKBURN COUGARS 80 (Martin 25, Pond 9, Smith 8, Hunt 8)

WARWICK SENATORS 115 (Pepper 41, Withers 24, Ellis 10)

Joondalup Wolves (86) defeated East Perth Eagles (79)

The Joondalup Wolves might have been locked into fifth spot no matter the result but they shook off a slow start to beat East Perth 86-79 with the two teams now destined to meet in an elimination final next week.

The Wolfpack were back home on Friday night at Arena Joondalup looking to enter another finals campaign which will be the last with coach David Morrell at the helm in winning form, but not being able to move from their fifth position.

Despite that, there was not let up in the determination from Joondalup to go into the finals in winning form with the Eagles sitting in eighth position but needing to win one of their two games this weekend against top five teams to guarantee that place.

To avoid the prospect of having to beat the on-fire Geraldton Buccaneers on Saturday, the Eagles could have locked in their finals spot by beating the Wolves.

Armed with that knowledge, the Eagles started well to open up an early eight-point lead but the Wolves had managed to lead 23-20 by quarter-time thanks to a couple of late three-point bombs from Damon Ballantyne.

Joondalup kept that momentum going to open up a 13-point lead in the second period and to go into half-time leading 45-37.

East Perth's season was potentially on the line coming into the second half and they did score nine straight points with Jonah Antonio the inspiration as the Eagles grabbed a three-point lead.

But still by three quarter-time the Wolves were clinging to the 59-57 advantage before the Wolfpack did enough through the fourth quarter to lead the entire way and secure the seven-point victory.

It doesn’t do anything in terms of a finishing position for the Wolfpack as they stay fifth with a 14-8 record and now will either host the Eagles or Eastern Suns in an elimination final next weekend.

CJ Turnage finished with 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the win for Joondalup with Caleb Davis adding 18 points, 12 boards, four assists and two steals.

Damon Ballantyne also had 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals on 3/3 three-point shooting with Gabe Chadinha scoring 10 points in his 100th game, and Joey Baker had eight points, six rebounds and four assists.

With the loss, East Perth are now 9-12 on the season and they still should play finals provided Kalamunda lose to Mandurah to stay in eighth position and to lock in their finals place for a second straight year.

Jonah Antonio top-scored for East Perth with 24 points and seven rebounds with Max Rice contributing 16 points and five boards with 5/11 three-point shooting.

Chier Maker added 14 points and five rebounds, Sharif Watson nine points and seven boards, and Lee Roberts seven points, 14 rebounds, six assists and five steals.

JOONDALUP WOLVES 86 (Turnage 26, Davis 18, Ballantyne 11)

EAST PERTH EAGLES 79 (Antonio 24, Rice 16, Maker 14)

Perth Redbacks (85) lost to Geraldton Buccaneers (105)

The Geraldton Buccaneers remain the hottest team in the NBL1 West and now just need to win one more game to lock in second spot and earn a home final next week after beating the Perth Redbacks 105-85.

The Buccs arrived at Belmont Oasis on Friday night to take on the out of contention Redbacks just needing to keep winning and they would end the regular season in second spot.

They came into the game on a nine-game winning run while scoring more than 100 points in each of those so it was always going to be a big task for the Redbacks even with the motivation of trying to send off coach Charles Nix on a winning note.

Geraldton kept their hot form going from the outset with 30 points to 24 in the first quarter on the back of going on a 17-0 run and opening up a lead as big as 12 points.

That lead then got out to 18 in the second term for the Buccs and they went into half-time on top 57-39 thanks to shooting 22/37 from the field opposed to the 13/35 from the Redbacks.

Geraldton then scored the first 15 points of the second half on the back of the last 10 of the first so that 25-0 run saw the lead balloon to 33 points, and from there the Buccs scored the 20-point win to make it 10 straight.

In that run of 10 wins, the winning margin has been 26 points with them averaging scoring 113 points in those which is why they have the best percentage in the league and will finish second with a win over East Perth on Saturday to earn a home qualifying final next week.

Liam Hunt produced 23 points, eight rebounds and two assists on 10/14 shooting in the win for the Buccaneers with Johny Narkle adding 17 points, 10 boards, four assists and two blocked shots.

Ryan Blanchett also had 15 points, four rebounds and two assists, Verle Williams 15 points and eight assists, Akeem Springs 11 points, five boards, five assists and three steals, and Nik DeSantis 11 points and four assists.

The Redbacks' season ends with a 6-16 record having lost eight of their last nine as they now begin the hunt for a new coach with Charles Nix announcing he was stepping down after three years in charge.

Joe Cook-Green finished with 24 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals for Perth with Michael Riley adding 19 points with 5/10 three-point shooting.

Captain Jacob Formosa also had nine points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists, Connor Mincherton eight points, five assists and three boards, and Emmanuel Kanwei seven points and five rebounds.

PERTH REDBACKS 85 (Cook-Green 24, Riley 19, Formosa 9)

GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 105 (Hunt 23, Narkle 17, Blanchett 15, Williams 15)

South West Slammers (92) lost to Willetton Tigers (109)

Explosive pair Taeshon Cherry and Tana Kopa combined for 39 points as the Willetton Tigers survived 36 points and 11 rebounds from Jamal Poplar to enter the finals winning form after beating the South West Slammers 109-92.

Barring a double loss slip up from the Geraldton Buccaneers and the Tigers were locked into fourth position going into the finals no matter how they performed against the Slammers on Friday night at Eaton Recreation Centre.

However, Willetton did want to enter another finals campaign that is set to start in Rockingham against the Flames in winning form up against a Slammers team hunting a second win only of 2025.

Despite leading by as much as nine points in the first quarter, Willetton was only up by four at quarter-time before again pushing out to a 14-point advantage during the second frame.

Willetton were still leading 54-41 from there at half-time before the Tigers remained on top throughout the second half with the lead getting out to 16 points in the third period, and 22 in the fourth on the way to the 17-point victory.

Willetton finished the game shooting 54 per cent from the field with 16/34 from behind the three-point line along with pulling down 20 offensive rebounds while the Slammers shot 50 per cent overall with 11/34 from downtown.

The Tigers finish the regular season with a 16-6 record and now will play Rockingham on the road in a qualifying final next weekend.

Taeshon Cherry top-scored in the win for Willetton with 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists with Tana Kopa knocking down another 5/9 from three-point range for 18 points.

Aaron Gashaw added 13 points and five rebounds, Tom Musumeci 12 points, six boards and two assists, and Damien Scott 12 points, six assists and five rebounds in game No. 373.

The Slammers finish their season at 1-21 to be five games clear in bottom spot with Jamal Poplar finishing his terrific individual season with 36 points, 11 rebounds and two assists on 15/22 shooting.

Cory Richardson added 17 points, Devan Craig 11 points, six rebounds and three assists, and the retiring Clive Weeden eight points with 4/7 shooting in his 194th appearance for the Slammers.

SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 92 (Poplar 36, Richardson 17, Craig 11)

WILLETTON TIGERS 109 (Cherry 21, Kopa 18, Gashaw 13)

Mandurah Magic (118) defeated Kalamunda Eastern Suns (99)

The defending champion Mandurah Magic have made sure of their finals place with Lachlan Bertram, Sammie Freeman and Jermaine Malie combining for 84 points in the 118-99 win over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.

The Magic have done a strong job to even stay in finals contention since the loss for the season of key pair Julian Pesava and Jahcoree Ealy, and the combined 38.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 10.7 assists that duo had been averaging.

They were back home at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre on Friday night needing to beat the Eastern Suns to book in a finals spot, but Kalamunda's season was also on the line.

A win for the Suns combined with a loss by East Perth to Joondalup at the same time and Kalamunda would be back inside the top eight and they would likely stay there by the end of the regular season.

However, Mandurah weren’t in a giving mode and could still miss out on reaching the playoffs themselves without a win.

The Magic had opened up a 25-19 lead already by quarter-time before then outscoring the Eastern Suns 36 to 28 in the second term to head into half-time on top 61-47 thanks to shooting 21/39 from the field to 18/38, and 11/14 at the foul line to 4/6.

Mandurah maintained their advantage throughout the second half with the lead even getting out to 24 points in the last quarter before they secured the 19-point victory.

The Magic end their regular season as defending champions with an 11-11 record to be locked into seventh position unless the Goldfields Giants have a disaster on Saturday against Perry Lakes and lose by 100 points.

Lachlan Bertram starred in last year's Mandurah championship and has taken the next great leap in 2025 and had another 34 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds with 5/10 three-point shooting.

Sammie Freeman added 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks and three steals with Jermaine Malie producing 25 points, five assists and four rebounds against his former team.

Hamish Warden also stepped up with nine points, eight rebounds and two assists while championship captain Chad Miegel had 10 points, three boards and three assists.

The Eastern Suns can still make the playoffs despite a 9-13 record and having lost five straight. All they need is East Perth to lose to the red hot Geraldton Buccaneers on Saturday and the Suns will be back into eighth and then take on the Joondalup Wolves in an elimination final.

Marshall Nelson provided the Eastern Suns with 30 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals with 4/10 three-point shooting.

Travis Fee added 24 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, Lewis Thomas 15 points, 11 boards and three assists, Marley Sam 10 points, and Randy Bell 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

MANDURAH MAGIC 118 (Bertram 34, Freeman 25, Malie 25)

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 99 (Nelson 30, Fee 24, Thomas 15)

Rockingham Flames (101) defeated Lakeside Lightning (79)

The Rockingham Flames guaranteed top spot and Isaac White strengthened his MVP claims with the 101-79 home win over the Lakeside Lightning.

The Flames were back home at Mike Barnett Sports Complex hosting the Lightning for their return encounter from last Friday night's thriller where Rockingham came back from the dead to score the three-point victory.

What that did was keep Rockingham in top spot but needing to still win on Friday night to stay there with both the Warwick Senators and Geraldton Buccaneers hot on their heels.

What it also did was all but end the hopes of breaking into the top eight of Lakeside unless a whole host of things went right with the Lightning needing to beat the Flames, and for Kalamunda to lose to Mandurah, and East Perth to lose both its games to Joondalup and Geraldton.

The Lightning did open up an early seven-point lead but by quarter-time it was the Flames who were leading 24-22 with 5/10 three-point shooting.

Rockingham added another 28 points to 21 in the second frame to be leading 52-43 by half-time and then the Flames blew the game open with 31 points to 17 in the third term.

That saw Rockingham's lead get out to as much as 26 points in the second half before they secured the 22-point victory to guarantee top spot and the regular season championship.

The Flames end the season with a 19-3 record to set up a qualifying final with last year's grand finalists Willetton next weekend.

Isaac White will have to go mighty close to being MVP with the soon-to-be Adelaide 36ers NBL having played every game for Rockingham and finishing with another 24 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Captain Justin Beard added 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists with 5/12 three-point shooting, Jervon Pressley 16 points and nine rebounds, and Ryan Godfrey 10 points, six assists and four rebounds in game No. 349.

Emmanuel Dech also had nine points, five rebounds and three assists, Travis Durnin eight points and four boards, and Laquinton Ross eight points and eight rebounds.

Lakeside's season now ends with an 8-14 record following the back-to-back defeats at the hands of Rockingham with Rowan Mackenzie putting up another 28 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Isaiah Lewis also had 27 points and five rebounds with Josh Davey contributing five points, 12 boards, six assists and two steals but losing AJ Wilson in the opening two minutes cruelled Lakeside's prospects.

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 101 (White 24, Pressley 16, Beard 16)

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 79 (Mackenzie 28, Lewis 27, Patterson 5, Davey 5)