West Recap | Round 8 Saturday

Image credit: Deacon Matthews | @deacs.jpg

Rockingham Flames celebrated Shani Amos and Travis Durnin milestones in style while Geraldton Buccaneers ended winning run of Warwick Senators and Lachlan Bertram had a stunning game winning steal and layup for Mandurah Magic.

WEST RECAP | ROUND 8 FRIDAY

CUBILLO EMBRACING NEW CHALLENGE OUT WEST WITH EAGLES

FAMILY COMES FIRST AS DURNIN REACHES 200

AMOS THANKFUL TO BASKETBALL AHEAD OF GAME 300

NEW CHALLENGES AT GIANTS DRIVES GILDAY

WOMEN

Perth Redbacks (111) defeated Willetton Tigers (88)

The Perth Redbacks continue to loom ominously when they have all their guns available backing up a win on Friday by winning big 111-88 at home to the Willetton Tigers and Zitina Aokuso.

Willetton did welcome back Aokuso to their line-up with them able to win their last two games without her as they took on the Redbacks at Belmont Oasis on Saturday.

The Redbacks were fresh off beating the Joondalup Wolves by 19 points on Friday night and brought all that momentum with them to their home floor where they opened up a 15-point lead in the first quarter.

Perth were still leading 28-20 by quarter-time but the Tigers stayed in touch by getting to the foul line 12 times in the second quarter to limit the Redbacks lead to 51-45 by half-time.

The Redbacks were then able to blow the game apart in the third quarter by hitting 6/9 from three-point range to outscore the Tigers 29 points to 13 and open up a 25-point lead.

That lead got out to 26 points in the final quarter too before they scored the 23-point victory to improve to a 7-3 record on the season after the pair of wins this weekend.

It was Georgia Denehey's turn to deliver a monster performance for the Redbacks as she thrives on the captaincy and increased point guard role in the absence of regular captain Raya Thompson.

She finished with 32 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists on 9/13 three-point shooting.

Anneli Maley delivered another 23 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals, Natalie Chou 19 points, five boards, four steals and three assists, Alaska Rhebok 16 points and four rebounds, and Patty Brossmann seven points, four assists and three boards.

Willetton are now 6-3 following the defeat despite Ajulu Thatha delivering 28 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals on 10/15 shooting.

Zitina Aokuso also returned to the line-up for 24 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals with Eva Langton adding 13 points, three boards, two steals and two blocks, and Ashlin Ramsay 13 points.

PERTH REDBACKS 111 (Denehey 32, Maley 23, Chou 19)

WILLETTON TIGERS 88 (Thatha 28, Aokuso 24, Langton 13, Ramsay 13)

Mandurah Magic (83) lost to Cockburn Cougars (91)

The Mandurah Magic kept on fighting but ultimately the undefeated Cockburn Cougars had too much firepower with Steph Gorman, Sarah Mortensen and Daniel Raber combining for 68 points I the 91-83 win.

The Cougars arrived at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre putting their perfect record on the line this season and welcoming X-game championship winning centre Jessie Edwards for the first time in 2025.

The Magic came into the contest looking for a statement win on their home floor but it was Cockburn that got on top to be leading 26-17 by the end of the first quarter.

The Cougars added another 24 points to 18 in the second period and their lead got out to as much as 19 points, and was 50-35 by the half-time break.

That lead grew to 21 points in the third quarter for Cockburn as well and then the Cougars were still leading by in the fourth before the Magic ended up outscoring them 26-21 in the final term.

Cockburn still held on for the eight-point victory to improve to t a 9-0 record on the season with the big guns all firing starting with Perth Lynx WNBL guard Steph Gorman with 27 points, three rebounds and three steals on 6/8 three-point shooting.

Sarah Mortensen added 21 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, Daniel Raber 20 points, 18 boards, four assists and four steals, and Ruby Porter 11 points on 4/5 shooting.

Mandurah are now 5-5 after the opening eight rounds of the season with Claire Jacobs top-scoring once more with 15 points and three rebounds.

McKenna Dale added 13 points, six assists and five rebounds, Tiana Palmer 13 points, six boards and four assists, and Casey Mihovilovich 13 points, six rebound, five steals and four assists, Grace Berg 11 points and five rebounds, and Jade Gowland 10 points on 4/6 shooting.

MANDURAH MAGIC 83 (Jacobs 15, Mihovilovich 13, Dale 13, Palmer 13)

COCKBURN COUGARS 91 (Gorman 27, Mortensen 21, Raber 20)

Rockingham Flames (114) defeated Joondalup Wolves (94)

Both teams now have their troops on board to try and start building momentum after slow starts to 2025 and Marena Whittle and Alex Sharp combined for 57 points as the Rockingham Flames celebrated captain Shani Amos' 300th game beating the Joondalup Wolves 114-94.

Coming off last year's championship, it's been a horror start to the championship defence of the Flames largely just because of the lack of availability of their big name players.

There's also been some coaching drama with Marcus Wong departing after that championship replaced by Lukas Carey, but after last Friday's win over the South West Slammers he met with a similar fate.

Luckily Rockingham has the best possible readymade replacement in the form of their men's coach Ryan Petrik who doubles as a two-time WNBL Coach of the Year with the Flames also having Whitte, Sharp, Sydney Erikstrup and Alex Ciabattoni all together for the first time in 2025.

However, the Flames had won just two of seven games coming into the round while the Wolves were in a similar position at 2-6 before losing to the Perth Redbacks at home on Friday night.

Like Rockingham, Joondalup has their key players now on deck, though, with imports Maddie Sutton and Kurstyn Harden now playing alongside the likes of Stefanie Berberabe, Jhazmin Joson and Lesila Finau.

That set the stage for a fascinating Saturday night match up only helped with the 300-game milestone of Amos who has been a captain and championship winning both with the Flames and Wolfpack.

She has been with Rockingham since the start of 2024 and her Flames team finished the opening quarter strongly with an 8-0 run to lead 29-21 by quarter-time.

It was another 24 points to 21 from the Flames in the second quarter with the lead growing to as much as 13 points and they were leading 53-42 by half-time.

That lead only continued to grow throughout the second half with Rockingham's lead getting out to 19 in the third quarter and 23 in the fourth before winning by 20 showing just what this full strength team is capable of still in 2025.

Marena Whittle was playing her second game of the season with Rockingham and delivered 31 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 12/19 shooting from the field and 5/8 from three-point range.

Championship captain and MVP Alex Sharp returned and produced 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as well with Sydney Erikstrup delivering 21 points on 4/6 three-point shooting.

Alex Ciabattoni added 15 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals with Shani Amos celebrating her 300th game with two points, four assists and two rebounds in her 21 minutes.

Joondalup are now 2-8 on the season following their double loss weekend with Kurstyn Harden finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in just her second game upon arriving this week.

Stefanie Berberabe top-scored with 27 points and three assists with Maddie Sutton adding 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and another new arrival Lesila Finau 13 points and five assists.

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 114 (Whittle 31, Sharp 26, Erikstrup 21)

JOONDALUP WOLVES 94 (Berberabe 27, Harden 18, Sutton 17)

Goldfields Giants (69) lost to Lakeside Lightning (78)

A monster performance from MVP Teige Morrell with 34 points and 14 rebounds lifted the Lakeside Lightning to the 78-69 win over the Goldfields Giants.

The Giants were back home on their sparkling new venue at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium and welcomed back star import guard Nici Gilday from suspension to host the Lightning.

Lakeside arrived clinging to a place in the top eight but having lost their past couple and then also being without former Grand Final MVP Sam Lubcke for the road trip to Kalgoorlie.

The Lightning made the fast start away from home on 11/20 shooting in the first quarter while holding the Giants to 6/19 on the way to leading 25-15 by quarter-time.

That lead grew to 17 points as well in the second term for Lakeside and still by half-time they were in control leading 47-38.

The Lightning, though, managed just seven points in the third frame while shooting just 3/14 while the Giants managed 16 points themselves.

Goldfields kept that momentum going into the fourth quarter and opened up a five-point lead, but the game underwent another transformation and the Lightning took back control and ended up going on a 13-0 scoring run to set up their eventual nine-point win.

The victory consolidates the Lightning inside the top eight with a 5-5 record with Teige Morrell the major difference between the two teams with the MVP delivering 34 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals on 14/22 shooting.

Sarah Allen stepped up for 19 points, four rebounds and four assists while Oceane Kounkou contributed nine points, eight boards and two steals, and Kennedi Williams six points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.

The Giants have now lost their past four matches to sit at 2-7 on the season with Nici Gilday returning after missing both games of last week's road trip and producing 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Fellow import Erin Antosh produced 18 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks with Hazelle Yam contributing nine points and three rebounds, Kate Sidebottom seven points and seven boards, Josephine Odude six points and 11 rebounds, and Rachel Pettit six points, five boards and four assists.

GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 69 (Gilday 23, Antosh 18, Yam 9)

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 78 (Morrell 34, Allen 19, Kounkou 9)

Kalamunda Eastern Suns (82) defeated Perry Lakes Hawks (71)

Karly Murphy dominated and the Kalamunda Eastern Suns got on the board for their first win of the season beating the Perry Lakes Hawks 82-71 who were missing plenty of big name stars.

The Eastern Suns were back home at Ray Owen Sports Centre still looking for a breakthrough win in 2025 and with them regaining the powerful Murphy, and with the Hawks missing some stars, it did appear a genuine chance for them.

Perry Lakes came into the match up having lost the past two matches and still awaiting the arrival of superstar centre Megan McKay while Alex Fowler was on Australian Gangurrus 3x3 duties and another former WNBL guard Mia Satie remains sidelined.

That meant the chance was there for the Suns should they be good enough and after they were leading by a point at quarter-time, they pulled away in the second period with 24 points to 18 to go into the half-time break leading 41-34.

There were still some nervous times in the second half with Perry Lakes scoring 26 points in the third quarter, but Kalamunda responded with 17 points to 11 in the fourth term to end up securing the 11-point victory.

It snaps a nine-game losing run for the Eastern Suns dating back to the end of last year as they improve to 1-7 with Karly Murphy producing a dominant 35 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and five steals on 14/26 shooting from the floor and 6/6 at the foul line.

Last year's import Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant was also back for the first time in 2025 and produced 10 points and 11 rebounds with Olivia Berry contributing 16 points, four assists, three steals and two boards, and Emma Strelein 11 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Perry Lakes have now lost three straight to slip to a 3-4 record with Amy Jacobs battling hard for 24 points, eight rebounds four assists and three steals with 7/10 shooting at the foul line.

Jayda Clark added 23 points and eight rebounds on 11/18 shooting with Grace Stone contributing nine points, six boards, four assists and three steals, and captain Maddy Dennis five points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 82 (Murphy 35, Berry 16, Strelein 11)

PERRY LAKES HAWKS 71 (Jacobs 24, Clark 23, Stone 9)

MEN

Geraldton Buccaneers (100) defeated Warwick Senators (87)

There's no longer an undefeated team in the men's competition for 2025 with the Geraldton Buccaneers handing the Warwick Senators a first loss with the 107-87 with Johny Narkle, Josh Keyes and Verle Williams combining for 70 points.

The Buccs did suffer a surprise loss at Active West Stadium two weeks earlier against the East Perth Eagles and they don't loss too often at home and remained there last week to take it out on the Perry Lakes Hawks with the 28-point win.

They were then still on their home deck on Saturday night playing host to the undefeated Senators who had everyone on deck with coach Andrew Cooper returning from being there his daughter's college graduation, Elijah Pepper back for a second week from Boomers duties and Cody Ellis also playing a second game returning from a calf injury.

The Buccs are well aware of how the Senators feeling being on top as the targeted team having finished four games clear in top spot in 2025, and the stage was set for a tantalising match up.

The Senators got up 14 three-point attempts in the opening quarter and made five of them, but despite that it was the Buccaneers going into quarter-time leading 27-24.

The Buccs then completed a 16-0 scoring run in the second term to break the game wide open to push out to a 15-point lead and head into the half-time break leading 55-44 having potentially played their best half so far of 2025.

That lead got out to 22 points as well in the third quarter from Geraldton as they outscored Warwick 29 points to 24. The Senators kept on shooting but only managed to go 6/21 in the second half from downtown and as a result couldn't make any real inroads.

Elijah Pepper did hit a three-quarter court three-point prayer on the buzzer to end the third quarter, but that only brought the Senators back within 16 points.

The Buccs were able to complete the deal for the eventual 13-point victory to hand the Senators a first loss of the season while they improved to 6-3 themselves while holding Warwick to just the 87 points on 38 per cent shooting and to go 14/47 from three-point range.

Johny Narkle continues to show that he is one of the standout players on the country who wouldn’t be out of place getting an NBL opportunity finishing with 30 points, 11 rebounds and two steals with 5/11 three-point shooting.

He had plenty of help too with Joshua Keyes finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds, Verle Williams 20 points and eight assists, and Nik DeSantis 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

The league's leading scorer Elijah Pepper still had 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Warwick despite shooting just 9/29 from the floor and 3/15 deep while going 8/10 at the foul line.

Todd Withers added 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks, Mitch Clarke 16 points, seven assists and six boards, and Cooper Creek 10 points and six rebounds.

GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 100 (Narkle 30, Keyes 20, Williams 20)

WARWICK SENATORS 87 (Pepper 29, Clarke 16, Withers 14)

Perth Redbacks (76) lost to Willetton Tigers (84)

The veterans of the Willetton Tigers stood tall with Michael Vigor and Damien Scott instrumental in the hard fought 84-76 road win over the shorthanded Perth Redbacks.

The Redbacks were fresh off a tough night on Friday losing on the road to the Joondalup Wolves by 27 points in the absence of Joe Cook-Green, Lochlan Cummings, Callan McDonald, Jacob Formosa and Mathiang Muo.

They did regain two-time championship winner Cummings ahead of hosting the Tigers at Belmont Oasis on Saturday but it was Willetton starting on fire in their first game since a loss at home to the Goldfields Giants last Saturday night.

The Tigers piled on 32 points in the first quarter to already open up a 13-point lead and for the majority of the rest of the night they would maintain a double-figure lead.

Willetton would go on to be leading by 14 points at half-time, 13 at three quarter-time and then securing the eventual eight-point victory even with Redbacks taking 29 free throws to 15, and winning the rebound battle 41 to 37.

Willetton did force Perth into 23 turnovers and that helped the visitors win the possession game, and then still claim the victory even with only getting a combined 19 points on 6/15 shooting from imports Tyreese Davis and Taeshon Cherry.

The Tigers were also shorthanded in the absence of Tom Gerovich and Roosevelt Williams Jr but did enough for the win to improve to a 6-3 record with 310-game centre Michael Vigor delivering 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Fellow veteran, 360-game guard, Damien Scott also had 15 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals with Tom Musumeci contributing 14 points and two assists, and Aiden Fitzgerald seven points, three rebounds and two steals.

The Redbacks are now 3-8 following the pair of losses this weekend with Emmanuel Kanwei producing 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists with Jonah Underwood adding 14 points and nine boards.

Carl Aylett also had 13 points and four steals, Matthew Teale 10 points, and the returning Lochlan Cummings nine points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

PERTH REDBACKS 76 (Kanwei 22, Underwood 14, Aylett 13)

WILLETTON TIGERS 84 (Vigor 16, Scott 15, Musumeci 14)

Mandurah Magic (95) defeated Cockburn Cougars (93)

The Mandurah Magic pulled off a miraculous come from behind win having been down six in the fourth quarter with championship winning guard Lachlan Bertram forcing the turnover and scoring the game winning shot to beat the Cockburn Cougars 95-93.

While the Cougars arrived at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre with just one win so far in 2025, they have been vastly more competitive than that suggests as they took on the reigning champions on their home floor.

Mandurah were fresh off beating the East Perth Eagles in another thriller last Saturday night and the Magic started on fire with 6/8 three-point shooting in the first quarter.

However, Cockburn did well to keep pace and Mandurah's lead was just 31-28 by the end of the first quarter.

The Magic couldn't shake the Cougars in the second term either and only had extended their lead to 59-53 by half-time despite shooting the ball at 22/37 including hitting 8/13 from behind the three-point arc.

The Cougars were putting in an efficient offensive showing too and they even briefly grabbed the lead in the third quarter, and then were up by six midway through the fourth period when Josh Hunt knocked down a three-pointer.

It was still a six-point lead a minute later for the Cougars when big man Nathan Pond put back an offensive rebound, and then even after he fouled out his replacement Charlie Dimmock scored to keep Cockburn up three.

He also delivered a dunk after an offensive board from Hunt with just under a minute to play to retain that three-point lead, but the Magic kept on pressing and tied scores up with a thunderous dunk from Sammie Freeman.

The Cougars called the timeout to draw up a final play but it never came to fruition with Lachlan Bertram able to steal the ball off Cockburn import point guard Kortland Martin.

He went up the other end to lay it up and deliver the win for the Magic in stunning fashion as they improve to 7-3 on the season as a result.

Not only did Bertram deliver the match winning play, but he produced 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals on 9/12 shooting in the win for Mandurah.

Julian Pesava added 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Jahcoree Ealy 15 points, seven boards and six assists, Sammie Freeman 15 points, nine rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks, and Jermaine Malie 12 points on 4/6 three-point shooting.

It's a heartbreaking way for the Cougars to slip to a 1-9 record with Martin finishing with 30 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists despite that last play that will give him nightmares.

Fellow import Terrandus Smith produced 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists with Nathan Pond adding 12 points, four boards and two blocks before fouling out, and Josh Hunt 12 points and five assists despite continuing to struggle at the foul line going 1/4.

MANDURAH MAGIC 95 (Pesava 26, Bertram 23, Ealy 15, Freeman 15)

COCKBURN COUGARS 93 (Martin 30, Smith 17, Pond 12, Hunt 12)

Rockingham Flames (116) defeated Joondalup Wolves (109)

Two top four teams put on quite the show in an overtime cracking contest where ultimately Emmett Naar and Isaac White combined for 68 points and 14 assists as the Rockingham Flames beat the Joondalup Wolves 116-109.

The Wolves arrived at Mike Barnett Sports Complex having won a third straight game beating the Perth Redbacks by 27 points the previous night while the Flames were sitting second on a six-game winning streak.

It had all the hallmarks as being a cracking match up on the same floor they played one another in the preliminary final of 2023 that also went to overtime, and it certainly delivered.

The Wolves did knock down 5/11 from three-point range in the first quarter but it was Rockingham still leading 26-20 by quarter-time.

Joondalup managed to outscore them 26 points to 23 in the second period and that that saw the Flames just clinging to the 49-46 half-time advantage.

The Wolfpack then worked on top in the third quarter and went on to lead by seven points when CJ Turnage completed a three-point play with just four minutes to play.

Emmett Naar and Turnage then traded three balls to keep Joondalup up by seven before ultimately with time running out Isaac White knocked down a huge three ball to tie scores up at 101-101.

The Wolves still had one last chance to win it in regulation and Turnage's turnaround jumper was an air ball with the strong Tevin Jackson defence before Caleb Davis had no luck on the offensive rebound despite feeling as though he copped plenty of contact.

That took the game into the extra five minutes where Rockingham scored the first four points before Joey Baker and White traded three balls for either team and then Travis Durnin knocked down a triple for the Flames in his 200-game milestone.

The Flames were able to seal the deal from there for the seven-point victory to make it seven consecutive wins to improve to a 9-1 record.

The NBL back court of best mates Emmett Naar and Isaac White was brilliant for Rockingham. Naar finished with 32 points, 10 assists and three steals on 13/20 shooting while White went 12/21 from the field, 4/11 from deep and 8/11 at the line for 36 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Joondalup are now 7-4 on the season after splitting their double-header weekend with CJ Turnage ending up with 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Joey Baker added 25 points and seven rebounds, Ethan Elliott 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds, Gabe Chadinha nine points and three boards, and Caleb Davis seven points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 116 (White 36, Naar 32, Ross 13, Durnin 13)

JOONDALUP WOLVES 109 (Turnage 26, Baker 25, Elliott 24)

Goldfields Giants (79) defeated Lakeside Lightning (78)

Joshua Duach created a memory to savour in the new home court for the Goldfields Giants knocking down the game winning three-pointer in the tight and tense 79-78 victory against the Lakeside Lightning.

The Giants were back home a Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium for the fifth time already this season in the opening eight rounds and looking to maintain a top four position up against a Lightning team looking for a third win of 2025.

Lakeside made a strong start to be leading already 25-19 by the end of the first quarter but the Giants turned the tide in the second term with 27 points to 15 to head into the half-time break with the 46-40 advantage.

The momentum swings continued and Lakeside worked back in front in the third period and turned that into a nine-point edge before still leading 66-64 by three quarter-time.

That set up the dramatic final 10 minutes with dramatic lead changes right the way through and with three minutes to go scores were all locked away at 74-74.

Leigh Rickwood-Pitt threw down a huge dunk on an offensive rebound to restore Goldfields to the lead with two minutes to play but Corey Shervill responded with a three-point to Lakeside.

Isaiah Lewis hit one free-throw to put the visitors up two ahead of one last possession for the Giants in front of their home fans.

Shaun Stewart's driving attempt was blocked by AJ Wilson but the ball got back to Joshua Duach on the retrieval from Stewart, and he knocked down the three ball to deliver Goldfields the memorable one-point victory.

The Giants improve to a 7-2 record with the win with Duach not only hitting that game winner, but finishing with 33 points, four assists and two rebounds on 13/26 shooting from the floor and 4/10 from beyond the arc.

De'Sean Parsons added 20 points, 19 rebounds, six assists and two steals with Sam Morrow contributing eight points, Shaun Stewart seven points, nine boards and six assists, and Leigh Rickwood-Pitt six points and nine rebounds.

AJ Wilson finished with 20 points, five rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals for Lakeside with Corey Shervill adding 18 points, three boards, three assists and two steals, Isaiah Lewis 17 points and seven assists, and Josh Davey 14 points and 16 rebounds.

GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 79 (Duach 33, Parsons 20, Morrow 8)

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING 78 (Wilson 20, Shervill 18, Lewis 17)

 

Kalamunda Eastern Suns (93) lost to Perry Lakes Hawks (96)

The Perry Lakes Hawks pulled off a remarkable comeback from 12 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 96-93 when Marshall Nelson's good look at a three just bounced out.

It was a big game for both teams when they clashed on Saturday night at Ray Owen Sports Centre with the Eastern Suns coming into it clinging to eighth place at 4-5 while the Hawks were just behind at 3-5.

Kalamunda came out firing knocking down seven three-pointers in the first quarter on the way to leading by as much as 14 points, but by quarter-time that advantage was back to just five.

The lead for the Suns was back out to 12 in the second period and the home team did go into the half-time break leading 62-53.

The Hawks had done well to only trail by nine given the fact the Eastern Suns had shot 22/43 from the field even with missing all their three three-point attempts in that second frame.

Kalamunda did remain seemingly in control when still leading by 12 following a Travis Fee three-point play early in the final period.

Even with six minutes to go the Suns were still up 10 after a bucket to Marshall Nelson but suddenly things dried up and the home team wouldn’t score for the next four minutes.

In that time the Hawks scored 10 straight points including an and-one from Jaden Stanley-Williams that tied scores up with just under three minutes to play.

Joel Vaiangina did return the Suns to the lead with 2:30 left, but remarkably that would be their only score of the entire last six minutes of the game.

The Hawks grabbed the lead when Luke Phillips scored inside before he also made three foul shots including one after a technical was called on Vaiangina.

Nelson's attempted three to force overtime for the Suns then wouldn’t fall and Perry Lakes had pulled off the great escape outscoring the home team 15 points to two over the last six minutes.

The win improves Perry Lakes to a 4-5 record on the season with Luke Phillips delivering 25 points, six rebounds and five assists with 8/13 shooting from the field and 6/6 at the free-throw line.

Jaden Stanley-Williams added 21 points and five assists, Matt Leary 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, Davin Miller 10 points and seven boards, and Nick Floyd seven points, 13 rebounds and three assists.

Kalamunda slips to 4-6 on the season following the loss with Terrico White ending up tops-scoring with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists with 4/6 three-point shooting.

Travis Fee added 23 points, six assists and five rebounds, Marshall Nelson 22 points, five assists, four steals and three boards, and 322-game veteran Rob Huntington 10 points and two rebounds.

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 93 (White 24, Fee 23, Nelson 22)

PERRY LAKES HAWKS 96 (L Phillips 25, Stanley-Williams 21, Leary 11)