Hawks and Magic go to battle over last playoff position (Week 19 Men's SBL Preview)

THE Perry Lakes Hawks can continue their charge towards the men's SBL playoffs with a crucial clash against Mandurah on Saturday night but the Magic can make the top eight certain if they can secure wins over the Rockingham Flames and then the Hawks as part of Week 19's action.

There are three matches on Friday night all tipping off at 8.30pm with the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers playing the Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers at Eaton Recreation Centre, the Lakeside Lightning taking on the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves at Lakeside Recreation Centre and the Mandurah Magic facing the Nags Head Tavern & Bistro Rockingham Flames at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.

There are then five games on Saturday night starting at 7.30pm with the S & K Electrical Geraldton Buccaneers playing the Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars at Active West Stadium and the Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants facing the Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles at Kambalda Recreation Centre.

Then at 8pm, the Perry Lakes Hawks play the Mandurah Magic at Bendat Basketball Centre and the Bethanie Stirling Senators take on the Perth Redbacks at Warwick Leisure Centre.

Finally at 8.30pm on Saturday night, the Kalamunda Eastern Suns host the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

Starting on Friday night, the Slammers host the Tigers with a win important for both teams as the playoffs approach.

South West currently sits in third position having rediscovered some good form winning three of its last four games to improve to a 16-7 record, but the Slammers aren’t yet cemented in third position if they don’t keep winning.

Willetton, meanwhile, will play in the post-season but could still end up finishing in eighth position unless the Tigers improve on their recent form that has seen them lose three of four games to slip to a 12-12 record with two games remaining.

Last time the Slammers played the Tigers was back in Week 8 at Willetton with South West coming away with a strong 116-102 victory.

The Lightning host the Wolves with Lakeside no longer able to make the playoffs while the Wolfpack can't be knocked off top position either over the last two rounds.

For most of the season, the Lightning have appeared on target to be there in the post-season but they have now lost their last five matches by an average of 29 points to fall to 9-15 and be out of contention.

Meanwhile, Joondalup has now won its last five matches to have secured the minor premiership with a 21-3 record.

The Wolves beat the Lightning 119-105 back on a Sunday afternoon in Week 11 at Joondalup Basketball Stadium.

The Magic's first chance to try and consolidate their place in the top eight then comes up against the Flames in Mandurah.

The Magic have now lost their last five matches to go from being a chance of a top four berth to now fighting for survival for a place in the playoffs altogether at 11-12 with three games this season left, starting on Friday against the playoff-bound Flames.

Rockingham went on a four-game winning run prior to losing to the Giants last Friday night to secure its place in the post-season with the Flames now sitting in fifth position at 14-10, and still a chance to end up finishing in the top four if they keep winning.

The Magic and Flames last met in Week 7 earlier this season and on that occasion it was Mandurah who came away with an eight-point victory over Rockingham at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.

Then on Saturday night, the Buccaneers and Cougars meet in a battle of two teams sitting inside the top four with the Buccs secure in second position at 19-5 no matter what happens over the final two rounds.

However, the Cougars aren’t yet guaranteed a top four finish despite currently sitting in fourth spot. Cockburn holds a 15-9 record but losing three of its last four games has left the Cougars vulnerable to the Flames in fifth position.

It was only back in Week 13 when the teams last played and in that contest the Cougars scored an upset 105-98 victory over the Buccaneers at Wally Hagan Stadium.

The Giants face the Eagles in Kambalda on Saturday night looking to continue their hot form leading towards their first playoff appearance in three years.

Goldfields has now won 12 of its last 15 games to have improved to a 12-12 record after losing the opening eight matches of the season to now be guaranteed of taking part in the playoffs, and they could move up to sixth with a win over the Eagles on Saturday.

East Perth might be out of the playoff hunt at 7-17 but the defending champions are still capable of finishing the season on a high.

The two teams played one another in Week 7 at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre with the Giants winning on the road on a Sunday afternoon on the Anzac Day weekend 106-97.

The undoubted match of the weekend then is at Bendat Basketball Centre on Saturday night with the Hawks hosting the Magic with eighth position and a spot in the playoffs potentially up for grabs.

The Magic will have already played the Flames on Friday night, but the Hawks will be fresh and are in outstanding form having won their last four games to shoot back into playoff contention at 11-13.

Depending on what happens on Friday night, the Hawks could replace the Magic in the top eight by Saturday night with a win at home but Mandurah could sew up a playoff spot with wins on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Way back in Week 3 the two teams last played on a Saturday night and on that occasion it was a thriller with the Hawks winning 91-90 at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre setting the stage for a fascinating battle this Saturday night.

Neither the Senators nor Redbacks can still make the playoffs in 2015, but that should set up a high-scoring and exciting contest at Warwick on Saturday night.

Both teams are capable of scoring big and putting on a show, and that should be the case with playoffs out of the question and nothing riding on the result.

With the Senators led by Cody Ellis and the Redbacks by Ray Turner with both possessing terrific supporting casts, the game should be quite the spectacle.

The two teams met back on the opening weekend of the season on a Saturday night with the Senators winning that contest over the Redbacks 84-72 at Curtin Stadium.

The final game of the weekend then sees the Slammers back up their clash on Friday against the Tigers by playing the bottom placed Suns at Kalamunda. The Suns enter the game on a 13-game losing run at 2-22 ahead of their final home game of the season.

The Slammers and Suns met back in Week 3 on a Sunday afternoon and South West had to work hard but ended up winning 105-88 at Eaton Recreation Centre.

WEEK 19 MEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers v Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers, Eaton Recreation Centre 8.30pm
Lakeside Lightning v Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves, Lakeside Recreation Centre 8.30pm
Mandurah Magic v Nags Head Tavern & Bistro Rockingham Flames, Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre 8.30pm

SATURDAY
S & K Electrical Geraldton Buccaneers v Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars, Active West Stadium 7.30pm
Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants v Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles, Kambalda Recreation Centre 7.30pm
Perry Lakes Hawks v Mandurah Magic, Bendat Basketball Centre 8pm
Bethanie Stirling Senators v Perth Redbacks, Warwick Leisure Centre 8pm
Kalamunda Eastern Suns v Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers, Ray Owen Sports Centre 8.30pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Serene-Elise Photography




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