Week 7 Saturday night SBL wrap

THE Cockburn Cougars, Joondalup Wolves and Rockingham Flames all recorded Men's and Women's SBL victories on Saturday night with the Lakeside Lightning and Stirling Senators splitting their encounters, and the Goldfields Giants and Geraldton Buccaneers both winning.

There were four Women's matches on Saturday night with the Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars defeating the Textile WA Perth Redbacks 75-71 with the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro City of Joondalup Wolves defeating the Print Sync South West Slammers 105-67.

The Lakeside Lightning also beat the Bethanie Stirling Senators 82-76 and the Orange Autos Rockingham Flames prevailed 84-51 over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.

The Men's action on Saturday night began with the Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants beating the Mandurah Magic 105-100 at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium while the S & K Electrical Contracting Geraldton Buccaneers downed the Perry Lakes Hawks 106-90 at Bendat Basketball Centre.

The Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars also beat the Textile WA Perth Redbacks 116-105, the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro City of Joondalup Wolves downed the Print Sync South West Slammers 115-83, the Bethanie Stirling Senators beat the Lakeside Lightning 107-98 and the Nags Head Tavern Rockingham Flames prevailed over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 114-104.

Starting with the Women's action, the Cougars won their second straight match beating the Redbacks by four points at Wally Hagan Stadium. Cockburn now improves to 4-5 while Perth has lost three of its last four to slip to 4-3.

The Redbacks were looking good heading into the fourth quarter leading 59-54 but the Cougars outscored them 21 to 12 in the final period to win by four.

Cherridy Thornton was the standout for the Cougars with 26 points and 11 rebounds despite eight turnovers.

Candace Williams didn’t have a good shooting night for Cockburn going 5-of-21 but she still found a way to contribute with 17 points, 22 rebounds and three steals. Nicole Roberts also had 15 points for the Cougars.

Rebecca Mercer top-scored for the Redbacks with 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks with Lisa Wallbutton contributing 14 points and 11 rebounds and Ajay Jones 10 points, three assists, three steals and two boards.

Jess Jakens battled away for nine points and 11 rebounds for Perth with Ashley Gilmore adding eight points, seven boards and four steals.

The Lady Wolfpack improved to a 5-1 record recording a fourth straight victory by beating the Slammers emphatically by 38 points at Joondalup Basketball Stadium.

South West was coming off a 28-point loss at home to the Willetton Tigers on Friday night so taking on last year's grand finalists within 24 hours was always going to be a tough ask for the team that has now lost its opening eight games of 2016.

The combination of being outrebounded 58 to 34, coughing up 25 turnovers and shooting 35 per cent from the floor all meant the Slammers could only get within 38 points of the Wolves.

Amy Kidner top-scored for the Lady Wolfpack with 31 points, six rebounds and three assists with Klara Wischer contributing 28 points, 15 boards, eight assists, three steals and three blocks.

Nikita-Lee Martin also had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists for Joondalup and Ellyce Ironmonger 11 points, 10 boards, four assists and four steals.

Courtney Bayliss top-scored once more for the Slammers with 32 points and seven rebounds with Raya Thompson contributing 11 points, five assists and three rebounds.

The Lightning bounced back from an Anzac Day loss to the Cougars by beating the Senators by six points in a hard fought affair on Saturday night.

By winning, Lakeside improves to 3-4 on the season while Stirling slips to 3-5 having lost four of its last five matches.

The biggest difference in the game was the Senators' inability to keep hold of the ball. The Lightning forced them into 29 turnovers and scored 30 points off those on the way to the six-point win.

Courtney Byrnes top-scored for the Lightning with 24 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Alison Schwagmeyer added 19 points, seven steals, six rebounds and five assists for Lakeside, and Ashleigh Grant 18 points, nine boards, three steals and two blocked shots.

Taylor Bestry top-scored for the Senators with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists with Lyndal Gardner adding 15 points and five assists, Kara van Dyke 12 points and Amber Land 10 to go with 10 assists and eight rebounds.

The defending champion Flames faced a good test on Saturday night in the form of an Eastern Suns team who handed the Tigers their only loss of the season on Anzac Day. But Rockingham proved too strong winning by 33 points to remain on top of the standings at 7-1.

The Flames have now won seven straight and dominated the whole way through against the Suns despite neither team shooting well. Rockingham finished up going 27-of-74 at 36 per cent while Kalamunda struggled for 16-of-67 at 23 per cent.

Rockingham's pressure forced Kalamunda into 27 turnovers with the Flames scoring 31 points off them.

Sami Whitcomb top-scored for the Flames with 28 points, seven rebounds, six steals and four assists with Jacinta Bourne adding 25 points, eight steals, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Talisia Bourne contributed nine points and six rebounds for Rockingham, Lizel Buckley seven points and eight boards, and Ella Kennedy nine rebounds.

Carley Mijovic had a solid night for the Eastern Suns with 23 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals despite shooting 6-of-22 from the floor and 5-of-13 from deep.

Stacey Barr had a night to forget though with three points and five rebounds. She also had eight turnovers and shot 1-of-13.

Then in the Men's contests, the Giants bounced back from losing twice last weekend to the Hawks and Lightning on the road by returning home to score a five-point win over the Magic.

The win steadies Goldfields to a 6-4 record while the Magic are struggling at 2-7.

Both teams had good shooting nights with the Giants hitting 42-of-86 from the field at 48 per cent with the Magic nailing 36-of-78 at 46 per cent.

But it was Goldfields' stars who got the home team over the line with Jacob Holmen finishing with 32 points and 12 rebounds, and Kenny Manigault 28 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and five steals.

Ben Smith worked hard for the Magic finishing with 23 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals with Trevor Setty contributing 23 points, seven boards and five assists, and Taylor Mullenax 17 points and nine rebounds.

Jarrad Jackson added 14 points and seven assists for Mandurah, and Sam Julitz 10 points, four boards and two assists.

The Buccs got their double-header road trip off to an impressive start with a 16-point win over Hawks at Bendat Basketball Centre. The win is the third straight for the Buccaneers as they improve to 6-3 while Perry Lakes now has a 5-5 record.

The Hawks made a terrific start with 30 points to 17 in the first quarter but the Buccaneers took control over the final three quarters outscoring Perry Lakes 89 to 60 in that time to win by 16.

Reigning Player of the Week Maurice Barrow delivered another outstanding and efficient performance for the Buccaneers with 25 points, three rebounds and three assists shooting 11-of-13 from the floor.

Aaron Ralph contributed 23 points for the Buccs, Carter Cook 21 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and Matthew Adekponya 18 points, nine boards and six assists.

Mat Wundenberg had a monster night with 13 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Ben Purser top-scored for the Hawks with 18 points while Ryan O'Sullivan added 14 points and six rebounds, Ben Dixon 12 points and five assists, Brian Carlwell 10 points and nine rebounds, and Matthew Sellers 10 points and 10 boards.

The Cougars made it two straight wins since a loss back last Friday against the Wolves with an 11-point victory over the Redbacks at Wally Hagan Stadium.

The win improves Cockburn to 8-2 while Perth falls to 2-6 having lost four on the trot.

The Redbacks put together some of their best basketball of the season in the second quarter to head into half-time with a 69-56 advantage, but the Cougars came back too strong in the second half outscoring Perth 60-36 to win by 11.

Gavin Field top-scored for the Cougars with 28 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots shooting 10-of-18 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range.

Najee Lane contributed 27 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Cougars while Julian Pesava finished with 21 points, seven assists and five boards, and Marcus Goode 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Rhett Della added 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks off the bench with Sheldon McIntyre finishing with 12 points, seven boards, six assists and three steals.

Jourdan DeMuynck did all he could to try and lift the Redbacks across the line finishing with 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Lewis Thomas added 21 points, 10 boards, four assists and three steals.

Reed McConnell also delivered 15 points for Perth, Joel Wagner 14 points and eight assists, and Ben Smith 14 points.

The defending champion Wolfpack welcomed back Greg Hire on Saturday night and delivered the Slammers a second defeat within 24 hours cruising to a 32-point victory. The win improves Joondalup to 6-1 on top while South West now is 4-5 after also losing at home to Willetton on Friday.

The Wolves started strongly leading by 11 points after the first quarter and then 25 at half-time. Another 34 points to 19 in the third period and the game was all over before the Slammers outscored them in the fourth to bring the final margin to 32.

It was a dominant showing by Joondalup with 53 rebounds to 38 while forcing South West into 18 turnovers which they scored 24 points from and 58 points for the Wolves came from inside the paint.

Seb Salinas top-scored for the Wolves with 24 points and three assists with Trian Iliadis adding 17 points and four assists, and Rob Huntington 16 points, six boards and three assists.

Reece Maxwell continued his good form with 12 points and three steals while Ben Ironmonger contributed nine points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Hire played his first game back with the Wolfpack fresh off winning his second NBL championship with the Perth Wildcats and he had eight points, nine rebounds and two assists in over 21 minutes of court time.

Tre Nichols did all he could for the Slammers finishing with 34 points, five rebounds and four assists with fellow import Royal Crouch contributing 24 points and eight boards on 11-of-17 shooting from the field.

The Senators bounced back from a loss in Geraldton last Saturday night to beat the Lightning by nine points at Lakeside Recreation Centre ahead of their clash on Sunday against the Buccaneers at Warwick Stadium.

Stirling started strongly with a 31 to 21 opening period and despite the Lightning doing well to fight back, it proved that early advantage that set up the Senators to hold on and win by nine points.

Cody Ellis led the way for the Senators with 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists with Jayden Coburn contributing 16 points, six boards and three assists, AJ Majstrovich 16 points and nine rebounds, and Tom Witts 16 points.

Kyle Lindbergh added 14 points, 16 rebounds and six assists as well for Stirling with Corban Wroe finishing with 13 points and three assists.

Daniel Alexander delivered another tremendous performance for the Lightning with 28 points and 10 rebounds with TJ Hallice contributing 27 points, 10 boards, four assists and two steals.

Corey Shervill added 16 points, six rebounds, four blocks, three steals and two assists for the Lightning and Hayden Bell 15 points and five boards. Seva Chan threatened a triple-double too with eight points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

Rockingham continued its impressive form beating the Eastern Suns by 10 points to improve to 6-3 while it was a vastly improved Kalamunda showing despite it being a ninth consecutive loss to open the season.

The Flames got off to a flying start with 35 points to 22 in the first quarter to further dent the Suns' confidence after losing by 81 points to Willetton on Monday. But to Kalamunda's credit they fought back well over the next two quarters but Rockingham did well in the fourth period to secure the win.

Cooper Land top-scored for the Flames with 28 points, 13 rebounds and six assists with Taylor Land adding 24 points, seven assists and three boards.

Ryan Godfrey also had a good night for Rockingham with 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals with Matthew Honey contributing 13 points and Nebojsha Franich 13 points and eight boards. Chudier Pal also had seven points and 16 rebounds.

It was a much better performance by the Eastern Suns with Kerrod Horn top-scoring with 26 points and five rebounds while Brandon McGill contributed 23 points and Jacopo Marsili 13 to go with four rebounds and four assists.

SATURDAY WOMEN'S SBL MATCHES
Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars 75 defeated Textile WA Perth Redbacks 71
Merriwa Tavern & Bistro City of Joondalup Wolves 105 defeated Print Sync South West Slammers 67
Lakeside Lightning 82 defeated Bethanie Stirling Senators 76
Orange Autos Rockingham Flames 84 defeated Kalamunda Eastern Suns 51

SATURDAY MEN'S SBL MATCHES
Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants 105 defeated Mandurah Magic 100
Perry Lakes Hawks 90 lost to S & K Electrical Contracting Geraldton Buccaneers 106
Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars 116 defeated Textile WA Perth Redbacks 105
Merriwa Tavern & Bistro City of Joondalup Wolves 115 defeated Print Sync South West Slammers 83
Lakeside Lightning 98 lost to Bethanie Stirling Senators 107
Nags Head Tavern Rockingham Flames 114 defeated Kalamunda Eastern Suns 104

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Mick Cronin




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