THE Stirling Senators head to Joondalup's HBF Arena to take on the defending champion Wolves determined to show their championship credentials on Friday night with the Lakeside Lightning desperate to snap a losing slide as part of Week 10 Men's SBL action.

There are four matches on Friday night including the 'Battle of Joondalup' between the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro City of Joondalup Wolves and the Bethanie Stirling Senators at HBF Arena.

The Lakeside Lightning are also hosting the Kalamunda Eastern Suns while the Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars face the Mandurah Magic at Wally Hagan Stadium and the Print Sync South West Slammers battle the Nags Head Tavern Rockingham Flames at Eaton Recreation Centre.

The Senators head into their battle with the defending champion Wolves on a 9-5 record and coming off a disappointing loss to the Redbacks last Friday that they responded to by beating the Giants at home by 23 points 24 hours later.

The Wolfpack also suffered just their second loss of the season last Saturday at the hands of the Eagles but that was without Greg Hire, Trian Iliadis and Damian Matacz.

The Wolves remain on top of the SBL standings at 8-2 despite that loss but the Senators head into the clash at HBF Arena looking to make a statement.

Stirling star Cody Ellis isn’t just filling time playing in the SBL, he wants to help lead the Senators as far as he can in the playoffs, and a good measure of how far they can go will come on Friday up against the Wolves.

"Apparently it's called the Battle of Joondalup which is different but we are really looking forward to it. You always want to play against the best teams to see where you stand and it's definitely going to be a challenge for us, but I think we are up to it," Ellis said.

"It's a great chance for us to show what we can do. After the Redbacks game last week we might have fallen off the radar a bit of other teams, but this is definitely an opportunity for us to set the standard again even for ourselves that we are here and ready to compete with the best. We want to show that we aren’t going to be an easy beat team."

Meanwhile, the Lightning have slipped to a 4-7 record on the back of losses to the Hawks, Magic, Senators and Cougars in recent weeks since a 29-point home win over the Giants.

Lakeside has been right in the contest in the majority of those games but the frustrating part for coach Sam Oatman has been their inability to close them out.

They now need to do that to stay in the top eight hunt up against the winless Eastern Suns on Friday who might be without a win, but are still dangerous and can put plenty of points on the board if allowed to.

Oatman was frustrated with what happened last Friday against the Hawks but has turned his focus to the Suns this Friday where he knows it threatens to be a shootout.

"The Flames shot 59 per cent from the field and 47 per cent from the three-point line. We shoot 37 per cent overall and only 24 per cent from three. Plus, we go 12/21 from the free-throw line. We get 36 more field goal attempts than them and still lose. It’s mind-boggling. A former coach of mine always said, "shooters make shots." It’s tough to win games when you don’t make shots," Oatman said.

"Fans love to watch these games like we have on Friday. Players love to play these games. Coaches hate to coach these games. Defensively, we have to be ready to sprint back, contain the ball, challenge shots, and hunt down long rebounds. Offensively, we have to handle their pressure and attack the basket. Most importantly, though, we have to control the tempo of the game."

The Cougars also host the Magic on Friday with Cockburn out to bounce back from a narrow loss on the road last week to the Buccs. They still sit in second spot at 9-3 heading into the clash with a Mandurah team who is 4-8 and looking to maintain pace with the top eight.

The Slammers also host the Flames in another important game featuring one team inside the eight, and one just outside. Rockingham broke a losing slide last Sunday beating the Giants at home to improve to 7-6 while the Slammers have lost their last four to slip to 4-7.

Then on Saturday night it's another big four games in the Men's SBL with the Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants playing the Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles and the Nags Head Tavern Rockingham Flames taking on the S&K Electrical Geraldton Buccaneers.

The Perry Lakes Hawks also host the Textile WA Perth Redbacks at Bendat Basketball Centre and the Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers play the Mandurah Magic at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

The Giants need to stop a slide that has seen them lose to the Flames, Senators and Wolves over the past two weeks to slip to 6-7 and be clinging to eighth spot, but it won't be easy against an Eagles team buoyed by the return of Tom Jervis and coming off a win over the Wolves last Saturday.

The Flames then back up their clash on Friday against the Slammers with another tough challenge against a Buccaneers team on fire. Geraldton comes into the clash in third spot at 9-3 coming off wins over the Cougars, Slammers, Senators, Hawks, Stirling again and Flames since losing to Willetton back in Week 4.

The Hawks maintained their place in the top eight with wins over the Lightning and Eastern Suns last week to improve to 7-6 heading into the clash with a Redbacks team finding form now with the arrival of Michael Vigor. Perth beat Stirling and Mandurah last week to improve to 5-6 and be knocking on the door of a playoff spot.

The Tigers also host the Magic with Mandurah coming off playing the Cougars on Friday while Willetton is fresh and confident following an impressive 21-point win over the Slammers last week that improved them to 8-4 in fourth spot.

Lastly on Sunday, the improving Redbacks looking to continue their emergence against a Buccs team playing their second game of their road double.

WEEK 10 MEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Merriwa Tavern & Bistro City of Joondalup Wolves v Bethanie Stirling Senators, HBF Arena 8.30pm
Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars v Mandurah Magic, Wally Hagan Stadium 8.30pm
Lakeside Lightning v Kalamunda Eastern Suns, Lakeside Recreation Centre 8.30pm
Print Sync South West Slammers v Nags Head Tavern Rockingham Flames, Eaton Recreation Centre 8.30pm

SATURDAY
Nags Head Tavern Rockingham Flames v S&K Electrical Contracting Geraldton Buccaneers, Mike Barnett Sports Complex 7.30pm
Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants v Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles, Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium 7.30pm
Perry Lakes Hawks V Textile WA Perth Redbacks, Bendat Basketball Centre 8pm
Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers v Mandurah Magic, Willetton Basketball Stadium 8pm

SUNDAY
Textile WA Perth Redbacks v S&K Electrical Contracting Geraldton Buccaneers, Belmont Oasis Leisure Centre 12pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Serene-Elise Photography