MEN'S SBL playoff positions go on the line in Week 16 action this weekend as the Rockingham Flames, Lakeside Lightning, Goldfields Giants and Perry Lakes Hawks continue to fight over the last two spots in the top eight.

There is just three games now separating the seventh placed Flames and 10th placed Hawks and now this weekend Perry Lakes has two big games against the South West Slammers and Perth Redbacks while the Flames play the eighth placed Lightning, and the ninth placed Giants take on the Geraldton Buccaneers as just some of the fascinating contests.

There are three matches on Friday night with the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers playing the Perry Lakes Hawks at Eaton Recreation Centre, the Mandurah Magic taking on the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, and the Nags Head Tavern & Bistro Rockingham Flames facing the Lakeside Lightning at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.

All three of the Friday night matches tip-off at 8.30pm.

Then on Saturday night, the Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants play the S & K Electrical Geraldton Buccaneers at Neils Hansen Basketball Centre at 7.30pm.

Then at 8pm, the Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles take on the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre with the Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars playing the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers at Wally Hagan Stadium and the Bethanie Stirling Senators facing the Mandurah Magic at Warwick Leisure Centre.

Finally on Saturday night at 8.30pm, the Perth Redbacks play the Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers at Curtin Stadium.

The round then concludes on Sunday afternoon at 2pm with the Perry Lakes Hawks facing the Perth Redbacks at Bendat Basketball Centre.

Starting on Friday night, the Slammers take on the Hawks with plenty riding on the result for both teams.

The Hawks need to keep winning to stay in the race for a playoff position currently sitting on a 7-12 record having won their last three matches, while the Slammers remain in third spot at 13-6 but they have lost five of their last seven games including their last three.

The Slammers and Hawks last met back in Week 6 at Bendat Basketball Centre and in that meeting it was South West who proved too good winning 106-86.

The league-leading Wolves travel to Mandurah to face the Magic in another tantalising Friday night battle.

The Wolfpack remain on top of the men's SBL at 18-3 but with the Buccaneers close behind, they do need to keep winning to stay there.

Meanwhile, the Magic are currently fifth at 11-8 and having lost three of their last four games, they can't afford to keep losing or will risk being in danger of missing the playoffs altogether with the other teams below closing in.

The two teams have already played this season and in that contest back in Week 8 at Joondalup Basketball Stadium, the Wolves recorded a thumping 128-87 victory.

The Flames and Lightning play one another in a battle between two teams fighting to keep their spot in the top eight.

Rockingham has lost its last two games to now be sitting on a 10-9 record in seventh spot and Lakeside fell to 9-11 thanks to a 53-point hammering at hands of the Perry Lakes Hawks last Saturday night.

The winner between the Flames and Lightning will go a long way to securing their playoff spot but the loser could finish the weekend on the outside of the top eight altogether.

It was a terrific contest back in Week 5 when the two teams met earlier this season with the Lightning ending up prevailing 107-100 at Lakeside Recreation Centre over the Flames.

Then on Saturday night, the Giants and Buccaneers clash in Kalgoorlie in what looms as a fascinating contest.

Goldfields has shot themselves right up into playoff calculations having won four straight games with Jay Bowie, Jacob Holmen and Mathiang Muo leading the way.

The Giants have now improved to a 9-11 record to be a chance of going into the top eight on Saturday at the expense of the loser from Friday's clash between the Flames and Lightning.

However, beating the Buccs even on their home floor is going to be no easy task with the Buccaneers sitting in second position at 17-3 and still being well and truly in the hunt for the minor premiership just behind the Joondalup Wolves.

The two regional powers played earlier this season in Week 7 in Geraldton, and it was the Buccaneers who won 107-91 but in Kalgoorlie this time around it could be a different story.

The Eagles and Suns are currently the top bottom placed teams in the men's SBL heading into their clash on Saturday night at Morley, but both come into the clash in vastly contrasting form.

The defending champion Eagles have found some impressive form of late having won four of their last five games but the Eastern Suns haven’t had any such luck having now lost their last 10 matches to be 2-19.

It was only a month ago when the two teams last met with the Eagles beating the Suns by 13 points in that meeting at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

The Slammers back up their trickly clash with the Hawks on Friday night up against a team trying to their third position, the Cougars.

Cockburn might have had its nine-game winning streak ended last week at the hands of the Giants, but the Cougars are playing some outstanding basketball at present to now sit on a 14-7 record coming into the clash with the Slammers who haven’t been able to rediscover their form from early in the season.

The two teams played out a terrific contest back in Week 7 with the Slammers ending up winning 112-100 at Eaton Recreation Centre.

The Senators also host the Magic on Friday night with Mandurah coming off playing the league-leading Joondalup Wolves on Friday night Stirling coming into the weekend on a two-game losing slide at 6-13 to be out of the playoff hunt but still possessing plenty of talent.

Back in Week 2 the Magic scored a 19-point win over the Senators in Mandurah but on their home court and looking to return to the winner's list, Stirling could be a vastly sterner test this time around.

The Redbacks might mathematically still be a chance to make the playoffs but they can't afford to drop another game meaning their clash with the Tigers at Curtin on Saturday is crucial.

Willetton also hasn’t been in great form and need to get back to some winning form to improve on its 11-9 record to secure a playoff spot, while Perth at 6-13 simply must go on a winning run to get back into the playoff race for real.

The two teams last played back on the Anzac Day Monday holiday and in one of the games of the SBL season, the Tigers ended up prevailing 123-120 at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

The game was a double-overtime classic and included the Redbacks' Ray Turner delivering a remarkable 58 points and 26 rebounds despite ending up on the losing end against the Tigers.

And finally on Sunday, the Redbacks back up their crucial clash with the Tigers on Saturday night by facing a Hawks team who took on the Slammers on Friday night.

With both teams needing to win to keep their season alive, it should be a terrific contest to finish the round and back on Anzac Day, the Redbacks recorded a 108-91 win over the Hawks at Curtin Stadium.

WEEK 16 MEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers v Perry Lakes Hawks, Eaton Recreation Centre 8.30pm
Mandurah Magic v Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves, Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre 8.30pm
Nags Head Tavern & Bistro Rockingham Flames v Lakeside Lightning, Mike Barnett Sports Complex 8.30pm

SATURDAY
Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants v S & K Electrical Geraldton Buccaneers, Neils Hansen Basketball Centre 7.30pm
Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles v Kalamunda Eastern Suns, Morley Sport and Recreation Centre 8pm
Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars v Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers, Wally Hagan Stadium 8pm
Bethanie Stirling Senators v Mandurah Magic, Warwick Leisure Centre 8pm
Perth Redbacks v Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers, Curtin Stadium 8.30pm

SUNDAY
Perry Lakes Hawks v Perth Redbacks, Bendat Basketball Centre 2pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Mick Cronin