WA SBL Round 12: Wolves men continue to slide as Slammers women move into top eight
Joondalup lost twice in round 12 of SBL action to slip to the brink of the top eight, with the Wolves now having lost their past four games. In the women’s competition, South West halted Stirling’s win streak with a huge win that propelled them into the top eight on the back of three straight wins.
SBL Men
Stirling kicked off round twelve with a 101-98 road win over Perth to move into stay in touch with the top eight. A strong second half spurred the Senators to victory despite the ongoing absence of Cody Ellis, with Jordan Wild (24 points, 11 rebounds), Corey Cooperwood (23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) and Josh Throns (20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) all stepping it up to contribute strongly. Stanley Okoye played a lone hand for the Redbacks with 37 points and 11 boards, with the import’s brilliance not enough to get this side over the line in what was a very even contest across the board.
Lakeside needed a big second half to overcome Kalamunda in a 112-102 away victory which helped to consolidate a spot in the top four. The Lightning’s stars rose to lead their side, with Caleb Palkert (30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals), Brad Tinsley (28 points, 7 assists) and Jarrad Prue (10 points, 24 rebounds) combining strongly to set up the win. Louis Timms continued his strong form for the home side, netting 32 points on 13-of-19 shooting and grabbing 10 rebounds in defeat for the lowly Suns, who were on the wrong end of a 22-13 foul count and attempted just 11 foul shots for the match.
Rockingham bounced back from a horror weekend with a comfortable 121-102 win over Perry Lakes. Cooper Land was unstoppable for the visitors en route to 42 points and 9 boards whilst shooting at 17-of-29 from the floor, while brother Taylor Land gave him plenty of support with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists of his own. Ben Dixon (18 points, 6 rebounds) led six players in double digits for the well-balanced Hawks, with Ben Purser (17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) and Justin Cecil (16 points, 11 rebounds) also impressive. The loss puts a significant dent in Perry Lakes’ finals aspirations, while Rockingham keeps in touch with Geraldton in the race for top spot.
Lakeside finished off a successful weekend with a 113-106 win over lowly Goldfields, keeping them in third spot after twelve weeks. The unconvincing victory came as a result of a 37-27 first term and despite a late charge from the Giants, with a big night from Brad Tinsley (37 points, 9 assists) ensuring the Lightning would record their second W in as many nights. Goldfields import Duran Blue (42 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) was a monster for the visitors and threatened to steal the show, while Lordan Franich also finished with 22 points and 9 boards in what was a promising performance from a side who has tasted victory just twice this season.
Geraldton continued their dominance with a 109-100 win over fellow top four aspirants Mandurah in an entertaining contest. Despite being comprehensively outrebounded 61-28, the Buccs managed to shoot at 55% to just 42% for the Magic and committed just 9 turnovers to 21 for the match to run out victors. Carter Cook led his side with 35 points as Bennie Lewis (15 points) played just 23 minutes as he battled foul trouble, with Aaron Ralph (20 points, 7 rebounds) and Shamus Ballantyne (19 points, 8 assists) also stepping up. Ben Smith led the Magic with 34 points and 9 boards on 13-of-21 shooting, while Taylor Mullenax added 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Cockburn and Joondalup played out an overtime classic, with the Cougars grabbing an important 108-105 victory. The home side made the most of limited opportunities in the extra period, connecting on 4-of-7 field goals to take the win on the back of an enormous night from Gavin Field (41 points, 9 rebounds). Damien Scott (18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) and Anthony Borden (15 points, 11 rebounds) also contributed strongly, while Seb Salinas led six players in double figures with 24 points and 5 assists for the Wolves, who continued their slide down the table with their third straight loss.
East Perth Eagles defeated Willetton 90-83 to stay hot and move into the top eight, holding the Tigers to just 4-of-25 shooting, including 1-of-11, in the second term to set up the result. Seven players reached double digits in the victory, with Kyle Armour (19 points, 4 assists) and Sunday Dech (16 points, 7 rebounds) leading the way. In contrast for the Tigers, only John Dickson (29 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks) and Quinn McDowell (20 points, 12 rebounds) stood out and lacked the help they needed to slow down the red-hot Eagles.
Goldfields claimed just their third win of the season with a 95-90 victory over Perry Lakes, with the promising signs against Lakeside the night before coming to fruition. A 34-20 third term broke the game open after the Giants had fallen behind early as Duran Blue netted 30 points, grabbed 5 boards and dished 4 assists to complete a very good weekend, while Russell Hurst (17 points, 8-9 FG) and Michael Haney (15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) also stepped it up. The disappointing Hawks were led by Justin Cecil (31 points, 7 rebounds) and Ben Purser (14 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) but could only shoot at 38% for the contest, wasting a 55-41 rebound advantage.
Joondalup lost their fourth straight game and slipped to eight spot in the standings in a 101-98 loss to Mandurah. The Wolves’ slide continued after they gave up a halftime lead and failed to peg it back in a tense final term, with 2-of-8 shooting at the line proving costly. Mandurah’s Ben Smith (29 points, 13 rebounds), Taylor Mullenax (20 points, 6 rebounds) and Rhett Della Maddalena (20 points, 8 rebounds) all combined to prove too much for the home side to handle, despite the efforts of Seb Salinas (30 points, 6 assists) and Robert Huntington (23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists). The Wolves are now realistically staring down the possibility of missing the finals while the Magic are building towards a top four finish.
A 23-13 final term saw Geraldton fly home and steal a 100-98 win over a desperately unlucky Perth. The Redbacks went cold in the final term, managing just 5-of-19 shooting and failing to get to the foul line to let the game slip away. The Buccaneers were led by Bennie Lewis (34 points) and Carter Cook (26 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists), with the star duo filling the void left by the absence of Odartey Blankson. For Perth, Stanley Okoye (26 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) and Lee Roberts (24 points, 16 rebounds, 5 blocks) were looking like a winning combination before their final quarter fadeout.
Stirling thrashed South West 106-84 to halt the Slammers’ charge up the table and move within a single win of the top eight. A huge second half saw the visitors get home, shooting 20-of-37 from the field and 9-of-15 from deep after the long break to blow away the home side. Austin Bruton netted 21 points and Josh Throns had 17 for the Senators, while Jordan Wild finished with 14 points and 20 boards in an impressive display. Too much was left to Clive Weedon (27 points, 11 rebounds) for the Slammers in what was a disappointing result.
SBL Women
Stirling held off a determined Perth side to record a 74-61 win in a defensive struggle. A 40-30 rebound count and superior shooting percentage proved the difference, with the Redbacks’ last quarter fight back left too late. Taylor Wild netted 17 points to lead the Senators, while Amber Land chimed in with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in an impressive all-round display. For the Redbacks, it was again Jessica Jakens (26 points, 5 rebounds) leading the way as her side suffered their fourteenth straight defeat to remain winless.
Lakeside shot out of the blocks and eased to a 94-76 win over Kalamunda, with the Suns dropping off the top four pace as a result. A blistering opening term saw the Lightning shoot at 71% and lead 31-18, and they were never threatened as Kari Pickens (36 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 14-20 FG) completely tore the Suns apart in a huge performance. Adrienne Jones (20 points, 5 rebounds) and Alison Schwagmeyer (17 points, 7 rebounds) led the home team, who simply couldn’t go with Pickens and the hot-shooting Lightning.
Rockingham remained undefeated at 15-0 after a blistering first half blew Perry Lakes off the court in an 89-50 victory. The Flames went to halftime with a 58-25 lead after shooting 24-of-45 for the half and pulling in 31 rebounds to just 16 for the Hawks, including a 17-4 second term in that category. Samantha Whitcomb (28 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals), Jess Bourne (20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) and Kaye Tucker (18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) all feasted on the Hawks’ 27 turnovers to propel their side to victory, while for the disappointing home side it was Rosie Tobin (10 rebounds) and Anna Kovats (7 rebounds) who each finished with a team-high 7 points.
Joondalup got the better of Cockburn in an 80-50 thrashing, with a 32-18 first term the catalyst for the win before a 20-9 last quarter sealed the deal. Shani Amos (16 points, 4 rebounds), Alex Kerr (15 points, 8 rebounds) and Ellyce Ironmonger (14 points, 12 rebounds) all contributed strongly for the Wolves, while Emma Pass was the only Cougar to reach double figures, netting 16 points and collecting 6 boards. Cockburn side struggled without stars Sam Richards and Marita Payne and now sits seventh in the midst of a three game losing streak.
A strong second half saw Willetton defeat lowly East Perth to snap a run of three straight losses, with the 71-60 win built on a 22-13 third term during which the Tigers shot at 69%. Mikayla Pirini netted 17 points on 8-of-8 at 100% shooting to lead her side to victory, with Toni Edmonson (12 points, 3 assists, 4 steals) and Ebony Antonio (11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) lending a hand in support. Stephanie Jones finished with 21 points and 11 boards for the 2-12 Eagles, who remain second last after twelve rounds and have now lost eight straight games.
A strong start at the defensive end spurred Joondalup to its second win in 24 hours, this time against Mandurah. The 62-53 score line was set up by an 18-8 first term as the Magic could only manage 2-of-15 shooting for 13% for the quarter. Both teams shot at below 29% in a struggle at the offensive end, with Shani Amos (17 points, 5 rebounds) the only notable contributor for the victors. Casey Mihovilovich (18 points, 6 rebounds) and Briana Klasztorny (16 points, 10 rebounds) led the Magic, who were outrebounded 48-32, in defeat. The Wolves jumped Mandurah into third spot as a result of the win as the season turns into the final stretch before finals.
South West continued to climb the standings and is now in the top eight after a hard-fought 77-75 win over Stirling, breaking the Senators’ four game winning streak in the process. In an even contest with plenty of contributors from both sides, the Slammers were serviced by Bianca Donovan (22 points, 4 rebounds) and Amy Patton (17 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists). The Senators were led by 21 points apiece from Tegan Walker (9 rebounds, 3 steals) and Taylor Wild (3 rebounds, 4 assists), while Amber Land finished with 12 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in an impressive line.
For full results, ladders and reports head to www.sbl.asn.au or click here.