WA SBL Round 8: Buccs run over Flames as Magic women surge into second
Geraldton closed to within a single win of top-placed Rockingham with a convincing victory over the Flames in the men’s competition to headline round eight SBL action, while Mandurah’s women continued to be red-hot as they moved into second spot on the table with their fifth straight win.
SBL Men
South West blew Perth off the court in a devastating third term to secure a much-needed 104-95 win to kick off round eight. The Slammers squared their season record away at 5-5 on the back of a 35-17 run in the 12 minutes after halftime, moving into the top eight and within a win of fourth spot in the process. Jonathon Todd Henley came up big with 31 points and 11 boards, while Clive Weeden (29 points, 22 rebounds) enjoyed a double-double-double. Too much was left to Stanley Okoye (34 points, 19 rebounds) for the Redbacks as they slumped to 6-4 and opened the door for a number of sides below them.
Lakeside’s slide continued in a 102-95 loss to Cockburn, with the Lightning dropping to 6-4 after a third loss in four games. A slow start by the visitors proved too much to peg back despite a 34-23 final term rally as Gavin Field (34 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 12-17 FG) and Damien Scott (28 points, 4 rebounds) proved too much to handle. The Lightning got good service from Caleb Palkert (26 points, 9 rebounds), Brad Tinsley (24 points, 6 rebounds) and Jarrad Prue (17 points, 24 rebounds, 8-8 FG) but struggled after falling behind early.
A red-hot start to the contest saw Geraldton cruise to a 112-95 win over top-of-the-table Rockingham, moving to within a single win of the Flames for first position in the process. The Buccaneers shot at 57% to just 24% for their opposition as they took a 39-23 lead into the first break and didn’t look back. Odartey Blankson (26 points, 13 rebounds, 11-16 FG) stayed hot to lead his side despite a quieter-than-usual game from Bennie Lewis (19 points, 4 rebounds, 6-17 FG), while for the Flames it was all Cooper Land (32 points, 10 rebounds) as the likes of Thomas Remmerswaal (15 points, 5 rebounds, 5-20 FG) struggled to get going from the floor.
Goldfields’ miserable season continued as they scored just 71 points in a 24-point loss to East Perth Eagles. The visitors put together a solid four-quarter performance to ease to the victory, with Sunday Dech (26 points, 10 rebounds) leading his side despite shooting just 8-of-23 from the field. Kyle Armour filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 7 boards, 10 assists and 5 steals in a brilliant all-round display, while for the Giants only Lordan Franich (25 points, 15 rebounds, 4 steals) fired as his side shot just 32% from the field and 27% from deep in another disappointing loss.
Joondalup beat the in-form Cockburn by putting together a dominant final quarter, overrunning the Cougars in a 98-74 win. The Wolves scored 36 points at a 65% clip to rocket home after three-quarter time as the visitors could only manage 10 points on 5-of-23 shooting. Seb Salinas was the dominant player on the court, netting a game-high 32 points, pulling in 10 rebounds and dishing 4 assists in the victory, while Rob Huntington (18 points, 7 rebounds) also contributed strongly. Gavin Field (21 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) and Damien Scott (20 points, 7 rebounds) completed strong individual weekends for the Cougars despite the loss.
Perry Lakes trounced Stirling to move above them in the middle of the table after the 103-69 win. The Hawks pulled in 65 rounds to just 46 for the Senators while restricting their opponents to just 26% shooting for the match. Corey Easley (23 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists) was impressive for the in-form Hawks, leading six players in double figures for scoring. Jordan Wild (30 points, 16 rebounds) was the home side’s best in defeat, with the Senators feeling the absence of NBL star Cody Ellis.
Willetton and Mandurah played out a shootout as a total of 262 points were scored, with the Tigers coming away with a 139-123 upset win against the fourth-placed Magic. The big performances came from Quinn McDowell (43 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and John Dickson (41 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks) as the home side shot at 54% from the field and 47% from deep throughout the night. The Magic, who had six players in double figures and shot at a 56% clip but still managed to lose, were led by Tim Mullenax (28 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) and Paul Hafford (27 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists).
South West rounded out a successful weekend with a 93-83 away win over Kalamunda. The Suns attempted just 10 foul shots for the entire game as they went 9-of-38 from beyond the arc, settling for the long-range jump shot too often. Ty Harrelson (28 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists), John Todd Hendley (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Clive Weeden (21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists) all cashed in for the Slammers, who won their third straight game. Adhir Mayen netted 17 points to top score for the Suns, who have lost six straight and are on the bottom of the ladder with just two wins from 11 games this season.
SBL Women
South West secured a much-needed win with a 72-53 result over lowly Perth, who slumped to a 0-10 start to the season. A strong 45-22 first half set up the victory for the Slammers as the Redbacks’ shooting percentage (32%) continued to make sure they are out of matches long before the final buzzer. Amy Patton (23 points, 13 rebounds, 6 steals) was dominant as the only player to reach double figures in any statistic for the Slammers, while Alix Hayward worked her way to 20 points, 10 rebounds and 6 steals of her own despite her side falling to another defeat.
Cockburn overcame a slow start to finish strong in a 72-60 win over Lakeside, temporarily hoisting the Cougars into the top four. Sammy Richards (20 points, 4 assists) and Marita Payne (18 points, 10 rebounds) were again the damaging duo for the Cougars in the win, while for the Lightning, who shot poorly at only 28% for the night, Kari Pickens netted 16 points and grabbed 13 boards in a solid double-double.
Joondalup pushed the Cougars back outside the top four just 24 hours later with a 67-56 win, taking their spot on the back of the Wolves’ fourth straight W. In a tight and low-scoring affair where neither team hit 20 points in any quarter, it was Chelsea Burns who led the way with 17 points and 9 rebounds, while Amanda Frontino added 13 points of her own. Marita Payne (15 points, 10 rebounds) was again the best for the Cougars, who simply couldn’t match the energy of the Wolves after playing the night before.
Stirling ran riot in a 26-8 final term to crush Perry Lakes 77-54 in an important clash. The Hawks managed just two field goals in the final quarter as they went cold for 14% shooting, allowing the Senators to get their season record to 3-3. Taylor Wild was strong with 23 points and 4 rebounds, leading an otherwise balanced attack to victory. Sarah Donovan (10 points) was the only player to reach double figures for the Hawks in a disappointing loss.
Mandurah flew into second spot with a fifth straight win, this time defeating struggling Willetton 90-67. Shooting 21-of-34 from the field in the first half for 65%, the Magic restricted their opponents to just eight field goals at 26% to sew up the result early before cruising to the line in the second stanza. Hailey Dunham exploded for 30 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in a blistering performance, while Casey Mihovilovich added 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 steals to fill the stat sheet. Melissa Marsh (16 points) and Lisa Walbutton (11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists) led the hapless Tigers, who lost their third straight contest.
Kalamunda finished off round eight with a strong 89-75 win over South West, with the Suns pulling in 56 rebounds and restricting their opponents to just 32% shooting from the floor. Jennie Rintala (24 points, 18 rebounds) monstered the Slammers and Alison Schwagmeyer added 21 points and 7 boards to steer the Suns to victory, while for the visitors it was Brittany Gliddon (22 points, 9 rebounds) and Amanda Patton (17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists) who did the damage to no avail as the Slammers failed to build on their victory a night earlier.
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