THE PERTH Redbacks rallied behind a triple-double from Brian Voelkel to defeat the Geraldton Buccaneers in the NBL1 West Men’s competition over the weekend.

The two sides locked horns at Karratha Leisureplex on Saturday night, with the two teams eager to continue their winning ways to start the season, The Redbacks had sustained one loss from two appearances coming in, while the Buccaneers were a perfect one from one after the opening round.

Geraldton managed to push its nose in front in the first term, getting plenty of offence going to take a five-point lead into the opening change. However, the Redbacks won the final three quarters of the game, finally getting rolling to emerge as 96-80 winners to climb back up the standings and have a positive record.

While there were bigger scorers for the winning side, it was Voelkel that had the biggest impact on the contest, doing whatever the team needed to great avail.

Geraldton Buccaneers (80) def. by Perth Redbacks (96)

Brian Voelkel – 12 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals

Voelkel was an unstoppable presence in Perth’s second win of the season, showcasing his all-around talent and the impact that he can have on the game.

The Pleasantville, New York native was able to do a little bit of everything, making smart decisions with ball in hand and going above and beyond to get his team over the line, a sign of a truly mature and experienced point guard.

At 31 years of age, Voelkel is entering the twilight of his career, but Saturday’s showing the game is yet to pass him, and he will be a crucial contributor for the Redbacks this year.

He shot 5/9 from the field on his way to 12 points, choosing to fire off all his shots from inside the arc, where he had plenty of success putting up floaters and lay-ups against the Geraldton interior defence.

Voelkel’s 10 rebounds also went a long way, constantly trailing in shots from both sides and pulling down as many boards as he could. In a game where some of his taller teammates struggled to gain ascendancy in the air, his seven defensive and three offensive rebounds were a standout.

One of Voelkel’s biggest strengths as a player is his ability to find his teammates with ball in hand, and that was again on full display against the Redbacks. He was the only player on the court to register double-digits in the assists column, and generated an immense amount of offence with his vision.

Voelkel stuffed the stat sheet with a strong performance, further emphasising his importance to the team.