Vital clashes for both Western sides are locked in this week with the Perth Lynx needing a win to stave off the charging Townsville Fire and the Perth Wildcats seeking redemption after being hurdled in the standings by Sydney and Melbourne last round. 

For the Lynx, who split their Round 12 matches, second spot on the WNBL ladder doesn’t seem as secure as it did just a few weeks ago. For much of the season it has been a battle between two as Bendigo and Perth were considered the two powerhouses of the competition this season, but now the Townsville Fire, winners of seven of their last eight games are surging towards the top two.

With a game in hand on Perth, they are just one game behind in the loss column, and showing no signs of slowing down after a convincing 14-point win on Wednesday over the Sydney Flames. Saturday is the Lynx’ turn to take on the Flames, who currently station themselves in fourth spot, but getting a win to hold the Fire at bay is imperative for Perth.

Key to stopping the Flames will be suppressing the scoring prowess of Shaneice Swain. The 21-year-old guard out of Cairns is averaging a career high 18.1 points per game, good enough for third in the WNBL. She also leads the competition in three-pointers per game.

Swain comes into this matchup in form, having handed Townsville 40 points on Wednesday, knocking down seven threes despite the loss. Running her off the three-point line and not allowing her to shoot from distance could be a go-to strategy for the Lynx, but Swain is just as damaging inside the arc, going 9/13 from two-point range in the Fire matchup. Swain is also a capable playmaker, eighth in the league for assists amidst a stellar season.

The Lynx will also have their hands full trying to guard Cayla George, who in two games against Perth this year has put up 19 points, 16 rebounds and 2 blocks, and 28 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. They have been unable to stop George’s dominance and will look to Laeticia Amihere and Anneli Maley for the matchup defensively. Maley specifically, leads the league in rebounds per game and her battle on the boards with George (who is fourth in the same category) will be must-watch. 

While the Lynx battle in Sydney, back home in WA the Wildcats will look to bounce back from a tough loss at the hands of Melbourne United when they face the bottom of the ladder Taipans on Saturday. Cairns, despite their losing record are coming off an impressive victory over league-leaders Illawarra and will be looking to maintain that winning momentum into the final stages of the season.

Taran Armstrong missed the Hawks clash for Cairns, allowing others to step up in his absence. Pedro Bradshaw, Alex Higgins-Titsha, Rob Edwards, Tanner Groves and Sam Waardenburg all played excellent games as the Taipans starting lineup scored 85 points compared to Illawarra’s 52. Armstrong is a game-time decision for the clash with Perth, but Cairns have plenty of firepower if he can’t get up.

Meanwhile Bryce Cotton did not score 40 points for what feels like the first time all season. He was well held by the ruthless Shea Ili but Cairns don’t have a defender of his calibre and so Cotton will be looking to put his scoring punch back on full display in front of his home crowd.

Kristian Doolittle’s return from a groin injury has left zero questions over whether he is at full fitness, the Wildcats wing scoring 60 points from his last two outings off the bench. He is likely to be re-inserted into the starting lineup, though John Rillie has liked the idea of playing David Okwera early in games and even opted to start injury replacement player Todd Withers over Doolittle against Melbourne.

Dylan Windler will remain out for Perth and so Withers will stay in the lineup, while Perth will ask for more offensive production from Ben Henshall and Izan Almansa, who while both having stellar years, combined for just 12 points in their last game.

Keanu Pinder has become acclimated to his bench role, and along with Almansa will have their hands full defensively with the Groves-Waardenburg duo in the frontcourt. Cairns run a big starting lineup, even Bradshaw and Higgins-Titsha who lined up at shooting guard and small forward collected eight and seven rebounds respectively.

Keeping the Taipans off the boards will be a big ask in this one. A win will see Perth go equal with Melbourne and Sydney on the ladder, and just one game behind Illawarra in first., though the two former teams still have games to play in Round 18. The Wildcats will get the game in hand back on them in Round 19, where things could be set up for an exciting finish to the regular season in the hunt for the top two.