WHAT a way to kick off your Easter weekend. The National Basketball League (NBL)1 West competition held a bumper day of games on Thursday, with both the men’s and women’s divisions hosting a fresh batch of contests. All of the action took place on Thursday night, with a combined 12 games taking place across the courts. After a blockbuster opening round, NBL1 West returned for a second weekend, with the contenders beginning to emerge across both divisions. There was plenty to like for basketball fans, with a number of clashes providing some seriously good entertainment. None more so than the men’s matchup between the East Perth Eagles and the Perry Lakes Hawks at Herb Graham Entertainment Centre.

The night’s action was kicked off with the women’s matchup between the same sides, with the Hawks claiming a dominant win thanks to a terrific display on both ends of the court. There was plenty of excitement heading into the game that followed, with both teams pretty eager on getting their name in the winners’ list. East Perth were looking for their first win of the 2022 season, while Perry Lakes were keen on starting the season 2-0 after a strong win in Round 1. The match ended up going right down to the dying stages, with both squads leaving nothing on the court. A last-gasp attempt by the Eagles to steal the lead in the final seconds was wayward, as the Hawks claimed their second win of the season by just a single point.

East Perth Eagles (91) def. by Perry Lakes Hawks (92)

First Half

It was just about the perfect start from the Hawks, snatching an early advantage on the scoreboard and immediately putting East Perth on the back foot with a barnstorming opening quarter. The visitors scored the first nine points of the game, and were able to maintain their lead as the Eagles found themselves trailing by eight at the first break of play. East Perth’s offence improved in the second period, enough so that they outperformed their opponents thanks to a late three-pointer from Logan Thwaites, and the margin was reduced to just five at half time, with the home side looking to carry their momentum into the second half.

Second Half

Quarter number three started off with some back and forth action, with the Eagles unable to make up any ground after a promising second period. After a good start to the term from East Perth, Adam Thoseby took over for the Hawks, scoring the last 10 points of the third for his team, with Perry Lakes’ lead extended by one heading into the final quarter. The Eagles did as much as they could to fight back in the last 10 minutes of play, rallying behind the remarkable scoring ability of Justin King to even take the lead with 90 seconds remaining. Ben Purser regained the lead for the Hawks, and King’s game-winner was off the mark as Perry Lakes claimed the slimmest of wins.

Standout Performers

The Hawks were led by a number of contributors, with five players scoring 13 points or more. Leading the way was Thoseby, who produced 17 points off the bench, while Matthew Leary was not far behind with 16 of his own. For the Eagles, King could not have done any more, pouring in a whopping 40 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as he fought tooth and nail to get his side over the line. It was one of the most dominant individual performances we have seen in the first two rounds, and was unlucky not to be paired with a winning result.

Across the courts

Here are the remaining results from a bumper Thursday of action around Western Australia.

Men’s

Eastern Suns (62) def. by Joondalup Wolves (80)
Mandurah Magic (104) def. Lakeside Lightning (88)
Perth Redbacks (72) def. by Warwick Senators (97)
Rockingham Flames (103) def. South West Slammers (91)
Willetton Tigers (63) def. by Cockburn Cougars (71)

Women’s

East Perth Eagles (60) def. by Perry Lakes Hawks (89)
Eastern Suns (59) def. by Joondalup Wolves (87)
Mandurah Magic (75) def. Lakeside Lightning (66)
Perth Redbacks (65) def. by Warwick Senators (73)
Willetton Tigers (84) def. Cockburn Cougars (80)
Rockingham Flames (108) def. South West Slammers (44)