ROUND 8 of the National Basketball League (NBL)1 West competition saw just six women’s division matches played, whilst it was a huge schedule in the men’s with a number of tight contests.

WOMEN’S:

Cockburn Cougars kept their unbeaten streak alive with back-to-back double-digit wins in the NBL1 West women’s competition over the weekend. First up on Friday night they knocked off East Perth Eagles by 10 points, before completing the double with an 11-point win over Perth Redbacks. In the victory over the Eagles, Cockburn won the first three quarters to race out to a 16-point lead at the final break, before the Eagles won the last term 18-12 to cut the final margin to 10, 75-65. In the win against Perth, it was a topsy-turvy game, with the Redbacks hitting the front by a point at half-time after a strong second term, before Cockburn ran out stronger with 42 points to 28 in the second half to win by 11, 87-74.

Taylah Simmons put up 20 points five rebounds, four assists and four steals in the win against East Perth, with Jessie Edwards finishing with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. Molly Mathews had the 19 points and four rebounds, with four of 10 from long-range. Ruby Benn (seven points, seven rebounds) was also impressive. In the victory over Perth, it was Edwards who poured on a huge double-double of 36 points, 12 rebounds and two assists, whilst Simmons (22 points, six rebounds and three assists) and Matthews (seven points, 11 rebounds and three assists) were all lively.

Of the Perth teams, three East Perth players had 15 points, with Mary Goulding not missing a second of action, and notching up a double-double with 16 rebounds, as well as two assists and two steals. Tahlia Fejo (three steals, two rebounds and two assists) and Moyes (four rebounds) also had influential games. Eryn Fisher (nine points, seven rebounds) and Jade Gowland (eight points, five rebounds) impacted off the boards. For the Redbacks, it was Makailah Dyer (26 points, nine rebounds and four assists) who was the dominant scorer, with Jessica Jakens (10 points, eight rebounds) and Maddison Allen (eight points, 11 rebounds and six assists) who were standout performers.

In other games, the only match below a 20-point margin was the Warwick Senators’ 16-point triumph over Perry Lakes Hawks (95-79). In the bigger blowouts, Rockingham Flames knocked off Mandurah Magic by 20 points, Willetton Tigers rolled Eastern Suns by 31, and Lakeside Lightning dominated South West Slammers by 47.

ROUND 8 RESULTS:

South West Slammers (47) def. by Lakeside Lightning (94)
East Perth Eagles (65) def. by Cockburn Cougars (75)
Rockingham Flames (73) def. Mandurah Magic (53)
Cockburn Cougars (87) def. Perth Redbacks (74)
Warwick Senators (95) def. Perry Lakes Hawks (79)
Willetton Tigers (93) def. Eastern Suns (62)

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MEN’S:

Two NBL1 West men’s games finished with single-digit differences and are the highlighted games in our review from Round 8. First up is East Perth Eagles’ six-point triumph over Cockburn Cougars in front of home fans. Racing out to a three-point quarter time lead and building on that advantage to eight by half-time, the Eagles soon found it would not all be one-sided with the Cougars hitting back in the third to cut the deficit in half by the final break. Steadying in the last quarter, East Perth got home in a tight one 19-17 to win by six points, 69-63.

Kieran Berry managed the 16 points, three assists and two rebounds in the win, as Andrej Donlagic dropped three of five from long-range on his way to 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Jarrad Anastasio hit a double-double of 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, while Mitch Benger had 10 points, five rebounds and two steals. Logan Thwaites was the other key contributor with nine points and five rebounds.

For the Cougars, Gavin Field recorded 19 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists to lead all-comers in the match, while Jacob Polglase finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Seva Chan (seven points, eight assists, three rebounds and two steals) and Jaarod Holmes (five points, six rebounds and two assists) contributed across the board.

In the other tight contest, Willetton Tigers got the better of Eastern Suns, claiming a seven-point win at home. The Tigers got off to the perfect start, leading by four points at quarter time and six points at half-time. They built on that lead to have a nine-point advantage at the final break, before the Suns hit back with a strong final term for the eventual seven-point differential, 72-65.

Connor Mincherton had 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, sharing the equal top-score with Lachlan Evans (16 points, four rebounds and two steals). Roosevelt Williams had the 13 points and five rebounds, while Damien Scott also hit double-figure points with 10, as well as eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Michael Collins (six points, 10 rebounds and two assists) and Andrew Black (nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks) also contributed.

The Eastern Suns had an even contribution in the loss, with Chris Johnson (14 points, 13 rebounds and four assists) dominating with a double-double effort. Brendan Dinardo (10 points, three rebounds and three assists) and Ryan Blanchett (nine points, nine rebounds and four assists) both stood tall, while Jermaine Malie (seven points, three rebounds) and Corey Easley (six points, four rebounds) also stepped up in defeat.

In other results, the Suns finally got a win with a 20-point triumph over Geraldton Buccaneers, which reversed the result for the Buccaneers who earlier claimed a victory over Mandurah Magic. The Magic went down to Rockingham Flames the night before, with Lakeside Lightning picking up two wins over South West Slammers and Goldfields Giants. The Giants had back-to-back losses with a second defeat against Joondalup Wolves, while in the other matches, Perth Redbacks defeated Cockburn Cougars by 17 points, and Warwick Senators proved too good for Perry Lakes Hawks with a 10-point win.

ROUND 8 RESULTS:

South West Slammers (65) def. by Lakeside Lightning (96)
East Perth Eagles (69) def. Cockburn Cougars (63)
Rockingham Flames (95) def. Mandurah Magic (69)
Mandurah Magic (71) def. by Geraldton Buccaneers (86)
Cockburn Cougars (72) def. by Perth Redbacks (89)
Warwick Senators (87) def. Perry Lakes Hawks (77)
Willetton Tigers (72) def. Eastern Suns (65)
Lakeside Lightning (118) def. Goldfields Giants (90)
Joondalup Wolves (82) def. Goldfields Giants (71)
Eastern Suns (94) def. Geraldton Buccaneers (74)

Picture credit: NBL1