Eagles Preview – Round 14

The East Perth Eagles women are looking for revenge on the Kalamunda Eastern Suns on Friday night while the men's team are just looking to keep their momentum going to retain their top four position.

It's another single game round for the East Perth Eagles and Round 14 will see them play host to the Eastern Suns at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre on Friday night with plenty at stake for both teams.

The women's match up gets underway at 6.30pm followed by the men's match up at 8.30pm.

WOMEN

If the East Perth Eagles want to reach the finals this NBL1 West season then a win at home to the Kalamunda Eastern Suns on Friday night is a non-negotiable.

The Eagles are back home on Peter Campbell Basketball Arena to play host to the Eastern Suns on Friday night and not only do they need to win to stay in playoff contention, but also with revenge on their mind.

The last time the two teams played was back in the second round of the 2024 season and at Ray Owen Sports Complex that saw the Eagles go down in a dramatic thriller by three points against the Eastern Suns.

There were plenty of big performers on that night despite the eventual loss for East Perth with Laci Hawthorne finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Bri Bailey added 15 points and three boards, Sarah Allen 14 points and six assists, Mary Goulding 11 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Tessa Morrison 10 points, four assists and three rebounds.

East Perth now comes into the Friday night match up at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre sitting just outside the top eight with a 5-10 record following last week's loss at home to the fifth placed Lakeside Lightning.

However, the Eagles remain just one game behind the eighth placed Joondalup Wolves who are on their own eight-game losing streak so the chance is there to break into a playoff position.

That can only happen should East Perth keep winning and on the back of three straight wins prior to last Friday's loss to Lakeside, the Eagles need to hit back and get back to winning on Friday night against an Eastern Suns coming into the match up with a 4-11 record.

However, the Suns have won their past two matches against the South West Slammers and Joondalup Wolves to come into Friday's game with confidence.

Over those last two games, Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant has averaged 33.5 points and 15.0 rebounds while Olivia Berry has been putting up 25.5 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds, Tiahna Sears 16.0 points and 8.5 boards, and Ella Fotu 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

A big boost to the Eagles late season push has been the return of experienced championship winning forward Sam Lubcke.

She has settled right back into the team after having to miss 12 months with concussion symptoms, and is looking forward to the chance to be part of getting revenge on the Suns on Friday night.

"Last time we played them, they showed what can happen when you underestimate them, so we won't be making the same mistake again," Lubcke said.

"I'm excited to play them this time round. The game plan is to play with heart and for each other with consistent high intensity offensively and defensively, and if we do this, we should come away with the W."

MEN

The East Perth Eagles are in hot form to now be in a top four position in the NBL1 West and now need to keep the roll going on Friday night hosting the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.

The Eastern Suns might arrive at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre having lost their past two matches and to be on a 5-12 record, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a dangerous opposition.

Marek Nelson is putting up 24.4 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game this season for the Suns while they possess the experience of the league's games record holder Seb Salinas along with 300-plus game teammates Rob Huntington and Reece Maxwell.

Former Eagle and championship winner Brendan Dinardo is also a key part of the Kalamunda back court while there's second import Raphell Thomas-Edwards, and handy contributors Jack Exeter and D'Ante Mearis.

That means that the Eagles can't afford to take anything for granted against the Eastern Suns on Friday night especially knowing they need to keep winning to remain in the fourth position they currently occupy.

However, East Perth will be banking on the sizeable starting five of David Okwera, Lee Roberts, Sebit Reath and Lukas Milner to give them an edge with the point guard spot run expertly by Taylor Roberts.

With Sharif Watson offering great versatility and the ability to play any number of positions coming off the bench and then with Nick Filpo and Elijah Pawson backing up Young in the back court, and it's an East Perth team that appears to have things figured out.

The Eagles have now won four matches in-a-row and nine of 11 going back further to come into the Round 14 match up with Kalamunda on an 11-6 record and in fourth position.

It is a tight battle for positions in the top four, though, so the Eagles do need to keep winning to stay where they are with the Mandurah Magic, Goldfields Giants and Rockingham Flames hot on their heels.

That's the challenge that now presents for East Perth on Friday night to keep the impressive form and momentum going against a dangerous and experienced Kalamunda line-up.