Recap NBL1 West | Round 3 Saturday

Both Perth Redbacks teams scored their first wins of the season in Saturday night's NBL1 West action while the Joondalup Wolves and Rockingham Flames notched four more victories to remain undefeated in 2024.

The Saturday night women's results saw the Perth Redbacks beat the East Perth Eagles 92-74 with the Cockburn Cougars defeating the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 98-69, Joondalup Wolves downing the Goldfields Giants 78-43, and Rockingham Flames winning 86-57 against the Warwick Senators.

The corresponding men's matches saw the Redbacks beat the Eagles 94-93 while the Cougars defeated the Eastern Suns 88-84, the Wolves downed the Giants 94-84, the Flames beat the Senators 118-96, and the Geraldton Buccaneers defeated the South West Slammers 94-86.

RECAP NBL1 WEST | ROUND 3 FRIDAY

FITTING SEND OFF FOR STEVE, NICOLLE DICONZA

RECAP NBL1 WEST | ROUND 2 SUNDAY

WOMEN

Perth Redbacks (92) defeated East Perth Eagles (74)

It was the battle of winless teams at Belmont Oasis and the arrival of Anneli Maley inspired the Perth Redbacks to the 92-74 victory against the East Perth Eagles.

Both the Redbacks and Eagles had lost their opening three matches of the NBL1 West heading into their Saturday night match up, but in the end the major difference was Maley arriving back in town to suit up for the Redbacks for the first time.

Fresh off captaining the Perth Lynx to the WNBL Grand Final this past season and then winning gold for the Australian 3x3 team at the Asia Cup, Maley showed no sign of jetlag fresh off the plane to make her debut for the Redbacks on her new home floor.

With both teams desperate for a first win of the season the stakes were high but it just turned out a night to forget for the Eagles who had a horror time taking care of the ball.

East Perth would finish with 26 turnovers for the game with the majority coming in the first half which helped the Redbacks build up a 10-point lead in the first quarter which grew to 26 in the second.

The Redbacks led 57-36 by half-time with the lead growing to as much as 37 points in the third quarter before the home team scored the 18-point victory to open their account for 2024 under new coach Tim Rendulic.

Anneli Maley made an immediate impact for Perth with 19 points, 18 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals while playing 34 minutes fresh off the plane from overseas.

Brooke Malone continues to emerge for the Redbacks with another 24 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals with Raya Thompson contributing 11 points and four assists, and Shenae Hartree nine points and 10 rebounds.

It was a rough night for the Eagles with Laci Hawthorne finishing with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists, Mary Baskerville 21 points and 15 boards, and Tessa Morrison 13 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals.

The Redbacks will look for consecutive wins away to the Perry Lakes Hawks on Friday at 6:30pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App while the Eagles host the Hawks as well on Saturday.

PERTH REDBACKS 92 (Malone 24, Maley 19, Thompson 11)

EAST PERTH EAGLES 74 (Baskerville 21, Hawthorne 21, Morrison 13)

Cockburn Cougars (98) defeated Kalamunda Eastern Suns (69)

The championship defence of the Cockburn Cougars continues to gather some impressive momentum with a 98-69 win at home to the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.

On the back of winning a first ever women's championship in 2023, the Cougars have started the 2024 season emphatically coming into Saturday's clash with the Eastern Suns at Wally Hagan Stadium with wins over the Mandurah Magic and South West Slammers.

The Suns arrived on Saturday having split their opening two matches under new coach Marcus Bardill, but taking on the reigning champs was going to be another test especially when they welcomed back Grand Final MVP Steph Gorman.

Cockburn included Perth Lynx guard Alex Ciabattoni last week for the first time this season and now she was joined by her WNBL teammate Gorman for Saturday's clash at home with the Suns.

What that meant was that the dynamic and high-class Cockburn back court was together for the first time and Ciabattoni, Gorman and Jewel Williams would end up combining for 70 points, 19 rebounds and 13 assists between the trio.

It's a Cockburn team still to bring in import pair Maria Blazejewski and Daniel Raber to the front court with Jessie Edwards not playing as well and on Saturday against the Eastern Suns, they were just on another level.

The Cougars got up to a 14-point lead by quarter-time and then saw that get out to as much as 21 in the third quarter, 36 in the fourth and they would end up winning by 29 to go to 3-0 on the season and having won nine straight NBL1 West matches.

Ciabattoni was playing just her second game with the Cougars and put up 31 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals on shooting 13/21 from the floor.

Gorman was making her first appearance of the season and had 24 points and nine rebounds with Williams contributing 15 points and eight assists.

Harriet Ford also had 11 points and eight rebounds with Regan Turnour-McCarty adding nine points, 11 boards and three assists.

Tiahna Sears top-scored for the Eastern Suns with 18 points and 13 rebounds with Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant contributing 14 points and six boards, Ashleigh Cole 12 points and five rebounds, and Ella Fotu 12 points, four boards and three assists.

The Cougars hit the road next Friday to face the Mandurah Magic at 6:30pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. The Suns also host the Warwick Senators on Friday.

COCKBURN COUGARS 98 (Ciabattoni 31, Gorman 24, Williams 15)

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 69 (Sears 18, McGhee-Pleasant 14, Cole 12, Fotu 12)

Goldfields Giants (43) lost to Joondalup Wolves (78)

The Joondalup Wolves made the trip to Kalgoorlie and kept their unbeaten run to start the season going with the 78-43 victory over the Goldfields Giants.

The Giants were playing at home for the first time in 2024 at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium and looking for a first win upon hosting the undefeated Wolfpack on Saturday.

Joondalup is looking a smooth running machine despite being a decidedly new-look team in 2024 and that was on show again with the Wolves leading 19-11 by the end of one.

Another 19 points to eight in the second period and the Wolfpack were leading the Giants 38-19 at half-time.

Joondalup would go on to outscore Goldfields 40 points to 24 in the second half to score the 35-point victory to improve to 3-0 on the season with the Giants now 0-3.

Julia Chandler ended up top-scoring for the Wolves with 17 points and four rebounds with Darien Huff contributing 14 points and six assists, and Sarah Toeaina 12 points, six steals, five rebounds and three assists.

Jorjah Smith also came into the Wolfpack line-up having previously played 211 games across the Eastern Suns, Mandurah Magic, Rockingham Flames and East Perth Eagles. She had 14 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Anne Zipser finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and three assists for Goldfields with Tamsyn Pentland contributing 11 points and four boards, and Lauren Fech three points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

The Giants remain at home next Saturday hosting the South West Slammers at 6pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. The Wolves also host the Mandurah Magic on Saturday.

GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 43 (Zipser 19, Pentland 11, Sidebottom 5)

JOONDALUP WOLVES 78 (Chandler 17, Smith 14, Huff 14)

Rockingham Flames (86) defeated Warwick Senators (57)

It was a match up of undefeated teams at Mike Barnett Sports Complex but it was the Rockingham Flames flexing their muscles to beat the Warwick Senators 86-57.

The Flames started their weekend improving to 4-0 by beating the Perry Lakes Hawks by 34 points on the road on Friday before returning home to host the 3-0 Senators on Saturday in Rockingham.

After scores were all tied at 21-21 at quarter-time, Rockingham dominated the second quarter on the back of holding the Senators to just the four points for the entire 10 minutes.

The Flames scored another 32 points themselves to be in control leading 53-35 at the half-time break.

From there the Rockingham lead grew to as much as 36 points in the second half before they went on to win by 29 points to improve to a 5-0 record with the Senators now 3-1.

It was all about sharing the load once more for the Flames with Sami Whitcomb only able to make it through nine minutes of the game.

Georgia Pineau finished with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals with two-time MVP Alex Sharp contributing 17 points, five boards and three assists.

Jess Jakens also had 14 points and four rebounds with Nes'eya Parker-Williams adding 11 points, 14 boards and five steals.

Another dual MVP winner, Stacey Barr, finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for Warwick despite shooting 4/18 from the field with Chloe Forster adding 13 points and four assists, and Karly Murphy 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Flames remain at home to face the Willetton Tigers on Friday at 6:30pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. The Senators stay on the road against the Eastern Suns also on Friday.

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 86 (Pineau 22, Sharp 17, Jakens 14)

WARWICK SENATORS 57 (Barr 16, Forster 13, Murphy 10)

MEN

South West Slammers (86) lost to Geraldton Buccaneers (94)

The vast improvement in 2024 of the South West Slammers was again on show but the Geraldton Buccaneers eventually worked on top with the defending champions winning 94-86.

The Slammers were back home at Eaton Recreation Centre and despite having won one of their first three games this season, the improvement has been significant with competitive showings against the undefeated Rockingham and Joondalup, and beating Cockburn.

It was another significant test hosting a Buccaneers team making their first road trip of the season having beaten Willetton at home last Saturday night on the back of winning last year's championship.

The Slammers threw the gauntlet right down to the Buccs leading by as much as seven points in the first quarter and nine in the second, but by half-time scores were level at 50-50.

South West were again back up three when Manyiel Wugol hit a three with seven minutes remaining but eventually Geraldton was able to dig deep and pull away for the eight-point road win.

Josh Keyes top-scored in the win for the Buccaneers with 22 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists with Johny Narkle contributing 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Liam Hunt added 19 points, 12 boards and four assists with Nik DeSantis contributing 17 points, five assists and three steals, and captain Aaron Ralph eight points and five rebounds.

Buay Tuach delivered a standout performance for the Slammers with 30 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Manyiel Wugol contributed 17 points and two rebounds, Mathiang Muo 12 points and four boards, Alex Holcombe 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

The Buccs are back home to host the Lakeside Lightning next Saturday at 7pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App while the Slammers head to Kalgoorlie to face the Giants on Saturday.

SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 86 (Tuach 30, Wugol 17, Muo 12)

GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 94 (Keyes 22, Narkle 21, Hunt 19)

Perth Redbacks (94) defeated East Perth Eagles (93)

Dramatic finishes seem to follow when the two teams play and that was again the case with the Perth Redbacks able to snatch the 94-93 win over the East Perth Eagles in dramatic fashion.

The Redbacks needed the win too having lost their opening three matches of the season including going down the previous night on the road to the Willetton Tigers by 20 points.

Perth were hosting an East Perth team with just the one win from three games coming into the contest, but with no shortage of talent headed up by 156-game experienced NBL guard Sunday Dech along with former Redbacks pair Jerami Grace and David Okwera.

So the stage was set for another dramatic match up between the two teams and it more than delivered.

East Perth shot out of the blocks going on an 11-0 scoring run in the first quarter to lead by as much as 12, and to still be leading 26-17 by the end of one.

The Eagles lead got out to as much as 15 points in the second period but then the Redbacks managed a fightback scoring 11 straight points of their own to go into half-time leading 48-47.

It remained a seesaw battle throughout the second half with the lead continuing to switch hands, but a Taylor Young three with two minutes to play gave East Perth a handy four-point advantage.

The Eagles were still up four when Dech hit a pair of free-throws even if the DJ decided louder music was required rather than switching it off.

The Redbacks weren't done yet and big Ioannis Dimakopoulos harked back to his preliminary final winning three last year with Joondalup by knocking one down from deep to make it a one-point game again.

That's where things turned especially dramatic. The Redbacks attempted to foul Dech in the back court, but when no whistle was blown, the ball deflected right into the path of Joe Cook-Green for the Redbacks under the basket.

He was fouled and made both with 0.4 seconds left on the clock to give Perth the one-point lead.

There was time for a miracle for the Eagles out of a timeout with the side ball. The lob pass from Young towards Okwera was perfect too.

There was only time for a tip but it was on track to work until Sebit Reath collided with Okwera, time expired and Perth won its first game of the season by a point in a remarkable finish.

Tevin Jackson finished with 24 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Redbacks with Ioannis Dimakopoulos adding 23 points, nine boards and three assists, Joe Cook-Green 19 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Maris Colton 10 points, nine boards, three assists and two blocks.

It will be a tough loss for East Perth to stomach with Sunday Dech putting up 26 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals with 4/6 shooting from three-point range.

Taylor Young added 20 points and six assists, Sharif Watson 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, David Okwera 13 points and 11 boards, and Sebit Reath 13 points and six rebounds.

The Redbacks next take on the Perry Lakes Hawks away on Friday at 8:30pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. The Eagles are at home to Perry Lakes on Saturday.

PERTH REDBACKS 94 (Jackson 24, Dimakopoulos 23, Cook-Green 19)

EAST PERTH EAGLES 93 (Dech 26, Young 20, Watson 18)

Cockburn Cougars (88) defeated Kalamunda Eastern Suns (84)

Eventful match ups tend to follow Cockburn and Kalamunda, and Saturday night at Wally Hagan Stadium was no different with the Cougars beating the Eastern Suns 88-84.

Both teams came into the match up needing a win too with Cockburn disappointing last week losing on the road to the South West Slammers while the Suns had yet to taste victory in 2024.

Cockburn managed to lead by eight in the first quarter but Kalamunda responded to go on a 10-0 scoring run and be leading 26-22 after one.

The Suns stretched that advantage to nine points in the second term too and the visitors remained in front 45-37 at the half-time interval.

It remained a tight contest through the second half but the Eastern Suns were still leading by nine early in the fourth, but the Cougars came out desperate to not lose on their home floor for the first time this season.

Hunter Clarke and Josh Hunt combined to score buckets to put the home team in front with 5:30 to play before a triple from 296-game veteran guard Kyle Armour stretched that advantage to four.

Armour hit another from downtown shortly after to keep Cockburn up by four and the Cougars would never trail again.

Seva Chan was able to stretch the lead out to seven in his first appearance of the season and despite Marek Nelson bringing the Suns back within three with 30 second to go, that would be the last bucket of the game and the Cougars were able to hold on to the four-point win after a free-throw from Hunt.

Josh Hunt would top-score for the Cougars with 19 points and three assists on 6/11 shooting along with going 7/9 at the foul line.

Rhys Vague produced 15 points, 15 rebounds and three assists with Kyle Armour contributing 13 points, Seva Chan 11 points and four assists, and Gavin Field nine points, nine boards and six assists despite an ankle complaint.

Marek Nelson put up 26 points and 13 rebounds for Kalamunda with Bryan Michaels contributing 18 points and four boards, Brendan Dinardo 11 points, six rebounds and three assists, and captain Rob Huntington nine points, four rebounds and three assists.

The Cougars now take on the Mandurah Magic on the road on Friday at 8:30pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. The Suns host the Warwick Senators at the same time.

COCKBURN COUGARS 88 (Hunt 19, Vague 15, Armour 13)

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 84 (Nelson 26, Michaels 18, Dinardo 11)

Goldfields Giants (84) lost to Joondalup Wolves (94)

The Joondalup Wolves headed to Kalgoorlie on Saturday night and came back with their undefeated record intact beating the Goldfields Giants 94-84.

The Giants were home at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium for the first time this season after splitting their road double last weekend as they played host to the undefeated Wolfpack.

It was a close contest in the opening quarter before Joondalup opened up a 12-point lead in the second term thanks to a 10-0 scoring run.

However, Goldfields responded well and by half-time Joondalup's lead was only 48-45.

The Giants then opened up their own six-point lead during the third quarter but the Wolfpack responded with 29 points to 13 in the final period to score the 10-point victory and improve to 3-0 on the season.

CJ Turnage is putting his hand up to be in the MVP discussion after three rounds with another standout performance for the Wolves with 29 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Ethan Elliott added 22 points, six assists and four rebounds, Caleb Davis 19 points, 12 boards, five assists and three steals, and Christian Jurlina 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.

De'Sean Parsons had another strong performance for Goldfields with 28 points, nine rebounds and four assists with Randy Bell contributing 18 points, six boards and five assists, Mayo Malek 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Damon Ballantyne 11 points, six boards, three assists and two steals.

The Wolves next play host the Mandurah Magic next Saturday at 7pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App with the Giants remaining home to host the South West Slammers.

GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 84 (Parsons 28, Bell 18, Malek 11, Ballantyne 11)

JOONDALUP WOLVES 94 (Turnage 29, Elliott 22, Davis 19)

Rockingham Flames (118) defeated Warwick Senators (96)

Rockingham and Warwick put their undefeated records on the line on Saturday night with the Flames proving too strong thanks to a dominant last quarter to win 118-96.

The Flames have come into 2024 on a mission with the 2022 NBL1 West and National Champions left with a feeling of unfinished business having not made the Grand Final in 2023 after finishing in first place and then losing the Grand Final at the National Finals.

Rockingham had won its first four games ahead of hosting the Senators on Saturday at Mike Barnett Sports Complex with Warwick also bringing with them a perfect 3-0 record for the trip south.

The Flames shot quickly out of the blocks with a 12-0 run in the first quarter to open up a 16-point lead and then still be on top 27-12 by the end of one.

The Senators warmed into the contest nicely, though, and with 34 points to 28 in the second term, cut a 22-point deficit back to nine at the half-time break.

Both teams then combined for 68 points in the third period and the Senators did get back as close as four points but then it was all Rockingham in the final stanza.

The Flames put up 30 points to 15 in the fourth to end up winning by 22 points to improve to 5-0 on the season with the Senators now 3-1.

Two-time MVP Devondrick Walker was terrific with 32 points, nine assists and four rebounds for Rockingham on 11/18 shooting from the floor and 4/10 from deep.

He had plenty of help too with Gorjok Gak finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds, Ryan Godfrey 21 points and five assists, Quintin Dove 16 points and eight rebounds, Justin Beard 14 points and six boards, and Travis Durnin 10 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

It's a first loss of the season for Warwick but there were still plenty of good signs and there is still Zac Gattorna to come into the line-up once his back injury is healed.

Todd Withers delivered 30 points and six rebounds for the Senators with Michael Harris contributing 21 points, six boards and five assists, Brody England 14 points and three assists, Cody Ellis 12 points, and George Pearl 11 points and six rebounds.

The Flames remain at home to the Willetton Tigers on Friday at 8:30pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App while the Senators are away to the Eastern Suns.

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES 118 (Walker 32, Godfrey 21, Gak 19)

WARWICK SENATORS 96 (Withers 30, Harris 21, England 14)