Round 14 Eagles Wrap – Women/Men

It wasn’t the night that either East Perth Eagles teams were hoping for at home to the Eastern Suns on Friday but the chance still presents for the women to break into the top eight and the men to finish in the top four.

The Eagles were playing host to the Eastern Suns at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre on Friday night in Round 14 of the NBL1 West season.

The Suns ended up coming away with two victories with their women's team beating the Eagles 96-68 before the Kalamunda men also defeated East Perth 101-80.

WOMEN

The East Perth Eagles had a chance to further close in on a playoff position against the Eastern Suns on Friday night but it wasn’t to be at Peter Campbell Basketball Arena.

East Perth was coming into the Friday night Round 14 match up looking to bounce back from last week's loss to the Lakeside Lightning and with eighth position up for grabs following the run of losses for the Joondalup Wolves, it was a golden chance against the out of contention Suns.

Both teams went on their own big scoring runs in the first quarter but by the end of the opening term it was the Eastern Suns leading 23-20.

Kalamunda then took over further in the second frame with 27 points to 15 to go into the half-time interval leading 50-35.

The Eagles were the team with the most at stake but it was the Eastern Suns who remained in control through the second half with the lead getting out to 24 points in the third period, and 30 in the fourth.

The Suns would end up winning by 28 points with coach Marcus Bardill now having his team firing with three straight victories having only won two all season long up to that point.

East Perth missed a chance to close in on a top eight spot having slipped to a 5-11 record with Mary Baskerville finishing with 18 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals on 8/15 shooting.

Bri Bailey added 15 points on 3/7 three-point shooting with Laci Hawthorne contributing 14 points and 11 rebounds, Mary Goulding seven points and two boards, and Sam Lubcke six points and eight rebounds.

Taylor Roberts also finished with three points, two rebounds and two assists, Sarah Allen three points and two boards, Aleka Kabugua two points, three rebounds and two steals, and Tessa Morrison had nine assists and three boards.

MEN

The East Perth Eagles men were one of the hottest teams in the NBL1 West coming into Friday night's match up with the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Peter Campbell Basketball Arena.

The Eagles had the chance to consolidate a top four position back at home against an Eastern Suns team that is dangerous and talented, but also out of the playoff hunt and missing gun scorer Bryan Michaels.

East Perth is now also without Sunday Dech as he prepares to represent South Sudan at the Paris Olympic Games, but still the Eagles would have been feeling good about things coming into the Friday night match up.

The Eagles were back home at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre sitting in fourth position and in a hot run of form winning four straight, and nine of their last 11 matches.

The Eastern Suns arrived out of the playoff hunt and having lost their past couple of games, but it was a Kalamunda team on a mission from the outset and their athleticism led by Nelson was able to prove too nimble for the sizeable East Perth line-up.

With Dech and Jerami Grace no longer with the Eagles, they have gone big with their starting five with point guard Taylor Young joined by near seven-footers David Okwera, Lukas Milner, Lee Roberts and Sebit Reath.

The Eastern Suns were able to take advantage of their quickness advantage and the Eagles found it tough to contain them with the visitors putting up 33 points in the first quarter including scoring 10 in-a-row to end up leading by as much as 15 points.

East Perth had so much to play for in one of its final five games of the season, but the Suns continued to have all the answers to end up leading by 24 points in the second quarter, and 26 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 21-point victory.

East Perth slips out of the top four with Mandurah's win also on Friday with the Eagles now 11-7 on the season with four matches to go with Lukas Milner ending up with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks on 2/3 three-point shooting.

Lee Roberts added 14 points and three rebounds, Taylor Young 14 points and six assists, Sebit Reath 10 points and four boards, and local product and Perth Wildcats young gun David Okwera seven points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

Elijah Pawson offered a spark off the bench as a back up guard again with nine points on 3/4 three-point shooting with Sharif Watson contributing four points and two rebounds, Nick Filpo two points, four boards and four assists, and Nathan Drown three points on 1/1 three-point shooting.