The two semi finals in the NBL1 West Women’s Division took place on Friday with the Warwick Senators and Perth Redbacks winning into Saturday’s preliminary finals after two nail-biting finishes.
The finals of the inaugural NBL1 West Women’s Division season began last weekend with the Cockburn Cougars beating the Rockingham Flames, and the Warwick Senators defeating the Mandurah Magic.
Those were the two elimination finals meaning the Cougars and Senators stayed alive while the seasons were over for the Magic and Flames.
The qualifying finals took place as well featuring the teams who earned double chances by finishing in the top four. They saw the Joondalup Wolves beat the Perth Redbacks and the Willetton Tigers come from behind to defeat the East Perth Eagles.
That saw the Wolves and Tigers book in hosting rights of this Saturday’s preliminary finals while the Eagles and Redbacks would host Friday night’s semi-final match ups.
Spots in the preliminary finals were on the line and the action on Friday night got underway at Belmont Oasis with the Perth Redbacks having to come from behind to overcome a brave and spirited Cockburn Cougars 74-70.
Makailah Dyer was unstoppable for the Redbacks producing 36 points while Maddie Allen threatened a triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Jessie Edwards continued her brilliant form for Cockburn with 27 points and 14 rebounds.
That means the Redbacks now take on the Tigers in Saturday’s preliminary final at Willetton Basketball Stadium from 5pm.
Then at Herb Graham Recreation Centre, it was a hell of a seesawing battle with the Warwick Senators going up big in the first half, East Perth storming back to appear to have a match-winning lead, and then the Senators eventually prevailing 80-79.
Stacey Barr has finished the season playing terrific all-round basketball and that continued with another 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Mary Goulding finished her brilliant season for an East Perth team who came from nowhere in 2021 with 32 points, 15 rebounds and five steals.
The Senators now play the Joondalup Wolves at HBF Arena on Saturday from 7pm.
SEMI FINALS
PERTH REDBACKS 74 DEFEATED COCKBURN COUGARS 70
The Cockburn Cougars might have limped into the NBL1 West Women’s Division finals, but they sure kicked things up a gear and went ever so close to knocking off the Perth Redbacks at Belmont Oasis on Friday night.
The Cougars started the 2021 NBL1 West season so impressively winning six of their opening eight matches but they then lost seven of the last 10 to only just scrape into the finals before delivering a big upset last Friday night to eliminate the Rockingham Flames.
They faced another significant test on Friday night, though, with the Redbacks back on their home floor determined to bounce back from a disappointing 42-point loss to the Joondalup Wolves a week earlier.
The Redbacks earned a finals double chance by finishing the regular season in third position and two weeks ago at the same venue it was Perth winning comfortably 77-65, but this was to be a significantly different contest.
Jessie Edwards threatened to be a match-winner again for Cockburn putting up eight points in the first quarter but the Redbacks managed to do enough to narrowly lead 16-15 after one.
It was all the Redbacks, though, in the second period with Makailah Dyer catching fire with nine of the team’s 23 points on the way to opening up a handy 39-26 half-time edge.
Nobody informed Cockburn they were out of the contest, though, and by the time Taylah Simmons connected on a pair of free-throws just before three quarter-time, it was back to being just a three-point ball game.
Molly Matthews then connected from beyond the arc for the Cougars to tie the scores to start the fourth quarter before a three-point play from Edwards soon after.
The Redbacks needed to dig deep and it was Dyer and Maddie Allen who refused to let them lose. The star duo combined for 16 of their team’s 18 fourth quarter points.
After trailing 63-62 with four minutes to go, Dyer hit a jumper for the Redbacks to put them back in front before she found Allen inside to stretch the lead. Dyer then scored again in response to Edwards hitting up the other end for Cockburn.
Then the biggest shot of the night was a three-point bomb from Dyer with a minute on the clock to put the Redbacks up by six before they went on to win 74-70.
It was a tremendous contest in the end with the seasons of both clubs on the line, but the Redbacks held firm to book in a preliminary final battle with the Tigers.
Makailah Dyer was outstanding for the Redbacks by putting up 36 points, four rebounds and three assists while Maddie Allen battled hard to contribute in all areas with 10 points, 12 boards, eight assists and two blocked shots.
Bri Bailey connected on 3/7 from three-point range for 13 points, four rebounds and three assists with Shenae Hartree contributing six points and five boards, Raya Thompson five points, eight rebounds and two assists.
It was a brave showing from the Cougars to shake off their rough run to end the regular season and to knock out the Flames last week and push the Redbacks all the way this week.
Jessie Edwards produced another standout performance for Cockburn with 27 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two steals on the back of shooting 10/17 from the field and 7/9 from the foul line.
Molly Matthews fought hard for Cockburn too with 22 points and three rebounds while Tia Morgan contributed six points and four boards, Kahlia Morgan six points, four rebounds and three assists, and Taylah Simmons five points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
EAST PERTH EAGLES 79 LOST WARWICK SENATORS 80
They are natural geographical rivals and the East Perth Eagles and Warwick Senators delivered quite the show in Friday night’s semi-final with a spot in the preliminary final up for grabs against another fairly closely located combatant, the Joondalup Wolves.
The stage was set for quite the fascinating contest with their seasons on the line with East Perth having earned the home court advantage on the back of a standout regular season ending up in fourth position.
That was after several years previously in the SBL competition of struggling to be competitive, but that has all changed under the coaching of Blake Srdarev, and the Coach of the Year almost pulled off a stunning upset last week in the qualifying final against the Willetton Tigers.
The Eagles were leading by 18 points but couldn’t quite complete the job, however, they had earned a second chance and home court advantage for the semi-final with a Senators team fresh off a thumping elimination final win at home to the Mandurah Magic.
The Senators were also impressive in beating the Eagles at Herb Graham Recreation Centre only back on August 5, but with so much at stake this time, the two teams put on quite the spectacle all evening.
It was a stunning start from East Perth with Eryn Fisher and BJ Moyes combining to score the game’s first seven points, but the Senators soon steadied and ended up leading 28-21 by quarter-time.
The Senators extended their lead out to double-figures early in the second term but the Eagles had done enough to stay in touch by half-time despite Warwick leading 43-35.
East Perth turned things around dramatically in the third period and when Mary Goulding knocked down two three-pointers in under a minute, and Bree Fisher hit another, suddenly the Eagles found themselves in front 51-49 midway through the third term.
Opal Mader then converted a four-point play to put East Perth up 55-49 and another Bree Fisher triple on three quarter-time saw the home team have all the momentum and a 64-56 lead.
The Senators simply had too much experience and quality to take that lying down, though, and they opened up the fourth term with an 8-0 run to have scores level in less than two minutes.
Stacey Barr was starting to feel it with a couple of three balls in the first three minutes of the final quarter to put Warwick in front but then the returning Tahlia Fejo hit a jumper to return East Perth to the lead with 6:40 remaining.
Former Eagle Nicole Jorre de St Jorre hit from beyond the arc as Warwick extended their lead but Fejo again kept East Perth close. Goulding then scored four straight Eagles points to put the home team back in front with just under three minutes on the clock.
But Caitlyn Jones hit a three and Tayla Hepburn a two for Warwick before both Barr and de St Jorre put them up four at the free-throw line to take the game out of reach. Fejo hit a three on the buzzer for East Perth, but all that did was cut it to one-point result with the Senators advancing.
They will now take on the Lady Wolfpack on Saturday at HBF Arena with a spot in the Grand Final on the line.
Stacey Barr produced another terrific all-round performance for the Senators made up of 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Nicole Jorre de St Jorre also delivered 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists for Warwick in her 415th game while Caitlyn Jones contributed 11 points, six boards, three assists and two steals.
Tayla Hepburn also finished with nine points and 11 rebounds, Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard nine points and seven boards, and Rebekah Throns six points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Mary Goulding capped off her remarkable season with East Perth with another 32 points, 15 rebounds, five steals and two assists on shooting 14/28 from the field.
Opal Mader added 13 points and six rebounds for the Eagles, Tahlia Fejo nine points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds, BJ Moyes nine points, six rebounds and five assists, Bree Fisher eight points and three assists, and Eryn Fisher six points and four boards.
NBL1 WEST WOMEN’S DIVISION 2021
FINALS WEEK 1
FRIDAY – QUALIFYING FINAL
Joondalup Wolves 90 defeated Perth Redbacks 48
FRIDAY – ELIMINATION FINAL
Rockingham Flames 75 lost to Cockburn Cougars 81
SATURDAY – ELIMINATION FINAL
Warwick Senators 97 defeated Mandurah Magic 64
SATURDAY – QUALIFYING FINAL
Willetton Tigers 77 defeated East Perth Eagles 73
FINALS WEEK 2
FRIDAY – SEMI FINALS
Perth Redbacks 74 defeated Cockburn Cougars 70
East Perth Eagles 79 lost Warwick Senators 80
SATURDAY – PRELIMINARY FINALS
Willetton Tigers v Perth Redbacks – Willetton Basketball Stadium 5pm
Joondalup Wolves v Warwick Senators – HBF Arena Joondalup 7pm
FINALS WEEK 3
FRIDAY – GRAND FINAL
Tigers/Redbacks v Wolves/Senators – Bendat Basketball Centre 7pm