Mathiang Muo delivered a stunning game winner for the Geraldton Buccaneers to upset the Perth Redbacks on Saturday night while the Joondalup Wolves got back to winning and the Cockburn Cougars kept their hot run going.
Those wins for the Buccs, Wolves and Cougars were just half the action we saw in the NBL1 West Men’s Division on Saturday night with the South West Slammers snapping their losing streak as well while the Warwick Senators won big and the Mandurah Magic kept their winning ways going.
Round 15 in the NBL1 West Men’s Division began back on Thursday night at Ray Owen Sports Centre with the Lakeside Lightning beating the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 105-90.
Then on Friday night, the Perry Lakes Hawks beat the Willetton Tigers 105-88, the Lakeside Lightning defeated the Joondalup Wolves 106-79, the Rockingham Flames downed the South West Slammers 103-67 and the Cockburn Cougars beat the Warwick Senators 104-102 in overtime.
That led into a huge Saturday night of action with 12 of the 14 teams all in action across the six matches.
That started with the Geraldton Buccaneers winning on the buzzer over the Perth Redbacks 68-67 thanks to the match-winner from Mathiang Muo at Active West Stadium.
Muo ended the evening with 24 points and 11 rebounds as they again won by virtually using only five players while Louis Timms put up 34 points for a Redbacks team missing Marshall Nelson once more.
The Joondalup Wolves were then able to snap their five-game losing run in style by knocking off the league-leading Perry Lakes Hawks 79-70 at HBF Arena.
Sioeli Vaiangina put up 19 points and nine rebounds for the Wolfpack and Lochlan Cummings 17 points while Ben Purser had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Perry Lakes, and Andrew Ferguson 12 points and 18 boards.
The Warwick Senators then proved far too good for the East Perth Eagles with the 112-70 win on Saturday night at Warwick Stadium.
Young gun Ethan Elliott had 21 points and five assists for Warwick and Caleb Davis 19 points and 10 rebounds with Lee Roberts producing another 25 points and 15 rebounds for East Perth.
The Cockburn Cougars kept their hot form going for a sixth consecutive win beating the Willetton Tigers 96-76 at Willetton Basketball Stadium.
Nic Pozoglou had another 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Cougars while it was a Tigers team who couldn’t fire despite welcoming back important trio Connor Mincherton, Michael Vigor and Damien Scott.
The South West Slammers then snapped their nine-game losing run with their third win of the season defeating the travelling Goldfields Giants 86-81 at Eaton Recreation Centre.
Cody Hill had 17 points for the Slammers, Rhys Barrett 16 and Clive Weeden 13 as he turned back the clock while Julian Pesava finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and six steals for the Giants.
The Mandurah then improved to 10-6 on the season with a solid 85-75 win against the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Ray Owen Sports Centre.
Jerami Grace had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Mandurah with Scott Machado adding 19 points, eight boards and six assists while Cooper Lowe put up another 16 points on 3/5 shooting from deep for the Eastern Suns.
Round 15 in the NBL1 West Men’s Division now concludes in Mandurah on Sunday afternoon with the Magic hosting the Goldfields Giants from midday.
NBL1 WEST – 2021 MEN’S SEASON
ROUND 15 – SATURDAY NIGHT
GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 68 defeated PERTH REDBACKS 67
The nail-biting contest of Saturday evening in the NBL1 West Men’s Division took place in Geraldton and it was the Buccaneers pulling out the stunning upset victory over the Perth Redbacks.
Geraldton might continue to be without the 860 games of championship of experience with Aaron Ralph and Mat Wundenberg sidelined, but they took heart of their road trip last weekend despite being undermanned to beat East Perth and push the Warwick Senators all the way.
However, it was a big task as the Redbacks came to Active West Stadium on Saturday night and bringing with them a four-game winning streak and a run of winning eight of their past nine matches.
So it was a big job for the Buccs but once again coach Dayle Joseph was willing to back in his starters Brandon Holloway, Elijah Barbour, Mathiang Muo, Taine Wattie and Will Galvin, and they paid him back in spades.
The Redbacks did arrive in Geraldton without prolific scorer Marshall Nelson for the second straight game as well but it was a game with little between the two teams all the way.
The Buccaneers managed to open up a 24-20 lead by quarter-time before the Redbacks got locked in defensively in the second term and saw scores all tied up at 34-34 by the half-time break.
Scores were still all locked together at 49-49 by three quarter-time and you could just sense it was destined to be decided on the buzzer.
A 7-0 run early in the last term for Geraldton gave the home team a seven-point lead with six minutes left on the clock but Perth responded with the next five points to keep things close.
Taine Wattie hit a triple for Geraldton to put the lead back out to five points before Zac Gattorna responded with a jumper for the Redbacks. Louis Timms and Brandon Holloway then traded buckets before Gattorna drained a triple and scores were level once more with 1:30 left.
As it turned out, Tevin Jackson made a good drive to get into the paint and hit a huge hook shot to put the Redbacks up 67-65 with seven seconds on the clock as the Buccs called for time to draw up the last play.
A misdirection play allowed Mathiang Muo to get a bit of space to get up his three ball and he drained it as time expired to give the Buccs their fifth win of the season in remarkable fashion, beating the Redbacks 68-67.
Mathiang Muo finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds along with the match-winner for the Buccaneers while playing all but 26 seconds of the contest.
The other four starters for Geraldton all played at least 34 minutes as well with Elijah Barbour finishing with 16 points on 4/9 shooting from three, Taine Wattie 15 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Brandon Holloway six points, seven boards and six assists.
It was a missed opportunity for the Redbacks to continue to put pressure on breaking through for a top four position with Louis Timms producing a big night with 34 points and 12 rebounds on 14/20 shooting from the floor.
Tevin Jackson ended the evening with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists with Zac Gattorna contributing 10 points, six boards, four assists and two steals.
JOONDALUP WOLVES 79 defeated PERRY LAKES HAWKS 70
If you are desperate for a win, having the league-leaders coming to your home court isn’t usually what you are after, but for the Joondalup Wolves that challenge might have been just what they needed to get their 2021 back on track.
The Wolfpack came into the game against the ladder-leading Perry Lakes Hawks at HBF Arena on Saturday night on a five-match losing streak including fresh off a defeat at Lakeside to the Lightning by 27 points the previous night.
Meanwhile, the Hawks had beaten the Willetton Tigers the night before too to maintain their hold on top spot, but there’s a fierce rivalry between Joondalup and Perry Lakes, and something unusual usually takes place.
The teams met in dramatic battles in the 2018 Grand Final, 2019 semi finals and then again in the semi-final of last year’s West Coast Classic, but he margin when they met earlier in the season with Perry Lakes winning by 31 points at Bendat Basketball Centre.
However, this game was a much closer affair from the outset. The Wolves started well to try and give themselves a chance at ending their losing run with 26 points to 21 in the opening term.
Perry Lakes threatened, though, to take the game over in the second quarter with 25 points to 16 which saw them hold a 46-42 lead going into half-time.
Joondalup responded with their best third quarter in some time though. The Wolves were able to restrict the Hawks to just the 11 points while scoring 22 themselves.
That saw the Wolfpack lead 64-57 by three quarter-time and the home team converted that to a 79-70 victory to improve themselves to an 8-9 record in the battle for eighth spot while the Hawks slipped to 14-4 as they fight over a top two finish.
Sioeli Vaiangina ended up top-scoring for Joondalup with 19 points and nine rebounds while shooting an efficient 9/14 from the floor.
Lochlan Cummings added 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against the team he won a 2018 championship with while Jonathan Wade had 12 points, three boards and two steals, Mitch Newton nine points and six rebounds, and Jordan Wellsteed eight points and six boards.
Ben Purser finished the evening with another 17 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for Perry Lakes with Lewis Thomas contributing 14 points and seven boards, Andrew Ferguson 12 points and 18 rebounds, and Matthew Leary 10 points, two boards and two steals.
WARWICK SENATORS 112 defeated EAST PERTH EAGLES 70
The Warwick Senators left Wally Hagan Stadium frustrated on Friday night but they took all of that out on the hapless East Perth Eagles on Saturday.
The Senators lost in overtime to the Cougars away form home on Friday night bring an end to their three-game winning streak so they were high on motivation on return to Warwick Stadium on Saturday night to take on the Eagles.
East Perth was playing its only game of the weekend and they stuck with Warwick well in the opening quarter with scores level at 20-20 by quarter-time.
The Senators blew the game wide open in the second quarter, though, with 28 points to 13 to head into half-time leading the Eagles 48-33.
Warwick was starting to really feel it by the second half and piled on the pain for the Eagles with another 32 points to 16 in the third quarter, and 32 to 21 in the fourth to end up winning emphatically 112-70.
The win improves the Senators to an 11-6 record as they try to chase down a top four finish with the Eagles are now just trying to avoid the wooden spoon at 4-13 and just the one win ahead of the bottom placed South West Slammers.
Warwick won the rebound battle 48 to 34 including 21 offensive boards while East Perth had a horror time trying to keep control of the ball ending the night with 32 turnovers. That meant the Senators not only shot the ball better but took 31 extra field goals.
There were plenty of strong contributors for the Senators with Ethan Elliott leading the way with the teenager producing 21 points and five assists while hitting 4/7 from three-point land.
Caleb Davis added 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Senators, Cody Ellis 17 points, five boards, four assists and two steals, George Pearl 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Alier Riak 12 points and six boards.
Lee Roberts battled hard for East Perth with 25 points and 15 rebounds with Andrej Donlagic contributing 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
WILLETTON TIGERS 76 lost to COCKBURN COUGARS 96
The Willetton Tigers might have welcomed back their three stars, but it wasn’t enough to halt the impressive form and momentum the Cockburn Cougars are currently building.
Willetton had been without championship winning experienced pair Michael Vigor and Damien Scott the last couple of weeks, and were also missing exciting young gun Connor Mincherton for Friday night’s loss at Bendat Basketball Centre to the Perry Lakes Hawks.
However, the Tigers welcomed that trio back to take on the Cougars at Willetton Basketball Stadium on Saturday night, but it made little difference with the form and belief and confidence that Cockburn is now playing with.
The Cougars started the season losing nine of their first 11 matches and from there playoffs appeared a forlorn hope, but they have got things rolling in remarkable fashion since to have won four straight heading into hosting Willetton.
That included a stunning overtime win at home at Wally Hagan Stadium against the Warwick Senators on Friday to open Round 15 in the NBL1 West Men’s Division.
The Cougars kept that momentum going to lead the Tigers at Willetton Basketball Stadium 26-22 by quarter-time and then really put a gap on Willetton with 27 points to 15 in the second term to go into half-time leading 53-37.
Cockburn rammed home their advantage further with another 29 points to 14 in the third quarter and then the Cougars went on to win 96-76 to make it six wins on the trot as they try to break into the top four while the Tigers have now lost four in-a-row.
It was a remarkably dominant rebounding performance from Cockburn pulling down 48 boards to just 27 from the Tigers as well.
Nic Pozoglou had a standout all-round game for the Cougars finishing with 27 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocked shots while Jaarod Holmes put up 17 points, 12 boards and two blocked shots.
Friday night’s hero Gavin Field had 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals as well for the Cougars while Nathan Pond finished with eight points, Seva Chan eight points, four rebounds and three assists, and Zac Watkinson seven points and three boards.
Michael Vigor top-scored for Willetton on his return to the line-up with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists with Damien Scott adding 11points and four rebounds, and Travis fee 10 points, four boards and three assists.
SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS 86 defeated GOLDFIELDS GIANTS 81
It was fair to say the South West Slammers and Goldfields Giants were pretty desperate for a win when they locked horns at Eaton Recreation Centre on Saturday night.
The Slammers were back on their home floor having won just twice so far in the 2021 NBL1 West season and having lost their past nine matches after losing on the road to the Rockingham Flames on Friday night.
The Giants had just the four wins to their name for the season as well coming into another road double-header weekend and they arrived to take on the Slammers having lost six straight.
So both teams were eyeing off the opportunity to snap those losing slides and it was the Slammers on their home court who started the better to lead by six points at quarter-time.
However, the Giants really got on a roll and played their best quarter in quite some time heading into half-time having piled on 34 points to lead the Slammers 52-43 at the half.
The game took another turn after half-time the way of South West and the home team put up 24 points to 11 in the third term, and then capitalised on that momentum to close out their 86-81 victory.
It was the third win of the season for the Slammers and they did well defensively to force the Giants into 29 turnovers while also helping to limit their three-point shooting 7/34 at 20.6 per cent. South West shot 8/18 at 44.4 per cent themselves from downtown.
Cody Hill has been playing well for the Slammers but he would have enjoyed the chance to contribute to a win on Saturday night with his 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Rhys Barrett is another young and emerging Slammer who put up 16 points and three steals. Clive Weeden is at the opposite end of his career, but he showed he can still contribute with his best showing of his comeback with 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Cory Richardson also contributed 11 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals, Caleb Van De Griend 10 points and six boards, and Devan Craig seven points.
Julian Pesava has had a frustrating season in terms of his health and availability, but sent a reminder of what he can do for the Giants despite the loss with 23 points, eight rebounds, six steals and two assists.
Tom Atkinson also had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Goldfields, Hamish Cummings 11 points, Deng Kuany 10 points and six rebounds, and Sam Morrow seven points and two assists.
KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 69 lost to MANDURAH MAGIC 75
The Kalamunda Eastern Suns put in a second strong showing against tough opposition at home for Round 15, but they again just couldn’t quite put enough together to topple the Mandurah Magic.
The Eastern Suns opened Round 15 in the NBL1 West Men’s Division back on Thursday night with an encouraging showing against the Lakeside Lightning with the debut of New Zealand guard Joe Cook-Green despite being without import Chris Williams.
The Suns were back home at Ray Owen Sports Centre on Saturday night to host the Magic who were playing their first game of the round before backing up at home on Sunday against the Goldfields Giants.
Kalamunda got off to a hot start on their home floor with 25 points to 17 in the opening quarter, but the Magic were able to turn things around in the second with 27 points to 17 to take a 44-42 lead into the half-time interval.
Mandurah pulled further away in the third quarter with another 22 points to 13 and that was enough to set up the eventual 85-75 victory to improve the Magic to a 10-6 record as they try and chase down a top four finish.
Jerami Grace continues to impress for Mandurah delivering 24 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while NBL superstar Scott Machado finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocked shots and two steals.
Xavier Shaw added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Magic, Riley Parker 10 points and eight boards, and Fred Williams 10 points and seven rebounds.
Cooper Lowe backed up a big game on Thursday night against the Lightning with another 16 points on 3/5 shooting from downtown for the Eastern Suns against the Magic.
Joe Cook-Green showed more good signs with 12 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two steals in his second appearance while Dyson Lowe added 12 points, four steals and three rebounds, Brendan Dinardo 12 points and seven boards, and Jermaine Malie eight points and three rebounds.