Finals places on the line (Men's Previews)
The Giants and Senators will be battling with Total Connections Perry Lakes Hawks, Australian Central East Perth Eagles and Mandurah Magic for the last three finals spots over the last two weeks of the season.
One more win will assure Goldfields of a top eight spot, but the Giants have lost five straight and will be in serious danger of missing out if it doesn’t beat the Senators, while Stirling needs to end a poor run of losses in four of its last five.
East Perth should ensure it is at least in the tiebreaker to determine finals spots with a victory over winless side Carpet Court Southwest Slammers.
An Eagles victory would make Stirling’s task much harder and Mandurah’s nearly impossible, but Damien Chalk’s side will be heavily favoured after NBL star Steven Weigh averaged 45 points per game in his two matches last round.
Total Connections Perry Lakes Hawks travel to Sun City Plumbing Geraldton Buccaneers needing to win to ensure a top eight spot and could cause an upset, with the Buccaneers having lost two of its previous three.
Perry Lakes should win at least once in the final round to get its 14th win, but will want to guarantee its top eight spot as early as possible, while Geraldton will be trying to get back in the top two.
Mandurah faces Cockburn Cougars and Lakeside Lightning, needing at least one win to remain a finals chance.
The Magic will need wins in both if East Perth beats Southwest, but defeating second placed Lakeside, which has won five straight, will be tough.
Southside Mitsubishi Perth Redbacks and Titan Interactive Wanneroo Wolves face big tests in their battle for a top four spot, with Perth needing to win at Rockingham Flames and Wanneroo facing a tough match against Southlands Willetton Tigers.
Perth’s tough draw next week means it must beat Rockingham to remain a good top four chance, although it holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Wolves in a massive advantage.
Wanneroo has won five straight and should challenge Willetton at home, with the Tigers needing to win to take another step towards top spot.
AND1 Kalamunda Eastern Suns face Southwest and Cockburn with little more than pride at stake.
Kalamunda can avoid a second-last finish if it wins both, while Southwest will be looking to pick up its first win and Cockburn will be keen to gain some extra confidence after beating Rockingham last week.
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Article by Jacob Kagi
Photo by Travis Hayto (Outerbounds Photography)
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