Eagles slam South West to end losing skid
The Australian Central East Perth Eagles have ended their three-game losing streak with a hard fought 115 to 98 win over the South West Slammers in the men's State Basketball League on Saturday.
Star point guard Daniel Thomas had 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead East Perth to its third win of the season, while Tom Jervis had 22 points, 20 rebounds and six blocks and Jarrod Balcombe (26 points) and Corey Easley (20) also impressed.
The Slammers' best were Nick Freer with 37 points and 11 rebounds and Matthew Smith with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to avoid their side's seventh straight loss, which left them as the only side without a win this season.
The Eagles were strong right from the tip off scoring the first seven unanswered points, but South West hit to end the quarter trailing by just four.
The second quarter saw the Eagles lead grow to as much as 10 but the Slammers fought hard to get within two points, thanks largely to Freer, who finished the first half with 25 points.
But Easley was also impressive, ending the half with 16 points of his own, including four three pointers, to help East Perth take a 53-49 half-time lead.
The Eagles led by as many as 18 early in the third period but South West again fought back and went into the final break trailing by just nine.
The Slammers cut East Perth's lead to three early in the fourth but Balcombe hit a crucial three pointer with four and a half minutes left and followed that up with a fast break dunk to put the Eagles up by nine.
Eagles coach Matt Parsons said he was happy with the win and glad to be back in the winner’s circle.
"The Slammers are a young team and they challenged us well. They’re a better than their zero and seven start to the season suggests," he said.
"I’m proud of the defensive job Cameron Cranley and Colin Matteson did on Freer, holding him to nine points in the second half."
In the women’s match the Eagles proved why they are, after five rounds, the best defensive team in the league with a 71 – 47 win over the Slammers.
The first quarter was tight, with the teams trading baskets and saw the Slammers finish the quarter trailing by two points 16 – 14.
The Eagles came out firing in the second quarter with Eagles Kate Fielding finishing the half with 11 points and Danielle Devenny with 10.
South West's Lavesa Glover and Bianca Donovan finished the half with nine points apiece but couldn’t prevent the Eagles stretching their lead to see them ahead at the long break 38 – 24.
And the Eagles allowed just nine points in the third term to head to the last break with an unassailable 55-33 lead.
The Slammers' best were Glover with 20 points and 17 rebounds and Donovan with 11 points and three steals.
Fielding starred for East Perth with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Samantha Norwood had 13 points and nine rebounds and Devenny added 12 points and eight boards.
Article by Leigh Dalton at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre
Photo by Mick Cronin
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