Willetton's roar too much for Perth
Southlands Boulevarde Willetton Tigers got back into form with a tough 102-96 victory against Perth Redbacks in their men's State Basketball League match at Belmont Oasis on Friday.
After their shock home loss to Geraldton last week, the defending champions were in better form as Wildcats star Matt Knight carried them to their 10th win of the season.
Knight had 26 points and 14 rebounds for the fifth-placed Tigers, while import Robert Kampman (26 points) also played an important role.
Knight's performance was enough for Willetton to overcome Jesse Wagstaff's 28 points for the Redbacks. Joel Wagner (13 assists and four steals) also played well, but the Tigers' dominance in the paint proved the difference.
Perth import Daniel Maddox was ruled out through injury and starting centre Michael Vigor was in early foul trouble, which forced the Redbacks to go with a small line-up for much of the game.
And the Tigers took advantage, finishing with 17 more rebounds, 10 extra points in the paint and 10 more second chance points, thanks largely to the work of Knight.
Despite their problems inside, the Redbacks led for much of the match and never let Willetton's advantage get above six.
The hosts led by six with eight minutes left but Willetton got in front with 4:33 remaining and held on through a tense finish to leave Perth needing to beat East Perth on Saturday to remain in the top eight.
Redbacks coach David Harris said he was frustrated that the problems that have plagued his side all season had hurt them once again.
"We gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the second quarter and that's been our weakness all season. That let them back in it and then our offensive execution in the last five minutes was pretty ordinary," he said.
"We're a pretty young team and we've just got to persevere. Our program is heading in the right direction."
Willetton coach Shayne Hampel said the result was a much-needed victory, but was disappointed with the results of his changes to the starting five, which saw him bring in Knight and Alex Prince.
"When you give up 58 points in the first-half, it's fair to say it didn't have the desired effect," Hampel said.
Earlier, Willetton's women survived a major scare to beat Perth 80-78 in overtime.
Jasmine Hooper hit a pair of free-throws with 12 seconds left and the Tigers held on for the win, despite the absence of Kate Malpass and Ebony Antonio.
The eighth-placed Redbacks looked set to take advantage of their absence when they led by four points with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Willetton fought back to take the lead though, only for a remarkable Narelle Henry four-point play in the final seconds to send the game to overtime. But the league leaders clinched the victory in the tense extra period.
Zoe Harper led the Tigers with 23 points, while Brooke Hiddlestone also had 23 for the Redbacks.
Article by Jacob Kagi at Belmont Oasis
Photo by Grant Lauterbach
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