Purser gets Hawks out of a hole (Saturday Night Wrap)
A Ben Purser field goal with three seconds remaining saw Perry Lakes Hawks survive a major scare to beat Mandurah Magic 84-83 in the men's State Basketball League.
The Hawks looked set to suffer a shock loss to the struggling Magic when they trailed by 14 points early in the fourth quarter, but they outscored Mandurah 28-16 in the final quarter before Purser hit the game-winning shot to consolidate Perry Lakes' spot in the top four.
Purser had 20 points to lead the Hawks to their fourth-straight win, while the result was a huge blow to Mandurah's already slim chances of making the finals.
Perth Redbacks got their finals hopes back on track with a crucial 103-97 win over fellow top-eight contenders Goldfields Giants in Kalgoorlie.
The Redbacks had lost three of their past four games but Adrian Majstrovich (41 points) helped them get back into form and continue Goldfields' dismal run. The Giants have now lost five of their past six games.
And Kalamunda Eastern Suns replaced the Giants in the top eight after they beat Rockingham Flames 111-103.
Ben Smith top-scored for the Suns with 26 points, while Jason Duplessis also scored 26 for the struggling Flames.
Geraldton Buccaneers came from behind to beat Southwest Slammers 96-87, a result which saw them move within two wins of a top-eight spot.
The Buccaneers trailed by six points late in the first half but rallied through Todd Brown (28 points) to ensure the Slammers remained winless this season.
Cockburn Cougars defeated Stirling Senators 112-105 to stay in second spot, led by Stanley Ocitti, who had 26 points.
The Cougars survived a second half fight-back to hand Stirling its third-straight defeat, despite the best efforts of Senators import Lee Roberts (42 points and 21 rebounds).
In women's action, Perry Lakes maintained its dominant form, extending its winning streak to six games as they beat the in-form Magic 68-60.
Elsewhere, Cockburn came from behind to beat Stirling 54-47 and Kalamunda thrashed Rockingham 89-50.
Article by Jacob Kagi
Photo by Darren Speedie (Vision Inspired Photography)
Comments
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.