Wolfpack roar into top two
The Wanneroo Wolves have claimed outright second position on the MSBL ladder with a comfortable 27-point win over the Rockingham Flames on Friday night.
The 115-88 win gave Wanneroo their 15th win of the season, and after Cockburn's loss to East Perth, sees the Wolves and Cougars switch places on the ladder.
The Wolves jumped out to an early 16 point lead in the first quarter after some costly turnovers by the Flames.
Three early fouls to Rockingham import Kenny Tribbett saw Dayton Waters enter early, and his offensive rebounding and spark from the bench saw Rockingham make a comeback to only trail by one at quarter time.
John Vaudreuil and Damian Matacz began to make their mark on the game early in the second quarter with dominance inside the paint which resulted in easy baskets for the Wolves. Their excellent ball movement also gave Doug Gates open looks from three point range, who had 13 first half points.
Not to be outdone from beyond the arc, Carlin Hughes and Ryan Godfrey kept Rockingham close with five three pointers between them in the first half.
Despite only trailing by eight points at the main break, turnovers by the Flames saw Wanneroo's lead blow out to more than 20 and from there it became insurmountable.
Wanneroo's lead reached as much as 35 as Matacz took charge. He finished with a game high 23 points. He received support from the entire Wolves team as each player got on the score sheet.
Gates was next best with 18 points for the Wolves. Hughes top scored for Rockingham with 17 points.
Postgame Wolves coach Ben Ettridge praised his big men for their efforts.
"John Vaudreuil and Damian Matacz are two of the premier low post big men around, and they did an outstanding job of absorbing contact and getting to the free throw line," he said.
"We won't change much for tomorrow night."
Wanneroo head home to face the Southlands Boulevarde Willetton Tigers on Saturday night. The Flames have a date with league leaders Lakeside Lightning next Friday night.
The Glasscraft Wolves consolidated their top four position in the WSBL standings with a comfortable 75-35 win over the Rockingham Flames earlier in the night.
The Wolves never trailed as their bench provided valuable input outscoring Rockingham's bench 38-0.
Rebecca Mercer led all scorers with 19 points for the Wolves. Jacinta Bourne was Rockingham's best with 18 points, 10 rebounds and five steals
Article by Nathan Winch at Mike Barnett Sports Complex
Photo by Darren Speedie (Vision Inspired Photography)
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